Bus Accident Attorney in Osage County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Osage 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 hardly ever get equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can often be equally as harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Osage County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and follow the rules. When they eschew their duty and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your family. Your Osage County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you collect the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience defending the injured in Osage 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 reckless actions. Our Osage County, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, devotion, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Osage County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for sky-high medical costs and also deal with the emotional scars of your injury just because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a family member has been harmed in a Osage 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 free case review. We begin working on your claim at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the compensation you are owed.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Osage County, MO because of someone 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 County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you boarded the bus supposing that the appropriate safety measures were adhered to. Osage County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they are supposed to obey, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is typically caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic instances can even result in wrongful death. The Osage County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case immediately, and will not let up until you receive the maximum compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Osage County, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they entitled to. Those Osage County, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the complicated 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 complicated and can be unforgiving to Osage County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Osage County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your case. You can anticipate an accomplished and talented bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site the first chance we get. 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 acquire key evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also experienced injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are generally many people who want the same answers and compensation you need. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of proving your case.
• Collect additional evidence such as tire marks, security footage, police reports, and important details such as how long the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Osage County, MO bus accident attorney will find out why the crash happened and who needs to be held liable.
• Use our network of Osage County, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and work out precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will utilize our knowledge and expertise to make sure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Osage County, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their profits than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and avoid their responsibility to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys 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 finely honed litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner entire time. We oversee all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We charge no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a disastrous 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 learn the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Osage 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 find out who is responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Osage County, 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 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 transpired.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that just 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by an egregious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, such as speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly the ones that drive for commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require 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 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 mandatory or followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of driving them, slippery roads or Osage County, MO construction areas can be especially dangerous for bus commuters. 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 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 inspections of over 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors typically cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Osage County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Osage County, MO road, the better your odds of holding the liable parties accountable. The at-fault party may be a local Osage County, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to eliminate the condition but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.

Once your accomplished Osage County, MO bus accident attorney deduces the cause of your accident, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to proceed with winning you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation 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 sure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of saying that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to stave off fatigue. 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 owing to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Osage County, MO buses are correctly 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 carry out routine maintenance or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially vulnerable to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be mindful in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Osage 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 accident occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to ensure the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls if a product is found to be unsafe. If they approve an inherently dangerous 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 Osage County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Osage County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be calamitous because of the number of people who could be injured and because they typically transpire in metropolitan areas. While you can make a claim against the Osage County, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability claims. If you want 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 urgent to reach out to a Osage 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 due to negligence. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Osage County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you board 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 dedicated and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle crash, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some cases they each may shoulder 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 harm you. If you were harmed in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and accomplished Osage County, 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 most common type of bus accident in Osage 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 responsible, a school district in Osage County, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly poor or they did not conduct 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 County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will generally be based on the gravity of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Osage County, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have received a catastrophic 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 County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain 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 costs, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We utilize our team of medical and economic experts to calculate 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 grave your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Osage 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 Osage County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every type of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your family. Your Osage County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have acquired over the past 20 years to win you the the best possible recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary consultation.