Bus Accident Attorney in Farmington, MO

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

Bus accidents rarely receive equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can often be equally as hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Farmington, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they eschew their obligations and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your family. Your Farmington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you get the maximum compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Farmington and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held accountable for their reckless actions. Our Farmington, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and to date 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 Farmington, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for exorbitant medical bills and also deal with the emotional toll of your injury just because someone else broke the rules. If you or a family member has been injured in a Farmington, 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 begin working on your case straight away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Farmington, MO because of someone else's thoughtless behavior, learn how much your claim may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Farmington, 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 got on board the bus under the impression that that the adequate safety arrangements were followed. Farmington, 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 frequently exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully heal from, may have permanent effects or in the most tragic instances can even cause wrongful death. The Farmington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case immediately, and work relentlessly until you recover the maximum compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Farmington, MO individuals and families into accepting a lower recovery than they deserve. Those Farmington, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the hard cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, veteran and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Farmington, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Farmington, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every aspect of your claim. You can bank on a veteran 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 on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to acquire 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 typically a lot of passengers who want the same answers and compensation you seek. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, in additional to important details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. Many different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Farmington, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held liable.
• Use our network of Farmington, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and work out exactly 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 Farmington, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their bottom line than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and avoid their responsibility to compensate you. 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 will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole time. We handle 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 running a bus in a safe manner you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Farmington, 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 discover what entity is liable for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner 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 took place.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that only 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to an egregious offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had been cited with driving errors, such as speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, particularly those that drive for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become fatigued and can even fall asleep behind 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 rules are often <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not obligated or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ weight and the difficulty of driving them, slippery roads or Farmington, MO construction areas can be especially hazardous for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company will be at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, but not nearly 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 personnel responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews generally cannot keep up with the quantity of inspections required. Some Farmington, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to ensure that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Farmington, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties responsible. The at-fault party may be a local Farmington, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the issue but either did not do so soon enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your talented Farmington, MO bus accident attorney determines the cause of your accident, they will be able to establish who is responsible for your injuries and how to proceed with winning you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their riders to look out for their safety. Part of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not obeyed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound customers have reported that their driver was eating when the crash occurred, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Farmington, 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 carry out routine inspections or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly at risk of breaking down and bus companies need to 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 allowed to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Farmington, 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 responsibility to certify the safety of their products and swiftly announce recalls if a product is found to be dangerous. If they approve an inherently flawed 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 might try to shift the blame to someone else, your Farmington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Farmington or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be devastating because of the number of people who could be injured and because they frequently occur in densely populated areas. While you can file a suit against the Farmington, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability cases. If you want 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 vital to contact a Farmington, MO bus accident attorney right away 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 operating a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a liable or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash owing to driving mistakes. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Farmington, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the dangerous decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like their employers 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 responsibility seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto collision, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some cases they each may shoulder a percentage 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 harmed in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and experienced Farmington, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus accident we most commonly see in Farmington 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 responsible, a school district in Farmington, 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 conduct proper 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 Farmington, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you are awarded in a bus accident case will generally be based on the gravity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained wrist that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Farmington, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have experienced a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Farmington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you secure a great 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 work with our team of medical and economic experts to compute 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 grave your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Farmington, 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:

• Survival Action Lawyer in Missouri
• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri

Call Our Farmington, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and disastrous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Farmington, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past 20 years to get you the maximum 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.