Car Accident Lawyer in Westport, Missouri

Car Accident Lawyer in Westport, MO, Missouri. When you or a loved one are injured in a car accident, the attorneys of Burger Law will protect your rights and demand your complete compensation. Speak to an experienced car accident lawyer at no cost to you at (314) 500-HURT or online.

More Information About Westport, MO Car Accident Cases

Scroll down to keep reading or go directly to a car crash topic of interest below to learn more. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a car accident in Westport, MO, reach out to an experienced Westport, MO car accident lawyer as soon as possible. The attorneys of Burger Law provide case consultations at no cost to you. Call (314) 500-HURT to speak to a lawyer about your case today.

Hurt in a Car Accident? Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Westport, MO

When being seriously injured in a Missouri car accident, you should not be left to worry about things like whether or not you can afford the medical care and treatment you need for your injuries or the time you need away from work to heal.

You should not have to be subject to a difficult, technical and often frustrating fight with the insurance company and their lawyers just to get the compensation needed to make you whole again. Unfortunately, insurance companies are out to protect their bottom dollar, not your health. Take your recovery into your own hands.

There is so much at stake when your health and financial well-being are on the line and the insurance company is unlikely to willingly offer you an adequate settlement for your damages. You need someone to fight for you, and our Missouri personal injury legal team is here to help. Led by founder and prinicple attorney Gary Burger, the Westport, MO car accident lawyers of Burger Law hold insurance companies and negligent individuals accountable for their actions. We fight for the rights of the injured and see that you receive the maximum recovery for you after your Missouri car accident. Our attorneys get great case results. Our team has secured $200 million for those who have been harmed in Missouri and will fight dilligently to help you obtain nothing less than maximum compensation. Contact us now.

How Long Do I Have To File a Claim for My Car Accident in Westport, Missouri?

After you or a family member are involved in a car accident, the countdown begins. That is why it is imperative that you begin taking legal action toward your recovery as soon as possible. You only have a certain amount of time to make a claim, which is decided by the statute of limitations under state law. Missouri has a five-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. The five-year time limit usually begins on the day the accident occured. However, there are exceptions to this rule in specific circumstances.

Missouri Revised Statute §516.140 states that there is a five-year limitation on any actions for any “injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract,” and not otherwise mentioned in the states’ statutes.

So, in order to file a lawsuit for your injuries that resulted from a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall, product liability claim, or any other case, you must file an initial complaint with the court within five years of the act of negligence. If you miss this deadline and try to file anyway, the defendant can enter a “motion to dismiss. In most cases, the judge will grant this motion. Without filing within the statute of limitations, you do not necessarily have a rightful claim to compensation

While the statute of limitations applies to court filings, making a claim with an insurance company quickly after your injury is still vital. It is much more difficult to demand a good settlement after the five years has passed, as the other side will not have the threat of an expensive and lengthy trial hanging over their heads.

What are the Exceptions to Missouri’s Five-Year Statute of Limitations in Personal Injury Claims?

There are four important exceptions to Missouri’s personal injury statute of limitations:

1. Missouri Revised Statute §516.170 — If you were under the age of 21 or were “mentally incapacitated” at the time the negligence occurred, you have five years from the date of your 21st birthday or the date the disability was removed.
2. Missouri Revised Statute §516.200 — If the person you are making a claim against leaves the state of Missouri after the negligence occurred, their time out of state does not count against the five years.
3. Missouri Revised Statute §537.100 — Wrongful death claims must be brought within three years of your loved one’s death.
4. Claims Against the State Government — Any claim against a government entity in Missouri must be filed within 90 days of the accident with the Missouri Office of Administration’s Risk Management Division.

If you suspect that your claim has surpassed the statute of limitations, you should still talk to a car accident lawyer in Westport, MO to learn if any of excpetions to the five-year statute apply to your case.

Why Should I Pursue Compensation After My Westport, MO Car Accident?

Nobody who is injured in a car accident is glad to go through the painful ordeal of waiting, negotiating and battling in court just to receive fair compensation for their damages. In fact, you may even be hesitant to initiate a claim at all or even think about pursuing a monetary settlement after being injured in a car accident in Westport, MO.

