Bus Accident Attorney in Richmond, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Richmond, MO. If you or a loved one 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 rarely get equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can often be just as dangerous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Richmond, 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 devastating, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Richmond, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you secure the maximum compensation that you deserve for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Richmond and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held accountable for their thoughtless behavior. Many Richmond, MO individuals 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 determination, dedication, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Richmond, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose wages, pay for expensive medical bills and also deal with the emotional trauma of your injury only because another person broke the rules. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a Richmond, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation. We start working on your claim at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Richmond, MO because of somebody else's reckless behavior, find out how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Richmond, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus presuming that the correct safety arrangements were obeyed. Richmond, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect 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 really heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the worst cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Richmond, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you are not required to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we start working on your case at once, and will not let up until you are awarded the maximum compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Richmond, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they are owed. Those Richmond, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Richmond, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Richmond, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every detail of your claim. You can bank on 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 on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to acquire essential evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are almost always a lot of passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Acquire further 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 repairs were performed on the bus. Several different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Richmond, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held liable.
• Work with our network of Richmond, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and assess precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will implement our knowledge and expertise to make certain you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Richmond, MO insurance companies who care more about their profits than your health. 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 to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert 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 manage 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 are fairly compensated. If you or a family member has been hurt 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?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a role to play in running a bus in a safe manner you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Richmond, 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 needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced 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 transpired.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that only 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by a grave offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly the ones that work for 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 rules about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how often they have to take a break, those rules 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 followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slick roads or Richmond, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous 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 determine if that is the case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, but not nearly 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 people responsible for inspections of over 765,000 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep up with the quantity of inspections needed. Some Richmond, MO bus companies do not correctly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to ensure that their drivers are sufficiently trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

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

Once your knowledgeable Richmond, MO bus accident attorney establishes the cause of your crash, they will be able to confirm who is liable for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not driving too many miles without a break. In despite of insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely obeyed 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 because of driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating when the crash occurred, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Richmond, MO buses are correctly inspected and repaired and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to provide routine inspections or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly predisposed to 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 correctly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Richmond, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the wreck happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to certify the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls if a product is found to be defective. If they approve an inherently faulty 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 try to place the blame on someone else, your Richmond, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Richmond 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 generally take place in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Richmond, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury suits. If you want 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 imperative to reach out to a Richmond, MO bus accident attorney right away 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 negligent or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck because of recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop driving when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Richmond, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the foolish 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 safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the dedicated and tenacious 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 frequently involved, and in some cases they each may shoulder 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 crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and accomplished Richmond, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are at fault and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus crash we most commonly see in Richmond 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 responsible, a school district in Richmond, MO may also be held responsible, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly bad or they did not perform 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 Richmond, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally depend on the seriousness of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Richmond, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have sustained a disastrous 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 Richmond, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you receive a full 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We work alongside our network of medical and economic experts to compute the exact dollar amount you are owed, 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 Richmond, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you receive 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 Richmond, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your family. Your Richmond, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to win you the the best possible recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 review.