Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me St. Louis, Missouri

Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me in St. Louis and Missouri. If you or a loved one was injured because of someone else's negligence, you are entitled to compensation. Burger Law holds irresponsible parties accountable and gets great results for our clients. Call a Burger Law St. Louis-based personal injury lawyer in Missouri now at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free consultation.

It is difficult to understand how one moment you were having a relatively normal day, driving along, walking along an aisle in the grocery store or at a routine doctors' appointment, and the next moment you are injured by someone else's careless actions. While the Missouri and St. Louis personal injury lawyer team at Burger Law cannot change the past, we can get you justice for your injuries and protect your future by holding the negligent parties accountable and getting you a full financial recovery. We believe that everyone should have access to legal representation that rivals and exceeds that of the large insurance companies and corporations.

In our over 30 years of experience, we have secured over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Call a Burger Law personal injury lawyer at (314) 500-HURT to see what we can do for you.

If you believe you were injured through no fault of your own in St. Louis or anywhere in Missouri, see how much your claim may be worth by using our free personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Missouri?

That depends on the specifics of your case, but typically, yes, if you were injured a lawyer is usually necessary to maximize the value of your claim. Most of our Missouri clients have never had to hire a personal injury lawyer before and do not have the same grasp of the claims and lawsuit process that a professional does. When you retain the services of a Burger Law personal injury lawyer, we will immediately get to work:

• Gathering evidence needed to prove your claim
• Consulting with crash experts to determine liability and causation
• Consulting with medical experts to determine the value of your injuries
• Developing a sound and effective legal strategy
• Combating the lies and deceitful tactics of the insurance company
• Keeping you informed throughout your case so you are not left in the dark
• Being tough in negotiations to get you the settlement offer you deserve

If we cannot secure a fair settlement offer in negotiations, we will take your case to trial. With minor injuries that do not require much medical treatment, you may be able to handle your claim without the help of a personal injury lawyer. But with more significant injuries, or if the liable party will not accept blame, you will likely need an attorney to make sure you are reimbursed for all of your medical bills and the effect your injuries have had on your life. We will always be honest with you on how much value we can add to your claim and if the insurance company is being fair. If you have any questions about what a personal injury lawyer can do for your claim in Missouri, call us for a free consultation at (314) 500-HURT.

Common Personal Injury Claims in St. Louis and Missouri

At Burger Law, we have experience with every type of personal injury claim imaginable, including:

• Auto Accidents, including:
  • Car Accidents
  • Truck Accidents
  • Motorcycle Accidents
• Slip and Falls
• Medical Malpractice
• Dog Bites
• Product Liability and Defective Products
• Construction Accidents
• Workers' Compensation
• Nursing Home Negligence and Nursing Home Abuse

However you sustained your injuries, when it happens because of somebody else's negligence, you are owed compensation by the liable party and their insurance provider. We know how to make successful settlement demands and win cases in mediation and trial. If you sustained an injury in Missouri in any of the cases above, or in any other circumstance, call a personal injury lawyer at Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT.

What Compensation Can I Recover in My Personal Injury Claim in St. Louis and Missouri?

The compensation you can recover in St. Louis and Missouri will depend on how severe your injuries are, whether or not you share any fault for your accident and the skill of your personal injury lawyer. Generally, you will be compensated for economic loss, noneconomic loss and, in some rare cases, punitive damages.

Economic Damages

Also called special damages, economic damages compensate you for the tangible monetary loss you sustained because of your injuries. Common examples of economic damages are:

• Property damage, such as damage to your vehicle
• Extant medical expenses, such as:
  • Emergency room visits
  • Diagnostic testing
  • Surgeries
  • Braces or crutches
  • Follow up appointments
  • Medication
  • Physical therapy
• Future medical expenses, such as:
  • Knee or other joint replacements
  • Ongoing physical therapy
  • Replacements for assistive devices such as wheelchairs or improvements to your home or vehicle
  • In-home nursing care
• Lost wages from time spent recovering
• Lost earning capacity if your injuries resulted in a disability that disallows you from performing the basic tasks of your job

Your Missouri personal injury lawyer at Burger Law will use their network of economic and medical experts to precisely value your damages. An insurance company may try to convince you of some things that are untrue: they do not have to pay for lost wages if you had paid time off available, or they only have to cover the first six weeks of your medical treatment. Those are lies, and Burger Law will not let them get away with it.

Noneconomic Damages

Also called general damages, these compensate you for the less tangible ways your injuries have affected you and your ability to enjoy life. With the help of your Burger Law personal injury lawyer in Missouri, you will be compensated for:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Inconvenience
• Physical impairment
• Disfigurement
• Loss of capacity to enjoy life
• Loss of consortium

Different injuries affect different people in different ways. If you were an avid weightlifter and now can no longer bear more than 50 pounds, you need to be compensated for that. Your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will make sure that an insurance adjuster, mediator or jury understands how your injury has affected you.

Punitive Damages

In some rare cases, you may also be able to receive punitive damage in your case. Those seek to punish the person who injured you and deter other people from similar negligence. In order to be awarded punitive damages in Missouri, your personal injury lawyer must show "by clear and convincing" evidence that the defendant either intentionally harmed you or acted with "deliberate and flagrant disregard for the safety of others," according to Missouri Revised Statute §510.261.

When we sue drunk drivers on your behalf, we do so in order to let them know how unacceptable and selfish their decision was.

According to Missouri Revised Statute §537.675, the state of Missouri reserves the right to assert a lien of up to 50% of your punitive damages for the Tort Victims Compensation Fund.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me in Missouri?

