Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

The Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) collects and analyzes crash information each year in an attempt to reduce the most common types of vehicle crashes. Motorcycle crashes remain a serious concern for public safety officials, since motorcyclists are more exposed while on the road than those in cars. Therefore, motorcyclists suffer more serious injuries in some kinds of crashes.

A recent report issued by the DPS revealed the following Missouri motorcycle accidents statistics:

• Approximately 100 people are killed and over 2,000 are injured each year in Missouri motorcycle accidents.
• About 45 percent of Missouri motorcycle crashes start when one motor vehicle hits another. Often, these collisions involve the motorcycle itself. Another 33 percent occur when a motorcycle strikes a fixed object, like a pole, roadway barrier, tree, or building.
• Overall, about 51 percent of motorcycle accidents occur in urban areas and 49 percent in rural areas. However, rural crashes are more deadly, as 60.4 percent of Missouri motorcyclists involved in rural crashes in 2006 lost their lives.
• About 30 percent of motorcyclists who were wearing a helmet during a crash were killed or seriously disabled. When the helmets came off, that number rose to 37 percent.

Motorcyclists have a right to share Missouri roads with other vehicles, and drivers have a responsibility to watch out for bikers. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, the experienced St. Louis motorcycle crash attorneys at Page Law can help you understand and protect your legal rights. Call us today at 314-322-8515, the consultation is free, and your information is always kept confidential.

A head-on auto accident in Osage County recently left seven people injured and claimed the life of one of the drivers involved in the crash, according to a recent news report from KSDK.

The crash occurred on US Highway 63 near Westphalia. According to investigators, the driver of a car traveling north on 63 lost control and swerved into the southbound lane, where she collided with a car traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the car that crossed the center line was killed in the crash. The impact of the collision had pushed her car off the road and into a ditch, where she was thrown from the vehicle. Her two passengers, both children, also suffered severe injuries. One of the children was thrown from the car along with the driver.

The driver of the car in the opposite lane was also severely injured in the accident. Rescue workers say that the four passengers in that vehicle also suffered moderate injuries, but they have not said whether any of those injuries were life-threatening. All the injured individuals were taken to area hospitals to receive care.

Car accidents are far too common on Missouri roads, and they can have tragic results. If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Missouri frontal impact car accident attorneys at Page Law. To discuss your case with us, call 314-322-8515. The call is free, and your information is always kept confidential.

Motorcycle accidents in St. Louis and throughout Missouri can leave bikers with serious injuries. In the worst crashes, the motorcyclist may not survive, leaving family members and friends to deal with the high emotional and economic costs of the crash.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the cost of a motorcycle accident includes both the medical costs of responding to injuries and the costs of missed work and home opportunities when a motorcyclist loses his or her life. In 2005, the CDC estimated that medical costs alone amounted to over $9,900 per fatal motorcycle crash victim. These costs often include payments for rescue workers, transportation to a hospital, and the time and energy that medical staff put in while fighting to save a severely injured biker’s life.

Unlike medical bills, work-related losses aren’t charged to the family on bills from the hospital or doctors. Instead, these numbers represent what a motorcyclist whose life was cut short by a crash would have contributed to the household if he or she had survived. The CDC estimates that Missouri families who lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident in 2005 also lost about $949,000 apiece in work that person would have done if he or she had not been killed.

When a motorcycle accident results in a loved one’s death, the blow can hit the finances of survivors along with their hearts and minds. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a motorcycle crash, the experienced Missouri motorcycle accident attorneys at Page Law. To learn more about your legal rights and options after a crash, call us today at 314-PAGE-LAW for a free consultation.

Automaker Subaru has recently recalled or has plans to recall several vehicles manufactured and sold by the company. The recall is due to defective parts or other issues that may cause safety problems that increase the risk of a car accident, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal.

Subaru Outback and Legacy vehicles produced in the 2010 and 2011 model years will be subject to a recall that is expected to be made public in November 2011. A problem with the windshield wiper motor in these vehicles can cause the wipers to stop working; making visibility difficult and a crash more likely in times of heavy rain or snow. The company estimates that about 195,000 vehicles built between January 2010 and May 2011 will be affected.

In addition, Subaru has recently recalled several model years of its Impreza and Forester vehicles, as well as the Saab 9-2x. These vehicles have been found to have control arm problems that can cause the control arms to break, leaving the driver with little or no control over the direction the vehicle is traveling. This problem is most likely to occur in states where the weather requires regular salting or de-icing of roads, which can cause corrosion that leads to the control arms breaking. Missouri drivers of these vehicles may be affected, and should contact Subaru or their dealership for a fix.

Missouri drivers who are injured in car accidents caused by defective vehicle parts have certain rights under state and federal law. If you’ve been injured in a crash that you believe was caused by a vehicle defect, the experienced St. Louis personal injury lawyers at Page Law can help. Call us today at 314-PAGE-LAW for a free and confidential consultation.