It is normal to feel uneasy or unsure about the prospect, but remember that Missouri civil tort law was written to protect you and others like you who have been harmed and suffered loss because of someone else’s negligence. No one deserves to be harmed in an auto accident, and you should not be stuck having to figure out how to pay for your medical care and make up for the monetary expenses and other damages that follow. It would be ludacris and may not even be possible to expect you to foot the bill when you have already suffered and have not done anything wrong.

On the other hand, when your injuries and other damages are severe, it may seem unfair or even dirty to accept a settlement for your experiences. After all, there is no amount of money in the world that can save you from the suffering and anguish you have had to endure. Nothing can keep you from suffering the trauma or sustaining the injuries of that accident, but being compensated in your Westport, MO car accident case can be a way to help make you whole and aide in your recovery following the crash. Receiving fair compensation can:

• Help you get and pay for the medical treatment and care necessary for you to return to full strength and health, such as ongoing care to help you manage your condition
• In your day to day life, help you budget and meet your ongoing daily life needs, making sure you are compensated for the time you were forced to be away from work
• Make you whole again, with money acting as the best-available substitute for your well-being
• Ease the stress of wading through the legal claim process, allowing you more energy to heal
• Provide a sense of closure and acknowledge your experience
• Renew your sense of justice and the law
• In a wrongful death case where your family member was killed in a car accident in Missouri, your claim can alieviate the financial burden of losing a source of financial support so that you and your family can grieve in peace

Regardless of the reasoning behind your decision, to collect compensation at a value that truly respects your suffering and losses and adequately restores you to wholeness, you should speak with a skilled Westport, MO car accident lawyer who will fight for you every step of the way.

For their side, the insurance company has a team working to avoid or reduce the amount they have to pay car accident victims like you. You deserve legal counsel of the same caliber demanding the maximum compensation possible in Missouri. You need an experienced Westport, MO car accident lawyer to protect your rights and maximize your recovery. Burger Law’s Westport, MO personal injury law firm has been working together to hold the negligent accountable and collect recoveries for the injured for more than two decades and will demand full payment from the at-fault party’s insurance company. Our work is not over until they pay. Call (314) 500-HURT to get a free case review with one of our winning Westport, MO car accident lawyers.
Should I File a Car Accident Claim if My Friend or Family Member Was At Fault?

Should I File a Car Accident Claim in Westport, MO if My Friend or Family Member Was At Fault?

When dealing with the already difficult legal process of obtaining a recovery after a car accident, things can be made even harder when the party responsible for your injuries is someone you know. Do not let that stop you. In truth, the pros far outweigh the cons and any time you are dealing with injuries and other damages, in most cases filing a claim against your at-fault friend or loved one is the best option.

Note that simply filing a claim after the accident is NOT the same as filing a lawsuit or suing the person you care about. By making a claim, you are requesting that the liable party’s insurance company compensates you for the damages you incurred at the fault of their covered customer. We all pay for insurance for this very reason. We pay premiums every year so that, in the event of an accident, the insurance company is there to cover emergency expenses. When you are hurt in a car wreck because someone else made a mistake, regardless of your relationship to that person, the insurance company of the liable party should cover your medical costs and other damages.
Understanding Missouri Car Accident Insurance Rules

Understanding Missouri Car Accident Insurance Rules

Missouri state law requires vehicle owners to have car insurance so that, if a crash does occur, those who are injured have a way to compensated for the expenses and losses incurred as a result of the auto accident. Missouri falls under the category of an “at-fault” state as opposed to a “no-fault” state. When you get in an accident in Missouri, it is the at-fault party’s responsibility to pay for your damages. Other statesthat follow the “no-fault” rule require everyone to instead obtain personal injury protection insurance. If you are in an accident in one of these such states, you would make a claim with your own insurance company to cover your damages, regardless of who is responsible for the collision.

The insurance policy you choose will have certain policy limits. Policy limits refer to the maximum amount of money your insurance company will pay out for a given claim or accident. The cost of a car accident varies wildly, but states create policy limit minimum requirements to ensure each driver carries enough insurance to cover another person in the event that they cause someone harm. Missouri law requires drivers to carry liability insurance with policy limits of at least:

• $25,000 minimum coverage for bodily injury per person
• $50,000 minimum coverage for bodily injury per accident
• $25,000 (Missouri)/$20,000 (Illinois) minimum coverage for property damage

Assuming your friend or family member is in compliance with the law and has liability insurance in Westport, MO, they will have enough coverage to compensate you for your damages. If your damages exceed their policy limits, an auto crash lawyer in Westport, MO like those at Burger Law will help you file an underinsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.

