Bus Accident Attorney in Pike County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Pike County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a disastrous 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 equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can oftentimes be similarly harmful and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Pike County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they break that trust and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent consequences for you or the people you care about. Your Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you recover the full compensation that you deserve for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience defending the injured in Pike County and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held responsible for their thoughtless behavior. Many Pike County, MO individuals have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished 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, resolution, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Pike County, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for expensive medical bills and also manage the emotional toll of your injury just because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Pike 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 case evaluation. We begin working on your claim at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Pike County, MO because of another person's negligent behavior, learn how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

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

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus presuming that the adequate safety protocols were followed. Pike County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they are supposed to respect, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really heal from, may have permanent effects or in the most tragic cases can even cause wrongful death. The Pike County, 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 get to work on on your case right away, and will not let up until you are awarded the maximum compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Pike County, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they entitled to. Those Pike County, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are complicated and can be difficult to comprehend for Pike County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Pike County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your case. You can anticipate a veteran and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash 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 acquire vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also experienced injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are often a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of winning your case.
• Acquire additional evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, as well as important details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. A lot of different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Pike County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work with our network of Pike County, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and assess precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will use our savvy and expertise to make certain you collect it.
• Fight back against resistant Pike 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 devalue your claim. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, 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 you are fully compensated. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a role to play in operating a bus safely you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Pike 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 discover what entity needs to be held liable for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that just 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a severe offense such as the driver being intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, such as speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, particularly those that work for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become drowsy and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how often they have to take a break, those regulations are frequently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not enforced or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of maneuvering them, slick roads or Pike County, MO construction areas can be especially hazardous for bus commuters. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine 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 people 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 stay ahead of the quantity of inspections needed. Some Pike County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to ensure that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and crashing. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Pike County, MO street, the better your odds of holding the liable parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Pike County, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to fix the problem but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your expert Pike County, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons behind your crash, they will be able to ascertain who is liable for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward delivering you maximum compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to look out for their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many hours without a break. Despite saying that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not followed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Pike County, MO buses are adequately inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be because of a bus company either failing to perform routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are especially at risk of breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

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

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to confirm the safety of their vehicles and quickly announce recalls if a product is discovered to be faulty. If they approve an inherently defective 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 attempt to place the blame on somebody else, your Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Pike County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they usually happen in metropolitan areas. While you can make a claim against the Pike County, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury suits. 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 crucial to call a Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at once after your accident. 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 operating a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against an at-fault or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident owing to driving mistakes. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop the bus when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Pike County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the terrible 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 obligation seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the devoted and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle collision, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some instances they each may be responsible for a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s thoughtlessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can hurt you. If you were injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and veteran Pike County, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are responsible and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus accident we most typically see in Pike County and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus crashes. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is responsible, a school district in Pike County, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially bad 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 Pike County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will typically depend on the severity of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have received a sprained ankle that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Pike County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you collect 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We work alongside our team of medical and economic experts to compute 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 serious your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Pike County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you recover 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 Pike County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every type of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and catastrophic effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, straightforward and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past 20 years to get you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 complimentary case evaluation.