Authorities are working overtime tonight as the cleanup from Missouri's powerful storms today caused significant damage throughout the state.  A category F3 tornado ripped through Sunset Hills with wind gusts in excess of 150 mph, causing significant property damage, overturning cars and trucks and splintering homes.  Roofs were also damaged throughout residential and business areas in St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Lincoln County, and Southern Illinois.

Dozens were injured throughout Missouri and three people were actually killed as a result of these powerful storms and tornados that touched down around noon today.  If you have sustained injury or property damage as a result of today's storms, contact your insurance company as soon as possible and start a property damage claim.   Your insurance agent should be on hand to visit your property and start the first-party claims process. This process should lead to quick compensation for all damage sustained to your home and automobiles.  However, just like the problems with insurance claims following the Katrina disaster, there are bound to be unfair insurance claims adjusters that will be denying claims from today's disaster.

The St. Louis personal injury lawyers at Schultz & Myers battle insurance companies everyday.  These insurance companies are business that are around to make a profit, and profit they do.  Keep that in mind each time you feel that your insurance claim is not being adjusted properly or fairly.  Insurance companies don't make huge profits by paying out big claims.  If you feel that you are not being treated fairly by an insurance company, contact the consumer advocates at Schultz & Myers by calling (314) 448-0934.  

Ever wonder why personal injury claims are more complex than other types of claims, such as a contract lawsuit?  One the main reasons for this complexity is that personal injury laws are constantly changing and evolving, as the Missouri Supreme Court takes up cases on appeal and rules accordingly.  Even Missouri statutes are changed by the Missouri Supreme Court, as they issue opinions that determine how a statute is to be interpreted.  While the Missouri Supreme Court cannot change personal injury law statutes themselves, they nevertheless can shape the way these cases are handled in the courts.

A St. Louis personal injury lawyer can be hired, "retained", to represent someone injured in a vehicle accident, work-related accident, product-related accident, or wrongful death claim.  Products liability cases and 18-wheeler accident cases can be particularly complex, as they involve federal statutes and laws that are not familiar to most personal injury attorneys.  Your injury attorney will work on a contingency fee basis, meaning he or she will not be paid attorneys fees unless you win your case.  This presents a genuine interest in all parties involved to due their part in ensuring success of the claim for compensation.  Many articles are out there regarding St. Louis personal injury lawyer seeking compensation for accident cases.  Do your research and find the best lawyer for you.

If you have been injured in an accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney at Schultz & Myers by calling (866) 840-3636, or locally at (314) 448-0934.

The Missouri and Illinois bus crash lawyers at Schultz & Myers are investigating a Mega Bus crash that took place recently in Litchfield, Illinois.  The Mega Bus accident happened in the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 22, 2010, on Interstate 55 in Litchfield.  The Mega Bus was being driven by Alden Bell of Chicago Illinois.  Initial reports indicate that the bus rear-ended a tractor-trailer that was gaining speed as it exited a rest stop onto southbound interstate 55 near the Richmond exit.  The driver of the tractor-trailer was from Phoenix and did not report any injuries from the collision.

The injuries on the bus vary in severity.  While authorities initially reported that passengers on the bus only sustained minor injuries, investigations by our bus accident injury attorneys indicate otherwise.  The driver of the bus had to be extricated from his seat and subsequently was operated on at a local hospital.  15 of the passengers aboard the bus were injured.  Some with cuts and bruises, some with spine trauma, and others with head trauma. 

In any accident involving a commercial motor vehicle, our bus accident injury lawyers first secure the ECM (Electronic Control Module) of the bus and tractor-trailer.  Evidence from the ECM is critical in determining speed, direction, gear, yaw, braking, and other data that will be relevant in any claim for compensation.  Our lawyers perform a completely independent accident investigation of our own, employing experts in the fields of engineering, mechanics, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.  Often times the results of our investigation differs greatly from that of first responders and police personnel.

Gathering evidence from a bus accident scene is never easy.  It is expense and often requires the filing of a lawsuit or service of multiple subpoenas.  However, it is always necessary if any injury victim wishes to receive fair compensation for an injury claim.  Our bus accident lawyers will continue to investigate this accident and assist our clients in obtaining fair compensation for their claim.  Given the recent September 10, 2010, fatal Mega Bus accident that resulted in safety concerns for this bus company, our attorneys will be paying special attention to the fact that the bus driver in the Litchfield crash was issued a ticket, and whether he was properly trained by the company.  Contact our lawyers at (866) 840-3636 if you have information from this horrible crash.

Traumatic brain injury, also known as "TBI", can be caused by a multitude of accidents.  These accidents include St. Louis construction accidents, St. Louis car accidents, St. Louis motorcycle accidents, St. Louis 18-wheeler accidents, and other St. Louis personal injury claims.  So what exactly is TBI and how do you treat such a serious injury? 

First, TBI can be caused by unconsciousness and blunt force trauma to the skull, resulting in blood pooling on the brain.  This type of trauma is some of the most serious injury caused in accidents.  It must be treated immediately at a level-1 trauma center.  Making sure you get immediate treatment will have a direct correlation to your recovery.  A traumatic brain injury can cause permanent damage to parts of the neurological system that control some of our most basic bodily functions. 

A St. Louis brain injury lawyer handles these types of injury claims much differently that minor soft tissue injury claims.  A claim of this magnitude requires experts in neurology and orthopedics.  It requires a St. Louis personal injury lawyer to retain experts in these fields, as well as experts in life-care planning and economics.  These experts are key in assisting with the calculation of future damages, both economic and non-economic. 

