Bus Accident Attorney in Winston, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Winston, MO. If you or a loved one has been injured 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 wrecks, even though the can oftentimes be just as dangerous and fatal. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Winston, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they eschew their duty and disregard the rules it can have devastating, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Winston, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you secure the best possible compensation that you are entitled to for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Winston and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held accountable for their negligent actions. Our Winston, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have collected for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Winston, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for extortionate medical costs and also deal with the emotional trauma of your injury just because another person broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Winston, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case evaluation. We begin working on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you are owed.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Winston, MO because of another person's thoughtless behavior, learn how much your claim may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Winston, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus assuming that the appropriate safety protocols were followed. Winston, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they are supposed to obey, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the most terrible instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Winston, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you are not required to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we start working on your case right away, and will not let up until you are awarded the maximum compensation you are owed. We have seen every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Winston, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they deserve. Those Winston, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the passionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be unforgiving to Winston, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Winston, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can bank on an experienced and knowledgeable 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 on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to obtain important evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are almost always many people who want the same answers and compensation you do. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and key details such as how far the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. Many different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Winston, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held liable.
• Utilize our network of Winston, MO auto wreck 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 entitled to and we will implement our experience and expertise to make sure you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant Winston, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their bottom line 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 ploys will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win 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 spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We charge no attorneys fees until you get fair compensation. If you or a family member has been hurt in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because it takes so many people to run a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Winston, 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 needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Winston, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced 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 happened.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that only 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to a grave offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, especially the ones 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 at 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 rules 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 followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slippery roads or Winston, MO construction areas can be especially risky for bus riders. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, 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 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews often cannot stay ahead of the number of inspections required. Some Winston, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies need to make sure that their drivers are properly trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Winston, MO street, the better your chances of holding the liable parties accountable. The at-fault party may be a local Winston, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to repair the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not adequately repair it.

Once your skilled Winston, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons for your crash, they will be able to establish who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with delivering you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are typically found liable in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their riders to look out for their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of saying 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 technically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to stave off sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely obeyed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Furthermore, many Greyhound passengers have reported that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Winston, MO buses are correctly inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's duty. A bus accident might be because of a bus company either failing to conduct routine maintenance or neglecting to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially vulnerable 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 stringent background checks. Your Winston, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a full 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 an obligation to ensure the safety of their products and swiftly issue recalls if a product is found to be faulty. 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 somebody else, your Winston, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Winston or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be ruinous because of the number of people involved and because they frequently occur in metropolitan areas. While you can file a suit against the Winston, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability claims. If you want to file a suit 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 essential to reach out to a Winston, MO bus accident attorney at once 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 driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a negligent or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck owing to negligence. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Winston, 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you get on a bus you trust that driver with your safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the dedicated and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, two or more drivers are frequently involved, and in some instances they each may bear a portion 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 injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and experienced Winston, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are liable 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 typically see in Winston 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 liable, a school district in Winston, 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 Winston, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will usually depend on the gravity of your injuries and how they have affected and will impact they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained ankle that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Winston, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a disastrous 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 Winston, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain that you receive 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 costs, such as hospital bills, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We use our network of medical and economic experts to quantify 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 Winston, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you recover maximum 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 Winston, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the tremendous pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Winston, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to secure you the maximum 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 free consultation.