Bus Accident Attorney in St. Peters, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in St. Peters, MO. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a destructive 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 hardly ever get the same attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can oftentimes be just as hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust St. Peters, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and obey the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your family. Your St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you receive the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in St. Peters and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held accountable for their thoughtless behavior. Our St. Peters, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our capable hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, dedication, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help St. Peters, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for expensive medical costs and also work through the emotional shock of your injury just because somebody else did not respect the rules. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a St. Peters, 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 start working on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are entitled to.

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

Do I Need a St. Peters, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the driver and you boarded the bus presuming that the adequate safety protocols were adhered to. St. Peters, MO bus companies and drivers have strict regulations they have a responsibility to follow, but sometimes they neglect those obligations 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 recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the worst instances can even lead to wrongful death. The St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not have to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case at once, and work relentlessly until you get the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured St. Peters, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they are owed. Those St. Peters, 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 tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is complex and can be difficult to comprehend for St. Peters, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can expect an accomplished and skilled 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 sustained injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are usually a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of proving your case.
• Collect additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, as well as key details such as how long the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Utilize our network of St. Peters, MO accident and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will utilize our experience and expertise to make certain you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant St. Peters, 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 deceptive maneuvers 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 finely honed litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner entire 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. You owe us no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or a family member has been harmed in a devastating 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 part to play in operating a bus in a safe manner you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every kind of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to discover what entity is responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | St. Peters, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver action. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a severe offense such as driving while intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had been cited with driving errors, such as speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly the ones that drive for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become sleepy and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have rules about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how frequently 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 mandatory or followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ weight and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slippery roads or St. Peters, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus commuters. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide 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 reviews for more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep up with the quantity of inspections required. Some St. Peters, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies are mandated to make sure that their drivers are properly 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
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the St. Peters, MO street, the better your chances of holding the liable parties accountable. The liable party may be a local St. Peters, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to fix the issue but either did not do so quickly enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your talented St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney deduces the cause of your accident, they will be able to establish who is liable for your injuries and how to go forward with getting you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found liable in bus accident cases.

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 patrons to maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of saying that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often obeyed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have stated that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that St. Peters, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident might be the result of a bus company either failing to perform routine maintenance or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly prone to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be prudent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your St. Peters, 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 crash transpired.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to certify the safety of their vehicles and immediately 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 properly, they are guilty of product liability. While they might try to place the blame on someone else, your St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure liable parties are held responsible for their actions.

The St. Peters or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be disastrous because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they usually transpire in densely populated areas. While you can file a suit against the St. Peters, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in tort claims. If you seek 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 crucial to contact a St. Peters, 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 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 reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash through recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop driving when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the St. Peters, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the foolish 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 health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the devoted and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle crash, two or more drivers are frequently 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 harmed in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and experienced St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are at fault and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the type of bus crash we most commonly see in St. Peters 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 St. Peters, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were especially bad or they did not carry out proper 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 St. Peters, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will usually depend on the severity of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have received a mild concussion that just needed a quick trip to an emergency room in St. Peters, 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 assistive devices for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure 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 expenses, such as hospital bills, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We utilize our network of medical and economic experts to calculate 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 severe your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you collect 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 St. Peters, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and your family. Your St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, honest and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past 20 years to get you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been hurt 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.