Bus Accident Attorney in Bonne Terre, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Bonne Terre, MO. If you or a family member 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 receive equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can frequently be equally as harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Bonne Terre, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they eschew their obligations and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you recover the best possible compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Bonne Terre and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held accountable for their negligent behavior. Our Bonne Terre, MO clients have put their claims 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 hard work, dedication, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Bonne Terre, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose wages, pay for pricey medical costs and also work through the emotional toll of your injury just because someone else did not respect the rules. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a Bonne Terre, 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 at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you are entitled to.

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

Do I Need a Bonne Terre, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus assuming that the appropriate safety measures were obeyed. Bonne Terre, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they have a duty to follow, but sometimes they neglect those responsibilities and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is generally caused 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 Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand by your side so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case at once, and work tirelessly until you get the best possible compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Bonne Terre, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they are owed. Those Bonne Terre, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, veteran and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Bonne Terre, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your claim. You can expect a veteran and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site as soon as possible. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time during the day or night in order to acquire important evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are generally a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of proving your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and key details such as how far the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work alongside our network of Bonne Terre, MO accident and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and calculate exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our experience and expertise to ensure you get it.
• Stand up to resistant Bonne Terre, MO insurance companies who care more about their profits 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 tricks 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 finely honed litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole time. We take control of all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We collect no attorneys fees until you get maximum compensation. If you or a loved one has been injured in a disastrous 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 role to play in running a bus safely you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Bonne Terre, 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 find out who is liable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Bonne Terre, 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 occurred.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a serious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had committed driving errors, such as speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, especially the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies 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 specifications about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how frequently 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 maneuvering them, slick roads or Bonne Terre, MO construction areas can be especially dangerous for bus riders. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you discover if that is the 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 inspectors responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews often cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections required. Some Bonne Terre, MO bus companies do not adequately maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are required to make sure that their drivers are sufficiently trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Hazards in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Bonne Terre, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties responsible. The at-fault party may be a local Bonne Terre, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to eliminate the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not adequately repair it.

Once your expert Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney deduces the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to determine who is at-fault for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward delivering you a maximum financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of insisting that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to hold off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not followed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound customers have said that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making sure that Bonne Terre, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident may be because of a bus company either neglecting to provide routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly susceptible to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be vigilant in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Bonne Terre, 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 accident occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to ensure the safety of their vehicles and swiftly issue recalls if a product is found to be unsafe. If they approve an inherently flawed 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 attempt to shift the blame to someone else, your Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Bonne Terre or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the amount of people involved and because they generally transpire in densely populated areas. While you can file a suit against the Bonne Terre, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in tort cases. If you seek 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 crucial to get in touch with a Bonne Terre, 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 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 crash because of negligence. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop the bus when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Bonne Terre, 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 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 dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto wreck, there are often two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may shoulder 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 hurt you. If you were harmed in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and accomplished Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are responsible and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the type of bus accident we most commonly see in Bonne Terre and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus wrecks. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is at fault, a school district in Bonne Terre, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly 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 Bonne Terre, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will typically depend on the seriousness of your injuries and how they have affected and will affect they have on your life. You may have gotten a mild concussion that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Bonne Terre, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have experienced a devastating 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 Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you collect 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 costs, such as hospital bills, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We use 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 grave your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you get maximum compensation for all of your damages.

Learn more about our various practice areas by clicking the links below:

• Survival Action Lawyer in Missouri
• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri

Call Our Bonne Terre, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and catastrophic effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Bonne Terre, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have acquired over the past two decades 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 free consultation.