Bus Accident Attorney in Crawford County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Crawford County, MO. If you or a loved one 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 hardly ever get equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can oftentimes be just as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Crawford County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they break that trust and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you collect the maximum compensation that you are owed for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience defending the injured in Crawford County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to be held responsible for their negligent behavior. Many Crawford County, MO residents have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, commitment, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Crawford County, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose wages, pay for exorbitant medical costs and also work through the emotional toll of your injury only because someone else did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Crawford County, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review. We begin working on your claim immediately, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

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

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

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially powerless. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus presuming that the proper safety protocols were obeyed. Crawford County, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have an obligation to obey, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is generally exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic cases can even cause wrongful death. The Crawford County, 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 working on your case right away, and work tirelessly until you are awarded the maximum compensation you deserve. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Crawford County, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they deserve. Those Crawford County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the passionate, seasoned and tenacious 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 unforgiving to Crawford County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can anticipate an experienced and knowledgeable 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 key evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also experienced injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are usually a lot of passengers who want the same answers and compensation you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a important part of proving your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, as well as important details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were performed on the bus. Many different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held accountable.
• Utilize our network of Crawford County, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and assess precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our experience and expertise to make certain you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant Crawford County, MO insurance companies who care more about their profits 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 does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to secure you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, 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 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 someone you care about has been harmed in a calamitous 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 safely you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Crawford 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 find out what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Crawford 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 25 years old, in addition to 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 just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a severe offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become sleepy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations 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 followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ size and the intricacy of maneuvering them, slippery roads or Crawford County, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus commuters. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is negligent. 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 inspectors responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors often cannot keep pace with the number of inspections required. Some Crawford County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies need to make certain that their drivers are adequately trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Crawford County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Crawford County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the condition but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not correctly repair it.

Once your knowledgeable Crawford County, 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 proceed with winning you a maximum financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found liable in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their riders to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. In despite of saying 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 mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off drowsiness. 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 found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, 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 Crawford County, MO buses are correctly inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine inspections or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially vulnerable to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Crawford 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 crash transpired.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to certify the safety of their vehicles and swiftly announce recalls if a product is discovered to be hazardous. If they approve an inherently faulty 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 might attempt to place the blame on someone else, your Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Crawford County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the amount of people involved and because they often occur in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the Crawford County, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in tort cases. If you want 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 imperative to get in touch with a Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney at once after your injury. 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 an at-fault or reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash owing to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Crawford County, 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 obligation seriously and causes you injury, you can be confident that the devoted and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle crash, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances 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 injure you. If you were hurt in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are at fault and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus accident in Crawford County 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 responsible, a school district in Crawford County, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were especially poor 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 Crawford County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will usually depend on the gravity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Crawford County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating 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 Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you are awarded 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 potential

  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 severe your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you are awarded the best possible 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 Crawford County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Crawford County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, honest and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained 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 review.