Bus Accident Attorney in Scott City, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Scott City, MO. If you or a family member has been injured in a catastrophic 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 the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can often be similarly harmful and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Scott City, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or your loved ones. Your Scott City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you collect the best possible compensation that you are owed 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 Scott City and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held accountable for their negligent behavior. Our Scott City, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Scott City, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for ridiculous medical bills and also manage the emotional trauma of your injury only because another person disregarded the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Scott City, 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 start working on your case immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are owed.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Scott City, MO because of another person's reckless behavior, find out how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Scott City, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus assuming that the appropriate safety measures were adhered to. Scott City, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they fail in those responsibilities 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 really heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible instances can even cause wrongful death. The Scott City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case straight away, and work tirelessly until you are awarded the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Scott City, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they entitled to. Those Scott City, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Scott City, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Scott City, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every aspect of your case. You can anticipate an experienced 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 during the day or night in order to acquire essential evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are often many people who want the same answers and compensation you do. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as important details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Several different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Scott City, MO bus accident attorney will find out why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
• Utilize our network of Scott City, MO crash and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and compute exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will utilize our know-how and expertise to make sure you get it.
• Fight back against resistant Scott City, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their profits than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and avoid their duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks 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 secure you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the entire time. We handle all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We collect no attorneys fees until you get full compensation. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and devoted bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it takes 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 is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Scott City, 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 who needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Scott City, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident occurred.
• Driver error. While the same study stated that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by a grave offense such as driving while intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, particularly the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become drowsy 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 regulations 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 obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of driving them, icy roads or Scott City, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus passengers. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that is the case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, 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 over 765,000 trucks and buses, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews often cannot stay ahead of the quantity of inspections needed. Some Scott City, MO bus companies do not correctly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to make sure that their drivers are properly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and crashing. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the 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 Scott City, MO street, the better your odds of holding the at-fault parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Scott City, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.

Once your talented Scott City, 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 take the next steps toward delivering you the best possible financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found liable 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 riders to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of insisting that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not obeyed 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. Moreover, many Greyhound customers have said that their driver was eating when the crash occurred, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Scott City, MO buses are correctly 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 may be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to carry out routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly susceptible to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be prudent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Scott City, 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 wreck occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to verify the safety of their vehicles and immediately issue recalls in the event of a defective product. If they approve an inherently faulty 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 might try to place the blame on someone else, your Scott City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Scott City or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be calamitous because of the amount of people involved and because they generally occur in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Scott City, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in tort suits. If you seek 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 crucial to call a Scott City, MO bus accident attorney immediately 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 a liable or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck due to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Scott City, 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 get on a bus you trust that driver with your health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the dedicated and tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto crash, there are often two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may bear a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s negligence, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can hurt you. If you were injured in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and accomplished Scott City, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm 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 crash in Scott City and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus wrecks. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is at fault, a school district in Scott City, 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 carry out 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 Scott City, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will generally depend on the gravity of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that merely needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Scott City, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have received a disastrous 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 Scott City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure 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, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We use our team of medical and economic experts to calculate the exact dollar amount you are entitled to, 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 Scott City, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you are awarded the best possible 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 Scott City, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every type of bus accident case and know the immense pain and ruinous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Scott City, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, straightforward and tenacious 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 rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, there is no time to wait. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.