Bus Accident Attorney in St. Peters, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in St. Peters, MO. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a devastating 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 get equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can frequently be similarly harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust St. Peters, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and follow the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have devastating, sometimes permanent consequences for you or the people you care about. Your St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you win the maximum compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience defending the injured in St. Peters and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held responsible for their negligent actions. Our St. Peters, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, devotion, persistence, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help St. Peters, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for expensive medical bills and also handle the emotional shock of your injury just because somebody else disregarded the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a St. Peters, MO bus accident, contact 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 right away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

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

Do I Need a St. Peters, 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 proper safety arrangements were obeyed. St. Peters, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have a responsibility to follow, but sometimes they neglect those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is typically caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most terrible cases can even lead to wrongful death. The St. Peters, 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 investigating on your case straight away, and work relentlessly until you win the best possible compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured St. Peters, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they are owed. Those St. Peters, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the hard cases. Call us today and let the passionate, seasoned and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be unforgiving to St. Peters, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every facet of your case. You can expect an experienced 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 of the day or night in order to acquire vital evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are generally a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of winning your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, security videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. Several different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney will find out why the crash happened and who needs to be held accountable.
• Use our network of St. Peters, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our knowledge and expertise to ensure you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant St. Peters, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their bottom line than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your claim. When you hire us, you can be sure those schemes 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 expert litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, 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. We collect no attorneys fees until you are fully compensated. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a ruinous 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 operating a bus safely you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled St. Peters, 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 who is responsible for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced 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 took place.
• Driver action. While the same study found that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to a serious offense such as driving while intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially 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 sleepy and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have specifications 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 enforced or complied with.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of steering them, slick roads or St. Peters, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you discover if that is the 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 personnel responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews often cannot stay ahead of the quantity of inspections needed. Some St. Peters, 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 do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the St. Peters, MO street, the better your chances of holding the negligent parties responsible. The liable party may be a local St. Peters, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.

Once your experienced St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney confirm the reasons for your crash, they will be able to determine who is liable for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found liable in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation 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 facet 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 complying with its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent sleepiness. 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 reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound customers have stated that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that St. Peters, MO buses are properly inspected and repaired and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be the result of a bus company either failing to perform routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly predisposed to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be diligent 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 St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out 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 duty to certify the safety of their products and quickly issue recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently defective 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 St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure careless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The St. Peters or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be devastating because of the amount of people involved and because they often happen in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the St. Peters, 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 personal injury claims. If you want to make a claim 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 necessary to contact a St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney straight away 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 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 due to driver error. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the St. Peters, 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 bus companies 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 responsibility seriously and causes you injury, you can be sure that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, two or more drivers are often 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 injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the kind of bus crash we most typically see in St. Peters 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 St. Peters, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially dangerous or they did not perform proper 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. Peters, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will typically depend on the severity of your injuries and how they have affected and will impact they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in St. Peters, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating 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 St. Peters, 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 potential

  We utilize 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 severe your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you collect full 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. Peters, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and disastrous effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your St. Peters, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, straightforward and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past 20 years to secure you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 complimentary case evaluation.