Injury Lawyer in St. Louis, MO

What Are the Types of Compensation Available in a St. Louis Injury Case?

Your St. Louis injury lawyer will seek the following compensatory damages:

Economic Damages

These damages include any financial hardships your St. Louis injury lawyer deems applicable as a direct result of the accident:

• Medical Bills/Cost of Treatment

These bills can include anything from ambulance and emergency room costs, surgical costs, doctor appointment costs or the cost of any special equipment, to the cost of any medication you might need.

• Lost wages

If your injuries keep you from returning to work or prevent you from returning to your previous schedule of work, your St. Louis injury lawyer will demand payment based on your pay stubs and/or W2s.

• Lost Earning Capacity

This refers to future missed income that you will no longer be able to earn. Lost earning capacity is complicated, but if your injuries are severe and prevent you from future work, your St. Louis injury lawyer will be able to prove this.

Noneconomic Damages

These damages can include anything that lowers your quality of life and contributes to a loss of enjoyment, including:

• Permanent or Temporary Disability

This includes partial or full paralysis, impaired cognitive function or an inability to lift heavy objects.

• Pain and Suffering

The physical pain and emotional distress caused by an injury. A judge or jury asks how your lifestyle, capacity for happiness or your relationships at work or home were affected by the injury.

Your St. Louis injury lawyer works aggressively and is committed to fighting for maximum compensation. It is not enough to simply win a case; your livelihood, family and future are of the utmost importance. If you have been injured in St. Louis or Missouri due to someone else’s reckless behavior, use our free personal injury calculator to see how much your claim might be worth.

In some rare circumstances, your St. Louis injury lawyer may seek punitive damages. These damages, according to Senate Bill 591, will only be applied if your St. Louis injury lawyer "proves by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant intentionally harmed the plaintiff without just cause or acted with a deliberate and flagrant disregard for the safety of others." While punitive damages are rare, they intend to punish the defendant and warn against similar behavior in the future.

What is Defined as "Catastrophic" in St. Louis Personal Injury Cases?

Missouri does not impose caps on compensatory damages in injury claims, except medical malpractice. The only caps imposed in medical malpractice claims are for noneconomic damages. As of 2022 those caps are $450,098 for a "non-catastrophic injury" and $787,671 for a "catastrophic injury." Senate Bill 239 defines a catastrophic injury as:

• Quadriplegia, or loss of function in all four limbs
• Paraplegia, or loss of function in your legs and lower body
• Loss of two or more limbs
• A brain injury resulting in permanent cognitive impairment that results in permanent inability to:
• Make independent decisions
• Perform basic daily tasks such as eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring and walking
• Irreversible failure of one or more major organ systems
• Legal blindness in your "best eye"

Also, it is important to note that any damages in injury claims against any St. Louis or Missouri government entities are subjected to a Missouri-imposed cap. The economic damages cannot exceed $441,130, and noneconomic damages cannot exceed $460,499.

Your St. Louis injury lawyer has seen firsthand the traumatic impact an injury can have on St. Louis and Missouri residents and their families. Your Burger Law injury lawyer will explain to you all of your legal options and demand that you get the full compensation the law says you are entitled to. Call your injury lawyer at Burger Law in St. Louis to discuss your case today at (314) 500-HURT.

Burger Law's Missouri injury law firm based in St. Louis has a team of gifted litigators and trial lawyers with more than 70 years of combined experience practicing law and protecting the vulnerable and injured. We will fight to get you maximum compensation in any injury claim in Missouri, including the case types listed here. Click for more information.