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A St. Louis Injury Lawyer’s Guide to Personal Injury Claims in Missouri

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Trusted personal injury lawyers with over 10 years of experience.

If you’ve been hurt in an accident in St. Louis, you may be eligible for compensation, and our team is here to help you.

Schmittgens Injury Law Firm represents injured people across the St. Louis area. Our founder, Rob Schmittgens, has spent the last decade handling personal injury cases from intake through resolution. When we serve as your St. Louis, MO personal injury lawyer, we take over the parts of the process that drain your time and energy: the calls with adjusters, the collection of medical records, the determination of fault. You focus on getting better. We handle the rest. Schedule a free consultation to talk through what happened.

Personal Injury Lawyer St. Louis, MO

When does an accident actually become a personal injury case?

The short answer is when someone else’s negligence or wrongful conduct caused the harm. A personal injury case is a civil claim brought against the at-fault party or their insurer to recover money for medical bills, lost wages, and the pain that comes with a serious injury. Most cases settle. Some go to trial. The goal stays the same: full and fair compensation for what you’ve lost.

We take cases seriously from day one and prepare each file as if it might end up in front of a jury, even when it never does.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in St. Louis

Personal injury covers a wide range of accidents. Schmittgens Injury Law Firm handles the full spectrum for clients across the St. Louis region. Below are the case types we work on most often.

  • Car accidents. Rear-end collisions, T-bone crashes at intersections, multi-vehicle pileups, head-on wrecks, and rollovers. We deal directly with insurers so you can focus on recovery.
  • Truck accidents. Crashes involving 18-wheelers and commercial vehicles often involve driver fatigue, overloaded trailers, or defective equipment. We investigate the trucking company alongside the driver.
  • Motorcycle accidents. Riders face severe injuries and unfair bias from adjusters. We push back on assumptions that riders share blame just because they’re on a bike.
  • Dog bites. Serious bite injuries, facial scarring, child victims, and attacks by known dangerous dogs. Missouri’s strict liability rules apply in many of these cases.
  • Bicycle accidents. Cyclists struck by drivers in St. Louis intersections, dooring incidents, and hit-and-run encounters with motorists who fail to yield.
  • Pedestrian accidents. Crosswalk strikes, parking lot hits, and incidents where drivers turn into walkers without looking.
  • Hit and run. When the at-fault driver flees, we work with police, dashcam footage, and your own uninsured motorist coverage to recover what you’re owed.
  • Rideshare accidents. Crashes involving Uber and Lyft drivers raise complicated coverage questions depending on whether the driver was on the app, transporting a passenger, or off duty.
  • DUI accidents. When a drunk driver causes injuries, criminal charges run parallel to your civil claim. Punitive damages may also be available.
  • Slip and fall. Wet floors in stores, broken sidewalks, icy parking lots. Property owners have duties they often try to deny.
  • Premises liability. Inadequate security, dangerous conditions, falling objects, and other hazards on someone else’s property.
  • Parking lot accidents. Low-speed collisions still cause real injuries. Liability often hinges on right-of-way and lane markings.
  • TBI cases. Traumatic brain injuries can change a person’s life permanently. We work with neurologists and life care planners to prove the full scope of harm.
  • Wrongful death. When an accident takes a family member, surviving spouses, children, and parents may bring a claim under Missouri law.
  • Boating accidents. Negligence on the Mississippi or Lake of the Ozarks, alcohol-related crashes, propeller injuries, and ejections from watercraft.
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist cases. When the at-fault driver has no coverage or not enough, your own policy often becomes the source of recovery.
  • Neck and back injuries. Whiplash, herniated discs, and spinal injuries that often surface days after the crash.

Missouri law sets the framework for every personal injury claim filed in St. Louis. A few resources are worth knowing about.

The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims in Missouri is five years from the date of injury, set out in RSMo 516.120. Wrongful death claims have a shorter three-year window under RSMo 537.100. Medical malpractice has a two-year deadline under RSMo 516.105.

Missouri follows pure comparative fault rules, which means an injured person can recover damages even if partially at fault for the accident. Recovery is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to the plaintiff. The doctrine was adopted by the Missouri Supreme Court for general negligence and codified for products liability under RSMo 537.765.

