Bus Accident Attorney in Franklin County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Franklin County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a devastating 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 receive 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 Franklin County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their responsibilities and disregard the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you collect the best possible compensation that you are entitled to for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience defending the injured in Franklin County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to take responsibility for their thoughtless behavior. Many Franklin County, MO families have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and in total we have gotten 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 Franklin County, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose work, pay for sky-high medical bills and also handle the emotional impact of your injury just because somebody else broke the rules. If you or a family member has been harmed in a Franklin County, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review. We begin working on your claim immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Franklin County, MO because of someone else's careless behavior, discover how much your claim may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

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

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the driver and you got on the bus under the impression that that the adequate safety arrangements were obeyed. Franklin County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect those responsibilities and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible instances can even cause wrongful death. The Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand 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 best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Franklin County, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they deserve. Those Franklin County, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, seasoned and aggressive 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 unforgiving to Franklin County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your case. You can anticipate a veteran and skilled bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site immediately. 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 essential evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also experienced injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are almost always other people who want the same answers and financial recovery you need. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, security footage, police reports, in additional to important details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. Many different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Use our network of Franklin County, MO crash 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 entitled to and we will utilize our knowledge and expertise to make sure you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Franklin County, 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 avoid their obligation to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner whole time. We handle all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We charge no attorneys fees until you get fair compensation. If you or a family member has been harmed in a catastrophic 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 learn the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Franklin County, 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 determine who needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced drivers under 25 years old, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident occurred.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that only 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to an egregious offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had been cited with driving errors, for example, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, especially the ones that work for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become sleepy 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 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 conditions. Given buses’ mass and the intricacy of steering them, slick roads or Franklin County, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company will be liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand if that applies 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 trucks and buses, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections needed. Some Franklin County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to make sure that their drivers are correctly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Franklin County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Franklin County, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to repair the condition but either did not do so quickly enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your accomplished Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney deduces the reasons behind your crash, they will be able to establish who is at-fault for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward winning you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are often found liable in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to inhibit sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely followed as too many breaks could result in 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 passengers have stated that their driver was eating when the crash happened, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Franklin County, MO buses are properly inspected and repaired and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to carry out routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are especially vulnerable to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be vigilant in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Franklin County, 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 crash happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to verify the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls in the event of a defective 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 try to place the blame on somebody else, your Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure careless parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Franklin County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be ruinous because of the amount of people involved and because they usually take place in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Franklin County, 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 claims. If you seek to file a suit 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 necessary to get in touch with a Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney straight away after your accident. 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 an at-fault or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash through recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Franklin County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the foolish 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 health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation 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 motor vehicle accident, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some instances they each may be responsible for 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 hurt in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and seasoned Franklin County, 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 Franklin 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 at fault, a school district in Franklin County, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were especially poor or they did not carry out 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 Franklin County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will typically be based on the gravity of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have gotten a mild concussion that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Franklin County, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have received 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 Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you collect 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 capacity

  We work with 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 grave your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you get 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 Franklin County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and disastrous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Franklin County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have obtained over the past 20 years to secure you the the best possible recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a bus accident, there is no time to wait. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.