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Bus Accident Attorney in Lafayette County, MO
Bus Accident Attorney in Lafayette County, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 hardly ever get equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can often be just as hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Lafayette County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and obey the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you win the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.
At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in Lafayette County and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to be held responsible for their careless actions. Many Lafayette County, MO residents have put their claims and their futures in our accomplished hands, and in total we have recovered for 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 Lafayette County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for ridiculous medical costs and also deal with the emotional trauma of your injury just because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Lafayette County, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case evaluation. We begin working on your claim at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you deserve.
If you were injured in a bus accident in Lafayette County, MO because of another person's careless behavior, learn how much your damages may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.
What's The Process to Settle My Personal Injury Claim?
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Do I Need a Lafayette County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?
If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on the bus under the impression that that the correct safety arrangements were adhered to. Lafayette County, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent regulations they have a duty to respect, but sometimes they fail in those responsibilities and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really recover from, may have permanent effects or in the worst cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you are not required to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we start working on your case right away, and will not let up until you recover the best possible compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Lafayette County, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they entitled to. Those Lafayette County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, veteran and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.
Legal proceedings are complicated and can be unforgiving to Lafayette County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every facet of your claim. You can expect 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 of the day or night in order to obtain vital evidence for your claim.
- Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are usually other passengers who want the same answers and compensation you do. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
- Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, and important details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Several different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney will find out why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
- Utilize our network of Lafayette County, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and compute precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our savvy and expertise to ensure you get it.
- Fight back against resistant Lafayette County, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their profits than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your injuries. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
- Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.
Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the whole 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. We collect no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or a family member has been injured in a calamitous bus accident, contact an expert and devoted 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. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Lafayette County, 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 determine who needs to be held liable for your injuries.
What Causes Bus Accidents? | Lafayette County, MO Bus Accident Attorney
- Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner 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 action. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a severe offense such as drunk driving, 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 sleepy or distracted driving.
- Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, especially the ones that work for commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become fatigued 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’ weight and the difficulty of driving them, icy roads or Lafayette County, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide 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 inspections of over 765,000 motor carriers, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Lafayette County, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies are required to make certain that their drivers are properly trained and are not overworked.
- Dangerous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some typical examples are:
- Potholes
- Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
- Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
- Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
- Poor lighting
- Excessive grades
The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Lafayette County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Lafayette County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the condition but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not correctly repair it.
Once your knowledgeable Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons for your crash, they will be able to establish who is responsible for your injuries and how to proceed with winning you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident cases.
Commercial Bus Companies
Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite saying 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 bus to inhibit fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often followed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were caused by driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound passengers have stated that their driver was eating when the crash happened, which constitutes distracted driving.
Ensuring that Lafayette County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's duty. A bus accident might be because of a bus company either neglecting to provide routine maintenance or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially at risk of breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.
Lastly, 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 Lafayette County, 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 a responsibility to certify the safety of their products and quickly issue 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 adequately, they are guilty of product liability. While they may attempt to shift the blame to someone else, your Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure reckless parties are held accountable for their actions.
The Lafayette County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity
Public transportation accidents can often be disastrous because of the number of people involved and because they usually transpire in metropolitan areas. While you can file a suit against the Lafayette County, 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 claims. 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 reach out to a Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney immediately after your injury. 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 driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against an at-fault or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.
The Bus Driver
Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident because of driving mistakes. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not pull over when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Lafayette County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the dangerous 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 safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.
The Other Driver
Like any type of auto collision, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may shoulder 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 injure you. If you were injured in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm 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 crash we most commonly see in Lafayette County 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 liable, a school district in Lafayette County, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially dangerous 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 Lafayette County, MO Recover For Me?
The compensation you get in a bus accident case will usually be based on the seriousness of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Lafayette County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have experienced a disastrous spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you receive 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 costs, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
We work alongside 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 affected your life, Burger Law's Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you are awarded maximum compensation for all of your damages.
Learn more about our various practice areas by clicking the links below:
Call Our Lafayette County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today
We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and disastrous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Lafayette County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, straightforward and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past two decades to win you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 complimentary case review.