You cannot prevent other drivers on Missouri roads and highways from acting carelessly and causing accidents. But you can take charge of the situation after the accident by making the right decisions about hiring a skilled car accident lawyer. Our St. Louis car accident lawyers have extensive experience in handling car accidents and injuries throughout St. Louis. We will listen carefully to your concerns and offer trusted guidance.
St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer
The injury attorneys at Sansone & Lauber focus on helping our fellow citizens in St. Louis who have been injured in car accidents caused by negligence. Our firm has obtained millions of dollars in compensation for our clients who have sustained serious injuries as a result of the negligence of others.
If you have been harmed by another driver’s carelessness or disregard for safety, we will fight for you. You need a strong advocate who understands what you are going through and can help you recover from a car crash. We do not represent insurance companies or large corporations.
How Much Is My St. Louis Car Accident Settlement Worth?
After a serious collision, our knowledgeable auto accident attorneys will assess your injuries and property damage in order to prepare a claim and try to negotiate a fair settlement. The settlement of an auto accident should reflect the extent of your financial losses and other damages.
Damages in a car accident include specific costs such as your medical bills, lost income, and the costs of repairing or replacing a damaged automobile. Other damages include compensation for pain and suffering associated with injuries caused by a car accident.
A car accident settlement includes an approximation of what a jury might determine for pain and suffering. More severe injuries—such as paralysis, fractures, brain trauma, scarring, and disfigurement—are typically valued higher than less serious injuries such as whiplash and soft tissue strains and sprains.
An out-of-court settlement allows you to receive money more quickly after a car accident. A settlement may be reached at any time, even while a car accident case is being tried in court. Insurance companies will typically make a lowball offer if you try to reach a settlement without the help of a accident attorney. Obtaining a just settlement typically requires aggressive negotiation by an experienced car accident lawyer.
Speak with a St. Louis Car Accident Attorney Now
Traffic accidents can present complex problems, especially when multiple vehicles are involved. These upsetting, complicated, stressful, and expensive situations require a compassionate, honest, and experienced legal team with real strength of character and decades of experience. Our team will make this entire process as pain-free as possible and ensure you get the best result for you and your loved ones.
Sansone & Lauber and his team believe in respect, integrity, and family values. We are a “client first” law firm with decades of experience, and we will work tirelessly to recover as much as possible on your claim. And you don’t pay us anything unless and until we win your case!
THEY WILL TRY TO DENY YOUR CLAIM! Dealing with car insurance companies can cause nightmares.
Remember that the insurance company’s goal is to DENY a car accident claim, NOT TO PAY IT!
If they can’t avoid paying it, believe me, they will do EVERYTHING they can to pay as LITTLE as possible—that is how they make their profit. Do not sign anything until you speak with one of our team members, because you risk losing some or all of the compensation that is due to you.
Even if you THINK you’re ready to settle—call us first! We are proud to offer case evaluations for free. Car accident lawyers are a resource you need – and deserve – in this trying time. Don’t hesitate. Please submit your claim for our FREE evaluation by contacting us HERE!
Or, if you want to talk to one of our team members RIGHT NOW, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, pick up the phone right now and call 314-863-0500. Remember, your consultation is FREE, and you pay NOTHING unless we win your case!
Compensation for Your St. Louis Car Accident Claim
What is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident?
Many people contact our law firm with the same question: How much will I receive for my car accident settlement? There is never a single (or simple) answer to this question, as the answer depends directly on your individual circumstances. Many people have no idea what their claim is worth until they have an experienced attorney fully evaluate their situation.
What we DO know is that medical care in the U.S. is expensive! This is true no matter how serious your injuries may be. The following are some average costs of medical treatment you may need for your car accident injuries:
- An ambulance ride can be around $1,000
- A visit to the emergency room regularly costs $1,000 to $20,000, depending on the services
- Hospitals stays in Missouri can be around $2,750 per night or more
- Surgeries can cost tens of thousands of dollars
- Physical therapy can cost as much as $350 per session
Some people suffer injuries that require additional care, including time in the intensive care unit (ICU), home health care, assisted living, medical equipment, and more.
