Bus Accident Attorney in Grain Valley, MO

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

Bus accidents rarely ever receive the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can oftentimes be similarly harmful and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Grain Valley, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their obligations and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or the people you care about. Your Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you get the best possible compensation that you are entitled to 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 Grain Valley and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held responsible for their negligent behavior. Many Grain Valley, MO individuals have put their claims and their futures in our capable hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, persistence, knowledge and experience to help find justice in personal injury cases and help Grain Valley, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for expensive medical bills and also handle the emotional impact of your injury only because another person disregarded the rules. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a Grain Valley, MO bus accident, contact 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 right away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

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

Do I Need a Grain Valley, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you got on board the bus presuming that the proper safety protocols were followed. Grain Valley, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they are supposed to obey, but sometimes they neglect those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is typically exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the most tragic cases can even result in wrongful death. The Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not have to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case at once, and work tirelessly until you recover the best possible compensation you are owed. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Grain Valley, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they deserve. Those Grain Valley, 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 compassionate, accomplished and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Grain Valley, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every facet of your claim. You can anticipate an accomplished and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site immediately. 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 acquire essential evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are generally many people who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how long the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work with our network of Grain Valley, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our know-how and expertise to make certain you receive it.
• Fight back against resistant Grain Valley, MO insurance companies who care more about 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 the fight to trial 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 damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire 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 you get maximum compensation. If you or a family member has been harmed in a disastrous bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a part to play in operating a bus safely you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Grain Valley, 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 find out what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Grain Valley, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver behavior. While the same study found that only 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a grave offense such as the driver being intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or 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 a day 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 obligated or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slick roads or Grain Valley, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus riders. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that is the case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, but not close to 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 over 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors typically cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Grain Valley, MO bus companies do not correctly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to ensure that their drivers are correctly trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Grain Valley, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Grain Valley, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to repair the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your skilled Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons behind your accident, they will be able to determine who is liable for your injuries and how to go forward with delivering you maximum compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to look out for 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 foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obliged 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 obeyed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound customers have reported that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that Grain Valley, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained 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 perform routine maintenance or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly prone to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be prudent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Grain Valley, 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 wreck occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to verify the safety of their vehicles and swiftly announce recalls if a product is found to be faulty. If they approve an inherently flawed 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 might try to shift the blame to someone else, your Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure liable parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Grain Valley or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be ruinous because of the number of people involved and because they frequently take place in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Grain Valley, 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 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 vital to call a Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney immediately 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 a liable or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident through driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Grain Valley, 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 bus companies sometimes have to be. When you 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 sure that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle accident, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may shoulder a portion of the blame. Another driver’s recklessness, 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 skilled and experienced Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are responsible 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 typically see in Grain Valley 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 Grain Valley, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were especially bad or they did not perform sufficient 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 Grain Valley, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally be based on the severity of your injuries and how they have affected and will impact they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Grain Valley, MO and a short time 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 Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you receive 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 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 deserve, 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 impacted your life, Burger Law's Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly 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:

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

Call Our Grain Valley, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the tremendous pain and catastrophic effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Grain Valley, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to get you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 free consultation.