Personal Injury Lawyer St. Joseph MO

Personal injury lawyer in St. Joseph, MO. Burger Law defends the rights of people who are injured because someone else did no respect their safety. When accidents happen, getting the right medical attention immediately following the accident is essential. Then, you need a personal injury lawyer to hold the rule breakers accountable and get you the best possible results in your case. Reach out to Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

To calculate the value of your personal injury claim in St. Joseph, or anywhere in Missouri, use our free personal injury calculator.

The negligent people that hurt you are financially and legally responsible for taking care of your injuries and paying you all of what you are owed, but they will not do it willingly. Burger Law’s personal injury lawyer team fights hard for the injured against whoever is standing in the way of justice. That includes anything from suing large trucking companies, holding negligent healthcare professionals, product manufacturers, business owners responsible, suing City Hall, to securing justice and financial security for a family after a loved one passed too soon. If you would like to discuss the validity of your case further, what compensation you are owed or other questions regarding personal injury claims, call our personal injury lawyers in St. Joseph, MO today at (314) 500-HURT.

Why Choose Burger Law’s St. Joseph, MO Personal Injury Lawyers For Your Claim

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your case is of utmost importance. You want someone who has won your type of case before and who is not afraid of a fight. In order to gauge the abilities of an injury law firm, you need to take into account their previous successes, and what their clients and peers say about them:

Premier St. Joseph, MO Personal Injury Lawyers

The numerous awards and honors Burger Law has received from other law firms include:

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a remarkable achievement awarded to less than 5 percent of all lawyers in the United States
• Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Honor — Members of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor only given to 1 percent of attorneys in the United States.
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers Honor — Selected to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only award that is comprised of the most qualified attorneys in each state.
• Board Certified By the National Board of Trial Advocacy — Board certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Fewer than 4 percent of all practicing attorneys are certified by an American Bar Association accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer St. Joseph, MO – Recent Victories

Our St. Joseph, MO personal injury lawyers have a demonstrated history of getting great results. We take on all who have injured our clients, and we demand nothing but maximum compensation. Our firm is devoted to providing our clients amazing legal advocacy, and we have great pride in our hard-fought successes. Read about our recent successes for our personal injury clients below:

• $5 Million Settlement – Father Killed By Reckless Truck Driver
• $3 Million Judgment – Son Murdered by Pam Hupp
• $2.5 Million Settlement for Father’s Fatal Car Accident
• $2 Million Settlement – Injured Woman Settles Highway Crash Lawsuit
• $1.435 Million Settlement For Deck Collapse That Injured Couple
• $1 Million Settlement to Family of Man with Sepsis Infection
• Medical Malpractice Case Settles for Over $1 Million
• $900,000 Medical Malpractice Settlement
• $900,000 Medical Malpractice Settlement
• $780,000 Federal Tort Medical Malpractice Settlement
• $765,000 Settlement After Fatal Collision
• $600,000 Tractor-Trailer Crash
• $600,000 Settlement – Widow in ATV Accident Settles with Property Owner
• $495,000 Uninsured Motorcycle Verdict
• $400,000 Settlement in Employment Discrimination Case
• $350,000 Settlement in Ladder Case
• $305,000 Settlement in Dog Bite

It is worth pointing out that every case is unique, and what you may be eligible to recover is going to be based entirely upon the circumstances of your claim. We fight for you so that there is no money left on the table.

Burger Law Reviews

Beyond the videos below, you can see our full list of client testimonials here.

What Is a Personal Injury Claim in St. Joseph, MO?

A personal injury claim is your right under Missouri law to get monetary reimbursement for the wrong done by another person’s negligence, and to achieve justice. The compensation you receive is meant to make one whole. The idea is to put you in the same position you were in before sustained the damages caused by another’s negligence.

In some cases, no outcome in your claim can fully return you to how things were before the injury. While we can get compensation for the financial losses you sustained, other damages cannot truly be expressed through dollar signs. If a family member died, you lost a limb, are permanently scarred or will have to receive medical care for the rest of your life, no amount of money can change that. What empathetic and experienced personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law can do is secure you fair compensation in order to provide a sense of justice and recognition, and to give you financial security as it relates to your accident.

Is it Worth Hiring Personal Injury Lawyer in St. Joseph, MO?

