Bus Accident Attorney in Greenwood, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Greenwood, MO. If you or a family member has been harmed in a destructive 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 hardly ever receive equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can frequently be similarly dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Greenwood, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and respect the rules. When they eschew their duty and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or your family. Your Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you get the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Greenwood and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to take responsibility for their thoughtless behavior. Our Greenwood, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and in total we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, resolution, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Greenwood, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose work, pay for sky-high medical costs and also manage the emotional shock of your injury just because somebody else broke the rules. If you or a family member has been harmed in a Greenwood, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We get started on your case at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

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

Do I Need a Greenwood, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus under the impression that that the correct safety protocols were obeyed. Greenwood, MO bus companies and drivers have firm rules they have a duty to follow, but sometimes they fail in those obligations 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 recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the worst instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case right away, and work relentlessly until you get the full compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Greenwood, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they entitled to. Those Greenwood, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, accomplished and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Greenwood, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every aspect of your case. You can anticipate a seasoned and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident 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 obtain vital evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are typically other passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of proving your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, in additional to key details such as how long the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work with our network of Greenwood, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our savvy and expertise to ensure you get it.
• Fight back against resistant Greenwood, 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 claim. When you hire us, you can be sure those deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take the fight in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole 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 charge no attorneys fees until you get full compensation. If you or a loved one has been injured 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 necessitates so many people to run a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every variety of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to find out what entity is responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Greenwood, 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, as well as more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that just 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to a serious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, particularly 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 drowsy and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have specifications 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 mandatory or followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of driving them, icy roads or Greenwood, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus riders. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, 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 inspectors responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors typically cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections needed. Some Greenwood, MO bus companies do not adequately inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies need to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Faulty 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 Greenwood, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Greenwood, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to eliminate the issue but either did not do so soon enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your experienced Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the cause of your crash, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward delivering you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. Part of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely obeyed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound riders have said that their driver was eating when the accident transpired, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Greenwood, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident may be the result of a bus company either neglecting to provide routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly susceptible to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be mindful in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct a full 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 confirm the safety of their products and swiftly announce recalls if a product is found to be defective. 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 Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Greenwood or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be ruinous because of the amount of people involved and because they usually occur in metropolitan areas. While you can make a claim against the Greenwood, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury 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 necessary to call a Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at once 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 thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash because of negligence. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not stop driving when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Greenwood, 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you go on board a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation seriously and causes you injury, you can be confident that the devoted and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle crash, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances they each may be responsible for 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 harm you. If you were harmed in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and experienced Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are responsible and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus crash in Greenwood 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 liable, a school district in Greenwood, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially bad or they did not conduct adequate 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 Greenwood, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally be based on the gravity of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that just needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Greenwood, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have sustained 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 Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you collect a fair 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 utilize our team of medical and economic experts to determine 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 Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you collect full 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 Greenwood, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and ruinous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Greenwood, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, honest and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have obtained over the past two decades to secure you the the best possible recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 complimentary consultation.