Fortunately, hiring a personal injury lawyer in St. Louis and Missouri is very affordable. As opposed to criminal defense lawyers or corporate lawyers who largely work on an hourly fee, Burger Law's injury and accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. That means that we take a percentage of the final compensation you collect as our fees. There are three main benefits to a contingency fee for the client:

1. There are no upfront costs. No matter what your current income status or how much time you have lost from work because of your injuries, you can retain the services of a Burger Law personal injury lawyer. We start working on your case immediately, before we receive any money for your case.
2. You can be confident that we are taking on your case because we truly believe in it. We will always be direct about the amount of compensation we believe you are owed. If we cannot add significant value to your claim, we have no reason to waste your time with empty promises. We take on tough and complicated cases all the time; but we do so because we know we can deliver justice in them.
3. You do not pay until we win your case. Our personal injury lawyer team only gets paid when we use our experience and tenacity to secure you the total financial recovery we know you deserve.

The only thing you will ever receive from your Burger Law personal injury lawyer is a check, not a bill. We do what we do because we are dedicated to seeing people whose lives have been upended by the negligence of another made whole again. Do not let concerns about expensive legal fees delay you from starting on a road to true recovery. Call a St. Louis-based Missouri personal injury lawyer at Burger Law now at (314) 500-HURT.

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Is It Worth It to Get a Personal Injury Lawyer in Missouri?

Depending on the specifics of your case, it is usually worth it to get a personal injury lawyer. Insurance adjusters often tell people a car accident lawyer will cost them more money in the end, but that is simply not the case. According to a study by the Insurance Research Council, claimants who hire a personal injury lawyer receive a settlement 3.5 times greater than people who do not. Even after attorneys' fees, you'll get about three times more by hiring our services.

In a recent case, Burger Law's car accident lawyers were able to secure a $100,000 settlement for a client in St. Louis after we filed a lawsuit. Before we filed the lawsuit, the insurance company's highest offer was only $3,900.

Do I Have to Go to Court for My Personal Injury Claim in Missouri?

Probably not. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in 2005 that 96 percent of personal injury claims are settled out-of-court.

If the two sides cannot come to an agreement, they will usually attempt mediation before going to trial, where they argue their case in front of a neutral party, in order to reach a settlement.

Missouri requires court approval for settlements given to a minor that exceed $35,000, and for wrongful death settlements. Apart from that, you and your personal injury lawyer will likely never have to go to court for your injuries.

Why Do Most Personal Injury Cases in Missouri Settle?

There are a variety of reasons that both the plaintiff and defendant might find a settlement less risky, or more beneficial to them, than going to court for a lengthy jury trial. Some of them are:

• When you hire an experienced and aggressive personal injury lawyer like those at Burger Law, the insurance company will know you mean business and will be motivated to give you a fair settlement offer.
• A settlement provides more certainty. A jury may award more money than the settlement offer, or may award no money at all.
• Settlements are private and largely confidential, while information in trials is made available to the public.
• The language in most settlement agreements lets most defendants agree to pay the plaintiff without admitting liability.
• A settlement will lead to a faster resolution.

While your Burger Law Missouri personal injury lawyer's goal is always to get you everything you deserve in a settlement, we are more aggressive than most law firms in filing suit. We want the defendant and insurance company to know that we will not accept anything less than full compensation.

When Do Personal Injury Cases in Missouri Go to Trial?

When a case does make it to trial, it is usually for one or two reasons. Either the insurance company is not being fair and their offer is significantly below the true value of your claim, or the person or corporation that injured you does not want to take responsibility for their actions. At Burger Law, we know how to prove liability and correctly determine the full extent of your damages. With over 30 years of experience as trial lawyers, we will convince a jury to see your side of the story and award you the money you are owed.

Can I Still Receive Compensation in Missouri if I Was Partially to Blame? | St. Louis, MO Personal Injury Lawyer

In personal injury cases where you were at fault, but only partially, your St. Louis personal injury lawyer will still be able to help you recover damages, although the amount will be less. Missouri is a pure comparative fault state, which means that your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of blame you share in your accident.

Missouri Revised Statute §537.765 states that:

Any fault chargeable to the plaintiff shall diminish proportionately the amount awarded as compensatory damages but shall not bar recovery.

Meaning, if you are rear ended and sustain an injury, but a jury finds that you share 30 percent of the blame because you stopped suddenly, you will receive 70 percent of the compensation your damages are worth. Even if you were 99 percent at fault for your injury, you could still recover one percent of your damages in Missouri.

Shifting blame onto you is a common trick insurance companies use to minimize claims or avoid paying them altogether. The St. Louis personal injury lawyer team at Burger Law fights back against bullies like insurance companies who employ dishonest tactics to eschew their obligation to pay you the money you rightfully deserve.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Missouri?

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

1. If you were under the age of 21 or "mentally incapacitated" when the injury occurred, you have five years from the day you turn 21 or the day your disability ends to file a claim, according to Missouri Revised Statute §516.170.
2. If the person you are making a claim against is a resident of Missouri but leaves the state for a period of time, their time out of state does not count against the five years, according 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, according to Missouri Revised Statute § 516.105.
4. Any claim against a government entity in Missouri must be filed within 90 days with the Missouri Office of Administration's Risk Management Division.

Once you have been injured because of somebody else's reckless actions, there is no time to wait. Burger Law's St. Louis-based Missouri personal injury lawyer team has experience filing and winning claims in a variety of circumstances. Do not delay, call us today at (314) 500-HURT.

St. Louis and Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me | Burger Law

Every Burger Law personal injury lawyer believes in offering the highest standard of legal advocacy to the injured and vulnerable in St. Louis and throughout Missouri. You did not ask to be put in this situation and you would not be looking for a "personal injury lawyer near me" were it not for the negligence of another. We are here to take away that uncertainty and fear you are likely feeling in this moment. For compassionate, experienced and expert legal representation, call a Burger Law personal injury lawyer in St. Louis and Missouri today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.