Bus Accident Attorney in Wentzville, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Wentzville, 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 hardly ever get equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can often be similarly dangerous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Wentzville, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and follow the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or your family. Your Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you collect the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience defending the injured in Wentzville and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held responsible for their reckless actions. Many Wentzville, MO families have put their claims and their futures in our trustworthy 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, dedication, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Wentzville, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for expensive medical bills and also handle the emotional toll of your injury just because another person broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Wentzville, 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 complimentary case evaluation. We start working on your claim right away, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are owed.

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

Do I Need a Wentzville, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus presuming that the proper safety measures were adhered to. Wentzville, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have a duty to obey, but sometimes they neglect 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 heal from, may have lifelong effects or in the worst instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you are not required to go it alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case immediately, and will not let up until you recover the maximum compensation you are owed. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Wentzville, MO individuals and families into accepting a lower recovery than they entitled to. Those Wentzville, 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 compassionate, veteran and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are complex and can be difficult to comprehend for Wentzville, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can bank on an experienced and savvy 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 vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved 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 compensation you need. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of proving your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, and important details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were performed on the bus. A lot of different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held liable.
• Work with our network of Wentzville, MO crash 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 implement our experience and expertise to make certain you receive it.
• Stand up to resistant Wentzville, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their profits than your well-being. 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 the fight 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.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire 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 we win your case. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated 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 determine the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Wentzville, 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 discover what entity is liable for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of an egregious offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, particularly the ones that work for 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 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 often <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 steering them, icy roads or Wentzville, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus commuters. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company will be liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, 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 personnel responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections needed. Some Wentzville, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Wentzville, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Wentzville, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.

Once your experienced Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the cause of your wreck, they will be able to ascertain who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with winning you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many miles without a break. Despite 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 technically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely followed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound customers have said that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Wentzville, 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 may be the result of a bus company either failing to perform routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are especially susceptible to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be mindful in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the crash happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to verify the safety of their products and immediately announce recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. If they approve an inherently dangerous 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 shift the blame to someone else, your Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Wentzville or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the number of people involved and because they typically happen in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Wentzville, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in tort cases. If you want to file a suit 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 crucial to reach out to a Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney right away 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 reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident owing to negligence. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not pull over when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Wentzville, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like their employers sometimes have to be. When you go on 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 certain that the committed and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle collision, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances they each may bear a portion of the blame. Another driver’s recklessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can harm you. If you were hurt in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Wentzville, 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 most common type of bus accident in Wentzville 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 Wentzville, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially dangerous or they did not conduct 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 Wentzville, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will usually be based on the gravity of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have received a sprained ankle that just needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Wentzville, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have experienced 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 Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you secure a maximum 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 potential

  We work alongside our network of medical and economic experts to compute the exact dollar amount you deserve, 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 Wentzville, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly 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 Wentzville, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the immense anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Wentzville, 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 obtained over the past two decades to win you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been injured 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.