Bus Accident Attorney in Osage Beach, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Osage Beach, MO. If you or a family member 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 rarely receive equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can frequently be just as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Osage Beach, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their duty and do not respect the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or your loved ones. Your Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you win the full 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 Osage Beach and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to take responsibility for their thoughtless actions. Many Osage Beach, MO families have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and to date we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, dedication, persistence, knowledge and experience to help find justice in personal injury cases and help Osage Beach, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for ridiculous medical bills and also manage the emotional scars of your injury just because somebody else did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Osage Beach, MO bus accident, contact 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 straight away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Osage Beach, MO because of somebody else's thoughtless behavior, find out how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Osage Beach, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the driver and you got on the bus assuming that the proper safety protocols were followed. Osage Beach, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have a duty to follow, but sometimes they fail in 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 truly heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you are not required to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case right away, and work relentlessly until you get the full compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Osage Beach, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they entitled to. Those Osage Beach, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and aggressive 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 Osage Beach, 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 Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every aspect of your case. You can expect an experienced 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 at the site at any time of the day or night in order to obtain vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are often a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of proving your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, as well as important details such as how long the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Use our network of Osage Beach, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will use our savvy and expertise to make sure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Osage Beach, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their bottom line 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 deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire time. We take control of 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 we win your case. If you or someone you care about has been hurt 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?

Because bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a part to play in operating a bus safely you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Osage Beach, 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 what entity needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Osage Beach, 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, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that only 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a grave offense such as driving while intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A good deal of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become fatigued 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 rules 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 hazards. Given buses’ weight and the intricacy of maneuvering them, icy roads or Osage Beach, MO construction areas can be especially risky for bus passengers. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be negligent. 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 people responsible for reviews for over 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors frequently cannot keep pace with the quantity of inspections required. Some Osage Beach, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Furthermore, bus companies need 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. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Osage Beach, MO road, the better your chances of holding the liable parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Osage Beach, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the problem but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not adequately repair it.

Once your experienced Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to confirm who is at-fault for your injuries and how to proceed with securing you a maximum financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found negligent in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, 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 ensure that their drivers are not driving too many hours without a break. Despite saying that safety is their top priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent drowsiness. 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 caused by driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating when the crash happened, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that Osage Beach, MO buses are correctly inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's obligation. A bus accident might be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to conduct routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially predisposed 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 sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform 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 quickly issue recalls if a product is discovered to be hazardous. If they approve an inherently defective 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 try to place the blame on someone else, your Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure careless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Osage Beach or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be ruinous because of the number of people involved and because they often take place in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the Osage Beach, 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 tort 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 reach out to a Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney right away after your accident. 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 operating 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 crash through driving mistakes. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not pull over when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Osage Beach, 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 get on a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto collision, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances they each may shoulder a portion 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 injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and accomplished Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are responsible 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 commonly see in Osage Beach 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 Osage Beach, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were especially poor or they did not carry out 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 Osage Beach, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will usually be based on the seriousness 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 needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Osage Beach, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have received a disastrous spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you collect 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 expenses, 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 determine 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 affected your life, Burger Law's Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly 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:

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

Call Our Osage Beach, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the immense anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your family. Your Osage Beach, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, honest and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past 20 years to get you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a bus accident, there is no time to wait. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.