Every client we help will have different costs and losses. Whether your losses are $1,000 or $1 million, you still deserve to receive compensation from the liable party. If someone else caused your crash, you should never have to cover your own costs. Call a St. Louis car accident lawyer today to get a personalized evaluation for free.
How Insurance Companies Dispute Liability In St. Louis Car Accident Cases
Because most drivers on Missouri roads carry auto insurance, insurance companies tend to play a huge role in car accident cases in which a victim seeks damages from another driver who was at fault. Typically, a victim who gets injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by another driver will look to that other driver’s insurance to pay for damages, and the other driver’s insurance company will often pay for that other driver’s defense lawyer.
The victim’s lawyer’s job frequently involves negotiating with the other driver’s insurance company, either directly with an insurance company employee or indirectly with a lawyer who specializes in representing insured, at-fault drivers (known as an insurance defense lawyer).
Understanding the Basics of Insurance Companies
Generally speaking, it’s a good thing that insurance companies are there to help compensate victims of auto accidents. That’s one of the major purposes of buying insurance, after all—to protect yourself against being personally liable to someone you hurt through negligence.
However, because insurance companies are essentially huge reserves of money that may be tapped to pay for a car accident victim’s injuries, they are not easy targets.
Insurance companies, obviously, are in the business of making money. In the most basic sense, they make a profit by collecting more money in premiums from policyholders than they pay out in benefits to people covered by their policies.
No matter what they say in their television commercials, insurance companies are never excited to pay money to injured people, especially when the injured person isn’t their customer but instead is a victim of their customer’s negligence or wrongful actions.
Insurance companies’ business depends on limiting the number of people they must pay benefits to and the amount of those benefits. They do that by trying to pick apart the insurance claims that injured people make.
Insurance adjusters are the insurance company employees who investigate insurance claims and decide whether and how much to pay out on a claim. Many insurance adjusters only investigate car accidents and have lots of experience in spotting ways to minimize how much money the insurance company has to pay.
Insurance Adjuster Tactics
Victims seeking compensation from someone else who is covered by an insurance policy need have a lawyer on their side to interact with these adjusters, so that the adjusters do not take advantage. Some typical tactics insurance adjusters use to limit the insurance company’s exposure include:
- Offering quick, low settlements in exchange for a liability waiver, hoping the victim will not yet have a lawyer and is in financial distress. Insurance adjusters know that fast money can feel attractive to people who are strapped for cash and grieving or struggling to come to terms with a life-changing injury. If insurance adjusters see a chance to take advantage of that vulnerability to limit the insurance company’s financial exposure, then they will. If an insurance adjuster for the other driver or someone else’s insurance company calls offering quick money, that’s most likely a sign that you have a claim worth significantly more than what they’re putting on the table. Tempting as it might feel to take the money and put the whole car accident behind you, don’t. That money comes with strings that may tie up your ability to recover additional money later. Politely decline the offer and refer the insurance adjuster to your attorney. The adjuster has no obligation whatsoever to act in your best interests. Your lawyer does.
- Questioning the extent of the victim’s injuries and/or whether the victim is trying to recover damages for an injury that the car accident didn’t actually cause (for example, a preexisting back injury). If an insurance company can show that the victim is making the injury sound worse than it actually is, or that the victim didn’t sustain the injury in the accident but instead got hurt somewhere else or for some other reason, then the insurance company may try to escape liability for paying for the costs and pain and suffering of the injury.
Do Not Give an Insurance Adjuster a Recorded Statement
Insurance adjusters are not your friends. Their mission is to limit the financial exposure of their insurance company. They’ve spoken with thousands of people just like you. They don’t want to pay you. They will use techniques they’ve honed to try to get you to admit you were at least partially at fault for the accident.
An insurance adjuster will try to get you to give a recorded statement. Do not agree to one. Recorded conversations with insurance adjusters are an ambush, and you’re the target. Politely decline to give a recorded statement and refer the insurance adjuster to your lawyer. Stick to your guns, even if the adjuster tries to bully you by telling you that you have a legal obligation to give a recorded statement or by trying to make you feel guilty for declining the conversation.
