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Folks injured in automobile accidents, by defective products, or at work have a right to fair compensation if someone else is legally responsible for causing those injuries.  That is where the role of a Missouri injury lawyer comes into play.  A lawyer can help maximize your compensation from a claim by providing a variety of services, which include 1) help obtaining the best medical treatment possible, even if you do not have health insurance 2) investigating and discovering all forms of compensation and insurance applicable to your injury 3) maintaining your right of privacy from probing insurance questions, and 4) negotiating an injury settlement that is satisfactory to your case.

Medical treatment is one of the most important aspects of any injury claim.  And breaking that down further into two components, 1) quality and 2) timeframe.  If you don't obtain the right type of treatment it can be just as damaging to your case as not getting treatment at all.  So if you have a spine injury, go see an orthopedist or neurologist that specializes in spine trauma.  Just like the law, medicine is broken into many, many specialties.  Second, getting the right treatment in the right timeframe is critical.  If you wait too long to get medical care, or have long "gaps in treatment" the insurance adjuster will likely lowball your case or deny it all together.  A personal injury lawyer can offer more advice on this important aspect of your case.

Investigating and discovering all insurance policies that apply your case is vital to maximizing settlement value.  Claims adjusters do their best to conceal available coverage, or mislead as to the 'policy limits' available to compensate an injury victim.  An injury attorney ends these games and ascertains all available insurance coverage, and determines what applies and what doesn't.  Sometimes insurance can be "stacked" to provide even additional compensation.  This aspect of the law is evolving in Missouri and predominantly determined by caselaw and policy language. 

Insurance companies love to uncover all your prior medical history, even if it bears no relevance to the case at hand.  They do this through the use of unrestricted medical record release authorizations that they will demand that you sign in order to present a claim for injury.  An accident injury lawyer would never permit this type of invasion of privacy to take place.   Prior health history can devalue your claim and ultimately lead to poor compensation when it comes time to negotiation of a settlement.  Rely on your lawyer to present only the evidence necessary to prevail in your accident injury claim, nothing more.  For more information, contact Missouri injury lawyer Stephen Schultz.  Mr. Schultz is AV-Rated and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Missouri for the 4th consecutive year.  He can be reached at (866) 840-3636 or locally at (314) 448-0934


  

This is a common question that many people ask after they are involved in a car accident or other incident in Missouri.  Its hard to say with certainly whether you need an accident injury lawyer unless you weigh your chances of obtaining a fair settlement from an insurance company.  There are studies and statistical data indicating that having legal representation on your side increases your chances of a fair shake at compensation by over 300%.  You have to look at it this way:  the insurance company is a well-funded, well-represented giant that does not have a personal interest or duty to treat you with respect or fairness.  Insurance companies are in business to generate huge profits.  They keep profits up and shareholders happy by minimizing payouts on PI claims, plain and simple.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is just not being truthful or realistic.

There are instances in which you can settle a case on your own without hiring a lawyer.  Those situations include cases where there is little to no property damage and your injuries are minimal.  By minimal I mean that you saw your primary care doctor, got checked out, and everything is clear and you are feeling fine.  One important piece of advice though:  Never, ever settle your case, even if your injuries are very minor, until you give your body at least 60 days to show any signs of lingering symptoms.  This most commonly comes up in whiplash cases or soft tissue car accidents.  Soft tissue injuries can be sneaky.  You can appear sore for a few days, then fine for a few days, and then things can deteriorate quickly.  In some events, victims experience "radicular" symptoms, which are radiating pains down the arms and legs.  This is a sign of a very serious disc problem.

As an experienced Missouri lawyer with an AV-Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale Hubbell, I can tell you that there will be times that we will turn down potential clients.  We feel that unless we can add value to a client's case by aggressive legal representation, that we would rather explain the process to the caller and advise them to handle the case without a lawyer.  This is something that not all lawyers will do.  There are some personal injury attorneys that will accept every case that walks in the door, even if the injured client could have settled the case without legal representation and therefore avoid paying attorneys' fees.

If you ever need to discuss your case and whether hiring a lawyer is in your best interests, contact a St. Louis personal injury lawyer at Schultz Legal Group law firm by calling toll-free (866) 840-3636.  Schultz Legal Group has offices in Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas and will come to clients locations whenever necessary to consult on a one-on-one basis.

