Bus Accident Attorney in Lincoln County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Lincoln County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured 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 hardly ever receive the same attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can oftentimes be similarly dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Lincoln County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and follow the rules. When they eschew their responsibilities and do not respect the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your family. Your Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you secure the best possible compensation that you are owed for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience defending the injured in Lincoln County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held accountable for their thoughtless behavior. Many Lincoln County, MO individuals have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and to date we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, dedication, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Lincoln County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for exorbitant medical costs and also deal with the emotional trauma of your injury only because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Lincoln County, MO bus accident, get in touch with the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review. We begin working on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

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

Do I Need a Lincoln County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you got on the bus presuming that the adequate safety protocols were obeyed. Lincoln County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they are supposed to obey, but sometimes they fail in those obligations 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 really heal from, may have lifelong effects or in the worst cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not need to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case straight away, and will not let up until you are awarded the maximum compensation you deserve. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Lincoln County, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they are owed. Those Lincoln County, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, seasoned and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is complicated and can be unforgiving to Lincoln County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities 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 Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every aspect of your claim. You can bank on an accomplished and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site immediately. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time during the day or night in order to obtain essential evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are typically many people who want the same answers and compensation you do. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of winning your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, security footage, police reports, and important details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held liable.
• Utilize our network of Lincoln County, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and work out exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will utilize our knowledge and expertise to ensure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Lincoln County, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their profits than your well-being. 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 deceptive maneuvers 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 expert litigation skills to secure you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner whole time. We oversee 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 fully compensated. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a devastating bus accident, contact an expert and devoted bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a part to play in running a bus safely you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every category of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to determine who is liable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Lincoln County, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident occurred.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a severe offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, especially the ones that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or 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 rules are often <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 conditions. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of driving them, slippery roads or Lincoln County, MO construction areas can be especially dangerous for bus passengers. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand if that is true in your case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, 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 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections needed. Some Lincoln County, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to ensure that their drivers are sufficiently trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Lincoln County, MO street, the better your chances of holding the liable parties accountable. The at-fault party may be a local Lincoln County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the issue but either did not do so soon enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your experienced Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the cause of your crash, they will be able to ascertain who is liable for your injuries and how to proceed with securing you maximum compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found liable in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. In despite of saying that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to inhibit fatigue. 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 owing to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound customers have said that their driver was eating when the crash happened, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that Lincoln County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be because 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 especially prone to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Lincoln County, 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 crash took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to confirm the safety of their vehicles and swiftly issue recalls in the event of a defective product. 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 try to place the blame on somebody else, your Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure liable parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Lincoln County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be ruinous because of the number of people who could be injured and because they typically transpire in densely populated areas. While you can file a suit against the Lincoln County, 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 want to file a suit 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 essential to call a Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney right away 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 liable or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck because of recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop the bus when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Lincoln 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you board a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain 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, there are often two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may share a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s thoughtlessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can injure you. If you were harmed in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and accomplished Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are responsible and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the type of bus crash we most typically see in Lincoln County 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 at fault, a school district in Lincoln County, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially poor or they did not perform 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 Lincoln County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover 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 received a mild concussion that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Lincoln County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received 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 Lincoln 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 expenses, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We use our team of medical and economic experts to determine 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 Lincoln 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:

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

Call Our Lincoln County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every type of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and catastrophic effect it can have on your and your family. Your Lincoln County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to secure you the the best possible 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.