Did you sustain injuries in a motor vehicle accident involving a lane change in St. Louis, Missouri? If so, you may be able to file a claim and hold the responsible driver liable for your losses, including your pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, out-of-pocket expenses, and more. Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers can help you with the entire process.
We’re a preeminent personal injury law firm in the greater St. Louis area, and we have the track record of success to prove it. Our St. Louis lane change crash lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience, and we’ve obtained more than $100 million in compensation for our clients. We can get to work for you beginning today.
Call (314) 444-4444 if you’d like to get started or want to learn more. We offer a free initial consultation to review your case, go over your next steps, and offer legal advice.
How Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Lane Change Crash in St. Louis
Distracted driving is a serious issue throughout the country, and Missouri is no exception. In 2021, 71 people lost their lives across the state due to this type of negligent behavior. Driver inattentiveness can turn what should be a simple lane change into a disastrous, life-changing crash. If this has happened to you, you deserve to be compensated in full by the at-fault party.
Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers can handle your legal claim while you focus on recovering from the accident and your injuries. We cut no corners in providing our legal services, ensuring each case receives the attention, resources, and dedication it needs. When you hire our St. Louis car accident lawyers to help with your case, we can:
- Investigate your accident to identify your best legal course of action
- Evaluate the full extent of your damages
- Enlist the aid of experts as needed to strengthen your case
- Take care of all the necessary paperwork, communications, and procedures
- Negotiate with the opposing party on your behalf
- File a lawsuit and take the other side to court if needed
Contact our law office in St. Louis, MO, today to begin the process of recovering the compensation you need and deserve. Your initial case review has no obligations and is free of charge and we handle all types of car accidents like:
- Multi-vehicle car crashes
- DUI Accidents
- Hit and run accidents
- Single-vehicle accidents
- Head-on crashes
- Intersection crashes
- Parking lot accidents
- Highway crashes
- Rear-end accidents
- Rollover accidents
- U-Turn accidents
- Red and yellow light accidents
- Left-turn accidents
- Self-driving accidents
- Suv-rollover accidents
Common Causes of Lane Change Crashes in St. Louis, Missouri
Although distracted driving is a primary reason why lane change crashes can occur, it isn’t the only one. Other common causes of this type of accident include:
- Fatigued driving
- Failure to check blind spots
- Poor visibility or weather conditions
- Defective or malfunctioning parts, such as headlights
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Drunk or drugged driving
If you need a lane change crash attorney in St. Louis, look no further than Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers. Reach out today to learn about your legal rights and options.
Establishing Liability After a St. Louis Lane Change Crash
Missouri is an “at-fault” state for car insurance, which means you can pursue compensation directly from the responsible driver or their insurer after an accident. In order to prove that the opposing party is liable for your damages, you’ll generally need to show that they were negligent at the time of the lane change crash.
Negligence is a legal term that has a meaning similar to “carelessness.” A person is negligent when they violate a duty of care (such as the duty to drive safely), causing another person to suffer damages as a result.
As the personal injury victim, you’ll have the burden of proof to establish the at-fault party’s negligence by a preponderance of the evidence. In other words, you must present enough evidence to demonstrate your contentions are more likely true than not. Kinds of evidence you can submit include:
- Medical records
- Photos and videos
- Eyewitness testimony
- Expert analysis and testimony
Although the vast majority of car accident claims involve a negligence cause of action, others may utilize a different legal framework. For instance, if a defective part caused your St. Louis lane change crash, you may be able to file a product liability claim instead. Product liability claims rely on a strict liability cause of action instead of negligence and can be easier to prove in some cases.
What Damages Can I Recover After a Lane Change Crash in St. Louis, MO?
You can recover two types of compensatory damages after a lane change accident in St. Louis, Missouri: economic and non-economic.
Together, these damages are meant to compensate you for your financial losses as well as the other types of losses you may have suffered. Examples of each include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Loss of quality of life
- Lost wages
- Emotional distress
- Medical bills
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Decreased earning capacity
- PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other similar mental conditions
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Decreased enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
In rare cases, punitive damages may also be awarded. However, punitive damages are only available if the at-fault party intended to cause you harm or acted with deliberate indifference to your safety. There is also a higher burden of proof standard to recover punitive damages.
What’s the Time Limit To File a Lane Change Accident Claim in Missouri?
In Missouri, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is five years. By default, you’ll have five years from the accident date to file a claim against the at-fault party.
However, there are exceptions to this deadline in some cases. If you file your claim too late, you’ll forfeit your right to pursue compensation. For that reason, we recommend contacting our legal team as soon as possible after an accident to preserve your rights.
Schedule a Free Case Review With a Trusted St. Louis, MO Car Accident Attorney
If you’ve sustained injuries in a lane change crash in St. Louis, Missouri, Schultz & Myers Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for compensation against the at-fault driver.
Our St. Louis, MO car accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we don’t receive attorney’s fees unless and until we win or settle your claim. You can also hire us without any upfront payment.
Call us today at (314) 444-4444 to schedule your free consultation with one of our experienced car accident lawyers in St. Louis.
Additional St. Louis Car Accident Resources
- Road Defects
- Seatbelt Injuries
- Airbag Injuries
- Most Dangerous Roads/Intersections
- Car Accident Statistics
- Child Car Seat Laws
- Car Accident Liability
- Car Inspection Laws
- Passenger Negligence
- Uninsured Motorist Claims
- Car Color Crash Risk
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