Bus Accident Attorney in Ballwin, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Ballwin, MO. If you or a loved one has been injured in a disastrous 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 ever receive equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can frequently be just as dangerous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Ballwin, 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 lifelong outcomes for you or your loved ones. Your Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you get the full compensation that you are owed for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience defending the injured in Ballwin and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to take responsibility for their thoughtless actions. Our Ballwin, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our knowledgeable 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, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Ballwin, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for ridiculous medical costs and also manage the emotional scars of your injury only because somebody else broke the rules. If you or a family member has been harmed in a Ballwin, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We begin working on your claim straight away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the financial recovery you deserve.

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

Do I Need a Ballwin, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the driver and you got on board the bus supposing that the correct safety protocols were followed. Ballwin, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they have a duty to follow, 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 really recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic instances can even result in wrongful death. The Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we get to work on on your case straight away, and will not let up until you receive the maximum compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Ballwin, MO individuals and families into accepting a lower recovery than they are owed. Those Ballwin, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, experienced and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be unforgiving to Ballwin, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every aspect of your claim. You can bank on a seasoned 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 of the day or night in order to obtain essential evidence for your claim.
• 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 other passengers who want the same answers and compensation you need. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance 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. A lot of different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Use our network of Ballwin, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and work out precisely 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 recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Ballwin, 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 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 refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole 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 you get maximum compensation. If you or a family member has been hurt in a disastrous bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because it requires so many people to run a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every type of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to find out what entity is responsible for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident occurred.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a grave 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 fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly those that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become sleepy 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 mandatory or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of driving them, slick roads or Ballwin, MO construction areas can be especially hazardous for bus commuters. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand 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 personnel responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot stay ahead of the quantity of inspections needed. Some Ballwin, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, 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. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Ballwin, MO street, the better your odds of holding the liable parties accountable. The at-fault party may be a local Ballwin, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the condition but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your knowledgeable Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney deduces the cause of your accident, they will be able to ascertain who is at-fault for your injuries and how to go forward with winning you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to look out for their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. In despite of insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to inhibit sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely followed as too many breaks could lead to 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 reported that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Ballwin, MO buses are properly inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either failing to conduct routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially predisposed to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the wreck occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to certify the safety of their vehicles and swiftly issue recalls if a product is found to be unsafe. 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 Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure liable parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Ballwin or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be disastrous because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they frequently transpire in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the Ballwin, 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 personal injury claims. If you seek 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 contact a Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney right away after your accident. 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 an at-fault or reckless 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 pull over when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Ballwin, 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 bus companies sometimes have to be. When you get on a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation seriously and causes you injury, you can be sure that the committed and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto accident, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may be responsible for a portion of the blame. Another driver’s thoughtlessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can injure you. If you were hurt in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and seasoned Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the kind of bus crash we most typically see in Ballwin and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus crashes. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is responsible, a school district in Ballwin, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially poor 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 Ballwin, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will generally depend on the seriousness of your injuries and how they have impacted and will affect they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Ballwin, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have sustained 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 Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you secure 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 expenses, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We utilize our team of medical and economic experts to calculate 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 severe your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Ballwin, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you collect the best possible 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

Call Our Ballwin, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and ruinous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Ballwin, 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 gained over the past two decades to secure 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.