A traumatic brain injury lawyer should always take extra time in understanding the harms and losses involved in this type of claim.  Your lawyer may make a 'day in the life video' or other type of short video to send to the insurance claims adjuster or play to the jury, to address these harms and losses in a humanistic manner.  It can be particularly effective at obtaining fair compensation for your claim.

It looks like St. Louis is in the making for a white Christmas and new years eve.  This may fulfill the wishes of residents within the state, but for authorities it creates problems.  With the increase in traffic and 'parties', the winter weather will only increase the potential risk for serious automobile accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, and other traffic incidents that may cause catastrophic injury or even death. 

AAA and other national travel safety organizations recommend that motorists be extra-prepared if they are traveling to visit family and friends for the holidays.  Recommended safety items include portable instant heat packs, flashlights, and extra batteries for your cell phone.  It is also recommended to have a good pair of gloves and boots in your car at all times when the weather is inclement.  The personal injury attorneys at Schultz & Myers will be traveling during the holidays as well, and we want everyone else to pay special attention to the dangers of slick and snowy roads. 

Remember, in the unfortunate event that you are involved in a serious accident, make sure to keep a good record of the incident itself, including witness contact information, police report numbers, and photographs of the position of the vehicles if possible.  If you are injured, seek treatment at a local hospital that same day.  Don't just assume that your injuries will "get better on their own".  Get the advice of a doctor and perhaps diagnostic imaging such as MRI, xrays, and CT scanning if the injuries warrant such.

If you are injured in a car accident, contact the St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Schultz & Myers by calling the emergency victim helpline at (866) 840-3636, or (314) 448-0934 locally.  You have rights.  Get them protected by a professional.

Authorities are investigating a 18-wheeler semi-truck accident near Sullivan that had traffic on Interstate 44 stopped in both directions.  Emergency crews responded to exit 226 on eastbound I-44 in Sullivan on Friday around noon.  The trailer of the big rig was split in half from the collision and was difficult to move, even with a wrecking service on the scene.  The crash occurred near Winsel Bridge and put on a show for motorists for several hours that afternoon.

Semi-truck accident lawyers in St. Louis are called when there is a tractor-trailer crash on Missouri interstate highways.  Interstates 44, 64, 70 and 55 are major highways that all meet in St. Louis.  Many truck drivers coming from the eastern U.S. enter St. Louis and then change onto one of these major interstate freeways, then continue west or head south. 

Trucking companies are now feeling the pain of increased safety regulation by the FMCSA, as the SAFER system has been overhauled with a new public interface module.  The new module breaks down commercial motor carrier safety history in great detail.  This new safety interface provides the general public, and state regulators, with more information than was ever available under the older SAFESTAT system.

If you have been injured in a tractor-trailer crash, don't wait while evidence from the scene, including driver log books, potential vehicle defects (such as defective truck brakes), and data from the truck's ECM be altered, manipulated, or destroyed.  Elicit the representation of a Missouri tractor-trailer accident attorney and get this critical data preserved for future use in a personal injury claim, if in fact there are injuries resulting from the accident.

The weather in Missouri is turning for the worse, and injury claims in the state are on the rise and ice accumulates in parking lots and on our roads.  Icey roads result in serious St. Louis automobile accidents and other incidents that cause serious injuries.  Even if bad weather is contributing cause to a crash, motorists still have the ultimate responsibility to keep their cars under control.  Make sure to check your tire tread and braking system before the weather gets even worse, and more and more ice covers our roads.

Slip and fall claims in parking lots are also going to be filed in our state civil courts, as persons walking from their cars to a business or office are going to injury themselves on the black ice.  Business owners have a duty in Missouri to keep their premises safe for employees and customers alike.  This includes putting down salt and plowing snow and ice at the first signs of accumulation.  If they don't, and someone gets injured on the ice, a St. Louis accident lawyer can step in and file a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of the client.

If you are injured in the snow and ice, make sure to seek immediate medical attention.  Ligaments, tendons, and discs can be torqued and strained in a way that results in serious injury, even if the injury is not immediately visible to the naked eye.  Soft tissue injuries can cause a lifetime of pain and suffering, debilitation, and early onset arthritis.

Call a St. Louis personal injury lawyer if you need advice on your case.  The call to (314) 448-0934 is always free and you will actually speak to an attorney, not a staff member.

Authorities responded to a grim tractor-trailer accident scene on Highway 270 at the Chain of Rocks bridge.  Reports indicate that a motorist was in the process of moving his stalled vehicle off the roadway at about 5 a.m. this morning when the big rig ran over the man and pushed his car into the bridge.  The weather was cold and it was still dark out when the fatal 18-wheeler accident took place.

One of the interesting things reported is that St. Louis police officers where actually dispatched to assist the stranded motorist PRIOR to the tractor-trailer crashing into the stalled car.  Authorities have admitted that officers were actually dispatched to the wrong location, resulting in loss of precious time.  Did the absence of officers at the scene result in this fatal truck crash in St. Louis?  It is hard to say, but nevertheless, the stalled car on the roadway presented a potential hazard for other motorists traveling on westbound highway 270. 

Traffic in both directions of Highway 270 where diverted while crews removed the 18-wheeler, which had caught on fire after the impact and burned to rubble.  The man moving the stalled car was pronounced dead upon arrival of authorities.  This fatal accident resulted in one of the worst traffic snarls on this stretch of Highway 270 in quite some time.

A St. Louis 18-wheeler accident lawyer may be able to offer insight as to how to approach a complex claim such as this.  There are three potential parties of interest that need to be investigated.  A complete accident reconstruction would be beneficial in understanding lines of sight and whether the truck driver could have reacted quicker and swerved in time to avoid the collision.  Also it would be curious to know how the police fit into the equation.