Bus Accident Attorney in Buffalo, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Buffalo, MO. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a destructive 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 receive the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can oftentimes be equally as harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Buffalo, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and obey the rules. When they eschew their responsibilities and do not respect the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you collect 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 Buffalo and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held responsible for their negligent actions. Our Buffalo, MO clients have put their claims 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, dedication, resolution, knowledge and experience to help find justice in personal injury cases and help Buffalo, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for expensive medical bills and also handle the emotional trauma of your injury only because somebody else broke the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Buffalo, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We get started on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Buffalo, MO because of another person's thoughtless actions, find out how much your claim may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Buffalo, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you boarded the bus under the impression that that the correct safety measures were obeyed. Buffalo, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have an obligation to respect, but sometimes they neglect those responsibilities and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the most terrible cases can even cause wrongful death. The Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand by your side so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you are awarded the full compensation you are owed. We have seen every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Buffalo, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they entitled to. Those Buffalo, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are convoluted and can be unforgiving to Buffalo, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every detail of your case. You can expect a seasoned and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident 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 acquire important evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are generally many people who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of winning your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were performed on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work alongside our network of Buffalo, MO crash and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and assess exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our savvy and expertise to make sure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Buffalo, 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 weasel their way out of their obligation to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole time. We oversee 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 we win your case. If you or a family member has been hurt in a devastating bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated 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 was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Buffalo, 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 needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice 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 took place.
• Driver behavior. While the same study found that only 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a grave 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 crashes had committed driving errors, such as speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or 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 without a break 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 required or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of steering them, slippery roads or Buffalo, MO construction areas can be especially hazardous for bus commuters. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, but not close to 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 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 often cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections required. Some Buffalo, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to ensure that their drivers are properly trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Hazards in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

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

Once your talented Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney deduces the reasons for your wreck, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to proceed with delivering you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found negligent in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite saying that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often 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 riders have stated that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Buffalo, MO buses are correctly inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be the result of a bus company either failing to conduct routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially prone to breaking down and bus companies need to 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 Buffalo, 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 occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to verify the safety of their products and swiftly issue recalls in the event of a defective 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 might attempt to shift the blame to somebody else, your Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Buffalo or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be calamitous because of the amount of people involved and because they generally take place in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Buffalo, 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 claims. 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 Buffalo, 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 operating a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a liable or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash because of driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Buffalo, 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 health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation seriously and causes you injury, you can be confident that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto crash, two or more drivers are frequently involved, 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 hurt you. If you were injured in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and veteran Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are responsible and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus accident we most commonly see in Buffalo 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 at fault, a school district in Buffalo, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially poor 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 Buffalo, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you are awarded in a bus accident case will usually depend on the gravity of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that just needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Buffalo, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have received a catastrophic 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 Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure 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 expenses, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We work with our team of medical and economic experts to quantify the exact dollar amount you are entitled to, 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 Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly 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 Buffalo, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the tremendous pain and devastating effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Buffalo, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, straightforward and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past two decades to get you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.