A pedestrian accident case in St. Louis may be worth compensation for your medical bills, lost income, future medical care, pain and suffering, permanent disability, scarring, emotional trauma and other losses, but there is no fixed “average” pedestrian accident settlement in Missouri. The value depends primarily on how badly you were injured, whether the driver was clearly at fault, how the accident changed your life, the available insurance coverage and the strength of the evidence proving your damages. Pedestrian accidents frequently cause severe injuries because there is nothing protecting the person who is hit. At Sansone & Lauber, we represent pedestrians injured by negligent drivers throughout St. Louis and Missouri and determine what a case is actually worth based on the evidence — not what the insurance company wants to pay.
How Much Money Can I Get After Being Hit By a Car in St. Louis?
There is no legitimate calculator that can determine the value of every pedestrian accident claim.
Two people can be hit under similar circumstances and have completely different case values.
A person who suffers bruising and recovers quickly will generally have a substantially different claim than someone who suffers:
- A traumatic brain injury
- Multiple fractures
- Spinal cord damage
- Surgery
- Permanent nerve damage
- Loss of mobility
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Permanent disability
- Loss of earning capacity
- Lifelong pain or medical problems
The more serious and permanent the injury, the greater the potential value of the claim.
Sansone & Lauber’s published case results include a $2.3 million recovery involving a St. Louis-area pedestrian seriously injured by a drunk driver. Every case is different, however, and a past result never guarantees what another pedestrian accident case will be worth.
Learn more about our St. Louis pedestrian accident representation: St. Louis Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
7 Factors That Determine What Your St. Louis Pedestrian Accident Case Is Worth
1. How Serious Are Your Injuries?
This is usually one of the biggest factors.
A pedestrian who suffers a broken leg may have a valuable claim. A pedestrian who suffers a traumatic brain injury, spinal damage or permanent disability may have a substantially larger claim because the consequences can last for decades.
The question is not simply:
“How much were your medical bills?”
The real question is:
“How much did this accident change your life?”
2. Will You Need Future Medical Treatment?
A pedestrian case should not necessarily be settled while the long-term consequences of an injury remain unknown.
Future damages may include:
- Additional surgeries
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Prescription medication
- Pain management
- Medical equipment
- Home modifications
- In-home assistance
- Future specialist care
If an injury is permanent, the cost of future care can significantly increase the value of the case.
For serious head injuries, see: St. Louis Brain Injury Lawyer
3. How Much Income Have You Lost?
If your injuries prevent you from working, you may potentially seek compensation for lost wages.
More serious cases can also involve loss of future earning capacity.
For example, someone who can no longer perform the same physical job after suffering permanent leg, spinal or brain injuries may lose substantial income over the remainder of their career.
That future financial loss can become an important part of the case.
4. How Much Pain and Suffering Have You Experienced?
Pain and suffering is different from medical expenses.
It attempts to compensate you for what the injury actually did to your life.
That may include:
- Physical pain
- Emotional distress
- Loss of mobility
- Sleep problems
- Anxiety
- Loss of independence
- Inability to exercise
- Inability to participate in hobbies
- Difficulty caring for children
- Permanent limitations
- Loss of enjoyment of life
There is no universal Missouri pain-and-suffering formula that automatically determines what these losses are worth.
The evidence must tell the story.
5. Was the Driver Clearly at Fault?
Strong liability evidence can make a substantial difference.
Pedestrian crashes frequently involve allegations that a driver:
- Failed to yield
- Was texting or distracted
- Ran a red light
- Ignored a stop sign
- Was speeding
- Was intoxicated
- Made an unsafe turn
- Failed to see a pedestrian in a crosswalk
- Fled the accident scene
Evidence such as surveillance footage, dashcam video, witnesses, photographs, police reports, vehicle data and cellphone records may become critical.
If you were hit while legally crossing the street, read: Hit in a Crosswalk in Missouri?
