Bus Accident Attorney in Phelps County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Phelps County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured 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 get equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can often be just as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Phelps County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you receive the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Phelps County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held responsible for their reckless actions. Many Phelps County, MO families 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, devotion, resolution, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Phelps County, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for sky-high medical costs and also manage the emotional scars of your injury just because someone else broke the rules. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a Phelps County, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We start working on your claim straight away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you deserve.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Phelps County, MO because of another person's careless behavior, learn how much your damages may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

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

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on the bus under the assumption that the correct safety protocols were obeyed. Phelps County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have a responsibility to obey, but sometimes they fail in those responsibilities and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really recover from, may have permanent consequences or in the most tragic cases can even cause wrongful death. The Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not have to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case at once, and work relentlessly until you win the full compensation you deserve. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Phelps County, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they entitled to. Those Phelps County, 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 compassionate, veteran 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 difficult to comprehend for Phelps County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your claim. You can bank on a veteran and knowledgeable 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 at the site at any time during the day or night in order to secure key evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are typically a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you need. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and important details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were performed on the bus. Many different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Utilize our network of Phelps County, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and compute precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will utilize our knowledge and expertise to make certain you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Phelps County, 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 avoid their duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner entire time. We manage all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We collect no attorneys fees until you are fully compensated. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a disastrous bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it necessitates so many people to operate a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Phelps 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 find out who needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Phelps 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 the age of 25, 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 reported that only 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 been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially the ones that are employed by 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 behind 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 required or followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ weight and the intricacy of driving them, icy roads or Phelps County, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus passengers. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you discover if that is true in your case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, 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 people responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot keep up with the quantity of inspections required. Some Phelps County, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to make certain that their drivers are properly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Phelps County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Phelps County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the problem but either did not do so quickly enough or did not adequately repair it.

Once your experienced Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney deduces the reasons for your wreck, they will be able to determine who is at-fault for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward securing you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found negligent in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. Part of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. Despite insisting that safety is their highest 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 required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to stave off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often obeyed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have reported that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Phelps County, MO buses are adequately inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine inspections or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly susceptible 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 sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the crash happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to ensure the safety of their products and quickly announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently faulty 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 shift the blame to somebody else, your Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure liable parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Phelps 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 usually occur in metropolitan areas. While you can file a suit against the Phelps County, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability cases. If you want to make a claim against a municipality or government employee, you must file it within 90 days of the injury with the Office of Administration’s Risk Management Division. That is why it is essential to call a Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney immediately 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 operating 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 owing to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Phelps 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 board a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the devoted and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle collision, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances 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 harm you. If you were injured in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and veteran Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are at fault and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the kind of bus accident we most typically see in Phelps 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 liable, a school district in Phelps County, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not carry out adequate 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 Phelps County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will typically depend on the seriousness of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have received a mild concussion that merely needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Phelps County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a devastating 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 Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you receive a fair 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 capacity

  We use our team of medical and economic experts to determine the exact dollar amount you are entitled to, 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 Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you are awarded maximum 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 Phelps County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and catastrophic effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Phelps County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, straightforward and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to secure you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a bus accident, do not wait another second. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.