Missouri Car Accident Lawyers
Tell Us What Happened
Featured Car Accident Results
Experiencing a Car Accident is Overwhelming and Stressful
No Loose Ends
The following are legal issues that often come up in car accident injury settlements:
Healthcare Liens
Minor Settlements
Medicare
Union Health Plans
Tell us what happened.
We'll take it from here.
- Were you injured?
- Did another driver, company, or unsafe condition contribute?
- Are medical bills, missed work, or insurance issues becoming stressful?
- Has the insurance company contacted you already?
What to Do Immediately After a Car Accident
If possible, document the accident scene by taking photos of the vehicles, road conditions, and any visible property damage. Exchange information with the other driver and gather contact details from witnesses. It is also important to notify law enforcement so an official report is created.
Avoid discussing fault with insurance adjusters before speaking with an experienced car accident attorney. Insurance providers often attempt to minimize claims early in the process. An experienced attorney can help preserve evidence, protect your rights, and guide you through the next steps of pursuing a car accident lawsuit.
Download Our What to Do After a Car Accident: A Comprehensive Guide
Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents in Missouri
Traffic accidents happen for many reasons, but most crashes are caused by preventable driver negligence. Many of the auto accident cases we handle involve drivers who were distracted, impaired, or disregarding traffic signals.
Distracted driving is one of the fastest-growing causes of crashes, often involving texting or using mobile devices while driving. Drunk driving accidents also continue to cause severe injuries and wrongful death lawsuits across Missouri. Other common causes include improper lane changes, speeding, and drivers failing to yield.
Commercial vehicle accidents can be particularly devastating due to the size and weight of trucks or delivery vehicles. When these crashes occur, victims may face severe injuries and significant medical expenses. Our legal team investigates every detail of how the accident occurred to identify the at fault driver and pursue financial compensation for Missouri car accident victims.
When the other driver's story doesn't match the damage on the road, we turn to the car itself. Nearly every modern vehicle has an Event Data Recorder — the automotive equivalent of a black box — that captures the seconds before, during, and after a crash: speed, throttle position, brake application, steering input, seatbelt status, and airbag deployment. Preserving and decoding that data early is one of the most powerful things a serious personal injury firm can do, and it's often the difference between a he-said-she-said dispute and a case built on hard numbers. Learn more about how we use event data recorder evidence to prove liability.
Understanding Car Accident Claims
Serious Injuries That Can Result From Auto Accidents
In more severe cases, car crashes can cause spinal cord injuries that permanently affect a person’s mobility and quality of life. Victims may require future medical care, long-term rehabilitation, or specialized medical equipment.
Beyond the physical impact, accident victims often suffer emotional trauma as well. The financial strain of lost wages, mounting medical expenses, and ongoing treatment can make recovery even more difficult. Our personal injury lawyers work closely with medical experts to fully understand the extent of your injuries and seek compensation for both current and future damages.
Compensation Available in Car Accident Claims
Victims can also pursue compensation for lost wages if their injuries prevent them from working. In cases involving long-term disability, compensation may include future lost earning capacity.
Property damage is another important component of many claims, including the cost to repair or replace a vehicle and other personal property damaged in the crash. Our goal is to secure maximum compensation that fully reflects the physical, emotional, and financial impact of the accident.
How Insurance Companies Try to Reduce Your Claim
Insurance providers may attempt to dispute liability, downplay serious injuries, or argue that certain medical expenses are unrelated to the accident. In some cases, they offer a quick settlement that fails to account for future medical care or ongoing treatment.
Having an experienced attorney on your side can make a significant difference. Our auto accident attorneys handle negotiations with insurance providers and push back against unfair tactics. We work to secure a fair settlement that reflects the true value of your case.
Learn how to Navigate auto accidents and health insurance claims in Missouri.
Missouri Car Accident Laws That May Affect Your Case
Explanation of Legal Rights and Options for Accident Victims
Why Choose Us
Expertise and Experience
Personalized Attention
Comprehensive Support
Aggressive Advocacy
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle
Rear-End Collisions
Head-On Collisions
T-Bone Accidents
Multi-Vehicle Pile-Ups
Hit and Run Incidents
Our Approach to Handling Car Accident Claims
Initial Consultation
Evidence Collection
Negotiation with Insurers
Litigation
Continuous Support
How Liability Is Determined After a Car Accident
Determining liability is one of the most important steps in any car accident lawsuit. In many motor vehicle accident cases, multiple parties may share responsibility for the crash. This can include the at fault driver, a commercial vehicle operator, a vehicle manufacturer, or even a government entity responsible for road maintenance.
