Bus Accident Attorney in Caldwell County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Caldwell County, MO. If you or a family member has been injured 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 hardly ever receive equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can frequently be equally as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Caldwell County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your family. Your Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you win the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience defending the injured in Caldwell County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held responsible for their negligent actions. Many Caldwell County, MO residents have put their cases and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and to date we have recovered for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, resolution, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Caldwell County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for pricey medical bills and also deal with the emotional trauma of your injury only because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Caldwell County, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation. We begin working on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you deserve.

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

Do I Need a Caldwell County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you got on the bus presuming that the correct safety measures were adhered to. Caldwell County, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they are supposed to follow, but sometimes they neglect those obligations 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 really heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not need to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we start working on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you win the maximum compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Caldwell County, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they entitled to. Those Caldwell County, 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 empathetic, seasoned and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Caldwell County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can anticipate an experienced and talented 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 on the scene at any time during the day or night in order to obtain vital 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 passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you need. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, security videos, 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 performed on the bus. Many different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Utilize our network of Caldwell County, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our know-how and expertise to make certain you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant Caldwell County, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their bottom line than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your injuries. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys 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 expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire time. We take control of 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 get the best possible compensation. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a catastrophic 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 operating a bus in a safe manner you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every variety of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to discover what entity is liable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Caldwell County, 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 the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that just 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by an egregious offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly the ones that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become drowsy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have rules 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 mandatory or complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ weight and the intricacy of maneuvering them, slick roads or Caldwell County, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine 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 a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors typically cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Caldwell County, MO bus companies do not adequately inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Caldwell County, MO road, the better your odds of holding the negligent parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Caldwell County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to eliminate the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.

Once your skilled Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney establishes the cause of your accident, they will be able to confirm who is liable for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward securing you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as 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 make certain that their drivers are not driving too many hours without a break. In despite of insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off drowsiness. 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 stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound passengers have reported that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making certain that Caldwell County, MO buses are adequately inspected and maintained 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 neglecting to carry out routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are especially 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 adequately licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the accident took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to verify the safety of their products and immediately announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently faulty 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 try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Caldwell County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the number of people who could be injured and because they often happen in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Caldwell County, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in tort cases. 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 reach out to a Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney immediately 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 through driving mistakes. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop the bus when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Caldwell County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the terrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like their employers sometimes have to be. When you board a bus you trust that driver with your safety 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 aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances they each may shoulder 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 hurt you. If you were hurt in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are liable and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

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

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally depend on the severity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will affect they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that merely needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Caldwell County, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have experienced 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 Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you secure 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 costs, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We utilize 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 serious your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you recover maximum 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 Caldwell County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the immense pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Caldwell County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, straightforward and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past 20 years to win you the full recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free consultation.