Padberg Appelbaum Knepper provides legal representation for personal injury accidents in St. Louis, MO, and throughout the states of Missouri and Illinois. Our firm is proud to rank among the best personal injury law firms by U.S. News. We commit to achieving successful results for our clients.
Accidents can be emotional and overwhelming. Our team of compassionate St. Louis personal injury attorneys know the lasting impact can be just as painful and stressful as the injury itself — and the wounds are not always physical. Harm can range from medical bills and property damage to lost wages or even death.
Personal injury law allows a person to recover compensation for the damages inflicted by another party. In most cases, when we sue the person that hurt you, it is their insurance company that controls the case, provides the defense and makes decisions regarding compensation. Cases are complex, therefore they can take months or even years to come to a resolution.
Above all, it is important to select a personal injury lawyer in St. Louis with knowledge and experience you can fully rely on. At Padberg Appelbaum Knepper, we have been fighting insurance companies for decades. Several of our attorneys even represented insurance companies in the past and know how they operate. Our goal is to help you and your loved ones begin the healing process by making you financially whole again. Schedule your complimentary consultation today.
FAQs: Questions to ask a personal injury attorney
Click to jump to a question and answer:
- What Types of Cases Do You Take?
- What Types of Injuries Have You Represented?
- How Much Will a Lawsuit Cost Me?
- What Types of Monetary Damages Can I Recover?
- Who Can I Sue for My Injury?
- Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
- Will My Case Go to Trial?
What Types of Cases Do You Take?
Our team of St. Louis personal injury lawyers can handle all types of claims. Examples of cases include:
- Airplane Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Child and Day Care Abuse
- Construction Site Injuries
- Fire and Gas Explosions
- Iron Worker Injuries
- Medical Malpractice
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Nursing Home and Elderly Abuse
- Pharmaceutical Litigation
- Premises Liability
- Product Liability
- Slip & Fall Injuries
- Trucking Accidents
- Workers’ Compensation
- Wrongful Death
From our office in Lafayette Square, we consult with individuals who are seeking an experienced personal injury lawyer in St. Louis, MO. In addition, we are also licensed to represent clients located throughout Missouri and Illinois, including Cape Girardeau, Metro East and the greater St. Louis metropolitan area.
What Types of Injuries Have You Represented?
Victims of personal injury accidents can experience a wide range of injuries. With each case, it’s important for your legal team to fully understand the medical diagnosis. This will help us frame a compelling argument against the other party. Along with our on-staff legal nurse consultant, the attorneys at Padberg Appelbaum Knepper have represented clients who experienced the following types of injuries:
- Aggravation (exacerbation) of a pre-existing condition
- Air embolism
- Amputation
- Back and neck injury
- Broken, dislocated and fractured bones
- Burns
- COVID-19
- Electrocution
- Herniated disc
- Permanent and partial paralysis
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Severe laceration
- Sepsis, bed sore and infection
- Spinal cord injuries and vertebral artery dissection
- Traumatic brain injury
We have handled hundreds of other cases which may not fit neatly into the categories listed here. Therefore, we encourage you to reach out if you believe you have been injured in some way. Set up a complimentary consultation to share your story with a personal injury lawyer near you.
How Much Will a Lawsuit Cost Me?
The best personal injury law firms work on a contingency fee basis. On other words, our clients do not pay anything unless we win a settlement or judgment for their case. We do not charge hourly fees or retainers. At the end of the case, our payment is based on a percentage of winnings. This is agreed upon prior to starting the case, as well as repayment for the related costs.
What Types of Monetary Damages Can I Recover?
If you have been involved in a personal injury accident in St. Louis or elsewhere in Missouri or Illinois, you may be entitled to receive monetary compensation. This could include:
- Compensation for medical expenses, property damage, current and future lost wages, and other specific costs directly related to the injury.
- Compensation for non-monetary damages, including pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of companionship.
- Punitive damages, which the court may award for accidents and injuries caused by reckless behavior.
Who Can I Sue for My Injury?
When evaluating a lawsuit, one of the first steps we will take is determining who caused the injury. Similarly, we evaluate several elements in order to prove liability.
In some scenarios, more than one person can be responsible. We assign a degree of fault to all involved parties in percentages that add up to 100%. We refer to this as contributory fault.
If the accident happened at work, you are entitled to file a worker’s compensation claim against your employer. When a workplace injury occurs because of negligent or reckless actions of a co-worker, you may also be able to file a lawsuit against the individual, known as co-employee liability case.
To sum up, you have the right to consult with a personal injury attorney and to pursue legal action, even if you may be partly responsible for an accident or injury.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
We know firsthand that each scenario is different. Therefore, it is approached on a case-by-case basis.
Firstly, we listen to each person’s unique story to determine whether or not they may have a claim. Typically, this takes place during a free consultation between the injured person and one of our personal injury lawyers in St. Louis. On the other hand, if the incident involves a minor child or a deceased loved one, we meet with an immediate relative or the person acting as power of attorney (POA).
There is a deadline for filing cases, known as a statute of limitations, so it is important to seek the advice of a personal injury law attorney near you as soon as you believe you may have a case.
Will My Case Go to Trial?
All of our St. Louis personal injury lawyers are trial tested and ready to go the distance for our clients. And while a jury trial is always a possibility, most cases settle before going that far. This happens for several reasons.
- Litigation can take a long time.
- Leaving the decision up to a judge or jury can have unpredictable results.
- Reaching a settlement offers the opportunity to fairly and quickly compensate an injured party without going through a long, drawn out trial.
In addition, mediation is another form of resolution that can take the place of going to trial. This process can be court ordered or voluntary and is facilitated by a neutral third party.
In either situation, if the other party refuses to settle or presents an unreasonable settlement offer in mediation, then our personal injury lawyers in St. Louis, Missouri, will move forward with trial.
In conclusion, the team at Padberg Appelbaum Knepper ranks among the best personal injury lawyers in St. Louis. Our attorneys have tried and settled thousands of personal injury cases and have recovered more than $250,000,000 in settlements and judgments for our clients to date.