Bus Accident Attorney in North St. Louis County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in North St. Louis County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been hurt 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 almost never get 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 North St. Louis 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 lifelong effects for you or the people you care about. Your North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you secure the maximum compensation that you deserve for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in North St. Louis County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to take responsibility for their negligent actions. Many North St. Louis County, MO families have put their cases 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, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help North St. Louis County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for pricey medical costs and also manage the emotional scars of your injury just because someone else did not respect the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a North St. Louis 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 free consultation. We get started on your case 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 North St. Louis County, MO because of somebody else's careless actions, learn how much your damages may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a North St. Louis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on board the bus supposing that the appropriate safety arrangements were obeyed. North St. Louis County, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent regulations they have an obligation to obey, but sometimes they neglect 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 truly recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic instances can even result in wrongful death. The North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand 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 will not let up until you recover the maximum compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured North St. Louis County, MO individuals and families into accepting a lower recovery than they are owed. Those North St. Louis County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the hard cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, accomplished 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 North St. Louis 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 North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can bank on an accomplished and skilled bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site immediately. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to acquire important evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are usually many passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you need. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, and important details such as how long the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. Several different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work with our network of North St. Louis County, MO crash and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and assess precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will utilize our savvy and expertise to make sure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant North St. Louis 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 weasel their way out of their responsibility to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company will not 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 by your side the 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 a loved one has been hurt in a catastrophic 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 role to play in operating a bus in a safe manner you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled North St. Louis County, 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 discover what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | North St. Louis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under 25 years old, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver action. While the same study stated that only 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a severe offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan found 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 lot of bus drivers, especially the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies 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 at the wheel. While most busing companies have rules about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how often they have to take a break, those rules 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 followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ size and the intricacy of driving them, icy roads or North St. Louis County, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus commuters. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company is at fault. 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 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 inspectors responsible for inspections of over 765,000 motor carriers, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot keep pace with the quantity of inspections needed. Some North St. Louis County, MO bus companies do not adequately maintain their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies are mandated to make sure that their drivers are sufficiently trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the North St. Louis County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the liable parties accountable. The liable party may be a local North St. Louis County, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the problem but either did not do so soon enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your experienced North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons for your accident, they will be able to ascertain who is liable for your injuries and how to proceed with getting you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found liable in bus accident cases.

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 look out for their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. Despite saying that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obliged 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 result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound riders have stated that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that North St. Louis County, 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 might be the result of a bus company either failing to carry out routine inspections or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are especially prone to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the wreck happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to ensure the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. 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 North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure negligent parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The North St. Louis County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the amount of people involved and because they generally occur in metropolitan areas. While you can file a suit against the North St. Louis County, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury suits. 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 crucial to get in touch with a North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at once 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 liable or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck because of driving mistakes. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the North St. Louis County, 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 their employers 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 seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the committed and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may bear 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 crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and accomplished North St. Louis 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 most common type of bus accident in North St. Louis County 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 liable, a school district in North St. Louis County, MO may also be held responsible, for instance 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 North St. Louis 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 how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained wrist that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in North St. Louis County, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating 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 North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure 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 capacity

  We utilize our network of medical and economic experts to compute 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 severe your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you recover the best possible 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 North St. Louis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and catastrophic effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your North St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have acquired over the past two decades to win you the maximum 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 free case evaluation.