Bus Accident Attorney in St. James, MO

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

Bus accidents hardly ever receive the same attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can frequently be just as dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust St. James, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their duty and disregard the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your loved ones. Your St. James, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you collect the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in St. James and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held accountable for their reckless behavior. Many St. James, MO residents have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and in total we have won them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, dedication, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help St. James, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for ridiculous medical costs and also manage the emotional impact of your injury just because someone else did not respect the rules. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a St. James, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We start working on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in St. James, MO because of somebody else's reckless actions, find out how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a St. James, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus supposing that the adequate safety measures were adhered to. St. James, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent regulations they are supposed to follow, but sometimes they neglect 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 recover from, may have permanent consequences or in the worst cases can even lead to wrongful death. The St. James, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you are not required to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case immediately, and work relentlessly until you receive the best possible 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 St. James, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they deserve. Those St. James, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, veteran and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be unforgiving to St. James, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our St. James, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can bank on an accomplished and talented 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 on the scene at any time during the day or night in order to acquire essential evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are often many people who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. We will perform official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Acquire additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. Many different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law St. James, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work with our network of St. James, MO crash and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and work out precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will use our know-how and expertise to make sure you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant St. James, MO insurance companies who are more interested in 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 duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys 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 finely honed litigation skills to secure you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner 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. We collect no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a disastrous bus accident, contact an expert and devoted 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 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 St. James, 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 discover what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | St. James, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their 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 happened.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a severe offense such as the driver being intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had been cited with driving errors, such as speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, particularly the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies 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 frequently they have to take a break, those regulations are frequently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not required or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of driving them, icy roads or St. James, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus commuters. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that applies 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 over 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews generally cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some St. James, MO bus companies do not correctly inspect 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 crashing. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty 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 St. James, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The liable party may be a local St. James, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to repair the issue but either did not do so soon enough or did not adequately repair it.

Once your skilled St. James, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons behind your accident, they will be able to establish who is liable for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward winning you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport 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 make certain that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. Despite insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to prevent sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely obeyed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that St. James, MO buses are properly inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's duty. A bus accident could be because of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine maintenance or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly predisposed to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing strict background checks. Your St. James, 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 accident happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to ensure the safety of their vehicles and immediately issue recalls if a product is found to be unsafe. If they approve an inherently defective 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 attempt to place the blame on somebody else, your St. James, 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 St. James or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be calamitous because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they often occur in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the St. James, 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 tort claims. If you seek to file a suit 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 reach out to a St. James, MO bus accident attorney at once after your injury. Do not delay, 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 a negligent 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 driving when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the St. James, 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 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 confident that the devoted and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto collision, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may shoulder 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 injure you. If you were harmed in a bus crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and accomplished St. James, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are responsible and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the kind of bus accident we most commonly see in St. James 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 St. James, MO may also be held responsible, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially poor or they did not perform 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 St. James, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will usually be based on the severity of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have received a sprained ankle that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in St. James, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished St. James, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you collect a full 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We use our network of medical and economic experts to compute 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 serious your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's St. James, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you get 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 St. James, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every sort of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your family. Your St. James, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, honest and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to get you the the best possible recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured 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 evaluation.