Bus Accident Attorney in South St. Louis County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in South St. Louis County, MO. If you or a loved one has been hurt 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 receive 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 South St. Louis County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and respect the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your loved ones. Your South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you secure the full compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience defending the injured in South St. Louis County and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held responsible for their negligent behavior. Our South St. Louis County, 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 determination, commitment, persistence, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help South St. Louis County, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for extortionate medical bills and also manage the emotional toll of your injury just because another person disregarded the rules. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a South St. Louis County, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review. We get started on your claim immediately, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the compensation you are owed.

If you were injured in a bus accident in South St. Louis County, MO because of somebody else's negligent behavior, discover how much your claim may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a South St. Louis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you boarded the bus under the impression that that the adequate safety arrangements were followed. South St. Louis County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they are supposed to respect, but sometimes they fail in 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 truly recover from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic cases can even result in wrongful death. The South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not need to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we get to work on on your case straight away, and work relentlessly until you win the maximum compensation you are owed. We have experienced with every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured South St. Louis County, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they are owed. Those South St. Louis County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be unforgiving to South St. Louis County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over two decades of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can bank on a veteran and skilled 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 during the day or night in order to obtain vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are usually many passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you need. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, and important details such as how long the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Several different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work with our network of South St. Louis County, MO crash and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our experience and expertise to ensure you get it.
• Stand up to resistant South St. Louis County, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their bottom line than your health. 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 ploys will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We handle 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 fully compensated. If you or a family member has been injured in a devastating 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 role to play in operating a bus safely you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled South St. Louis 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 is liable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | South St. Louis 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, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that just 4 percent of bus accidents were due to an egregious 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 large portion of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become sleepy and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have rules about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how frequently 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’ size and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slick roads or South St. Louis 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 applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, 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 inspectors responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections needed. Some South St. Louis County, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Additionally, bus companies need to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few 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
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the South St. Louis County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the liable parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local South St. Louis County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the problem but either did not do so quickly enough or did not correctly repair it.

Once your knowledgeable South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney deduces the cause of your crash, they will be able to establish who is at-fault for your injuries and how to go forward with getting you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely obeyed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that South St. Louis County, MO buses are correctly inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's duty. A bus accident may be the result of a bus company either failing to perform routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly predisposed to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies need to be diligent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing strict background checks. Your South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the wreck took place.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to guarantee the safety of their products 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 correctly, they are guilty of product liability. While they may attempt to shift the blame to someone else, your South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure at-fault parties are held accountable for their actions.

The South St. Louis County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be ruinous because of the number of people who could be injured and because they frequently take place in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the South St. Louis County, MO government, there are specific procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities 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 imperative to reach out to a South St. Louis County, 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 because of negligence. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the South St. Louis 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you go on board a bus you trust that driver with your well-being 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 tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle accident, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some instances they each may shoulder 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 harmed in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your knowledgeable and accomplished South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are liable 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 typically see in South St. Louis 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 at fault, a school district in South St. Louis County, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not perform 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 South St. Louis County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will generally depend on the gravity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will affect they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained ankle that just needed a quick trip to an emergency room in South St. Louis County, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have received a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you secure 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  We work alongside our team 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 grave your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you recover maximum 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 South St. Louis County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the immense anguish and disastrous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your South St. Louis County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to win you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been hurt 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 complimentary case review.