Kansas City Bus Accident Lawyer

Every year, Kansas City-area roads see serious bus crashes involving school buses, public transit buses, private charter buses, and interstate carriers like Greyhound. These accidents often result in serious injuries to passengers and others on the road. The law entitles accident victims to compensation, but too often, injured individuals and their families find it difficult to claim the compensation they deserve after a bus crash.

That’s why if you’ve been hurt in a bus accident in the Kansas City area, it’s important to get the help of Flick Truck Accident Law. With over 40 years of experience and millions of dollars won, we are one of Kansas City’s most trusted accident law firms. We represent clients who have been injured or have lost loved ones in large-vehicle accidents such as those involving buses, streetcars, and other mass transits.

We’ll provide you with a free consultation and won’t charge anything until we’ve won for you. Call us today at (816) 221-0501. Our experienced bus accident attorney is ready to listen to your story and assist you with your potential claim.

Common Types of Bus Accidents in the Kansas City Area

Buses are large, heavy vehicles, and when something goes wrong, the consequences can be severe. In the Kansas City metropolitan area (on both the Missouri and Kansas sides), bus crashes have involved all kinds of buses:

• School bus crashes: School buses carrying children might be involved in intersection collisions, rollovers, or running off the road. For example, near St. Joseph, Missouri, a church-operated school bus blew out a tire and overturned on I-29, injuring eight Kansas City-area students who were headed to a game.
• Public transit bus accidents: Kansas City’s RideKC city buses operate on busy streets, and sometimes, dangerous collisions occur. In one incident, a RideKC bus collided with a car in Kansas City, MO, resulting in three people being injured, including one passenger with critical injuries. In another case, a RideKC bus turned in front of an oncoming motorcycle on 75th Street, killing the 18-year-old motorcyclist on impact. Public bus accidents can also involve pedestrians: in one East Side incident, a pedestrian ran into the road and was struck by a RideKC bus, suffering critical injuries.
• Private charter and tour bus crashes: Charter buses, such as tour buses, casino trip buses, or private coaches, travel through the Kansas City region on highways like I-70, I-35, and I-29. One such tour bus struck a passenger car at the intersection of K-7 and 4H Road, resulting in a fire and the death of one person.
• Interstate and cross-country bus accidents: Buses like Greyhound or Megabus frequently pass through Kansas City on long routes. Driver fatigue or distraction on these long trips can lead to disaster. In one recent example, an intersection crash at Main Street and 4H Road involved a Greyhound bus and a passenger car, and tragically killed one individual.

Common Causes of Bus Crashes

Bus accidents can happen for a variety of reasons. Some common causes include:

• Driver error or distraction: Bus drivers sometimes make mistakes or become distracted by phones, GPS, or other factors. For instance, police said a tour bus driver got distracted at the wheel and overcorrected before the vehicle flipped on its side along I-90, killing people and injuring dozens. Even a momentary lapse can be deadly when operating such a large vehicle. In city traffic, a bus driver might misjudge a turn or fail to see a smaller vehicle or pedestrian.
• Fatigue or impaired driving: Especially on long-distance routes, bus drivers can become fatigued. Driving while very tired can be as dangerous as drunk driving. There are federal rules meant to limit how long commercial bus operators can drive without rest, but those rules can be violated or insufficient.
• Other drivers’ negligence: Not all bus crashes are the bus driver’s fault. A passenger car running a red light or a speeding truck that cannot stop could hit a bus. Buses are large and not very maneuverable, so if a car cuts in front of a bus or stops suddenly, the bus may not be able to avoid a crash. Unfortunately, when a bus hits a much smaller vehicle, the people in the smaller car are at great risk of severe injury or death due to the bus’s mass.
• Mechanical failures: Poor maintenance or defective parts can lead to tire blowouts, brake failures, or steering issues. In the I-29 church school bus rollover, investigators found that one of the bus’s front tires blew out while driving at highway speed, and then a rear tire also blew. Regular maintenance and pre-trip inspections are required for commercial buses, but if a company fails to keep up with safety standards, critical equipment can fail. Brake problems could prevent a bus from stopping in time, for example.
• Weather and road conditions: Snow, ice, heavy rain, or fog – common at times in Missouri and Kansas – can contribute to bus crashes. Buses require longer distances to stop on slick roads. High winds might even tip over a top-heavy bus. For example, another school bus carrying students overturned on an icy road in south Kansas City. Road construction or poor road conditions (potholes, debris) can also lead to accidents if the driver swerves or loses control.