Our legal team conducts a thorough investigation to determine how the accident occurred. This may include reviewing police reports, examining photographs from the accident scene, interviewing witnesses, and working with accident reconstruction experts.
EDR data has helped us win some of our biggest car accident verdicts and settlements. It has shown that a defendant was traveling 22 mph over the limit when they claimed they weren't speeding, that a commercial driver never touched the brakes before rear-ending our client, and that an at-fault driver's airbag system registered the impact a full second before they said they saw our client's vehicle. Because this data can be overwritten or lost within days of a crash, acting fast matters. If you've been hurt in a collision, contact us immediately so we can send a preservation letter and get the black box data pulled from the vehicles involved.
Insurance providers often try to shift blame or argue that victims contributed to the crash. An experienced car accident attorney can challenge these claims and gather the evidence necessary to pursue just compensation for Missouri car accident victims.
When You May Need to File a Car Accident Lawsuit
For example, insurance companies may deny liability, dispute the severity of serious injuries, or refuse to offer a fair settlement that covers medical expenses, lost wages, and future medical care. When negotiations stall, filing a lawsuit allows your experienced attorney to pursue the compensation you deserve through the court system.
Our auto accident attorneys prepare every case as if it may go to trial. This approach strengthens your position during negotiations and increases the likelihood of securing maximum compensation.
Types of Evidence That Strengthen a Car Accident Claim
Important evidence may include photographs from the accident scene, medical records documenting serious injuries, witness statements, and vehicle damage reports showing property damage. In some cases, surveillance footage or dash camera recordings may provide valuable insight into how the accident occurred.
Our legal team also works with medical professionals to document the full extent of injuries and necessary medical treatment. This documentation helps demonstrate the true impact of the accident and supports your claim for maximum compensation.
Car Accidents Involving Uninsured or Underinsured Drivers
Many insurance policies include uninsured motorist coverage or underinsured motorist coverage. These provisions may help cover medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage when the at fault driver does not have sufficient insurance.
An experienced attorney can review your policy and identify potential sources of recovery. This ensures that Missouri car accident victims have every opportunity to seek compensation for their injuries and financial losses.
The Long-Term Impact of Severe Car Accident Injuries
Spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other severe injuries can result in permanent disability or ongoing medical complications. In these cases, victims may require long-term medical attention and future medical care that extends far beyond the initial recovery period.
Our personal injury lawyers work with medical experts and financial specialists to estimate the full cost of these long-term consequences. This allows us to pursue financial compensation that reflects both current expenses and the lasting impact of the accident.
Read our guide: Understanding the Value of Your Personal Injury Case.
How a Car Accident Attorney Helps Protect Your Rights
An experienced car accident attorney can manage every aspect of your case, from gathering evidence to negotiating with insurance providers. This allows you to focus on recovery while your legal team works to protect your interests.
Most personal injury lawyers handle auto accident cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients do not pay legal fees unless compensation is recovered. This allows injured victims to pursue justice without worrying about upfront legal costs.
Car Accident FAQs
Hiring a lawyer doesn’t affect your insurance premiums. They advocate for your legal rights and compensation, hiring an attorney is not a legal basis for an insurance company to raise your rates. Generally speaking, if the accident was not your fault, your insurance company cannot raise your rates. See Missouri State Administrative Code 20 CSR 500-2.600, Rate Increases.
The short answer: yes — and the data backs it up.
The Insurance Research Council, a research organization funded by the insurance industry itself, found that accident victims with legal representation receive settlements nearly 3.5 times higher than those without. That finding has been consistent across multiple study updates since 1999. A separate study by Lawyers.com found that 91 percent of participants who had a lawyer received a payout, compared to 51 percent who did not — and even after accounting for the attorney's contingency fee, claimants with legal representation still walked away with approximately three times more compensation than those without a lawyer.
Why the difference? Insurance companies are not on your side. Former insurance industry insiders have described a deliberate strategy adopted by major auto carriers: delay handling your claim, deny you were hurt, and defend their position in drawn-out court battles — the "three Ds." Their goal is what one CNN investigation described as forcing "smaller walk-away settlements" from people who don't know what their case is actually worth.
When an attorney is involved, insurance companies internally transfer the file from a pre-litigation adjuster — trained to minimize payouts — to an experienced litigation adjuster who understands jury verdict risk. That shift in who is handling your case changes the math for the insurance company. The threat of a trial, handled by attorneys they know will actually try the case, is often what turns a lowball offer into a fair one.
At Uhrig & Brown, we handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis — meaning you pay no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. There is no cost to speak with us, and no obligation to move forward. But the sooner you call after a crash, the better position you're in to preserve evidence and protect your rights.