That depends on the specifics of your case, but most of the time, yes, you will need a personal injury lawyer to ensure no money is left on the table in St. Joseph, MO. The thing to ask yourself is, can they add value to my claim? If your injuries were minor, you did not miss much time off work and the insurance adjuster is being reasonable, a lawyer might not be necessary. But, you will need an attorney in St. Joseph, MO if the following is true about your claim:

• There is disagreement about who is to blame, or the insurance company says the injuries are your fault
• The initial settlement offer is substantially below the cost of your damages
• Your injuries are serious and require extensive medical treatment
• There more than one party that is liable for your injuries
• Your damages are more than an insurance company’s policy limits

We offer consultations for free, and we are always straightforward about how much we can help your claim. Our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you only pay after you have received the full compensation you deserve, and there is no reason for us to accept you as a client if we do not think we can get you substantially more money.

What Do You Need to Prove to Win a Personal Injury Claim in St. Joseph, MO?

While state statutes can be complex, whether or not you have a claim generally depends on one essential question: did someone else’s negligence cause you injuries? From a legal standpoint, you need to prove the five elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to show that the person you are making a claim against had an obligation to keep you safe. In some cases this is automatic, as St. Joseph, MO driver owe everyone else on the roads a duty of care, or dog owners owe it to others not to let their dog injure anyone. In other cases, a unique relationship must have formed, for instance a doctor-patient relationship or a vendor-patron relationship.
2. Breach of duty — Did the liable party neglect that duty? Did a driver crash into you you while they were running a red light? Did a doctor fail to diagnose a condition? Did a trucking company force their employee to drive longer than regulations allow?
3. Cause-in-fact — You must demonstrate how the accident led to your injuries. For instance, you broke your arm when your car was t-boned, or had bad side effects from a prescription drug.
4. Proximate cause — This determines who needs to be held accountable. If you were hit by a vehicle, it is usually because another driver was negligent. But if the tires were not safe, someone in the product’s chain of distribution may be ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Lastly, you need to show that you sustained some form of financial loss as a direct result of your injuries. In personal injury cases, this is usually medical bills and lost wages. If you hold onto your medical bills, an attorney will be able to establish your financial losses with an insurance company. Once we establish financial losses, we can also pursue a financial recovery for pain and suffering damages.

The only way to know for certain if you have an injury claim is to consult with an attorney who has handled your type of claim in St. Joseph, MO before. Get in touch with a personal injury lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT.

What Are Common Personal Injury Case in St. Joseph, MO?

Being a personal injury lawyer in St. Joseph, MO requires that your lawyers and firm have a vast knowledge of the different types of cases that people deal with. Knowing the difference between the laws and defendants applicable to different types of claims is paramount. A lawyer that only specializes in a certain type of injury claim may not be the best choice to get you full compensation in a different claim. At Burger Law, we know how to hold the liable party accountable in any type of claim. We have won millions for our St. Joseph, MO clients in the following types of cases:

• Auto accidents, including:
  • Car accidents
  • Truck accidents
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Bicycle accidents
  • Pedestrian accidents
• Slip and falls
• Medical malpractice
• Product liability
• Workers’ compensation
• Dog bites
• Construction accidents
• Wrongful death

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers know how to get great results whenever a rule breaker injured someone else. One of the great parts of choosing a Burger Law St. Joseph, MO personal injury lawyer is that our team takes on all types of personal injury claims, and this actually gives our lawyers exceptional experience that they can use to benefit all their clients. We understand that case types often overlap, and having experience with each type of claim gives our team the perfect understanding of how to fight for our clients’ rights and recoveries.

How Does the Personal Injury Claims Process Work in St. Joseph, MO?

The journey to securing a financial settlement or verdict for your injuries starts the day you are injured. While some accidents and injuries settle fairly early, others go completely through to a jury trial. From beginning to end, the path to getting compensation includes:

• Seeking Medical Care — Get medical treatment as soon as possible after an injury, and do not miss any appointments with your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist. The insurance company will be harder to deal with if you wait, and not getting the full treatment will reduce how much compensation you receive. Our personal injury lawyers work with several trustworthy St. Joseph, MO doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists who can ensure you recover physically as best as possible.
• Speaking With an Attorney — Even if you are not sure you are going to need to hire a lawyer, you need to know what your options are as soon as possible. A good lawyer will be straightforward with you about whether or not their services are needed.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have hired an attorney, your personal injury lawyer will carry out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding your injuries, determine who we need to hold accountable and acquire the evidence needed for the best possible financial recovery. You can help by keeping a record of every dollar you have spent because of your injuries, and how they affect your day-to-day life.
• Settlement Demand and Negotiations — Once we know how much your claim is worth, we will send a settlement demand package to those who are liable for compensating you. In the package we will include how we calculated your damages, and insist that nothing but the full amount is acceptable. Most of the time, they will respond with a lower offer, and we keep negotiating until they agree to pay for 100 percent of your damages.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If negotiations do not lead anywhere, we will file a lawsuit in court, which begins the formal process of your claim going to trial. During this time, we will continue negotiating in an effort to avoid a trial.
• Mediation — Mediation is often the last chance for a settlement before trial. In mediation, an unbiased third party will try to get each party to accept the merits of the other side’s arguments.
• Pre-Trial — If mediation still does not result in a fair settlement, the “discovery” phase begins. In this phase, we will speak to eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, obtain more evidence and share with and request documentation with the other side.
• Trial — Only six percent of personal injury claims go to trial. In fact, we often finally get the settlement we were seeking in the weeks immediately before trial. However, if the insurance company still cannot see reason, we will defend your rights in front of a judge and jury. Trial consists of:
  • Jury selection
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most of our St. Joseph, MO clients have never had to deal with seeking compensation for an injury before, and are unsure of what lies ahead. Burger Law will be your advocate every step of the way, keep you up to date on the status of your claim and manage all documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can focus on healing.