Why Bus Accidents Are Especially Dangerous

Bus crashes often result in more severe outcomes than ordinary car accidents. A bus’s large size and weight, and the way buses are designed, create unique hazards:

• Mass and force: A typical city bus or interstate coach weighs many tens of thousands of pounds. In a collision, that mass can crush smaller vehicles. Likewise, when a bus strikes a pedestrian or motorcycle, the impact is usually catastrophic or fatal.
• Multiple passengers: Buses carry many people, so a single crash can injure dozens. Bus passengers might be thrown from their seats or against the interior if the bus suddenly swerves or hits something. This means a bus accident victim may be one of many, and emergency responders have to treat numerous injuries at once.
• Lack of seat belts and protection: Many buses, including school buses and city transit buses, do not have seat belts for passengers. School buses rely on high-backed seats and “compartmentalization” for safety, but in a violent crash or rollover, children can still be tossed around. Transit buses often have standing passengers or people not belted; a sudden impact can send them flying inside the bus. Even on Greyhound coaches, seat belt use is not always enforced, and until recently many buses didn’t have belts at all. This lack of restraint leads to more traumatic injuries in a crash compared to a car where occupants wear seat belts and have airbags.
• Rollover risk: Buses have a high center of gravity. If a driver overcorrects sharply or a tire blows at high speed, the bus can roll over or tip onto its side. Rollover crashes are among the most dangerous because passengers can be thrown out of their seats or even out of the bus if windows break. In such rollovers, even low-speed accidents can lead to broken bones, head injuries, or ejections if windows or roof hatches fail. The structural integrity of a bus roof is also not as rigorously crash-tested as a car’s roof, so a rollover can lead to roof crush injuries.

• Delayed stopping and maneuverability: Buses require a longer distance to stop due to their weight. A bus can’t swerve or brake suddenly like a small car. This means bus drivers might not be able to avoid an accident that a car driver could. If a child runs in front of a school bus or a car stops abruptly on the highway, the bus might hit them simply because it can’t stop fast enough. This is also why other drivers need to be cautious around buses.

Typical Injuries in Bus Accidents

Because of the factors above, bus accident injuries are often serious. Victims of bus crashes (whether they were on the bus or in another vehicle) commonly suffer:

• Head and brain injuries: Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can occur if a person’s head strikes a window, seat frame, or the interior of the bus during a crash. In rollover scenarios, passengers hitting the roof or windows can be knocked unconscious or sustain skull fractures.
• Neck and back injuries: Whiplash is common even in moderate collisions, due to the sudden jolt. More severe crashes can cause herniated discs, spinal fractures, or even paralysis. Bus passengers often have no headrests or seat belts, so their neck and spine take the full force of a sudden impact. In high-speed crashes, occupants of other cars hit by a bus can suffer fatal neck injuries due to extreme force.
• Broken bones and orthopedic injuries: The impact of a bus crash can break bones easily. Passengers may be thrown against hard surfaces, breaking arms, legs, ribs, and more. Occupants of cars hit by a bus can have crushed limbs or fractures from the vehicle crumpling.
• Cuts and lacerations: Shattered windows or windshield glass can cause severe cuts. Metal debris and twisted wreckage can also cause deep lacerations in any kind of bus crash.
• Internal injuries: Common examples are brain bleeds, and damage to lungs, spleen, kidneys, or other internal organs. These injuries may not be immediately visible but can be life-threatening. For example, some bus passengers might walk away from a crash only to later realize they have internal bleeding or a serious organ injury. This is why all bus crash victims should get prompt medical evaluation.
• Emotional trauma: Surviving a violent bus accident, especially one involving fatalities or many injuries, can be emotionally scarring. It’s common for victims to experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety about travel, nightmares, or other psychological effects after such an event. Children in a school bus crash may be particularly frightened and need counseling.

