Bus Accident Attorney in Willard, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Willard, MO. If you or a family member has been hurt in a catastrophic 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 almost never get the same attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can oftentimes be just as dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Willard, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and respect the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes permanent outcomes for you or your loved ones. Your Willard, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you secure the full compensation that you are owed 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 Willard and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to be held responsible for their negligent behavior. Many Willard, MO residents have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and in total we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, commitment, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Willard, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for pricey medical costs and also handle the emotional impact of your injury just because somebody else broke the rules. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a Willard, 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 get started on your claim right away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you are owed.

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

Do I Need a Willard, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially powerless. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus assuming that the correct safety protocols were adhered to. Willard, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they fail in those responsibilities 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 fully heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the most tragic instances can even result in wrongful death. The Willard, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case at once, and work tirelessly until you receive the full compensation you are owed. We have seen every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Willard, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they are owed. Those Willard, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the passionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are complicated and can be difficult to comprehend for Willard, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Willard, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your claim. You can expect an experienced and skilled bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site the first chance we get. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer at the site at any time during the day or night in order to secure 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 usually many passengers who want the same answers and compensation you need. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of proving your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and important details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Several different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Willard, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work with our network of Willard, MO accident and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and assess exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will implement our know-how and expertise to make sure you collect it.
• Fight back against resistant Willard, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their profits than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and avoid their obligation to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys 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 secure you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire time. We handle all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We charge no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or a family member has been injured in a calamitous bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated 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 discover the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Willard, 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 who needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident occurred.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that only 4 percent of bus accidents were because of an egregious offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially the ones that drive for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become fatigued 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 regulations are often <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not enforced or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the intricacy of maneuvering them, slippery roads or Willard, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus commuters. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be 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 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 personnel responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot stay ahead of the quantity of inspections required. Some Willard, MO bus companies do not adequately maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are required to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Hazards in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Willard, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Willard, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to repair the condition but either did not do so quickly enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your expert Willard, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to ascertain who is responsible for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward securing you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to look out for their safety. Part of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. In despite of saying that safety is their principal 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 stave off sleepiness. 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 caused by driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making certain that Willard, MO buses are adequately inspected and repaired 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 a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially vulnerable to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Willard, 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 took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their products and quickly issue recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently flawed 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 attempt to shift the blame to somebody else, your Willard, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Willard or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the number of people involved and because they usually transpire in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Willard, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury claims. 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 Willard, MO bus accident attorney at once 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 an at-fault or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck owing to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Willard, 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 bus companies sometimes have to be. When you ascend a bus you trust that driver with your safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty to heart and causes you injury, you can be certain that the devoted and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle collision, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may be responsible for a percentage 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 harmed in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and accomplished Willard, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are liable 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 typically see in Willard 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 responsible, a school district in Willard, 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 conduct 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 Willard, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will usually be based on the gravity of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have received a sprained ankle that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Willard, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a disastrous spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Willard, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you receive a fair 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 team 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 severe your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Willard, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively 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 Willard, 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 Willard, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past 20 years to win you the full recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus accident, there is no time to wait. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary consultation.