So you have been injured and you think the hard part is over.  You have received medical treatment and doctors and the hospital want to be paid.  Your health insurance covered part of the bills, but there are co-pays, deductibles and other expenses that need to be paid out of your pocket.  To make matters more complicated, the ambulance service that took you to the hospital has decided not to submit your bill to health insurance.  Instead, the ambulance service decided to put a lien on your settlement directly with the car insurance company for the negligent driver that caused the crash.  The insurance claims adjuster tells you that no settlement can be paid to your directly...and that the ambulance service will be written a check directly from the insurance claims adjuster. 

So now you think it is time to negotiate an injury settlement with the insurance claims adjuster.  After presenting your evidence and  reasonable settlement demand, the claims adjuster comes back with a lowball offer.  It isn't fair.  Maybe your initial decision not to hire a Missouri personal injury lawyer was a poor choice.  You know start calling around and finally locate a quality St. Louis semi-truck accident lawyer. 

Insurance claims adjusters are highly skilled in negotiation.  Unfortunately, they are not highly trained in Missouri law and jury verdict trends.  A lawyer on your side is able to negotiate a fair settlement for any injury claim.  Many, many factors determine the value of a personal injury claim.  From venue to the judge, there are many considerations that injury victims and claims adjusters just don't appreciate.  It takes a lawyer who has experience in litigating cases to fully understand the accurate settlement value of an case.

Contact Missouri personal injury lawyer Stephen Schultz and get advice from an expert in handling injury cases throughout the state.  Mr. Schultz can be reached at (866) 840-3636 or by email. 

A common question that callers ask when contacting our St. Louis personal injury lawyers is: what do you charge for handling an injury claim?  The answer is nothing, unless our lawyers win your case.  This is a relief for most injury victims.  After all, most accidents cause financial stress on an unimaginable level.  The last thing that anyone in this position needs is a lawyer that charges a large up-front attorney retainer.  The attorneys fees that Schultz & Myers charges are contingency on the outcome of each case.  Therefore, our lawyers and clients share a common interest of reaching a successful outcome in each case.

There are many ways to contact an accident injury lawyer for advice on presenting an injury claim.  Some people use the internet.  The internet is a good resource for researching personal injury lawyers.  For example, using a search engine like Google or Yahoo and plugging in search terms such as "St. Louis car accident lawyer" will provide results that are a good starting point for choosing the best lawyer for your case.  It is wise to never choose an accident injury lawyer based upon how flashy a website is.  In fact, the Missouri ethical rules have made it a point to require lawyers to tell potential clients that decisions for legal representation should not be based solely upon advertisements. 

Choosing a lawyer based upon a referral from a friend or family member can also offer choices.  CAUTION:  Do not think that a lawyer referred by someone else is the right lawyer to handle a serious injury claim.  Traffic lawyers do not make good injury lawyers, and vice versa.  Would you seek a foot doctor if you had migraine headaches? No.  The same holds true with lawyers.  Yes, all lawyers have a general understanding of civil personal injury litigation.  The lawyers at Schultz & Myers would conceivably be able to assist a client with a Will, however, we would never do as good as a job as a lawyer who only does Wills.  Accident injury claims for compensation involve complex civil state statutory laws and civil court procedures.  Never take your serious injury case to a law firm that dabbles in all areas of law.  Chances are high that you will not receive all forms of compensation that you deserve.  

When choosing a personal injury lawyer, also bear in mind that going with the biggest law firm in town does not necessarily mean you are getting the best legal representation available.  It is important for all injury victims to get one-on-one personal service from a lawyer, especially in situations like these where the client is under a high degree of emotional and physical stress.  When selecting your lawyer, make sure that he or she plans on staying in touch with you personally on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Do your homework before retaining any lawyer.  Personal injury claims require handling by an accident lawyer who has both experience and an aggressive strategy.  Without this, your claim can be drawn out for months or years while the lawyer does his best to feel his way through the complexities of these case types. 

About 4.5 million dog bite incidents are reported each year in the United States.  Dog bite claims are most common in the midwest, and in Missouri, personal injury claims that result from dog attacks are on the rise.  Hospital visits resulting from dog bite claims have doubled in Missouri in the past 15 years.  So who is to blame for the increase in dog attacks and dog bites claims.  The finger can be pointed at dogs, but also at their owners.  Serious dog bites most commonly occur with younger children.  According to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, the reason is that children are more likely to bend down and get in a dogs face, which can potentially spook it into an aggressive reaction.

