Bus Accident Attorney in Kansas City, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Kansas City, MO. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a catastrophic 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 receive equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can frequently be just as hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Kansas City, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they break that trust and do not respect the rules it can have terrible, sometimes permanent outcomes for you or the people you care about. Your Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you receive the full compensation that you deserve 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 Kansas City and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held accountable for their negligent actions. Our Kansas City, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and to date we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Kansas City, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for sky-high medical costs and also handle the emotional trauma of your injury just because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Kansas City, 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 get started on your claim immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the compensation you are entitled to.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Kansas City, MO because of someone else's negligent behavior, find out how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Kansas City, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you got on the bus presuming that the proper safety protocols were adhered to. Kansas City, MO bus companies and drivers have firm rules they have a responsibility to follow, but sometimes they neglect those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is generally caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you are not required to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case straight away, and will not let up until you get the maximum compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Kansas City, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they entitled to. Those Kansas City, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the passionate, experienced and tenacious 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 unforgiving to Kansas City, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every facet of your case. You can anticipate a veteran 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 secure vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are typically other passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, 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 done on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work alongside our network of Kansas City, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our savvy and expertise to make sure you get it.
• Fight back against resistant Kansas City, 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 weasel their way out of their responsibility to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed whole 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 are fairly compensated. If you or a family member has been injured in a devastating bus accident, contact an expert and committed 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 determine the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Kansas City, 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 who needs to be held liable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Kansas City, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver action. While the same study reported that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a grave offense such as driving while intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many 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 sleepy 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 often 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 required or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of driving them, slippery roads or Kansas City, MO construction areas can be especially risky 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 determine if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, 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 people responsible for inspections of over 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors often cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections needed. Some Kansas City, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies are required to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Kansas City, MO road, the better your chances of holding the liable parties responsible. The at-fault party may be a local Kansas City, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the condition but either did not do so soon enough or did not adequately repair it.

Once your experienced Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons for your wreck, they will be able to ascertain who is at-fault for your injuries and how to proceed with securing you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found liable in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their riders to look out for 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 top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to hold off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often obeyed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound customers have stated that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making sure that Kansas City, 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 might be a consequence of a bus company either failing to conduct routine inspections or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly prone to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the wreck transpired.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to verify the safety of their products and quickly announce recalls if a product is discovered 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 properly, they are guilty of product liability. While they may attempt to place the blame on someone else, your Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Kansas City or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they generally occur in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Kansas City, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in tort claims. 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 necessary to reach out to a Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney immediately after your accident. 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 a negligent 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 Kansas City, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like bus companies 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 responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be certain that the committed and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto wreck, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some instances 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 injured in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are at fault and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the kind of bus accident we most typically see in Kansas City 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 responsible, a school district in Kansas City, 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 Kansas City, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will typically 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 wrist that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Kansas City, 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 special equipment for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you collect a full 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 potential

  We use our network of medical and economic experts to quantify the exact dollar amount you are entitled to, 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 affected your life, Burger Law's Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly 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 Kansas City, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and calamitous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Kansas City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, straightforward and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have obtained over the past two decades to win you the full recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been hurt 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 free case review.