Missouri Personal Injury FAQ

Missouri’s statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is five years from the date of injury. While five years may seem like plenty of time, waiting can seriously hurt your case. Evidence disappears, witnesses’ memories fade, and surveillance footage gets overwritten. Contact an attorney as soon as possible after your injury. See our Statute of Limitations page for more on how deadlines work in different types of cases.

Every case is different, but Missouri law allows you to recover for: medical expenses (past and future), lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and property damage. Cases involving catastrophic injuries — such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, or permanent disability — typically result in larger recoveries. Our case value blog post walks through the key factors in more detail.

Nothing upfront. The Law Office of Chris Miller handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. We also offer free initial consultations. You have nothing to lose by calling to discuss your case.

Most personal injury cases settle out of court. Going to trial is time-consuming and unpredictable, so both sides usually have an incentive to reach a fair settlement. That said, some insurance companies only make reasonable offers when they believe you will actually litigate. Attorney Chris Miller has argued before the Missouri Supreme Court and is fully prepared to take cases the distance when that’s what it takes to get a fair result.

Be cautious about early settlement offers. Insurance companies often make quick, low offers hoping you will accept before you fully understand the extent of your injuries or future costs. Once you sign a release, you cannot go back for more — even if your condition worsens. Before accepting any offer, consult with a personal injury attorney who can evaluate whether it reflects the true value of your claim.

Missouri personal injury law covers a wide range of incidents, including car, truck, and motorcycle accidents; slip and fall accidents; premises liability; medical malpractice; nursing home abuse and neglect; wrongful death; catastrophic injuries; and defective product claims. If someone else’s negligence caused your injury, there is likely a path to compensation worth exploring.

If the damages caused by the at-fault driver exceed the aforementioned minimum policies, underinsured motorist coverage adds additional coverage and protection. In essence, this type of policy covers damages that the liable party’s insurance policy cannot cover.

This is an insurance policy available to drivers that provides coverage for damages caused by motorists without insurance. This type of policy is extremely useful in situations involving hit and run collisions. Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UMBI) can help pay for your medical expenses caused by an uninsured driver. UMBI coverage also extends to passengers in your vehicle. Uninsured motorist property damage coverage (UMPD) can help pay for repairs to your vehicle caused by an uninsured driver.

Yes, but this course of action rarely proves to be fruitful. The sentiment is understandable; you were left injured by someone driving illegally without insurance. However, one must consider the conditions for which an individual drives without insurance. Typically, people drive without coverage due to financial difficulties. Thus, the odds of being able to collect any suitable damages from an uninsured driver is usually low.

This is why having adequate uninsured motorist coverage on your car insurance policy is so important. Despite the fact that you might not be able to recover damages against the other driver, your insurance may be able to provide compensation for your damages. The increased premiums for thousands of dollars of additional coverage can sometimes amount to as little as an extra $5-10 per month.

After a motor vehicle collision, motorists should always safely exchange insurance and contact information with all the parties involved in addition to contacting local law enforcement and/or emergency medical personnel if someone is injured. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and, occasionally, a motorist will pull off without exchanging the necessary information. Leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision is a crime. Here is what to do if you are involved in a hit and run.