6. What If the Insurance Company Says I Was Partly at Fault?
Do not assume that accusation destroys your case.
Missouri follows pure comparative fault. An injured person’s compensation can generally be reduced by their percentage of responsibility rather than automatically eliminated simply because they share some fault.
For example, if damages were determined to be $500,000 but the pedestrian were found 20% responsible, the recovery could potentially be reduced accordingly.
That is one reason insurance companies frequently try to shift responsibility onto pedestrians.
We investigate what actually happened rather than simply accepting the insurance adjuster’s version of the crash.
7. How Much Insurance Coverage Is Available?
A serious injury can be worth far more than the at-fault driver’s basic insurance policy.
An experienced pedestrian accident lawyer should investigate every potentially available source of compensation.
Depending on the facts, that may include:
- The driver’s liability coverage
- Additional applicable insurance policies
- Commercial insurance
- Employer coverage if the driver was working
- Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage
- Claims against additional responsible parties
Identifying all available coverage can be particularly important when the injuries are catastrophic.
What Compensation Can a Pedestrian Accident Victim Recover?
Depending on the case, compensation may include:
- Past medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional suffering
- Disability
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Rehabilitation expenses
- Loss of normal life
- Other accident-related financial losses
When a pedestrian accident results in death, surviving family members may have a separate Missouri wrongful death claim.
Learn more: St. Louis Wrongful Death Lawyer
How Long Do I Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit in Missouri?
For many Missouri personal injury claims, the general statute of limitations is five years, although different deadlines and exceptions can apply depending on the defendant and circumstances. Missouri Revised Statutes §516.120 includes a five-year limitations period for many actions involving injury to a person.
But waiting years to investigate a pedestrian accident can seriously damage the evidence.
Video may disappear.
Witnesses may become impossible to locate.
Vehicles may be repaired or destroyed.
Memories fade.
The deadline to file a lawsuit is not the deadline to start protecting your case.
Frequently Asked Questions About St. Louis Pedestrian Accident Settlements
What is the average pedestrian accident settlement in St. Louis?
There is no reliable single average settlement because pedestrian injuries range from temporary injuries to permanent catastrophic disabilities. Case value depends on the specific injuries, damages, liability evidence and insurance coverage.
Are pedestrian accident settlements usually higher than car accident settlements?
They can be. Pedestrians have virtually no physical protection when struck by a vehicle, so the injuries can be much more severe. More serious injuries and larger future losses can produce higher case values.
What is a pedestrian accident with surgery worth?
There is no automatic dollar amount for surgery. The type of surgery, recovery time, permanent impairment, future treatment, lost earnings and impact on your life all matter.
What if I suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a car?
Brain injuries can substantially increase the potential value of a pedestrian accident claim when they result in cognitive problems, memory loss, emotional changes, inability to work or permanent neurological impairment.
Should I accept the insurance company’s first settlement offer?
Do not accept an offer simply because the insurer says it is fair. Once a claim is fully settled and released, you generally cannot return later for additional compensation because your injuries turned out to be worse than expected.
How much does Sansone & Lauber charge?
We handle personal injury matters on a contingency-fee basis. There is no upfront attorney fee, and we do not receive an attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Find Out What Your St. Louis Pedestrian Accident Case May Really Be Worth
If a car hit you while you were walking in St. Louis or anywhere in Missouri, you should not have to guess what your injuries are worth.
And you should not rely on the driver’s insurance company to make that decision for you.
At Sansone & Lauber, we investigate the crash, determine who was responsible, document the full impact of your injuries, identify available insurance and prepare serious injury cases with trial in mind.
Our firm has recovered more than $1 billion for injured clients and represents people facing catastrophic, life-changing injuries throughout St. Louis and Missouri.
See our results: Sansone & Lauber Case Results
Call Sansone & Lauber now at 314-863-0500 for a free consultation.
No fee unless we win.
Don’t wait. Waiting can hurt your case.
The insurance company is already protecting itself.
Make sure someone is protecting you.
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