Bus Accident Attorney in Clinton County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Clinton County, MO. If you or a family member has been hurt 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 almost never get equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can oftentimes be equally as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Clinton County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they eschew their duty and disregard the rules it can have terrible, sometimes permanent outcomes for you or your family. Your Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you recover the best possible compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in Clinton County and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to be held accountable for their careless actions. Our Clinton County, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and to date we have won them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Clinton County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for sky-high medical bills and also handle the emotional shock of your injury only because another person broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Clinton County, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review. We start working on your case right away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Clinton County, MO because of somebody else's careless behavior, discover how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

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

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially powerless. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus under the assumption that the adequate safety measures were followed. Clinton County, MO bus companies and drivers have firm rules they have a duty to follow, but sometimes they neglect those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really recover from, may have permanent consequences or in the worst instances can even cause wrongful death. The Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you are not required to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case immediately, and will not let up until you are awarded the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Clinton County, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they entitled to. Those Clinton County, 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, veteran and aggressive 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 unforgiving to Clinton County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your case. You can expect an accomplished and talented bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident 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 important evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are often a lot of passengers who want the same answers and compensation you need. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect additional evidence such as tire marks, security footage, police reports, in additional to important details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. Many different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work alongside our network of Clinton County, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our know-how and expertise to ensure you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant Clinton County, MO insurance companies who care more about 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 schemes will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We oversee all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend 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 loved one has been hurt 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?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a role to play in operating a bus in a safe manner you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Clinton County, 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 determine what entity needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Clinton County, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to an egregious 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 collisions had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, especially those that work for commercial bus lines 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 rules about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how frequently 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 enforced or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of driving them, icy roads or Clinton County, MO construction areas can be especially risky for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that is the 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 people responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep up with the quantity of inspections required. Some Clinton County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Clinton County, MO street, the better your chances of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Clinton County, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to repair the problem but either did not do so soon enough or did not correctly repair it.

Once your experienced Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons behind your accident, they will be able to determine who is liable for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward securing you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found at-fault in bus accident cases.

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 maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to prevent sleepiness. 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 reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making certain that Clinton County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident might be a consequence of a bus company either failing to conduct routine maintenance or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially susceptible to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Clinton County, 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 took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to confirm the safety of their vehicles and immediately issue recalls if a product is found to be unsafe. If they approve an inherently unsafe 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 attempt to shift the blame to somebody else, your Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure liable parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Clinton County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they generally take place in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Clinton County, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in tort 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 crucial to contact a Clinton County, 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 a negligent or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck because of negligence. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Clinton County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the dangerous decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like bus companies 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 confident that the committed and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto accident, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may bear 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 hurt in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are at fault 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 Clinton County 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 liable, a school district in Clinton County, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly poor or they did not perform sufficient 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 Clinton County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will usually depend on the severity of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that merely needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Clinton County, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have sustained 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 Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure 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, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We use our network of medical and economic experts to quantify 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 serious your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you receive 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 Clinton County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and catastrophic effect it can have on your and your family. Your Clinton County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have obtained over the past 20 years to get you the the best possible recovery you rightfully deserve. 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.