Whatever the circumstances, you must speak with a car accident lawyer in Westport, MO first. Each case is unique, and our experienced and savvy Westport, Missouri car accident lawyers have the knowledge and skill to get you the best possible settlement by pursuing all available forms of compensation and using the law to your benefit. Contact a car accident lawyer in Westport, MO online or call (314) 500-HURT now.

Our Westport, MO attorneys fight for the injured in many kinds of Missouri injury claims. Learn more about our areas of expertise below.

• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri

How Much Can I Recover for my Missouri Car Accident Case?

How Much Can I Recover for my Missouri Car Accident Case?

The dollar amount of your settlement depends on a long list of factors including the sum of your damages, or losses. For example, the payout from the insurance company could be limited by the policy limit, which is the highest total amount an insurance company will pay per accident and per person based on the policy. The amount you receive will also be affected by comparative fault. If it is proven that you hold some blame for the events leading to your injuries, your recovery will be lessened by the percent for which you were at fault for the car accident.

One of the most important variables in your Missouri car accident recovery is if you hire a lawyer and who that lawyer is. Burger Law’s dedicated, compassionate and unrelenting Westport, MO car crash lawyers make sure you get the highest possible settlement to make you whole again. To find out what you can expect from your Missouri car accident injury case, explore our free online personal injury calculator.
Average Car Accident Settlement Amounts in Westport, MO

Average Car Accident Settlement Amounts in Westport, Missouri

Car accidents are expensive. Data gathered by the Insurance Information Institute tells us that expenses from deaths, injuries and property damage in auto accidents cost $474 billion in 2020. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, auto accidents cost society an estimated $7,300 per second in loss of productivity.

It is difficult and unwise to think about Missouri car accident settlements in terms of the average settlement figure. There are so many variables involved and there are many complex details that affect the value of your damages and the outcome of your claim.

Calculating an accurate average settlement figure is nearly impossible. Many cases (though we do not know how many) are settled confidentially, where all involved parties enter into a legally binding nondiclosure agreement barring them from discussing the terms of the settlement. For the defense, they may require the nondisclosure agreement as a condition of settling the case.

However, many car accidents with some sort of injury settle for somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000. More serious injuries requiring extensive medical care can often reach a settlement range of $25,000 to $100,000, while injuries resulting in permanent disability or, in the worst cases, wrongful death, can result in damages of around $150,000 to millions of dollars. There is no law in Missouri that limits the total a car accident victim can receive. Instead, the compensation in these cases is decided by the coverage available and other important factors.
How Are Car Accident Settlements Calculated in Westport and Missouri?

How Are Car Accident Settlements Calculated in Missouri?

Westport, MO car accident settlements are generally a combination of the economic and noneconomic losses you have suffered as a result of the accident. Economic damages refer to all of your financial losses and expenses, for example emergency room bills, cost of surgery, physical therapy, assistive devices such as crutches or wheelchairs, lost wages due to your inability to report to work, and property damage to your car. This includes your future medical bills. Your Westport, MO car accident lawyer will work with medical experts to anticipate the future costs of your care, such as the need for another knee replacement surgery in 15 years or ongoing therapy for chronic symptoms.

Noneconomic damages are harder to define, but they seek to compensate you for the intangible ways your injuries have affected you. Many refer to this collectively as “pain and suffering.” Noneconomic damages compensate you for anything from physical pain in the weeks, months or years after your accident, to any permanent disfigurement, to mental anguish and loss of your ability to enjoy life. It is typically calculated by multiplying your economic damages by a number between 1.5 and 5, depending on the severity of your injuries.

For example, if your economic damages were $5,000 and you agree on a multiplier of three, your total damages would be $15,000. However, say you love playing the piano, and now have limited use of your right hand because of nerve damage from the accident. That has a profound effect on how you can enjoy your life and live the life you want to live. In that case, if your economic damages were $200,000, you would receive up to $1 million in damages based on a multiplier of five.

