Bus Accident Attorney in Waynesville, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Waynesville, MO. If you or someone you care about has been hurt 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 receive equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can frequently be just as dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Waynesville, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they break that trust and do not respect the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent effects for you or your loved ones. Your Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you win the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Waynesville and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to take responsibility for their reckless actions. Our Waynesville, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and to date we have gotten 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 Waynesville, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for sky-high medical bills and also work through the emotional scars of your injury just because somebody else did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Waynesville, 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 start working on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Waynesville, MO because of another person's reckless behavior, discover how much your damages may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Waynesville, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you got on board the bus assuming that the proper safety arrangements were followed. Waynesville, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have a responsibility to obey, but sometimes they neglect those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the most tragic instances can even result in wrongful death. The Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not need to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we get to work on on your case right away, and work tirelessly until you receive the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Waynesville, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they are owed. Those Waynesville, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the passionate, 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 Waynesville, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities 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 Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every facet of your case. You can bank on an accomplished and knowledgeable 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 obtain important 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 almost always many passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, in additional to key details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. Many different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work with our network of Waynesville, MO auto wreck 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 owed and we will use our savvy and expertise to ensure you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Waynesville, 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 schemes will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the 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. You owe us no attorneys fees until you get the best possible compensation. If you or a loved one has been injured in a ruinous bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a part to play in running a bus safely you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Waynesville, 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 discover what entity is liable for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice 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 behavior. While the same study found that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to an egregious offense such as driving while intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly those that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become drowsy and can even fall asleep at 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 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 complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ weight and the difficulty of driving them, slippery roads or Waynesville, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus commuters. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that is true in your 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 over 765,000 trucks and buses, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews often cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Waynesville, MO bus companies do not correctly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are required to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Waynesville, MO road, the better your chances of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The at-fault party may be a local Waynesville, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to eliminate the issue but either did not do so quickly enough or did not adequately repair it.

Once your accomplished Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the cause of your accident, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you a maximum financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to look out for their safety. Part of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many miles without a break. Despite insisting that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to prevent sleepiness. 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 caused by driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound customers have reported that their driver was eating when the accident occurred, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Waynesville, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's obligation. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either failing to conduct 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.

Lastly, bus companies need to be mindful in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Waynesville, 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 took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to guarantee the safety of their products and immediately announce recalls if a product is discovered 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 properly, they are guilty of product liability. While they may try to place the blame on somebody else, your Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure negligent parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Waynesville or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be devastating because of the number of people involved and because they often happen in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the Waynesville, 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 injury liability cases. 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 necessary to call a Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney immediately after your injury. There is no time to wait, 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 a liable or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck due to driving mistakes. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not stop when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Waynesville, 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 ascend 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 confident that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may bear a portion 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 harmed in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and experienced Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish 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 crash in Waynesville 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 at fault, a school district in Waynesville, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly poor or they did not perform 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 Waynesville, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally be based on the gravity of your injuries and how they have affected and will impact they have on your life. You may have received a sprained ankle that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Waynesville, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have sustained a disastrous 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 Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you are awarded 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 costs, such as hospital bills, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We utilize 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 grave your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you get 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 Waynesville, 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 the people you care about. Your Waynesville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past two decades to get you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. 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.