Children can sustain significant bouts of emotional distress and fear following any dog attack.  This fear can transform from a fear of dogs to a generalized fear and anxiety of being unsafe.  It is important to talk openly with your child following any dog bite claim, get the situation out and in discussion.  Further care from a child psychologist may also offer assistance in coping with the mental anguish and fear associated with post traumatic stress syndrome from a dog bite. 

A St. Louis dog bite lawyer can discuss the current dog bite laws associated with civil personal injury claims for compensation following any dog attack.  Most notably, the laws in Missouri changed dramatically in August, 2009, with the implementation of Missouri Revised Statute 273.036.  This law essentially makes Missouri a strict liability state with respect to dog bite injury claims.  The statute says that:

         "The owner or possessor of any dog that bites, without provocation, any person while such person is on public property, or lawfully on private property, including the property   of the owner or possessor of the dog, is strictly liable for damages suffered by persons bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's or possessor's knowledge of such viciousness."

The St. Louis personal injury lawyers at Schultz & Myers aggressively pursue the owners and harborers of dogs that attack and cause significant injury to innocent persons.  Our lawyers are available to answer the questions of anyone with a dog bite injury claim in Missouri or Illinois by calling (314) 448-0934 or (866) 840-3636.
 

Can I file a personal injury claim without a lawyer?  This is a question that our St. Louis personal injury attorneys are asked on a fairly regular basis.  The answer depends on how you define "claim."  Persons injured in accidents certainly can file a claim with an insurance company.  There is no legal necessity to retain a lawyer in order to file a claim with the insurance company that insured the responsible or "negligent" party.  All it really takes to get a claim started is a phone call to the insurance claims department.  However, the east party of the claim pretty much ends at the moment a claims adjuster is assigned to the injury claim and starts initiating contact with the injury victim who is seeking compensation.  It is undisputed that insurance claims adjusters are highly trained negotiators who are promised incentives to minimize compensation that they pay out on claims. 

You cannot file a personal injury "case" in court without the assistance of a lawyer, unless you wish to educate yourself in a crash course on Missouri evidence and Missouri civil procedures rules that are used in all courts in Missouri.  A 'pro se' plaintiff can represent him/herself without a lawyer, however, our St. Louis accident injury lawyers never advise self-representation unless it is in a small claims court dispute.  Accident injury claims are serious cases that require the expertise of an experienced injury lawyer who knows his way around St. Louis civil courts.

Most accident claims for compensation in Missouri carry a five year statute of limitations.  There are exceptions to this general rule though!!!!  As a rule of thumb, always contact a St. Louis injury lawyer when you are injured in accident, even if it is just to seek advice on the applicable statute of limitations and pointers on how to deal with the insurance claims adjuster that will soon be a bug in your ear.

Filing a personal injury claim without a lawyer can be tricky.  Our St. Louis law firm has found that many clients who tried to first handle their own injury claim with the insurance company do more harm than good.  Recorded statements to medical record release authorizations to complicated settlement Release agreements, it can be very complex and chances are high that the common accident injury victim does not have the knowledge base to understand all the forms of compensation that are available to an accident victim.

If you have been injured in an accident, contact the lawyers at Schultz & Myers for a free consultation and case evaluation from an experienced attorney.  Lawyers on staff are waiting to answer your important questions and can be reached day or night at (314) 448-0934, or toll-free at (866) 840-3636.  Don't be victimized twice.

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.

You are involved in a car accident in the St. Louis area and what happens next is uncharted waters.  What is the car insurance claims process like?  Will the insurance claims adjuster settlement my claim for property damage or claim for personal injury fairly? Chances are you will do your best to work things out with the insurance companies.  Well be warned, you are in for a wild ride that will end up stressing you out to the extreme and resulting in an unfair settlement offer.  However, there may be no way for you to know what is fair or unfair without first consulting with a St. Louis personal injury lawyer.  Yes, it is time for you to get advice from a St. Louis accident injury lawyer. 

The insurance claims process is inherently complicated.  These insurance policies are written so ambiguously that even judges have a difficult time interpreting their actual meaning.  Don't despair.  A lawyer will help you make sure that all steps are taken to be certain that your claim for compensation is properly preserved.  Submitting medical records and medical bills with a demand for money is not the proper way to obtain fair compensation. Theories of negligence and future medical prognosis reports from well-respected doctors are just a part of what makes an effective claim for compensation.

