Did you recently get into a car accident in St. Louis, Missouri? You may have the right to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and suffering. Our St. Louis car accident lawyers at Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers will help you maximize your recovery. Contact us today at (636) 519-0085.
For more than 20 years, crash victims and families in Eastern Missouri have trusted Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers. We limit our caseload so that the clients we represent get the personalized, individualized representation they deserve. In turn, we’ve forced insurance companies and other tough adversaries to pay our clients millions of dollars in life-changing settlements and jury verdicts.
Contact our law office today to discover what kind of a difference we can make in your life, too. Your first consultation is free.
How Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You After a Crash in St. Louis, MO
The at-fault driver won’t rush to accept blame for your accident. Their insurance company won’t make it easy for you to get compensation, either. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend your time figuring out how to force them to take accountability. Focus on your recovery, and let our St. Louis personal injury lawyers handle the rest.
At Roach Law, we’ve been recognized as America’s Top Personal Injury Attorneys, members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers. Our 10.0 Avvo rating and countless positive client reviews are a testament to the honest, trustworthy, and effective legal services we offer car accident victims.
When you ask for our help, you’ll be able to count on us to:
- Explain your legal options and address your rights under Missouri state law
- Coordinate a prompt investigation into your crash to understand causation and liability
- Gather key pieces of evidence, including medical records, dashcam footage, photographs, witness testimony, cell phone records, and the accident report
- Enlist the help of expert witnesses, such as accident reconstructionist specialists, medical professionals, forensic experts, mechanics, and psychologists
- Determine which strategies the insurance company might employ to fight your case, such as blaming you for the wreck or downplaying the severity of your damages
- Calculate what your car accident case is worth
- File your claim with the insurance company and/or the local St. Louis County court
- Represent you during conversations with the defense
- Pursue a substantial settlement during the negotiation process
- Fight your car accident lawsuit at trial if the defense refuses to make a legitimate settlement offer
We’re smart negotiators and will work to get you a meaningful settlement offer early on in the claims process. However, if the defense won’t cooperate, our top-rated litigators will not hesitate to take your lawsuit to a jury. There, we’ll demonstrate just how much of an impact the auto accident has had on your life and convince the jury that you deserve a life-changing monetary award.
Your first case evaluation is free, so reach out to our attorneys to get started today.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Attorney?
Hiring an attorney puts your case in experienced hands, gets you the resources needed to go head-to-head with the defense, and gives you the opportunity you need to focus on recovering from your severe car accident injuries.
Better yet, hiring a car accident attorney in St. Louis increases the odds that you’ll win your case and maximize your monetary award. Research indicates that claimants with attorneys win up to 3.5 times more than claimants who are self-represented.
Your choice of attorney can make a world of difference in how your car accident case unfolds. At Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers, our limited caseload allows us to invest fully in each and every client we represent. Focused on you and your needs, we’ll be able to help you achieve the best possible outcome.
What is My St. Louis Car Accident Claim Worth?
There’s no set value for car accident cases in St. Louis. Every crash victim will have a unique experience.
The things that set your case apart are what will drive its value.
- What physical injuries have you suffered?
- Are you temporarily or permanently disabled?
- Can you still work?
- Has there been a change in your income?
- Will you need long-term medical treatment or nursing assistance?
- How has the motor vehicle accident changed your quality of life?
- Are you getting blamed for the collision?
- Have you taken appropriate steps to mitigate your damages?
- Did the wreck aggravate a pre-existing medical issue?
- What will it cost to replace or repair damaged property?
- How old are you?
- What insurance benefits are available?
It can be important to have a general sense of what your car accident case is worth, even if the precise value can’t be determined until you’re further along in the claims process. When you understand your damages, you can know whether any settlement offers you receive are fair or not.
Our car accident lawyers in St. Louis can assess your situation and give some preliminary guidance about the potential value of your claim. Contact our law office to discuss the details of your case with our team.
How Long Will I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in Missouri?
Missouri has a five-year statute of limitations that applies to most car accident lawsuits. There are some exceptions, particularly involving cases where children have been injured, as well as government tort actions.
If you’ve lost a spouse, parent, or child in a fatal St. Louis car accident, a three-year statute of limitations will apply to your wrongful death action. The deadline starts to run on the date of your family member’s death, not necessarily the date of the fatal crash.
Missing the filing deadline means missing the opportunity to get financial justice for your injuries. Don’t waste a moment before calling our Missouri car accident lawyers for help after a wreck in St. Louis.
What Damages Can Be Awarded to Crash Victims in St. Louis, Missouri?
