No one starts their day imagining they’ll end it in a hospital, but over 40 million people each year check into hospital emergency rooms with serious injuries. Sometimes we have no one to blame but ourselves for an injury, but when we suffer harm because of someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions, a personal injury claim holds the negligent party financially accountable.
Even a relatively minor injury can quickly become expensive. Severe injuries can have lasting impacts on all aspects of life, including earning ability. When an injury was preventable if only someone else had taken reasonable care, it’s even more devastating. You don’t have to be responsible for the economic losses associated with your preventable injury. Call the O’Fallon personal injury lawyers at Meyerkord & Kurth for experienced, assertive legal representation to obtain the maximum compensation available to you. Contact us by calling (800) 391-4318 today.
Why Hire Meyerkord & Kurth as Your Personal Injury Lawyers In O’Fallon?
The O’Fallon personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth have dedicated their careers to advocating for injury victims with the skill, care, and compassion of a hometown law firm and the innovative advances of a large city legal team. We offer the following advantages:
- A free evaluation of your case and no legal fees until after you have your compensation in hand
- Over 100 years of combined experience in Missouri injury law, insurance system, and civil court
- The skills, knowledge, and resources of an entire legal team and staff behind your case, as well as the dedicated attention of your personal injury lawyer
Our history of exceptional results and listing as a “preeminent law firm” in the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell publication puts a strong voice behind your claim.
What Types of Personal Injury Cases are Common In Missouri?
Personal injury law is based on the understanding that we all owe those around us a duty of reasonable care to prevent causing injuries through negligent or intentionally wrongful actions. Common types of personal injury claims in O’Fallon and elsewhere arise from cases such as the following:
- Car accidents
- Commercial truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Scooter accidents
- Slip-and-fall injuries and other premises accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
- Workplace injuries
- Defective products
- Dog bites
- Wrongful death
An accidental injury can temporarily or permanently throw the injury victim’s life off course. While a successful claim doesn’t erase the injury, it opens doors to the best possible medical care, eases financial burdens, and provides injury victims and their families with a sense of justice.
What Types of Injuries Qualify for Personal Injury Claims in O’Fallon?
Even a relatively minor injury can be costly as well as painful. Financial hardship can occur with as little as a single emergency room bill and a few days of lost pay. More serious or catastrophic injuries can impact all aspects of your life and future. Common injuries in O’Fallon personal injury claims include the following:
- Fractures
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Internal injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Burns
- Medical malpractice injuries
- Toxic exposures
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains, strains, and torn ligaments in the knees, wrists, ankles, and shoulders
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Facial and dental trauma
Proving that you’ve suffered economic and non-economic damages is the key to a successful personal injury claim for compensation.
What Is the Personal Injury Claim Process in O’Fallon?
After a serious injury caused through no fault of your own, it’s important to keep copies of your medical bills, invoices, and receipts. This, together with proof of lost earnings, becomes important evidence in your case. While no two cases are identical, the process typically follows the timeline below:
- After hiring a personal injury attorney in O’Fallon, your attorney will handle all communication with the appropriate insurance company, like auto insurance after a car accident, or malpractice insurance after a medical malpractice claim
- Your personal injury lawyer will investigate all aspects of the injury and document compelling evidence of the at-fault party’s liability
- The attorney consults with medical experts and other specialists to carefully calculate your current and future medical costs and determine the total impact of the injury on your ability to work and accomplish daily tasks
- The personal injury lawyers in O’Fallon use a formula based on your medical costs to determine an appropriate compensation amount for your pain and suffering and any other non-economic damages
- After sending their findings to the defendant and the appropriate insurance company, your attorney begins negotiating for a settlement
Most personal injury claims are resolved with a settlement. In less than ten percent of cases, the claim becomes a lawsuit in court. If your personal injury case goes to court, a trial-ready attorney from Meyerkord & Kurth will present your case through a well-executed legal strategy and argue for the largest jury award possible for your damages.
Common Damages Awarded in O’Fallon Personal Injury Cases
Expenses pile up quickly when an injury keeps you out of work at the same time that medical bills begin coming in. Depending on the severity of the injury, you could be facing an uncertain future. A successful O’Fallon personal injury case brings compensation for damages such as the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Future lost earnings
- Diminished future earning ability
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Pain and suffering
In cases of catastrophic injuries, additional damages may be available, such as compensation for loss of limb, hearing loss, loss of vision, scarring, disfigurement, the loss of an organ, or diminished quality of life. Wrongful death benefits are available to the close family members of a loved one who died from an injury caused by someone else.
Contact the O’Fallon Personal Injury Lawyers at Meyerkord & Kurth Today
The timing of a personal injury claim is important. To obtain the most favorable outcome, it’s important to hire an attorney soon after the injury; however, Missouri’s generous statute of limitations for personal injury claims allows injury victims to file claims for up to five years after the date of the injury.
Call Meyerkord & Kurth for a free consultation so we can strategize the best way to move forward with prompt action on your personal injury claim.