Bus Accident Attorney in Brookfield, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Brookfield, MO. If you or a family member has been injured in a disastrous bus accident, take control of your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents almost never get equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can frequently be similarly dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Brookfield, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they break that trust and do not respect the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent effects for you or the people you care about. Your Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you secure the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Brookfield and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to take responsibility for their negligent behavior. Our Brookfield, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and in total we have won them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, resolution, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Brookfield, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for ridiculous medical bills and also work through the emotional shock of your injury just because another person disregarded the rules. If you or a family member has been injured in a Brookfield, 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 case evaluation. We start working on your claim straight away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

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

Do I Need a Brookfield, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus under the impression that that the appropriate safety measures were adhered to. Brookfield, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is typically exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible cases can even cause wrongful death. The Brookfield, 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 start investigating on your case at once, and work tirelessly until you are awarded the full compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Brookfield, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they entitled to. Those Brookfield, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, seasoned and relentless 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 difficult to comprehend for Brookfield, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every facet of your case. You can bank on an accomplished 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 at the site at any time during the day or night in order to acquire key evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are almost always many people who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Acquire additional evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Use our network of Brookfield, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability 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 utilize our know-how and expertise to make sure you receive it.
• Stand up to resistant Brookfield, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their bottom line 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 schemes will not work in your case.
• Take the fight in front of a judge and jury 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 damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner 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. You owe us no attorneys fees until you are fairly compensated. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a devastating bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a part to play in running a bus safely you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Brookfield, 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 determine what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that a mere 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 found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially those that work for commercial bus companies 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 specifications about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break 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 required or followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of maneuvering them, icy roads or Brookfield, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus passengers. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that is the case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, 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 more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections required. Some Brookfield, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies need to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

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

Once your experienced Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney confirm the cause of your wreck, they will be able to determine 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 frequently found negligent in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to maintain their safety. Part of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many miles without a break. In despite of saying that safety is their highest 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 vehicle to hold off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often 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 due to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound customers have stated that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that Brookfield, MO buses are adequately 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 because of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine maintenance or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly at risk of breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Brookfield, 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 accident happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to ensure the safety of their products and quickly announce recalls if a product is discovered to be dangerous. If they approve an inherently dangerous design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning adequately, they are guilty of product liability. While they may try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Brookfield or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be ruinous because of the number of people who could be injured and because they frequently happen in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Brookfield, 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 personal injury suits. If you seek 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 call a Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney straight away 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 a liable or reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash due to driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Brookfield, 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 seriously and causes you injury, you can be confident that the devoted and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may share 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 harm you. If you were injured in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and accomplished Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are responsible and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus crash in Brookfield 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 Brookfield, MO may also be held responsible, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not perform 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 Brookfield, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will typically be based on the gravity of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that merely needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Brookfield, MO and a short time 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 Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you receive a full 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 work alongside our network 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 grave your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you recover 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

Call Our Brookfield, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the immense anguish and disastrous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Brookfield, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, honest and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past 20 years to secure you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 consultation.