Bus Accident Attorney in Park Hills, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Park Hills, MO. If you or a family member has been harmed in a disastrous bus accident, take control of your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents hardly ever get the same attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can frequently be equally as harmful and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Park Hills, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and obey the rules. When they break that trust and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent effects for you or the people you care about. Your Park Hills, 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 over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Park Hills and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to take responsibility for their negligent behavior. Many Park Hills, MO individuals have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and to date we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, dedication, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Park Hills, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for sky-high medical costs and also manage the emotional shock of your injury just because another person broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Park Hills, 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 evaluation. We begin working on your case right away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are entitled to.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Park Hills, MO because of someone else's careless behavior, learn how much your damages may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Park Hills, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially powerless. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus under the assumption that the adequate safety protocols were followed. Park Hills, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they have an obligation to follow, but sometimes they neglect 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 fully heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not need to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case right away, and work tirelessly until you are awarded the full compensation you are owed. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Park Hills, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they deserve. Those Park Hills, 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, veteran and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be unforgiving to Park Hills, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can anticipate an accomplished and skilled bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site as soon as possible. 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 secure important evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are generally a lot of people who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were performed on the bus. Many different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work alongside our network of Park Hills, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our knowledge and expertise to make sure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Park Hills, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their bottom line than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your claim. When you hire us, you can be sure those deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire 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. We charge no attorneys fees until you are fairly compensated. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a calamitous bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it necessitates so many people to operate a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every kind of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to find out what entity is responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Park Hills, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver action. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to a grave offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had committed driving errors, such as speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, especially the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become fatigued and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break 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 enforced or followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the intricacy of driving them, slippery roads or Park Hills, MO construction areas can be especially 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 overseen by regulatory entities, 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 inspections of more than 765,000 motor carriers, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors frequently cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections needed. Some Park Hills, MO bus companies do not correctly repair their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to make sure that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Park Hills, MO road, the better your chances of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Park Hills, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to repair the condition but either did not do so soon enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your experienced Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to confirm who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of saying that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often obeyed as too many breaks could result in 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 riders have said that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Park Hills, MO buses are adequately inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly predisposed to breaking down and bus companies must 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 allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct a full 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 an obligation to verify the safety of their products and quickly announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently unsafe 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 shift the blame to someone else, your Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Park Hills or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be calamitous because of the number of people involved and because they frequently take place in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the Park Hills, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in tort suits. If you want to make a claim 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 Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney right away 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 operating 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 a crash due to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Park Hills, 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you board a bus you trust that driver with your health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the devoted and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto crash, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some cases they each may bear a portion of the blame. Another driver’s negligence, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can harm you. If you were injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and accomplished Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine 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 typically see in Park Hills 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 responsible, a school district in Park Hills, 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 carry out 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 Park Hills, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will usually depend on the seriousness of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Park Hills, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have experienced a catastrophic 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 Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain 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, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We work alongside our team of medical and economic experts to compute 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 Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you receive full 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 Park Hills, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the immense pain and disastrous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Park Hills, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to secure you the the best possible recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 consultation.