Personal Injury + Wrongful Death
Other Practice AreasAn injury can be life-changing. The death of a loved one is devastating for other family members. Making these matters worse is the senseless cause of the injury or death. The people or companies that cause the injuries or death more often than not carry insurance. The last thing you or your family want to or should deal with are insurance adjusters. You should not talk to an insurance company without consulting a lawyer. Let Pleban & Associates help you as your personal injury lawyer. Our firm helps individuals with all aspects of these claims from insurance adjusters through trial. Our aggressive strategies have helped individuals and families obtain millions in damages with decades of results.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle
- Wrongful Deaths
- Car & Truck Accidents
- Bad Faith Insurance Litigation
- Underinsured and Uninsured Coverage
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Product Liability
- Slip and Fall
- Medical Malpractice
- Nursing Home Abuse, Malpractice
- Vaccine Injuries
Can a personal injury be mental?
Yes. Damages arising from a personal injury claim include “pain and suffering.” These would be in addition to any actual expenses incurred for things like medical bills, car repair and lost wages. Unlike those actual damages, pain and suffering, or mental injuries, do not have an exact amount attached to it. Pain and suffering will differ from case to case. This would, for example, include the pain of a car crash, time in the hospital, a surgery, rehabilitation and so on. In Missouri, a plaintiff can claim what is called “garden variety emotional distress damages.” When that occurs, there is no waiver of the physician-patient privilege for mental health providers. State ex rel. Dean v. Cunningham, 182 S.W.3d 561 (Mo. banc 2006).
When should I hire a personal injury lawyer?
As soon as you are well enough to speak with an attorney. In the meantime, it is important to consider the people with whom you discuss the injury and events leading up to it. At Pleban & Associates, we advise clients to only speak with us. The at fault party like has insurance. Often, an insurance adjuster will attempt to contact an injured victim right away. We have seen this occur while the injured party is still in the hospital.
What do personal injury lawyers charge? How much does a personal injury lawsuit cost?
At Pleban & Associates, we offer personal injury victims a contingency fee contract. So, our personal injury clients will pay us nothing until there is a settlement/verdict. For our services, we take a percentage of the recovery.
Will insurance cover personal injury claims?
In most cases, yes. Drivers in Missouri are required to carry minimum insurance of $25,000/person and $50,000/accident arising from bodily injury or death. RSMo § 303.020(10). Unfortunately, some drivers do not carry insurance. Additionally, others flee the scene and are never caught. Despite that, your own uninsured motorist coverage will pay for the damages. Even if you do not know the other driver or that persons was no carrying insurance, call Pleban & Associates to help guide you through the world of insurance.