What Compensation Can I Recover In My St. Joseph, MO Personal Injury Claim?

Typically, your compensation will fall into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages:

• Economic damages compensate you for your financial losses resulting from your injuries, for instance:
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential if your injuries do not allow you to earn a living as you used to
  • Medical bills, past and future
  • Out-of-pocket expenses
• Non-economic damages compensate you for the less tangible aspects of your injuries, including:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Anxiety
  • Loss of ability to enjoy life
  • Scarring
  • Inconvenience
  • Physical impairment
  • Loss of consortium

Though rare, we may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the negligent harmed you intentionally or they were grossly negligent. Examples can include a drunk driver, or a doctor who performs surgery after drinking. While punitive damages are rarely awarded, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will pursue every legal avenue available to get you the best possible financial recovery.

What If I Was Partially Responsible For My Accident?

Pinning your injuries on you is a common tactic insurance adjusters use to minimize your recovery. If you were indeed partially responsible, you can still make compensation. Pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §537.060 and Missouri Revised Statute §537.765, the state has adopted “pure comparative negligence.” Meaning, if your injuries were partially, but not completely, your fault, you can make a recovery for the percentage of blame you do not share.

For example, if your damages come out to $100,000, but you were 10 percent at fault for your injuries, under comparative negligence, you would receive a $90,000 financial recovery.

How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost in St. Joseph, MO?

As we work on a contingency-fee basis, there are no upfront costs to hiring a Burger Law St. Joseph, MO personal injury lawyer. We receive a percentage of your recovery, but only after your case is successfully resolved and after you have your settlement check in hand. There are two main advantages to this:

1. You can get high quality legal advocacy, no matter how much money you have
2. We will only take your case if we genuinely believe in it, and will fight hard to get you the best recovery possible

At Burger Law, we know that an unexpected injury can cause incredible economic hardships. You still have a right to justice and a full financial recovery.

“I’ve dedicated my entire life to helping our clients receive full compensation for their injuries.”

Schedule a free case evaluation here.

Gary Burger

Litigation attorney

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in St. Joseph, MO?

In Missouri, the statute of limitations is five years for the majority of personal injury claims, pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §516.120. There are four important exceptions:

1. If you were under the age of 21 or “mentally incapacitated” on the date of the accident, you have five years from the day you turn 21 or the day your disability ends to make a claim, under Missouri Revised Statute §516.170.
2. If the defendant is a resident of Missouri but departs from the state for a period of time, their time out of state is not included in the five years, pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §516.200.
3. Medical malpractice cases must generally be made within two years of the injury or the discovery of the injury, pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute § 516.105.
4. Any suit against a public body in Missouri must be filed within 90 days with the Missouri Office of Administration’s Risk Management Division.

While five years may seem like a long time, you do not want to delay in contacting an attorney. Your personal injury lawyer at Burger Law will want the most amount of time in order to best make your claim. Your claim may be affected if you wait and wonder whether or not you have a case, or if it is worth pursuing. Call a Burger Law St. Joseph, MO personal injury lawyer right away at (314) 500-HURT.

Other types of claims we take on in St. Joseph, MO include:

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

Other Missouri Locations Our Personal Injury Lawyers Serve

Speak to a Personal Injury Lawyer in St. Joseph, MO Now

Burger Law’s St. Joseph, MO personal injury lawyers fiercely believe in zealous representation. That means we start working for your recovery the moment you hire us, pursue every legal option we have, stand up to insurance companies on your behalf and do not let down until you receive the maximum recovery you are owed. We offer the highest level of legal advocacy; all of our advice will be based on the facts of the case and our experience, but we always leave the ultimate decisions on your claim to you and your St. Joseph, MO family. You do not have to pay for someone else’s careless actions. To start on your road to true recovery, call a Burger Law St. Joseph, MO personal injury lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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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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