The state government of Missouri is working with the U.S. Department of Labor and the governments of neighboring states, including Kansas, to uncover and stop employers who try to violate federal wage rules. The violations Missouri and the Labor Department are seeking to prevent include: failures to pay the minimum wage, provide overtime, or to pay for workers' compensation and other liability insurance.

Most of the violations are related to misclassifying workers, according to a recent article in The Kansas City Star. Workers who meet the requirements to be classified as "employees" under state and federal labor law must be classified as employees and given access to workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, and other basic legal rights granted to employees in a wide range of businesses.

Businesses that misclassify employees as "independent contractors" or as non-employees, however, can avoid paying payroll taxes, unemployment benefits, or workers' compensation insurance premiums or benefits. In addition to losing wages they would have otherwise earned, mis-classified workers are also at a risk of being unable to receive workers' compensation benefits if they are injured on-the-job. These benefits cover medical bills, lost wages, and other losses related to the injury so that workers can focus on rest and recovery.

Workers’ compensation benefits are a valuable tool for workers who need to get back on their feet after an on-the-job injury. If you’ve been injured in the workplace, the experienced St. Louis workers' compensation attorneys at Page Law can help. For a free and confidential consultation, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515.

The federal Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) protects workers who are disabled after being injured while on the job doing any work on the "navigable waters" of the United States. "Navigable waters" include oceans, lakes, and rivers such as the Missouri River and the Mississippi River, both of which are used to transport cargo and passengers. Like state workers’ compensation benefits available for other workers who are injured on the job in Missouri, the LHWCA provides benefits for lost wages, medical bills, and other losses that come with a disability arising from a workplace injury.

The LHWCA covers both disability and death caused by an injury suffered while on the water or while working in certain closely-related places, such as docks and harbors. The benefits available under the LHWCA are designed to work alongside the benefits available under the federal Jones Act, which covers seamen working on U.S. waters. Benefits an injured worker or the worker’s family receives under one law may be offset by benefits they received under the other.

Since both the LHWCA and the Jones Act may come into play when a sailor, dock worker, or other person who is employed on Missouri and U.S. waterways becomes injured, it’s important to understand your rights under both laws and where to turn when an injury occurs. At Page Law, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the complex rules of compensation after an injury so that you receive the benefits you need. For a free consultation, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515. The call is free, and your information is always kept confidential.

Labor Day 2011 turned from festivity to tragedy for four families this weekend, as four people lost their lives in drowning-related accidents, according to a recent article in the Springfield News-Leader.

Of those who lost their lives on the water this weekend, one was fishing, one was swimming, and two were killed in a boating accident. The fishing fatality involved a 93-year-old Kansas City man who disappeared in the Lake of the Ozarks. He had been fishing off a dock in the lake at the time, and rescue workers believe he fell in. They were unable to rescue him in time. Another Kansas City resident, a 22-year-old man, drowned while swimming in Smithville Lake. Witnesses say that he was swimming across a cove when he began to struggle; he slipped underwater before rescuers could reach him. Unfortunately, he could not be revived.

Meanwhile, a boating accident on the Osage River left two men dead and four people injured after two boats collided, sending some of their passengers into the water. Two of the people injured in that accident were taken to nearby hospitals with serious injuries, while two others were treated and released. Police believe alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

Investigators say that the number of fatal drownings over 2011’s Labor Day weekend is equal to the drowning deaths that occurred over Labor Day 2010. Overall, 14 people have lost their lives in Missouri boating accidents this year. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a drowning or boating accident, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced Missouri boating accident attorneys at Page Law. We will help you determine what happened and hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. For a free consultation, call us today at 314-PAGE-LAW. You can also visit our Page Law Facebook page for news, useful information, and other topics of interest.

Missouri’s statewide “You Drink & Drive, You Lose” campaign, designed to detect and prevent drunk driving, kicked off August 19, with additional police officers and sobriety checkpoints keeping an eye on roads all over the state. The campaign runs until September 5.

Missouri’s efforts are part of two broader campaigns in the region and across the United States. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is spearheading its “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, which provides informational materials and resources to all fifty states in the effort to reduce accidents during the Labor Day weekend by keeping drunk drivers off the road. Missouri has also teamed up with Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to hold a kickoff event in Joplin, Missouri, reminding drivers that calling a cab or relying on a designated driver are smart ways to avoid an accident or arrest if they choose to drink over the holiday.

Finally, Missouri law enforcement has created a smartphone app that helps drivers identify when they might be impaired and act accordingly. The “Show Me My Buzz” app estimates a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and provides a list of local cab companies.

The NHTSA notes that 1440 people are injured by drunk drivers in the U.S each day, and as many as 23 die. These numbers often increase over the summer holidays, as more drivers take to the road. If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Missouri caused by a drunk driver, an experienced St. Louis drunk driving accident victim lawyer at Page Law can help. For a free consultation, call us today at 314-322-8515.