Bus Accident Attorney in Festus, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Festus, MO. If you or a family member has been hurt in a catastrophic bus accident, take control of your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents hardly ever get the same attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can oftentimes be similarly harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Festus, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and follow the rules. When they break that trust and do not respect the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent effects for you or the people you care about. Your Festus, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you get the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Festus and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held accountable for their negligent behavior. Our Festus, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and to date we have collected for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, dedication, resolution, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Festus, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose work, pay for pricey medical costs and also handle the emotional toll of your injury only because another person disregarded the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Festus, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review. We start working on your case immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you deserve.

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

Do I Need a Festus, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus under the assumption that the appropriate safety arrangements were followed. Festus, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they have a responsibility to follow, but sometimes they fail in those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is typically caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly recover from, may have permanent effects or in the most terrible instances can even cause wrongful death. The Festus, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you are not required to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case right away, and will not let up until you receive the full compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Festus, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they are owed. Those Festus, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, experienced and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is complicated and can be unforgiving to Festus, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Festus, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can bank on a veteran and knowledgeable 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 secure essential evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are almost always a lot of passengers who want the same answers and compensation you need. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Several different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Festus, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Utilize our network of Festus, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and work out precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will utilize our knowledge and expertise to make certain you receive it.
• Fight back against resistant Festus, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their profits than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your damages. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire time. We manage all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We collect no attorneys fees until you get the best possible compensation. If you or a loved one has been hurt 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?

Because bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a role to play in running a bus in a safe manner you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Festus, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every kind of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to find out who is responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Festus, 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, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver action. While the same study found that only 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by 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 accidents had been cited with driving errors, such as speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, particularly the ones that work for commercial bus companies 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 specifications about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how often they have to take a break, those regulations are frequently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not required or complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ weight and the intricacy of driving them, slick roads or Festus, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus commuters. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand 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 reviews for over 765,000 motor carriers, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep pace with the number of inspections required. Some Festus, MO bus companies do not adequately maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to ensure that their drivers are correctly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Festus, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties responsible. The at-fault party may be a local Festus, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the problem but either did not do so quickly enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your skilled Festus, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to determine who is at-fault for your injuries and how to go forward with winning you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found liable in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to look out for 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. Despite insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to stave off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not obeyed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were caused by driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound customers have said that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Festus, MO buses are properly 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 the result of a bus company either failing to provide routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are especially 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 sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Festus, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct 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 an obligation to verify the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. 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 attempt to place the blame on somebody else, your Festus, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Festus or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be devastating because of the number of people who could be injured and because they typically occur in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Festus, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in tort suits. 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 vital to reach out to a Festus, MO bus accident attorney straight away 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 operating 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 crash due to negligence. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not pull over when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Festus, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you ascend a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty seriously and causes you injury, you can be sure that the dedicated and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle crash, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may shoulder a percentage 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 harmed in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Festus, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are responsible and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus accident in Festus 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 responsible, a school district in Festus, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly bad or they did not perform 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 Festus, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will typically 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 only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Festus, 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 special equipment for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Festus, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure 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 expenses, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We work alongside our team of medical and economic experts to compute 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 affected your life, Burger Law's Festus, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you get full 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 Festus, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Festus, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, straightforward and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to secure you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, do not wait another second. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free case evaluation.