Bus Accident Attorney in Washington, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Washington, MO. If you or a family member has been harmed in a disastrous 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 crashes, even though the can often be equally as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Washington, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they break that trust and do not respect the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong effects for you or the people you care about. Your Washington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you collect the maximum compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Washington 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 actions. Many Washington, MO residents have put their cases and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have collected for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Washington, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for sky-high medical bills and also manage the emotional scars of your injury only because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Washington, MO bus accident, get in touch with the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We begin working on your case at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are entitled to.

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

Do I Need a Washington, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus under the impression that that the adequate safety protocols were followed. Washington, MO bus companies and drivers have firm laws they are supposed to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Washington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you are not required to go it alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case straight away, and work tirelessly until you receive the full compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Washington, MO individuals and families into accepting a lower recovery than they are owed. Those Washington, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, seasoned and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be unforgiving to Washington, 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 Washington, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your case. You can expect an accomplished and savvy 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 on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to obtain essential evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are typically other people who want the same answers and compensation you do. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of proving your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, security footage, 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 cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Washington, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work alongside our network of Washington, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and work out precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will use our experience and expertise to make sure you receive it.
• Fight back against resistant Washington, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their bottom line than your health. 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 schemes will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury 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.

Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the whole 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. You owe us no attorneys fees until you get full compensation. If you or a family member has been harmed in a ruinous bus accident, contact an expert and devoted bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it requires so many people to run 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. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Washington, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every variety of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to determine what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Washington, 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, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver action. While the same study found that only 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to a serious offense such as drunk driving, a different 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 lot of bus drivers, especially those 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 drowsy and can even fall asleep behind 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 hazards. Given buses’ weight and the difficulty of steering them, slick roads or Washington, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus passengers. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, 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 people responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 motor carriers, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Washington, MO bus companies do not adequately inspect their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to make sure that their drivers are adequately trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Washington, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The at-fault party may be a local Washington, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not adequately repair it.

Once your knowledgeable Washington, MO bus accident attorney establishes the cause of your crash, they will be able to establish who is responsible for your injuries and how to proceed with delivering you a maximum financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are deemed 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 being overworked. Despite saying that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely 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 because of driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Washington, MO buses are sufficiently 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 could be the result of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly predisposed to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be mindful 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 Washington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a full 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 an obligation to verify the safety of their vehicles and quickly announce recalls in the event of a defective product. If they approve an inherently unsafe 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 may try to place the blame on somebody else, your Washington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Washington or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be devastating because of the number of people who could be injured and because they usually transpire in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Washington, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury suits. 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 urgent to contact a Washington, MO bus accident attorney straight 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 a liable or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck through negligence. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop driving when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Washington, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the dangerous decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like their employers 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 duty to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the dedicated and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto accident, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some cases they each may share a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s negligence, 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 experienced Washington, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are at fault 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 commonly see in Washington and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus accidents. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is liable, a school district in Washington, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road 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 Washington, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will generally be based on the seriousness of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Washington, MO and a week or two 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 Washington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you secure 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 potential

  We use our team of medical and economic experts to quantify 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 serious your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Washington, 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 Washington, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and ruinous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Washington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past 20 years to secure you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. 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 review.