Car accidents in St. Louis Missouri happen on a daily basis.  As such, most insurance claims adjusters are bombarded with new claims from people with and without legal representation.  Who do you think they will take more seriously?  Car accident lawyer know how to obtain results from adjusters, and in a timely manner.  Without a lawyer, you can bank on an extremely long process in which 12-18 months down the line you will ultimately end up hiring a lawyer due to a lowball settlement offer. 

Don't be victimized twice.  Just as the Missouri driving rules of the road are a roadmap for safely driving a car on our streets and highways, a lawyers strategies is the roadmap to a successful outcome in your personal injury claim. 

One of the most common topics in an initial consultation with a car accident injury claimant is pain and suffering.  Missouri law allows for compensation in a St. Louis car accident claim for general damages, which include pain and suffering.  So how much is pain and suffering worth in a personal injury claim?  This question has no definitive answer, but there are several guidelines to give you a ballpark.  First and foremost, it is a myth that a car accident injury claim can be valued at 3X your medical bills.  There is no truth to this proposition.  In fact, our St. Louis personal injury attorneys typically obtain much more than 3X medical 'specials' for each injury claim. 

The value of a pain and suffering claim depends on the injury sustained, particularly whether it was traumatic and whether it will be 'permanent.'  For example, whiplash often times resolves itself unless there is a permanent disc injury.  If there is a permanent disc injury, the value of pain and suffering increases because of the future medical issues which are probable to aggravate the victim for quite some time.  If the victim suffers an emotional injury, pain and suffering is likely not to be worth much.  For some reason, juries are apprehensive to award a large pain and suffering verdict for emotional or psychological damages.  Pain and suffering compensation is typically not permitted for a Missouri wrongful death claim, unless the decent suffered consciously prior to the death. 

Pain and suffering in a car accident claim also depends on the age of the victim.  Younger plaintiff's typically are valued higher when it comes to settling the pain and suffering part of the injury claim.  The younger the plaintiff, the longer the future he/she has to experience future pain and suffering.  If you suffer a neurological injury from a car accident at an early age, pain and suffering for your catastrophic injury claim can be 10X medical bills or even much more. 

All in all, speaking to a personal injury lawyer about the specific circumstances of your accident claim will provide you with advice as to the value of the pain and suffering part of your case for compensation.  Call the toll-free injury line by dialing (866) 840-3636 for advice from a top personal injury lawyer.  Don't wait for the insurance adjuster to TELL you what your pain and suffering claim is worth.  Get advice from a professional who knows Missouri law.

St. Louis personal injury and accident attorney Stephen Schultz has had his cases published in the Missouri Lawyers Weekly, St. Louis Post Dispatch, STL.TODAY.COM, News Channel 5, and other local media outlets. His cases have also been featured in nationwide legal publishing such as the Jere Beasley Report.  The St. Louis personal injury lawyers at Schultz Legal Group represent injury victims in automobile accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip & falls, products liability, medical negligence, and drug recall claims.  Our injury lawyers seek maximum compensation for each injured client.  No matter how small or large the injury case is, our attorneys work the case up as if it will go to trial.  A strong work ethic such as this is critical in obtaining full financial recovery for each case.

There is negligence everywhere.  Whether or not the negligence will result in liability depends on many factors.  One of the things our St. Louis car accident injury lawyers do is use our private investigator on each automobile accident case.  Even simple rear-enders will sometimes prove difficult and unless you treat each case as your top priority, evidence will fall through the cracks.  Our private investigators will obtain recorded statements on each car accident case.  These statements can later be used against the defendant as an 'admission'.  Often times we find that drivers are most candid BEFORE a defense lawyer or insurance claims adjuster 'coaches' them on what to say.  Getting our investigator involved early in each case is paramount to success.  It can make or break your car accident claim for compensation.

Don't leave your personal injury claim to chance.  You only get one shot and full compensation.  If you don't use the best, you won't get the best result.  Our results are boasted in legal and media periodicals across the country, and for good reason.  The personal injury attorneys at Schultz Legal Group at rated in the top 1% of trial lawyers in the country and rated Top 100 trial lawyers in the state of Missouri.  This recognition only comes with dedication to serious personal injury and wrongful death litigation, in conjunction with a passion to achieve the best possible result on each and every claim.  Contact our St. Louis car accident injury lawyers by calling the injury free consultation hotline at 314.448.0934 or toll-free at 866.840.3636.