Unique Factors in Kansas City Bus Crashes

The Kansas City area has some specific considerations when it comes to bus accidents, making a bus accident claim more challenging than a ‘regular’ car crash case.

State Lines and Jurisdiction

Kansas City sits on the border of Missouri and Kansas. A bus crash might occur in Kansas City, Missouri, or just across the line in Kansas City, Kansas. The states of Missouri and Kansas have different laws and procedures for injury claims.

For example, Missouri generally has a five-year statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits, while Kansas has a two-year limit in many cases. It’s important for victims to know which state’s law applies, especially since a bus route might cross the state line.

At the Flick Law Firm, our experienced Kansas City bus accident attorney is familiar with both Missouri and Kansas laws.

Government-Owned Buses and School Districts

If your accident involved a public entity, such as a KCATA, RideKC city bus, or a public school district’s school bus, there may be special legal rules. Government entities in Missouri and Kansas have some sovereign immunity (protection from lawsuits), imposing shorter deadlines for filing claims. For instance, a claim against a city or school district might require you to give formal notice within months, not years.

In Missouri, public entities waive immunity up to certain insurance coverage amounts for dangerous conditions or negligent acts (like a bus crash), but you still must follow the Missouri Tort Claims Act procedures. In Kansas, claims against a government entity (like a school district) generally fall under the Kansas Tort Claims Act and require filing a written claim notice before any lawsuit.

Bottom line: Bus accidents involving public buses or school buses can involve legal complexities and strict timelines that regular car accidents do not.

“Common Carrier” Duty

In Missouri and Kansas, buses that carry passengers for pay, such as Greyhound, Megabus, tour buses, and even city transit buses, are considered “common carriers.” A common carrier owes an elevated duty of care to its passengers. This means the bus company and driver must exercise the highest degree of care to safely transport people.

If you were a passenger on a bus that crashed, the law recognizes that the carrier had a special responsibility for your safety. Proving negligence involves showing they didn’t meet this high duty – for example, if a company failed to maintain the bus properly, leading to an accident. Even if another driver caused the crash, a common carrier must do everything reasonable to avoid a collision. This concept can help in a lawsuit because it holds bus companies to a high standard.

Major Highways and Traffic Hubs 

Kansas City is a regional transportation hub with several major interstates and highways (I-70, I-35, I-29, I-49, I-435 loop, and more). Busy corridors like I-70 near downtown, I-35 in Johnson County, or I-29 heading north see heavy bus traffic, from cross-country coaches to casino tour buses. Accidents on these high-speed roads can involve multiple vehicles.

The proximity of large trucking routes can also be a factor. Sometimes bus crashes involve large commercial trucks – for example, a bus might collide with a semi-truck in fog or a bus might be rear-ended by a truck. The mix of vehicles on Kansas City highways means bus accident cases may require sorting out multi-vehicle pileups or complex crash scenes, often demanding accident reconstruction experts.

Local Weather and Events

Kansas City experiences ice storms and snow in winter, which have led to school bus slide-offs and highway crashes. In summer, heavy thunderstorms can flood roads or slick highways with water.

Local events like Chiefs or Royals games, or concerts, mean many charter buses and school buses on the road, raising the risk of accidents simply due to congestion. Also, certain areas, like the Grandview Triangle interchange or the Buck O’Neil/Broadway Bridge, are known accident hot spots that require extra caution for bus operators.

How a Bus Accident Attorney Can Help

If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus crash in the Kansas City area, it’s important to understand your rights. Bus accident cases can be more complex than a typical car wreck. Here’s how working with an experienced Kansas City bus accident attorney can be beneficial:

Thorough Investigation

Determining the exact cause of a bus crash often requires in-depth investigation. Attorneys can obtain the bus’s maintenance records, driver logbooks and qualifications, onboard video footage, and “black box” data from devices called event data recorders. For example, if a Greyhound bus crashed, there may be electronic data showing the bus’s speed and brake usage.

