How Are Personal Injury Settlement Paid Out? Your Complete Guide
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Have you been injured in a car crash?
It’s difficult to know where to turn when the medical bills are piling up, your vehicle needs repairs, and you’ve already missed too much time at work due to your accident.When your car accident injuries and other damages resulting from someone else’s negligence, you’re entitled to fair compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Not sure what to do to dive into a personal injury case? An experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer can help you navigate the complex process.
Contact Jett Legal today.
According to statistics from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, there were 15,049 car accidents in St. Louis, MO, in 2021. A total of 71 lives were claimed in 64 fatal crashes, while 3,948 St. Louis car accidents caused bodily injury to 6,251 people.
Getting injured in a traffic collision can be an emotional and challenging experience. Fortunately, Missouri car accident laws were established to hold the responsible party accountable.
A St. Louis car accident attorney can ensure that car accident victims receive fair financial compensation for their serious injuries, property damage, or other types of loss.
Commonly Suffered Injuries After Serious Car Accidents
Injuries can range in severity and type when it comes to those sustained in car crashes.
Some of the most common car accident injuries, however, include:
St. Louis car accident attorneys understand the urgency involved in clients’ need to get their injury settlement quickly. Medical bills and other expenses due to the accident must be paid promptly.
Missouri operates under a “pure comparative fault” system. Under this principle, your involvement in a car accident doesn’t bar you from collecting damages. Still, the amount of compensation you can recover will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
For instance, assume that the jury awards a total compensation amount of $60,000 for injuries and damage, but you are found to have been 30% at fault for the accident. Your compensation amount will be reduced by $18,000, and you will only be able to collect $42,000.
Under Missouri’s pure comparative fault system, plaintiffs may still recover damages even if they were up to 99% at fault for their accident.
An experienced car accident lawyer can help you establish fault in your car accident claim.
There are generally two categories of damages you can seek compensation for as a car accident victim in Missouri: Economic and non-economic damages.
Also called “compensatory damages,” economic damages in personal injury cases include:
Economic damages are usually easy to calculate and measure. These damages are based on medical records and other proof of the financial loss that the injured party experienced due to the motor vehicle accident.
Other damages incurred in a serious car accident are less obvious but just as detrimental to the injury victim’s life.
They include:
Pain and suffering damages tend to be awarded in personal injury settlements where more severe injuries are sustained. This is due to the impact those injuries have on the injured party’s life.
When your car crash wasn’t your fault but was actually due to the other driver’s negligence, the party that will pay your personal injury settlement will be the at-fault driver’s car insurance company.
In Missouri, drivers are required to have minimum liability insurance coverage limits of:
Wrongful death can be described as an avoidable death caused by another party’s negligent or wrongful actions. According to Missouri Revised Statutes Section 537.080, insurance claims for wrongful death may be filed against a person or entity whose negligent or intentional actions results in another person’s demise.
By filing a wrongful death claim, the plaintiff can hold the responsible party accountable for a preventable accident that results in a loss of life.
The following people may file a wrongful death claim in Missouri:
Under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 537.100, a wrongful death action must be brought within three years of the date of the death.
A St. Louis wrongful death attorney can help you seek justice for your loved one.
Whether you suffered minor or major injuries from a traffic collision, such an accident can affect your physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Thankfully, you don’t have to face these challenges on your own. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney is paramount to protect your rights if you are involved in a car accident.
At Jett Legal, our legal team offers comprehensive legal guidance and compassionate representation to car accident victims and their loved ones.
As your legal counsel, we can:
Review every detail of your police report and other evidence in your case and carry out an in-depth private investigation:
We will work to hold the responsible parties accountable. We will continue fighting to protect your rights and represent your best interests throughout the process of your car accident case.
Let an experienced car accident attorney handle all the legwork if you or a family member were involved in a traffic crash. At Jett Legal, we are a law firm knowledgeable in Missouri personal injury law, which is essential to help protect your rights. We also have the resources and experience to assist and represent clients in their car accident claims.
Our team will evaluate and investigate your situation’s facts and help you understand your legal options to recover damages. We will fight to protect your rights and help you recover compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, future medical expenses, or pain and suffering.
At Jett Legal, we proudly represent car accident victims and their families across St. Louis, Missouri, and from Jefferson County to Charles County. Call us today to schedule a free case review.
How much is your car accident claim worth? The amounts awarded in personal injury settlements resulting from Missouri motor vehicle accidents vary widely.
Some of the most significant impacts on the compensation awarded include:
Many car accident victims are overwhelmed by the personal injury claim process. After speaking with insurance adjusters, many injured parties settle for the first offer made, which is never the highest amount possible.
A car accident attorney can increase the settlement awarded by filing all necessary paperwork, speaking with the insurance adjuster on our client’s behalf, doing the legal legwork, and recovering maximum compensation for car accident cases.
According to Missouri Revised Statutes Section 516.120, any legal action seeking a remedy for a personal injury must be commenced within five years of discovering the damage. This means that once five years have passed since the accident occurred, no personal injury lawsuit can be filed, and no compensation can be awarded for your damages.
Missouri is an “at-fault” state. This means that the driver responsible for the car wreck (the at-fault party) will bear financial liability for injuries and damage suffered by the injury victims.
To recover personal injury compensation, the car accident victims can do the following: