Bus Accident Attorney in Pacific, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Pacific, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a catastrophic bus accident, take control of your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents rarely ever receive equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can often be equally as dangerous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Pacific, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and follow the rules. When they eschew their duty and do not respect the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or your family. Your Pacific, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you win the best possible compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience defending the injured in Pacific and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held responsible for their thoughtless behavior. Our Pacific, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and in total we have won them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, commitment, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Pacific, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for extortionate medical costs and also deal with the emotional impact of your injury only because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Pacific, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation. We begin working on your claim straight away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you are owed.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Pacific, MO because of somebody else's thoughtless actions, discover how much your damages may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Pacific, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus under the assumption that the appropriate safety measures were obeyed. Pacific, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they are supposed to adhere to, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully recover from, may have permanent consequences or in the most terrible cases can even cause wrongful death. The Pacific, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you recover the full compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Pacific, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they deserve. Those Pacific, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, accomplished and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be difficult to comprehend for Pacific, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than 20 years of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Pacific, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every aspect of your claim. You can expect an experienced and talented bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site immediately. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer at the site at any time of the day or night in order to secure vital evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are often a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of winning your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, and important details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. A lot of different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Pacific, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held liable.
• Utilize our network of Pacific, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and work out exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will implement our experience and expertise to make certain you collect it.
• Fight back against resistant Pacific, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their profits than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your damages. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner whole time. We take control of all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. You owe us no attorneys fees until you get maximum compensation. If you or a family member has been harmed in a calamitous bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because it requires so many people to run a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Pacific, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every category of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to discover who needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Pacific, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver behavior. While the same study found that only 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by a grave offense such as the driver being intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly those that work for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become sleepy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how often they have to take a break, those rules are often <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not mandatory or complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the intricacy of driving them, slick roads or Pacific, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus commuters. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, but not close to as much as other transportation industries. A 2011 study by the National Transportation Safety Board found that The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has only 878 inspectors responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot keep up with the number of inspections required. Some Pacific, MO bus companies do not correctly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Additionally, bus companies are required to make sure that their drivers are properly trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Pacific, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Pacific, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to eliminate the issue but either did not do so quickly enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your accomplished Pacific, MO bus accident attorney establishes the reasons behind your crash, they will be able to confirm who is at-fault for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward delivering you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found liable in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to maintain their safety. Part of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite saying that safety is their utmost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not followed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound passengers have reported that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that Pacific, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident might be because of a bus company either failing to carry out routine inspections or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially prone to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be diligent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Pacific, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the crash occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to ensure the safety of their vehicles and quickly issue recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. If they approve an inherently unsafe design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning properly, they are guilty of product liability. While they might attempt to place the blame on somebody else, your Pacific, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Pacific or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be calamitous because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they usually happen in metropolitan areas. While you can file a suit against the Pacific, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in tort claims. If you seek to file a suit against a municipality or government employee, you must file it within 90 days of the accident with the Office of Administration’s Risk Management Division. That is why it is vital to contact a Pacific, MO bus accident attorney right away after your injury. There is no time to wait, call the trusted Burger Law bus accident injury lawyers now at (314) 500-HURT.

Missouri Revised Statute §537.600 grants sovereign immunity to government entities and employees except against a government employee who was driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a negligent or reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident due to driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop the bus when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Pacific, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you get on a bus you trust that driver with your safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility seriously and causes you injury, you can be sure that the devoted and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto accident, there are often two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may be responsible for a portion of the blame. Another driver’s recklessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can harm you. If you were injured in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Pacific, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus crash in Pacific and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus wrecks. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is at fault, a school district in Pacific, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not carry out proper background checks when hiring drivers.

Below are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for bus accident injuries and other types of injuries:

• Do I have to Talk to the Insurance Company Before I Talk to a Lawyer?
• How Much to Expect in an Auto Accident Settlement
• What Happens During Litigation?
• Does My Family Have a Wrongful Death Claim?
• Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Claim

What Compensation Can A Bus Accident Attorney in Pacific, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will usually be based on the severity of your injuries and how they have affected and will affect they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Pacific, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have experienced a catastrophic spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Pacific, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you receive a great financial recovery for all of the pain and inconvenience your injury has caused and will continue to cause. Missouri Senate Bill 239 defines the damages you can receive as:

• Economic damages, including:
  • Medical expenses, such as hospital bills, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We use our team of medical and economic experts to quantify the exact dollar amount you deserve, accounting for inflation for future lost earning potential or future medical expenses.

• Noneconomic damages, including:
  • pain and suffering
  • mental anguish
  • inconvenience
  • physical impairment
  • disfigurement
  • loss of capacity to enjoy life
  • loss of consortium

However grave your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Pacific, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you collect full compensation for all of your damages.

Learn more about our various practice areas by clicking the links below:

• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri
• Car Accident Attorney in Missouri

Call Our Pacific, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the immense pain and disastrous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Pacific, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, honest and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past two decades to secure you the the best possible recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus accident, there is no time to wait. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free case review.