Bus Accident Attorney in Florissant, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Florissant, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a disastrous 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 rarely ever get equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can frequently be just as harmful and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Florissant, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and respect the rules. When they eschew their duty and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or the people you care about. Your Florissant, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you receive the best possible compensation that you are owed for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Florissant and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held accountable for their careless behavior. Our Florissant, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and to date we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, devotion, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Florissant, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for sky-high medical costs and also manage the emotional shock of your injury just because another person disregarded the rules. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Florissant, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review. We get started 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 Florissant, MO because of someone else's negligent actions, learn how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Florissant, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus supposing that the adequate safety measures were obeyed. Florissant, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they are supposed to follow, but sometimes they fail in those responsibilities 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 fully heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic instances can even cause wrongful death. The Florissant, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you are not required to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you get the maximum compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Florissant, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they are owed. Those Florissant, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, experienced and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complicated and can be unforgiving to Florissant, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Florissant, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every facet of your claim. You can bank on an accomplished and skilled 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 during the day or night in order to secure important evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are generally a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and key details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. Many different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Florissant, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held liable.
• Use our network of Florissant, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and compute precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will use our knowledge and expertise to make certain you get it.
• Stand up to resistant Florissant, 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 devalue your damages. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed 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. You owe us no attorneys fees until you get full compensation. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a devastating bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it takes so many people to run a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Florissant, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every type of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to discover what entity needs to be held liable for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced 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 only 4 percent of bus accidents were because of 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 committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, particularly the ones 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 fatigued and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how frequently 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 enforced or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of driving them, slick roads or Florissant, MO construction areas can be especially hazardous 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 understand if that is the case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, 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 just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Florissant, MO bus companies do not adequately repair their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies are required to make sure that their drivers are correctly 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 crashing. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Florissant, MO street, the better your odds of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Florissant, 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 correctly repair it.

Once your talented Florissant, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons for your wreck, they will be able to establish 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 typically found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. In despite of saying 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 bus to prevent fatigue. 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 stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were caused by driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound customers have said that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making sure that Florissant, MO buses are properly inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's obligation. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either failing to provide routine maintenance or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly at risk of breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Florissant, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the wreck took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to confirm the safety of their products and swiftly issue recalls if a product is discovered to be faulty. 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 Florissant, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Florissant or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the number of people involved and because they generally occur in metropolitan areas. While you can make a claim against the Florissant, 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 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 essential to reach out to a Florissant, 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 an at-fault or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident owing to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Florissant, 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 get on a bus you trust that driver with your safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty seriously and causes you injury, you can be sure 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 frequently involved, and in some instances they each may share 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 harm you. If you were harmed in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and experienced Florissant, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are at fault and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the type of bus crash we most typically see in Florissant 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 at fault, a school district in Florissant, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when weather 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 Florissant, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will usually depend on the severity of your injuries and how they have affected and will impact they have on your life. You may have received a mild concussion that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Florissant, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have sustained a catastrophic 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 Florissant, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you are awarded 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We utilize 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 Florissant, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly 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 Florissant, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the immense pain and disastrous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Florissant, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past 20 years to secure you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. 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.