Missouri is an at-fault state. Whoever caused your injury, usually through their insurance, is responsible for what it cost you. Missouri also uses pure comparative fault, which means an insurer will try to assign you a share of the blame to reduce what it pays.
Those two rules run through every injury case, whether it started with a crash, a fall, a dog, or a defective product.
Injury cases we take
If someone else's carelessness hurt you, it is worth a phone call. The most common cases in this office:
- Car, truck, and motorcycle collisions
- Injuries to passengers and pedestrians
- Slip, trip, and fall injuries on someone else's property
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Wrongful death claims brought by a family
- Work injuries, which run through the separate workers' compensation system
What a claim can recover
An injury claim is not just the emergency room bill. Missouri law allows recovery for the full cost of what happened and for what it took from you.
- Medical care already received and care you will still need
- Lost wages, and lost earning ability when you cannot return to the same work
- Property damage, including your vehicle
- Pain, suffering, and the loss of things you used to be able to do
- In a death case, the losses to the surviving family
The mistakes that cost people money
Most injury claims are damaged in the first two weeks, not in a courtroom. Waiting to see a doctor creates a gap the insurer will point to. Giving a recorded statement produces quotes used against you later. Accepting an early check usually closes the claim before anyone knows what the injury will cost.
None of that is bad luck. It is a process run by people who do this all day, and it is easier to avoid than to undo.
Deadlines
Missouri generally allows five years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit, which is longer than most states. Claims involving a government entity have much shorter notice requirements, sometimes measured in months.
The longer deadline is not a reason to wait. Evidence disappears, footage is overwritten, and witnesses move.