When you file an insurance claim or lawsuit after a St. Louis auto accident, you’ll have the opportunity to request compensatory damages.
Compensatory awards fall into two different categories: economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Car accidents can be expensive. Economic damages are designed to alleviate some of the financial stress you experience because of a wreck.
Some commonly awarded economic damages include:
- Present and future medical bills
- Diminished earning capacity
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Costs of a victim’s funeral
You can only receive economic damages for verifiable losses and projected costs, as supported by receipts, invoices, bills, and wage statements.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are designed to help you cope with more personal, harder-to-value trauma.
Commonly awarded non-economic awards include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement
- Disability
- Embarrassment
- Vehophobia
- Chronic physical pain
Since these types of damages are so subjective, you’ll need to prove just how much of an impact your car accident has had on your life. Our auto accident attorneys in St. Louis will bring in experts to evaluate your case, testify on your behalf, and add the support needed to maximize your recovery.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
We work on contingency, which means our fees are entirely dependent on the outcome of the cases we handle.
If we don’t win compensation for your car accident case, you don’t pay. No exceptions. No excuses. That’s a promise we can make to you.
When we win, our fee is a percentage that comes directly from your award. Typically, you can expect to pay your attorney between 33 and 40 percent of your financial recovery.
Car accidents might be expensive, but hiring an attorney to help you seek damages doesn’t have to break the bank. When you choose Roach Law, our Missouri car accident attorneys will represent you for nothing out-of-pocket.
Learn more about our contingency fee legal representation by contacting our St. Louis law office today.
Can I Recover Compensation If I’m Partly At Fault for a Missouri Car Accident?
Yes, as long as you’re not entirely responsible for causing your car accident. Under Missouri’s pure comparative fault law, damages are reduced proportionately to fault. The more responsibility you share for causing a car accident, the less compensation you can receive when your claim is resolved.
Let’s say you’re injured in a rear-end collision at the intersection of North Grand and Montgomery. You suffer damages worth $200,000. However, you’re assigned half of the blame for the auto accident because you were texting and driving. As a result, the maximum award you can receive is $100,000.
The insurance company will not bat an eye before trying to blame you for your car accident. If they succeed, they can significantly reduce how much money you’ll be able to recover or prevent you from getting anything at all.
Our car accident lawyers in St. Louis will be ready to fight back against these claims, which are often made without anything backing them up. We’ll demand proof, provide evidence of our own, and work to limit how much – if any – liability you’re assigned.
Will My Car Accident Case Go to Trial?
Statistically speaking, probably not. Only 4 to 5 percent of personal injury cases get to trial. Most are settled privately before things get that far.
At the end of the day, whether your case settles or goes to trial is up to you.
- Has the insurance company made you a fair settlement offer?
- How much does your legal team believe your car accident case is worth?
- How far apart are the parties when it comes to valuation?
- Is the insurance company disputing liability?
- Are you being blamed for the car accident?
- Do you have the patience to reject lowball offers and bring your case to trial?
Even though it might say otherwise, the insurance company doesn’t want to go to trial. Trials can be time-consuming and expensive. The insurer wants to settle your claim as quickly as possible for as little as possible. You can force their hand by showing them that you’re not afraid to take matters to a jury. How? By hiring a renowned St. Louis trial attorney to handle your car accident case.
Choosing Roach Law shows the insurance company that you will not tolerate lowball offers and will bring your case to trial if they don’t negotiate fairly. This, in turn, can accelerate more meaningful conversations and get you a significantly higher settlement offer early on in the process.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident in St. Louis?
We cannot understate just how much of an impact the decisions made in the hours, days, and weeks after a car accident can have on a related claim for damages.
If you want to maximize your recovery, keep these tips in mind:
- Report your motor vehicle accident to the local police by calling 911 immediately
- Remain near the scene of the accident where you’re safe from secondary crashes
- Exchange your insurance information with other parties while waiting for the police and first responders to arrive on the scene
- Document the crash by taking pictures and get the names of eyewitnesses
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you don’t think you’ve been badly injured
- Resist the urge to accept an insurance company’s initial settlement offer, especially if you’re not represented by an attorney yet
- Contact an experienced car accident lawyer near you in St. Louis and discuss the details of your case
- Direct any communication from the insurance company to your lawyer
Don’t waste a moment before contacting the award-winning legal team at Roach Law for help after a traffic accident. We understand that nothing about accidents is convenient, which is why we make ourselves available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No matter when you’re in a wreck, you can reach out to us for the support you need.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle
If you want to make the most of your fight for compensation, you’ll want to hire a law firm whose attorneys have demonstrated proficiency in handling all types of car accident cases.