At Flick Truck Accident Law, we also readily work with expert accident reconstructionists who can analyze skid marks, vehicle damage, and road conditions to piece together what happened. Such expert analysis can strengthen your injury claim by pinpointing negligence, whether it was through the driver’s error, a tire defect, poor maintenance, or others.

Identifying All Defendants

Bus accidents can involve multiple responsible parties. Our skilled attorney will look beyond just the bus driver. Depending on the case, liable parties might include:

• The bus company or transit agency
• A school district (if a school bus is involved)
• A maintenance contractor (if negligent upkeep caused a mechanical failure)
• A bus manufacturer (if a design defect contributed to the crash or made injuries worse)
• Another at-fault motorist who caused the collision.

Determining all liable parties can help maximize your compensation. For instance, in a highway crash involving a tour bus and a car, the car driver’s insurance and the bus company’s insurance could both be sources of recovery. Our attorney at the Flick law firm helps ensure no potential source of compensation is overlooked.

Dealing with Insurance Companies

Bus companies and public entities typically have powerful insurance companies or legal departments working to minimize payouts. After a bus crash, you might be quickly contacted by insurance adjusters. It’s important to have your lawyer handle these communications.

An insurer might attempt a quick, low settlement with you before you realize the full extent of injuries or legal rights. But when you work with Flick Truck Accident Law, our attorney will protect you from signing away your rights and will handle negotiations to seek a fair settlement.

We are also familiar with the large commercial insurance policies that cover buses. These policies often have higher limits, but that doesn’t mean the insurer will readily pay full compensation without a fight.

Understanding Medical Needs and Valuing the Claim

Bus accidents can cause life-altering injuries. Our lawyer is experienced in serious vehicle accidents and understands how to document and prove damages, including:

• Current and future medical bills
• Therapy and rehabilitation
• Lost wages
• Reduced ability to earn
• Pain and suffering
• Mental or emotional distress
• Any permanent disability or disfigurement
• Lost care or companionship, in cases of wrongful death.

A good attorney will work with medical experts to calculate those future costs and include them in your claim. They will also gather evidence of how the injury impacts your daily life, which is crucial for obtaining compensation for pain, suffering, and loss of normal life. This is exactly what we do at Flick Truck Accident Law, which is why we’ve obtained the fullest monetary recoveries possible for our clients.

Navigating Legal Deadlines and Procedures

As noted, cases involving public buses or government entities have special rules. A lawyer will ensure that proper notice is given in time if, say, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) or a school district is a defendant. They will also file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations for the correct state. Missing a deadline can completely bar your claim, so having professional guidance is critical.

Additionally, if the crash involves an interstate carrier, there may be federal regulations and investigation reports that an attorney can use to your advantage. At the Flick law firm, we have specialized training from agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, giving us a better understanding of interstate bus cases.

Advocacy and Peace of Mind

Most importantly, a bus accident attorney advocates for your rights so you can focus on recovery. Bus crashes often leave victims traumatized and families overwhelmed. The legal process – dealing with multiple insurance adjusters, piles of paperwork, and evidence gathering – is a lot to handle, especially if you are healing from injuries. An experienced lawyer takes that burden off you.

We go above and beyond at Flick Truck Accident Law. We provide peace of mind by keeping you informed of your case’s progress and communicating with you clearly.

We do this as we fight for the maximum compensation you deserve. Whether through a negotiated settlement or a trial, our attorney’s goal is to ensure those at fault are held accountable and that you receive fair financial recovery to move forward with your life.

Call Flick for Skilled Legal Help with Your Kansas City Bus Crash Case

A bus accident can upend your life in an instant. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus crash, know that you have legal options. You shouldn’t have to bear the costs of an accident caused by someone else’s negligence.

Call Flick Truck Accident Law. For over four decades now, our firm has been helping bus accident victims in Kansas and Missouri by aggressively pursuing full compensation on their behalf. We have extensive experience with large-vehicle cases, winning millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements even in complex cases involving companies and agencies. We provide our service at no cost to you until we’ve obtained compensation in your case.

Contact us at (816) 221-0501 for a free consultation to discuss your bus accident and legal rights. We are here to answer your questions in a straightforward way, help you make informed decisions, and strategize with you for your best legal remedies.