Bus Accident Attorney in Ray County, MO

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

Bus accidents almost never receive the same attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can often be just as harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Ray County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they eschew their responsibilities and do not respect the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent effects for you or your loved ones. Your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you receive the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Ray County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held accountable for their thoughtless actions. Our Ray County, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have won them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, resolution, knowledge and experience to help find justice in personal injury cases and help Ray County, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for ridiculous medical bills and also deal with the emotional shock of your injury only because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a Ray County, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case evaluation. We get started 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 Ray County, MO because of someone else's reckless actions, discover how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

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

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus under the assumption that the correct safety measures were followed. Ray County, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent regulations they have an obligation to follow, but sometimes they fail in those responsibilities 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 permanent consequences or in the most tragic instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not have to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case at once, and work tirelessly until you receive the full compensation you deserve. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Ray County, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they entitled to. Those Ray 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, accomplished and aggressive 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 Ray County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Ray County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every facet of your case. You can expect an accomplished and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site immediately. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to obtain key evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also experienced injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are generally a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you need. Eyewitness testimony is a important part of proving your case.
• Collect additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Ray County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work alongside our network of Ray County, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our experience and expertise to make certain you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Ray County, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their profits 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 schemes will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a full 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 we win your case. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a part to play in running a bus safely you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Ray County, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every category of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to find out who is liable for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice 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 occurred.
• Driver error. While the same study found that only 4 percent of bus accidents were due to an egregious offense such as driving while intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, especially the ones that work for commercial bus companies 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 rules about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how often they have to take a break, those regulations 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 complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of driving them, icy roads or Ray County, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus riders. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company is negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that is true in your case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, but not nearly 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 people responsible for reviews for over 765,000 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors frequently cannot keep pace with the number of inspections needed. Some Ray County, MO bus companies do not adequately repair their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Furthermore, bus companies are required to make certain that their drivers are sufficiently trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Ray County, MO street, the better your odds of holding the liable parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Ray County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to eliminate the issue but either did not do so quickly enough or did not correctly repair it.

Once your skilled Ray County, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to ascertain who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are often found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. In despite of insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to inhibit fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not followed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have stated that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making certain that Ray County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident might be a consequence of a bus company either failing to conduct routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially susceptible to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be vigilant in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the crash occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to confirm the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. If they approve an inherently flawed 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 may try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure careless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Ray County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be ruinous because of the amount of people involved and because they usually transpire in densely populated areas. While you can file a suit against the Ray County, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability cases. 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 contact a Ray County, MO bus accident attorney straight 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 because of negligence. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop driving when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Ray County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the foolish 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 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 tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle accident, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some cases they each may bear 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 hurt you. If you were hurt in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and seasoned Ray 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 crash we most commonly see in Ray 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 liable, a school district in Ray County, MO may also be held responsible, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not conduct 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 Ray County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you are awarded in a bus accident case will generally depend on the severity of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained ankle that merely needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Ray County, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have experienced 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 Ray County, 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, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We work alongside our network of medical and economic experts to compute 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 impacted your life, Burger Law's Ray County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively 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 Ray County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and catastrophic effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Ray County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, honest and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past two decades to win you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 case review.