st. louis Car Accident Lawyer
Experienced St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer Who Goes to Trial
Car accidents in St. Louis happen at a relentless pace. Whether you were rear ended on Highway 40 near the Inner Belt, T-boned at an intersection in Maplewood, or struck by a distracted driver on the Poplar Street Bridge, the days that follow can be overwhelming. Medical bills arrive before your first physical therapy appointment. Your car is in the shop and you are stuck paying for a rental. The other driver’s insurance company calls within forty eight hours asking for a recorded statement and dangling a quick settlement that does not come close to covering your real losses.
You do not have to navigate any of this alone. At Kevin Etzkorn Law, attorney Kevin Etzkorn has spent more than twenty years representing St. Louis crash victims and forcing insurance companies to pay what cases are actually worth. Call (314) 987-0009 today for a free consultation, or reach out to our Clayton office online. There is no fee to talk with us, and you owe nothing unless we win your case.
How Common Are Car Accidents in the St. Louis Area?
Missouri sees more than 150,000 reported traffic crashes each year, and the St. Louis metro accounts for a disproportionate share of them. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Statistical Analysis Center, the bi-state region’s mix of high speed interstates, congested arterials, and aging infrastructure produces thousands of injury crashes annually. The corridors where we see the most serious wrecks include I-70 through North County, I-44 westbound near Kingshighway, I-64 through the Central West End and Clayton, I-270 outer belt, and the I-55/I-44 split downtown.
Common Causes of St. Louis Car Crashes
Most St. Louis collisions are not pure accidents in the sense of being unavoidable. They are caused by behavior that the law calls negligence. The patterns we see most often include:
- Distracted driving, especially texting and infotainment use
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Speeding and aggressive lane changes on the interstates
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Following too closely in stop and go traffic
- Fatigued driving by commuters and rideshare drivers
- Failure to yield, particularly turning across oncoming traffic
- Poor weather response on rain slick or snow covered roads
Each of these has implications for liability and damages. Distracted driving cases benefit from cell phone records and infotainment data. DUI cases open the door to punitive damages and potential dram shop claims. Fatigue cases against commercial drivers may overlap with our St. Louis truck accident practice.
Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in St. Louis
Local drivers know the trouble spots. Sections of Gravois Avenue, Natural Bridge Road, North Lindbergh, and Manchester Road generate frequent collisions. Interstate stretches like the I-44 and I-270 interchange, the I-70 and Highway 270 merge, and the Poplar Street Bridge approach are notorious for high speed pile ups. We use that local knowledge to investigate cases efficiently.
What to Do After a Car Accident in St. Louis
What you do in the first few hours and days after a crash can make or break your case. Here is the sequence we recommend to every client.
Call 911 and Report the Crash
A police report creates an official record of the crash, the parties involved, and any traffic citations issued. In the City of St. Louis the Metropolitan Police Department responds. In St. Louis County, depending on the municipality, you may deal with county police or a local department. Always wait for officers to arrive and obtain a report number.
Get Medical Attention Immediately
Even if you feel fine in the moment, adrenaline can mask serious injuries. Concussions, internal bleeding, and soft tissue damage may not show symptoms for hours or days. Go to an urgent care or to an emergency room such as Barnes-Jewish, Mercy, or SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Documenting your injuries the same day is critical to any later claim.
Document the Scene
If you are physically able, photograph vehicle positions, license plates, traffic signals, debris fields, skid marks, and your visible injuries. Get contact information from witnesses. Note the weather, lighting, and traffic conditions. If a ride share is involved, screenshot the trip details before they disappear from the app.
Do Not Give a Recorded Statement to the Other Insurer
The other driver’s insurance company is not your friend. Anything you say can and will be used to reduce your claim. Politely decline to give a recorded statement and call a lawyer first.
Call Kevin Etzkorn Law
The earlier we are involved, the more evidence we can preserve. We send spoliation letters, secure traffic camera and dash cam footage, retain accident reconstructionists when needed, and start building your case while the trail is fresh.
How a St. Louis Car Accident Claim Works
Missouri is a fault state, which means the at fault driver and their insurance company are responsible for paying for the harm they caused. Your claim moves through several phases.
Liability and Coverage Investigation
We identify every party who may be legally responsible, including the at fault driver, their employer if they were on the clock, and any third parties such as a vehicle manufacturer or municipality with a road defect. We also identify all available insurance, including the at fault driver’s liability policy, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and any umbrella policies. The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance sets minimum auto coverage in Missouri at 25/50/25, which is often nowhere near enough to cover a serious injury, so stacking and identifying additional layers of coverage matters.
