Bus Accident Attorney in Higginsville, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Higginsville, MO. If you or someone you care about has been harmed 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 hardly ever receive the same attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can often be similarly hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Higginsville, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their duty and break the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or the people you care about. Your Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you secure the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience defending the injured in Higginsville and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to be held responsible for their thoughtless behavior. Our Higginsville, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Higginsville, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose wages, pay for sky-high medical bills and also manage the emotional trauma of your injury only because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a Higginsville, 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 evaluation. We start working on your case immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the compensation you deserve.

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

Do I Need a Higginsville, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you boarded the bus presuming that the adequate safety protocols were obeyed. Higginsville, MO bus companies and drivers have firm laws they have a responsibility to adhere to, 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 really recover from, may have lifelong effects or in the worst instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not have to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case right away, and work tirelessly until you are awarded the best possible compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Higginsville, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they deserve. Those Higginsville, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the passionate, seasoned and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Higginsville, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your case. You can anticipate an experienced and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site as soon as possible. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer at the site at any time of the day or night in order to acquire key evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are generally other passengers who want the same answers and compensation you do. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, as well as important details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Use our network of Higginsville, MO crash and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and compute exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our know-how and expertise to ensure you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant Higginsville, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their profits than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and weasel their way out of their duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We manage all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. You owe us no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a calamitous 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 running a bus safely you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Higginsville, 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 accountable for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced 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 transpired.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to an egregious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had been cited with driving errors, for example, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, particularly those that drive for 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 at the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how often they have to take a break, those regulations are often <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not enforced or followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ size and the awkwardness of steering them, slick roads or Higginsville, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus passengers. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is at fault. 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 personnel responsible for inspections of over 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews generally cannot keep pace with the quantity of inspections needed. Some Higginsville, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies need to ensure 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 causing an accident. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective 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 Higginsville, MO road, the better your odds of holding the liable parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Higginsville, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to fix the condition but either did not do so soon enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your expert Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to determine who is liable for your injuries and how to proceed with getting you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. Part of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not driving too many hours without a break. In despite of insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely followed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making sure that Higginsville, MO buses are properly inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine inspections or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly vulnerable to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies need to be vigilant in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Higginsville, 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 crash happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their products and immediately announce recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. 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 might attempt to place the blame on somebody else, your Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure negligent parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Higginsville or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be ruinous because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they usually occur in metropolitan areas. While you can make a claim against the Higginsville, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability suits. If you seek 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 necessary to get in touch with a Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney right 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 driving 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 an accident because of driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Higginsville, 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 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 responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be certain that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto wreck, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some cases they each may be responsible for a percentage 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 injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and experienced Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are at fault and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus accident we most commonly see in Higginsville 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 Higginsville, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were especially dangerous 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 Higginsville, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will usually 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 sprained ankle that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Higginsville, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have sustained a disastrous 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 Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you are awarded 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 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 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 Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you receive 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 Higginsville, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the immense pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Higginsville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, 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 delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free case review.