Bus Accident Attorney in Pike County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Pike County, MO. If you or a loved one has been injured in a devastating bus accident, take control of your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents rarely ever receive the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can frequently be similarly dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Pike County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they eschew their responsibilities and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your family. Your Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you recover the best possible compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Pike County and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to take responsibility for their careless actions. Our Pike County, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and in total we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, devotion, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Pike County, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for extortionate medical bills and also work through the emotional shock of your injury only because somebody else broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Pike County, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review. We get started on your case straight away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

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

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

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus supposing that the adequate safety arrangements were adhered to. Pike County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have a duty to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really heal from, may have lifelong effects or in the most tragic cases can even cause wrongful death. The Pike 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 start investigating on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you win the maximum compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Pike County, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they deserve. Those Pike 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 passionate, experienced and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is complex and can be difficult to comprehend for Pike County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Pike County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every aspect of your claim. You can expect an accomplished and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site the first chance we get. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer at the site at any time during the day or night in order to secure vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are usually many passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, security footage, police reports, and key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Pike County, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held liable.
• Utilize our network of Pike County, MO accident 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 owed and we will utilize our savvy and expertise to ensure you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Pike County, MO insurance companies who care more about their bottom line 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 obligation to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys will not work in your case.
• Take the fight in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We take control of 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 you get fair compensation. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a ruinous bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated 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 find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Pike 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 determine what entity needs to be held liable for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver action. While the same study stated that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by an egregious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, particularly the ones that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate 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 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 frequently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not enforced or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of steering them, slick roads or Pike County, MO construction areas can be especially risky for bus passengers. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company will be negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you discover if that is the 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 more than 765,000 motor carriers, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections required. Some Pike County, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies are mandated to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Hazards 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 signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Pike County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the liable parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Pike County, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to eliminate the condition but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your expert Pike County, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to establish who is liable for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found liable in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their riders to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. In despite of insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to stave off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often obeyed 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 due to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound riders have said that their driver was eating when the crash occurred, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Pike 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 could be because of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are especially susceptible 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 able to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Pike County, 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 crash happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to certify the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. If they approve an inherently faulty 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 someone else, your Pike 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 Pike County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be disastrous because of the number of people involved and because they typically transpire in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Pike County, 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 injury liability suits. 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 call a Pike County, MO bus accident attorney straight 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 driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against an at-fault or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident owing to driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not stop when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Pike County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the terrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you ascend a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the committed and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, two or more drivers are often involved, 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 harm you. If you were hurt in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and seasoned Pike County, 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 type of bus accident we most typically see in Pike 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 Pike County, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially dangerous or they did not carry out proper 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 Pike County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will usually depend on the gravity of your injuries and how they have affected and will affect they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Pike County, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have received a catastrophic 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 Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you secure a great 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 potential

  We work alongside our network 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 serious your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Pike County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you collect 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 Pike County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and calamitous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Pike County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to secure you the full recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.