Bus Accident Attorney in Pettis County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Pettis County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a devastating bus accident, take the first step in your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents almost never receive the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can often be equally as hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Pettis County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their obligations and disregard the rules it can have terrible, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your family. Your Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you receive the full compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Pettis County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held accountable for their careless behavior. Our Pettis County, MO clients have put their cases 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 hard work, dedication, persistence, knowledge and experience to help find justice in personal injury cases and help Pettis County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for ridiculous medical costs and also deal with the emotional shock of your injury only because another person disregarded the rules. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a Pettis County, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We get started on your claim at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you deserve.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Pettis County, MO because of somebody else's careless behavior, learn how much your claim may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Pettis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus under the impression that that the proper safety protocols were obeyed. Pettis County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they are supposed to obey, but sometimes they fail in those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is generally caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really recover from, may have permanent consequences or in the worst instances can even result in wrongful death. The Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you win the maximum compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Pettis County, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they deserve. Those Pettis County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, experienced and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is complex and can be unforgiving to Pettis County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every detail of your claim. You can expect a veteran and talented bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site as soon as possible. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to secure vital evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are usually a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a important part of proving your case.
• Collect additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. Many different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work alongside our network of Pettis County, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and assess exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our knowledge and expertise to make sure you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Pettis County, MO insurance companies who care more about their profits than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and weasel their way out of their duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those schemes will not work in your case.
• Take the fight in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole time. We take control of all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. You owe us no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a ruinous bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

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

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Pettis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under 25 years old, as well as 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 just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of an egregious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, especially the ones that drive for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become fatigued 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 frequently they have to take a break, those regulations 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 followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ weight and the intricacy of driving them, slick roads or Pettis County, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company will be at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, but much less than 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 reviews for over 765,000 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections needed. Some Pettis County, MO bus companies do not correctly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Pettis County, MO street, the better your odds of holding the negligent parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Pettis County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the issue but either did not do so soon enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your experienced Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the cause of your crash, they will be able to ascertain who is at-fault for your injuries and how to go forward with winning you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. In despite of saying that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to hold off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not obeyed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making certain that Pettis County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to carry out routine inspections or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly prone to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the crash took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to guarantee the safety of their products and swiftly announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently flawed design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning correctly, they are guilty of product liability. While they might try to place the blame on somebody else, your Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Pettis County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they frequently take place in densely populated areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Pettis County, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in tort claims. If you want to make a claim 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 urgent to get in touch with a Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at once after your injury. Do not delay, 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 liable or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident because of negligence. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Pettis County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you go on board a bus you trust that driver with your health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the devoted and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle accident, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may bear a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s recklessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can injure you. If you were harmed in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and veteran Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are responsible and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus accident in Pettis County 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 Pettis County, MO may also be held responsible, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not conduct sufficient 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 Pettis County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will typically be based on the severity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have gotten a mild concussion that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Pettis County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a catastrophic spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you receive a maximum 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We utilize 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 serious your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you recover 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 Pettis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the immense pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Pettis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have obtained over the past two decades to get you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.