Bus Accident Attorney in Ray County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Ray County, MO. If you or a family member has been hurt in a destructive 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 get equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can frequently be equally as dangerous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Ray County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they eschew their obligations and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your family. Your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you collect the full compensation that you are entitled to for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Ray County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to take responsibility for their careless behavior. Many Ray County, MO individuals have put their claims and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, dedication, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Ray County, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for extortionate medical costs and also work through the emotional trauma of your injury just because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Ray 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 free case evaluation. We get started on your case straight away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

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

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

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus supposing that the appropriate safety arrangements were followed. Ray County, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent rules they have a responsibility to obey, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is typically caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly recover from, may have permanent consequences or in the most terrible cases can even result in wrongful death. The Ray 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 work relentlessly until you get the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Ray County, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they entitled to. Those Ray County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the passionate, seasoned and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are convoluted and can be unforgiving to Ray County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Ray County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your case. You can bank on an experienced and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site immediately. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time during the day or night in order to secure essential evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are usually many passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. Eyewitness testimony is a important part of proving your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, in additional to important details such as how far the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were performed on the bus. A lot of different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Ray County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work alongside our network of Ray County, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will utilize our know-how and expertise to make certain you get it.
• Stand up to resistant Ray 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 avoid their responsibility to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner entire 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. We collect no attorneys fees until you get maximum compensation. If you or a family member has been injured in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because it takes 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 was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Ray County, 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 find out what entity is responsible for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver action. While the same study found that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a serious offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly the ones that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become drowsy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have specifications about how many hours a driver can drive during a day 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 complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ size and the intricacy of maneuvering them, slippery roads or Ray County, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company will be liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you discover 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 motor carriers, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep up with the quantity of inspections required. Some Ray County, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to make certain that their drivers are adequately trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Hazards in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Ray County, MO road, the better your chances of holding the liable parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Ray County, 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 adequately repair it.

Once your experienced Ray County, MO bus accident attorney establishes the reasons for your wreck, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward winning you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are often found liable in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. Despite saying that safety is their utmost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to inhibit drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often followed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Ray County, MO buses are correctly inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's duty. A bus accident could be the result of a bus company either failing to perform routine inspections or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly susceptible to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Ray 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 took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to confirm the safety of their vehicles and quickly announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently dangerous design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning adequately, they are guilty of product liability. While they might attempt to place the blame on somebody else, your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Ray County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be disastrous because of the number of people who could be injured and because they typically occur in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Ray 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 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 vital to get in touch with a Ray County, MO bus accident attorney right away 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 driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against an at-fault or reckless 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 eating or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Ray 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 their employers 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 committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle accident, 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 accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and veteran Ray County, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are liable 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 Ray 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 liable, a school district in Ray County, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially poor 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 Ray County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally depend on the gravity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will affect they have on your life. You may have received a sprained ankle that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Ray County, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have received a catastrophic spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you secure 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 costs, 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 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 Ray County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you get 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 Ray County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past 20 years to win you the full recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free case evaluation.