For statewide accident statistics and traffic safety information, the Missouri Department of Transportation maintains crash data dashboards updated annually.

Reach Out to Schmittgens Injury Law Firm to Schedule a Consultation

If you’re hurt and unsure what to do next, talk to us. The consultation is free, and there’s no obligation. We’ll review what happened, explain how Missouri law applies, and tell you what options you have.

Personal Injury Statistics in St. Louis

Preliminary data from MoDOT shows 954 traffic fatalities statewide in 2024, with a further drop to 909 in 2025. The St. Louis region accounts for a disproportionate share of those losses. According to data compiled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, St. Louis County and St. Louis City together see some of the highest crash counts in the state every year.

Pedestrians face particular risk. The St. Louis region recorded its deadliest year on record for pedestrians in 2024. Speed and impairment continue to drive a large share of fatal crashes, with the NHTSA reporting that speeding contributed to 29% of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2024. The CDC notes that motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death in the United States.

St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer FAQs

How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?

Nothing up front. We work on contingency, meaning our fee comes out of the recovery we obtain for you. If there’s no recovery, there’s no fee. We also advance case expenses, so you don’t pay for medical record retrieval, expert witnesses, or filing fees out of pocket.

How long will my case take?

Some cases settle in a few months. Others take a year or more. Severe injury cases tend to take longer because we wait until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement before valuing the claim. Settling too early often means leaving money on the table.

What is my case worth?

It depends on the severity of injuries, the strength of liability, available insurance coverage, and the impact on your life and work. Anyone who quotes you a number on day one is guessing. A real evaluation requires medical records, lost wage documentation, and time to understand the full scope of your injuries.

Will my case go to trial?

Most cases settle. But preparing every case as if it will go to trial is part of what produces strong settlements. Insurers know which lawyers will actually try a case, and they price their offers accordingly.

What if the at-fault driver doesn’t have insurance?

Missouri requires drivers to carry liability coverage, but plenty of drivers ignore that rule. If you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy, that becomes a source of recovery. We help you navigate those claims, which insurers often resist even though you’ve been paying premiums for exactly this situation.

Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?

Not without a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to extract statements that hurt your case. Anything you say can and will be used to reduce your recovery. Politely decline and refer them to your attorney.

Should I post about my accident on social media?

No. Insurance companies routinely scour social media looking for posts that contradict your injury claims. A photo of you smiling at a family event can be used to argue you’re not really hurt. Pause your accounts or stop posting until your case resolves.

What if my injuries didn’t appear right away?

That’s common. Brain injuries, back injuries, and soft tissue injuries often take days to fully manifest. Get medical attention as soon as symptoms appear, and tell the provider the symptoms started after your accident. That documentation matters.

When should I hire a personal injury attorney?

It is important to retain an attorney as soon as possible. The earlier we get involved, the more we can do to preserve evidence, identify witnesses, and protect you from making mistakes that hurt your case.

What should I do immediately after an accident?

The steps you take after an accident are important. Get medical attention, even if you think you’re fine. Document the scene if you safely can. Get contact information for witnesses. Don’t admit fault.

Local Information for St. Louis Personal Injury Cases

What Are Important Local Resources for St. Louis Personal Injury?

The following St. Louis area resources may be useful following an accident. Schmittgens Injury Law Firm does not endorse any specific provider or organization, and inclusion here is for informational purposes only.

About the Attorney

Rob Schmittgens founded Schmittgens Injury Law Firm after nearly a decade representing injured people at multiple St. Louis area firms. He earned his undergraduate degree with honors from Quincy University in 2013 and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. He is admitted in Missouri (2016), Illinois (2017), and the Eastern District of Missouri. Rob is also a member of the Missouri Bar and the Illinois State Bar Association.

What Our Clients Say

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Rob was fantastic to work with. He helped me through a car accident case I was in a little over a year ago, and made the whole process so much less stressful. He was always responsive, honest, and made sure I understood every step. I really appreciated how genuinely he cared about getting the best outcome. Highly recommend him to anyone needing a great lawyer who actually listens and follows through.”
— Giles Green

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Contact Schmittgens Injury Law Firm

Your consultation is free and you pay nothing until Rob wins.