Factors That Determine Your Car Accident Settlement in Westport, MO

As the purpose of a car accident settlement is to fairly compensate you for your injuries, the severity of those injuries the the driving factor in how much your settlement might be. Other factors include how your injuries have impacted your life, the insurance policy in question, if you bear any responsibility for your accident and the abilities of your Westport, MO car accident lawyer:

• The severity of your injuries — As more severe injuries lead to higher medical expenses and more time lost from work, they lead to higher settlements, especially when factoring in the pain and suffering multiplier.
• How your injuries have impacted your life — The greater the effect on your mental, emotional and physical well-being, the higher the noneconomic damages will be.
• The insurance policy — both Missouri and Illinois have minimum insurance requirements for bodily injury, and while a skilled car accident lawyer may be able to get you more, there are times where you will be limited by the negligent driver’s and/or your insurance policy limits.
• If you are partially to blame — You can still receive a financial recovery if you were partially to blame, however the amount will be less. For example, if you are awarded $100,000 in damages but it is found that you are 30% to blame for your accident, you would receive $70,000. While in Missouri you can still receive compensation if you were 99% at fault, Illinois does not allow recoveries for people who are over 50% to blame.
• Your car accident lawyer — Insurance companies use a lot of tricks to try and devalue claims, and you need a skilled and aggressive attorney to combat those claims and make sure you get the money you deserve. Your car accident lawyer will also need to investigate your accident, prove liability on the part of the other driver and have a network of Westport, MO medical and economic experts to precisely value your claim. If the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement in negotiation, you will need an experienced trial lawyer that will stand by your side and argue your case in front of a jury.

Contact Our Westport, MO Car Accident Lawyers

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Contact Burger Law’s Westport, MO Car Accident Lawyers

For nearly thirty years the lawyers of Burger Law have been demanding justice for the injured. We hold the neligent accountable and have the knowledge and resources to make them pay when you are injured in Westport, MO.

You deserve to be made whole after a Missouri car accident harms you and disrupts your way of life. Our team of experienced car accident lawyers will stop at nothing to bring you justice. Best of all, there is no upfront cost to you. We finance your case and get to work right away. You only pay when we win your case and secure maximum compensation. There is nothing to lose except the chance to recover fully. Contact us now.

Client Reviews

What our clients are saying about us

Juanita Matthews

Year of 2023

This law firm is absolutely amazing. They took on my case, when nobody else would! They fought hard for me when it seemed there was no hope. They kept me informed and always asked for my input before making decisions on my case. Gary puts himself into every case unlike most law firm owners. Gary and his team really care about every one of their clients, and fights hard to get you a fair settlement. They actually won my case out of court, and then reduced my fees to make sure I could get my car fixed and be able to get back to some normality. I would recommend Burger Law over and above any other firm! If you go somewhere else you aren’t getting the best!

Shaunda S.

7 months ago

I am very happy with the staff at Burger Law. I mostly worked with Michael Sheldon, and he did an amazing job. I trusted him completely with my case, and he did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this team if your ever in need of good attorneys.

Emelia M.

3 months ago

Burger Law Firm is fantastic. Laura and Genevieve were so amazing and helpful throughout the entire process. They helped me with my personal injury case every step of the way and succeeded at getting me the results I desired.

Helen L.

a year ago

We had a great experience with Burger Law for representing us after a serious car accident. Truly impressed by how professional and supportive the entire team is. And, many thanks to Genavieve and Laura – you are amazing!

Judy M.

a year ago

They did an amazing job on my case! Communication with them was great!!! Kept me informed and in the loop with everything that was going on!!! Will definitely be the 1st ones I’ll call if ever I’m in another accident!!! Thank you very much!!!

Chelsea C.

5 months ago

Let me tell you something about Burger Law.. they are so attentive and kind. Jennifer is my savior!! I love the whole team!!! They are truly a miracle team!! I appreciate their business and would recommend it to others.

David D.

2 months ago

Absolutely the best law firm in the St. Louis area. No matter the size of your case you are treated as if you are the only client on the roster. Will explain anything thoroughly and they work around your availability. Very impressed and appreciative of the service.

Lisa B.

11 months ago

Gary and Casey took great care of me for 2.5 years as my lawsuit was finally settled. I feel he helped me achieve justice for me and my 4 children after their father died from medical malpractice and neglect. Thanks to Gary, my kids now have a great start to their college and adult lives. Thank you Gary and Casey, for fighting for us so hard at our most trying and difficult time in our lives thus far. Love and God bless from my family to yours!

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