Medical Treatment and Damages Documentation
We build a complete picture of your damages: emergency care, surgeries, imaging, physical therapy, mental health treatment, future care needs, lost wages, lost earning capacity, vehicle repair or total loss, rental costs, and pain and suffering. The more thoroughly we document, the more leverage we have at the negotiating table.
Demand and Negotiation
When your medical picture stabilizes, we issue a detailed demand to the insurance carrier. Most claims resolve here, but only at full value. If the carrier refuses to be reasonable, we file suit. Visit our main personal injury page for more on how we handle litigation.
Litigation and Trial
Filing suit moves the case to discovery, depositions, mediation, and ultimately trial if needed. Kevin Etzkorn has tried jury cases throughout the bi-state region, and that trial readiness directly impacts settlement value.
Damages You Can Recover After a Missouri Car Accident
Missouri allows car accident victims to recover for both economic and non-economic harm. Economic damages cover medical expenses, lost income, lost earning capacity, vehicle and property damage, and out of pocket costs. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of consortium. Punitive damages may be available in cases involving drunk driving or other reckless conduct.
Comparative Fault in Missouri
Missouri follows pure comparative fault, meaning your damages are reduced by your share of responsibility but you can still recover even if you were partially at fault. Insurance carriers love to argue contributory fault to lower payouts, and our job is to push back hard with the evidence.
Statute of Limitations for St. Louis Car Accident Claims
You generally have five years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in Missouri, and three years for a wrongful death claim. Property damage claims also fall under the five year rule. Claims against governmental entities, however, may require formal notice within ninety days, which is one of many reasons to call a lawyer immediately.
Why Choose Kevin Etzkorn Law for Your St. Louis Car Accident Case
Insurance companies count on victims hiring volume firms that settle cheap and move on. Kevin Etzkorn Law is the opposite. We are a focused trial firm, hand picked cases, direct attorney access, and a record of multi-million dollar results. Kevin Etzkorn has been recognized as a Super Lawyer and a Top 100 High Stakes Litigator. You can learn more about Kevin’s background and our firm philosophy here.
We also keep things simple. The consultation is free. The fee is contingency, meaning we are only paid if we recover money for you. And we communicate clearly throughout the case so you always know where things stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is my St. Louis car accident case worth?
Case value depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical costs and future treatment needs, lost wages, the strength of liability evidence, and the available insurance coverage. After reviewing your records and the police report, we can give you an honest assessment and explain what would move the value up or down.
Do I have to use my own insurance if the other driver caused the accident?
Not for fault, but you may need to use your own coverage to bridge gaps. If the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, your uninsured motorist coverage or underinsured motorist coverage steps in, and we routinely make claims on both at fault and first party policies to maximize your recovery.
How long does a St. Louis car accident lawsuit take?
Most cases resolve within nine to eighteen months, but cases involving severe injuries, disputed liability, or trial preparation can take longer. We always weigh the cost of waiting against the value of a fully developed case so you can make an informed decision.
What if I was partially at fault for the crash?
Missouri’s pure comparative fault rule allows you to recover even if you share some of the blame, with your award reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance carriers exploit this rule constantly, which is why having an experienced trial lawyer push back on inflated fault arguments matters so much.
Call Our St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you have been hurt in a crash anywhere in the St. Louis metro, you owe it to yourself to talk with a real trial lawyer before signing anything from an insurance company. Call Kevin Etzkorn Law at (314) 987-0009 or contact our office online to schedule your free consultation. Our office is located at 231 S. Bemiston Ave, Suite 250 in Clayton, and we serve clients throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles, Jefferson County, and the surrounding metro. It costs nothing to call, we work on contingency, and we only get paid if we win.
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Recent Outcomes
As award-winning St. Louis car accident lawyers, we have handled hundreds of vehicle accident cases, can help maximize your recovery for what you lost, and can help ensure that you are protected from suffering you may have in the future.
We have resolved numerous trucking cases. For example, we took a trucking case to trial in the City of St. Louis. When a client’s car was knocked across the highway by a semi-truck, our lawsuit revealed the trucker had exceeded the maximum work hours and was fatigued at the end of a long shift. The trucking company made no settlement offers and argued that our client was at fault. The reporting police officer testified our client was at fault. The jury discounted the officer’s testimony and rendered a verdict for our client.
We have tried numerous auto accident cases and have settled hundreds. By way of example, we recently handled a catastrophic injury case for a young family hit by a drunk driver. We were able to settle our client driver’s case. Our client passenger’s case went to trial in St. Charles County after we turned down a settlement offer of $300,000. The jury returned a verdict for our client in the amount of $750,000.