Our St. Louis car accident attorneys are known for helping our clients recover top-dollar financial awards in cases involving:
Rollovers
Rollover car accidents typically occur when a vehicle makes a sharp turn while speeding or because it “trips” on a hazard on the road surface. While any vehicle can roll, these types of auto accidents tend to involve SUVs, pickup trucks, and other vehicles with high centers of gravity.
Head-on Collisions
Frontal crashes occur when two vehicles strike each other head-on. Not surprisingly, these often violent car accidents account for 10 percent of fatal wrecks each year. Most often, head-on crashes occur when a vehicle is driven against traffic or when a driver loses control of their vehicle because they’re distracted, drunk, or asleep at the wheel.
Side Impact Collisions
Side impact collisions – which include sideswipes and T-bone accidents – tend to happen near intersections. Motorists either run red lights and stop signs or miscalculate the amount of time they have to execute a turn in front of oncoming traffic.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions, which often happen in stop-and-go traffic or near intersections, aren’t always the most violent accidents. However, they are responsible for many serious injuries, including whiplash. In fact, research suggests that 85 percent of whiplash cases result from rear-end crashes.
Intersection Accidents
More than half of all car accidents resulting in injury or death happen at or near an intersection. St. Louis has several dangerous intersections, including Gravois Ave and Morganford Rd and Delor St; Brentwood Blvd and Highway 40 and Highway 170; and Memorial Dr at Lumiere Pl Blvd.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
Even though it’s illegal to leave the scene of a car accident under most circumstances, it still happens. A hit-and-run can make it difficult for a crash victim to recover compensation that’s needed to cover the costs of replacing damaged property, offset medical bills, and make up for a sudden loss of income. Working with an experienced car accident attorney is the best way to make sure you exhaust all of your legal options.
Who Could Be Liable For My Car Accident and Resulting Injuries?
Liability – or financial responsibility – for a car accident is assigned to anyone whose actions (or inaction) contribute to a wreck.
Following an extensive investigation into your traffic accident, our personal injury lawyers in St. Louis might determine that one or more of the following parties are liable for your damages:
- Vehicle motorist
- Vehicle passenger
- Bus driver
- Truck driver
- Transportation company
- Government agency
- Property owner
- Vehicle manufacturer
- Bicyclist
- Pedestrian
- Motorcyclist
- Negligent party’s employer
When liability is clear, you’ll be able to count on our car accident attorneys to fight for the compensation you deserve. We won’t rest until you’ve been properly compensated for all of your car accident injuries.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries
At what speed did the impact occur? Were you driving, in the passenger’s seat, or in the backseat? What type of collision was it? Were you involved in a single-vehicle accident or a crash involving multiple vehicles? Did your car accident involve a large truck?
All of these things can influence the types of injuries you suffer in a St. Louis car accident and how severe they are.
At Roach Law, we’re here to help you seek compensation for your:
- Burn injuries
- Chest injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Eye injuries
- Degloving injuries
- Amputation injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Whiplash
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Concussion
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Nerve damage
- Catastrophic injuries
- Leg injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our law office in St. Louis immediately after a car wreck. Members of our team are available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Car Accidents?
While almost anything can cause a crash, some of the most common causes of car accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Drunk driving
- Road rage
- Driver fatigue
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Illegal turns
- Following too closely
- Unsafe passing
- Braking errors
- Negligent vehicle maintenance
- Vehicle defects
- Running red lights
- Rolling stops
- Road defects
Typically, most car accidents happen because someone is careless or makes an error in judgment at the wheel. That’s why the primary cause of action for car accident claims in Missouri is negligence.
St. Louis Car Accident Statistics
In 2022, 13,130 car accidents were reported in the city of St. Louis. That’s an average of nearly 36 crashes every single day.
Statistically speaking, one out of every four St. Louis auto accidents results in an injury or death. Collisions in 2022 caused at least 5,229 injuries and 76 fatalities.
Call Our St. Louis Car Accident Lawyers For Help
If you’ve been hurt in a traffic accident in St. Louis, Missouri, don’t hesitate to call Roach Law for help. You deserve compensation, especially if your accident could have been avoided. Our St. Louis car accident lawyers want to protect your rights and help you maximize your financial recovery.
Put our award-winning legal team in your corner and benefit from our proven ability to win top results. We’ve won tens of millions for our clients. Today, we’re prepared to fight for you.
We offer a free consultation, so call our law office now.
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