It is absolutely reasonable and responsible for you to ask for the opportunity to review their request with your lawyer first. Your attorney will advise you whether you have any obligation to speak with the adjuster. In our experience, most of the time that obligation doesn’t exist.
These are just a few of the techniques insurance adjusters may use against vulnerable accident victims. The best defense against these tactics is to have a lawyer on your side right away after you sustain injuries in a car accident, so that you have an experienced negotiator to handle discussions with the insurance adjuster or insurance defense attorney from the get-go.
When Insurance Companies Act in Bad Faith
Not only will a skilled St. Louis car accident attorney know how to avoid the tricks and pitfalls that insurance adjusters try to use to minimize damages, but the car accident lawyer will also spot when an insurance company is acting in bad faith and hold them to account, if need be.
Under Missouri law, an insurance company that acts in bad faith toward an insured party (including a victim of a policyholder’s negligence) may be liable to the victim for additional damages, including punitive damages and attorney fees.
Examples of bad faith can include purposefully ignoring evidence of a covered claim or delaying payment on a valid claim.
When Multiple Insurance Companies Are Involved
Sometimes, it’s not just the other driver’s insurance company that a car accident victim and his lawyer may have to contend with.
In cases like the ones mentioned above where a non-driver is at fault for causing an accident, an insurance company representing the non-driver (such as an insurer for an auto parts company, or the property liability insurance carrier for a restaurant) may also come into the picture.
Oftentimes, these insurance companies will fight doubly hard because their customers’ (and their own) liability exposure may be far larger than to a single car accident victim.
Insurance Companies Are Never On Your Side
In short, in car accident cases, insurance exists to help pay damages to victims of someone’s negligence. But don’t be fooled. The at-fault party’s insurance company is never on your side. Insurance adjusters will do everything in their power to deny or limit the benefits they must pay.
When it comes to proving the existence and severity of personal injuries, and in particular, catastrophic injuries and damages, the accident victim has the burden of proof, and insurance adjusters will use this burden to their advantage.
Whenever an accident victim seeks compensation for serious injuries and damages, the insurance company will likely downplay the seriousness and extent of the injuries and will look for other possible causes of the injuries or impairments.
Call Sansone & Lauber When a Car Accident Devastates Your Life
From connecting with a client’s personal tragedy to identifying the at-fault parties in an accident, from gathering evidence to proving negligence or strict liability and negotiating with insurance adjusters and defense lawyers, Sansone & Lauber is a St. Louis-area law firm committed to serving the needs of motor vehicle accident victims and their families.
We have years of experience and a track record of results, having recovered millions of dollars for our car accident clients.
If a motor vehicle accident has devastated your life, either by leaving you with a serious injury or by tragically taking a loved one from you, our team of skilled, compassionate attorneys is here to help.
Call us today at (314) 863-0500 or contact or chat with us online, to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team and discuss whether we can help you recover the compensation you deserve.
Contact Our Experienced St. Louis Car Accident Attorneys Right Away!
If you were in a car collision or lost a loved one, speak to the skilled St. Louis car accident lawyer legal team at Sansone & Lauber, to discuss your case, determine if anyone is liable for your damages, and fight for maximum compensation on your behalf.
The auto collision team at Sansone & Lauber, understand how to investigate your case, work with the insurance company to get all of the compensation you deserve—and when the insurance company refuses to reach a settlement, file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Missouri auto accident laws can prove complicated and difficult to navigate. You want the team of auto collision attorneys and legal professionals at Sansone & Lauber, to protect your rights as well as the rights of your loved ones.
The legal team of Sansone & Lauber, is nationally recognized for protecting the rights of car accident victims for almost 20 years. If you were injured in an automobile accident in St. Louis, call our office right now to schedule a free consultation!
Because we take all of our personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case!
We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 314-863-0500 for IMMEDIATE HELP!
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