Bus Accident Attorney in Platte County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Platte County, MO. If you or a family member has been harmed in a devastating 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 ever get equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can often be just as hazardous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Platte County, 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 terrible, sometimes lifelong effects for you or the people you care about. Your Platte County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you secure the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in Platte County and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egocentrically do not want to take responsibility for their reckless behavior. Our Platte County, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, dedication, persistence, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Platte County, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for exorbitant medical bills and also manage the emotional trauma of your injury just because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Platte County, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case review. We begin working on your case right away, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you deserve.

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

Do I Need a Platte 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 the bus under the assumption that the adequate safety protocols were obeyed. Platte County, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent rules they are supposed to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully heal from, may have lifelong effects or in the worst instances can even cause wrongful death. The Platte County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case immediately, and will not let up until you win 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 defraud injured Platte County, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they are owed. Those Platte County, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the hard cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, seasoned and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Platte County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Platte County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every facet of your case. You can expect a veteran and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident 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 obtain important 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 typically other people who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, in additional to important details such as how long the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. Many different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Platte County, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held accountable.
• Use our network of Platte County, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and assess exactly 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 ensure you collect it.
• Fight back against resistant Platte County, MO insurance companies who care more about their profits than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your damages. When you hire us, you can be sure those schemes 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 finely honed litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

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 focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. You owe us no attorneys fees until you are fairly compensated. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a devastating bus accident, contact an expert and devoted bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it requires so many people to run 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 is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Platte County, 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 who needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under 25 years old, as well as 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 found that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to an egregious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, 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 fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the 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 often <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not obligated or complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the intricacy of driving them, slick roads or Platte County, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus riders. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that is true in your 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 commercial motor vehicles, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews generally cannot keep pace with the number of inspections required. Some Platte County, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are required to make sure that their drivers are correctly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Platte County, MO road, the better your odds of holding the liable parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Platte County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the problem but either did not do so soon enough or did not adequately repair it.

Once your experienced Platte County, MO bus accident attorney establishes the cause of your accident, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward winning you the best possible financial recovery. 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 considered common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. Part of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not driving too many miles without a break. Despite insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to hold off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not followed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound riders have said that their driver was eating when the accident transpired, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Platte County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either failing to provide routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels 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 correctly licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Platte County, 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 accident happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to ensure the safety of their products and swiftly issue recalls if a product is found to be faulty. If they approve an inherently dangerous 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 attempt to place the blame on someone else, your Platte County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Platte County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the number of people who could be injured and because they frequently occur in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Platte County, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury 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 imperative to contact a Platte County, MO bus accident attorney at once 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 because of negligence. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Platte County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like their employers 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 obligation seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the dedicated and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto collision, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may bear 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 harm you. If you were injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and experienced Platte County, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are liable and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus crash we most typically see in Platte County 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 Platte County, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly 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 Platte County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you are awarded in a bus accident case will generally depend on the seriousness of your injuries and how they have affected and will affect they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Platte County, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have sustained a disastrous 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 Platte County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you receive a fair 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 potential

  We use 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 serious your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Platte County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you are awarded full 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 Platte County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the immense anguish and calamitous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Platte County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, trustworthy and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past two decades to win 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 free case evaluation.