Legal Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Get Your Injury, Accident, And Insurance Questions Answered By Attorneys Who Know The Law

You are not alone: rest assured that hundreds of others in Missouri and Illinois have also struggled with your injury, accident, disability, or insurance claim. In fact, most of those people have had the same questions that you are asking now. Read the FAQs below to find the answers to your most pressing legal questions – and if you don't see your question below, call us today and talk to a St. Louis attorney face to face at a free, confidential meeting.

Workers' Compensation

• What can I do if the company doctor tells me I am fine after a Missouri workplace accident, but I can tell that something is wrong that may require surgery or some kind of therapy?
• What if I am having trouble performing the job they've given me, but the doctor says it falls within my abilities after suffering injury in a Missouri workplace accident?
• What is TTD as it relates to my Missouri workplace accident?
• Should I contact my Missouri Workers' Compensation lawyer if the company doctor says I need surgery, but also wants me to get a second opinion?
• Should I contact a Missouri Workers' Compensation attorney or be concerned about my Missouri Workers' Compensation claim if am sent back to work after a workplace accident and told it is "light duty"?
• Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation For Hearing Loss?
  
• What Is The US Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA)?
  
• Can I Receive Workers’ Comp Benefits If My Spouse Died While On The Job?
  
• Can I Collect Workers’ Compensation For An Illness?
  
• Do I Have To Be Injured On The Job To Receive Workers’ Compensation?
  
• What Is Workers’ Compensation?
  
• I do not like the company doctor.  Can I quit seeing him and go see my own doctor?
• Who provides benefits under the Worker's Compensation law?
• How many days of work do I have to miss from an injury before the workers' compensation insurance carrier starts paying me for my time off?
• Do I have any responsiblities once I am injured on the job?
• If I am injured on the job in Missouri, can I choose the doctors who treat me?
• Can I lose my job because I have filed a workers' compensation claim?
• How long do I have to file a workers' compensation claim?
• What is a workers' compensation "claim," and do I have to file a claim in order to receive compensation?
• I have an open workers' compensation claim and I am also receiving Social Security Disability and Medicare.  Can I settle my workers' compensation claim myself without hiring an attorney?
• I am receiving weekly benefits while I am off of work, and the workers' compensation insurance carrier is paying all of my medical benefits.  Do I really need an attorney if this is happening?
• What is a permanent partial disability rating?

Motor Vehicle Accidents

• 
  I was rear-ended by a truck in a Missouri automobile accident and the insurance adjuster for the truck driver called me and wants to take a recorded statement from me. Should I say "yes" to that request?
  
• 
  My health insurance company claims that when I settle my Missouri auto accident case, I have to pay them back for the medical bills they paid on my behalf. Is this true? 
  
• What do I do if I have an accident, and the other driver who was responsible for the accident does not have insurance?
• Will the vehicle that turned left always be found liable in a car accident in Missouri?
• Can I be found liable if my car is rear-ended in a St. Louis car crash?
• When is it necessary to hire a Missouri personal injury attorney after a car accident in Kirkwood?
• ¿Qué debo hacer inmediatamente después de un accidente donde me dañan?
• What Should I Do If I Am Caught Driving In An Ice Storm?
  
• What should I do immediately after an accident where I am injured?
• The insurance adjuster is calling me.  What should I say to him?
• The insurance adjuster for the other driver told me that she won't pay my medical bills while I am receiving treatment, and that I will have to wait until I settle my case to get reimbursed for my medical care.  Is this true?
• I don't have the cash to pay my medical expenses while my case is open.  What should I do?
• Can't I get a partial settlement from the insurance company of the other driver to pay some of my bills?
• The insurance company for the other driver offered me a settlement while I was hospitalized immediately after the accident.  Should I accept this offer?
• What is the statute of limitations on my automobile accident case?
• The insurance adjuster for the other driver says I don't need a lawyer to settle my case. Is this true?
• How much is it going to cost me to hire the attorneys at Bollwerk, Ryan & Tatlow?
• What is uninsured motorist coverage?
• What is underinsured motorist coverage?
• Can I get compensation for my injuries if the accident was partly my fault?
• What is "medical payments" coverage?

Defective Products

• What can I do to help my Missouri defective product claim?
• Can I pursue damages on a Missouri defective product claim if I was misusing the product at the time of my accident?
• What is considered a defective product in Missouri?
• Can I file a Missouri product liability claim against the manufacturer for my injuries caused by their defective product?
• What Should I Do If A Product I Own Is Recalled?
  
• What Is The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)?
  
• What Should I Do If I Am Injured By A Defective Product?
  

Insurance Appeals

• As one of many Missouri employees throughout the state, what is COBRA and why should it matter to me?

ERISA, DISABILITY, LIFE INSURANCE

• If I am denied benefits, should I try to handle the administrative appeal on my own?
• The claims handler for my ERISA long term disability plan says I have to apply for Social Security benefits to be qualified for coontinuing long term disability benefits.  Is this true?
• Why is it important to hire an attorney before my final administrative appeal is finished in an ERISA long term disability case? 
• Is my plan administrator or someone at my company in Missouri required to tell me if there is an issue with my retirement plan?
• When it comes to my long term disability policy in Missouri, does it matter whether it is an individual or group policy?
• What is ERISA and how does it impact Missouri workers?
• What Is The ERISA Exhaustion Rule?
  
• What is ERISA?
  

Commercial Truck Accidents

• When is a truck company also liable for my injuries following a truck accident in Kirkwood, Missouri?

Missouri Personal Injury Claims

• Can I settle my Missouri personal injury case on my own without having to hire a St. Louis injury lawyer?
• Should I hire a St. Louis personal injury attorney to handle my Missouri accident case involving a large commercial truck?
• What is an out-of-court settlement in relation to my Missouri personal injury claim?
• What kind of Missouri personal injury lawyer should I hire to handle my defective product claim?
• What type of compensation is available in a Missouri dangerous product claim?
• What damages can I pursue through my Missouri personal injury claim?
• What should I know about how the insurance industry handles accident cases in order to handle my Missouri personal injury claim on my own?
• What can I do to help my Missouri personal injury claim?
• How long do I have to file a Missouri personal injury claim after an accident in St. Charles?

Wrongful Death

•  My friend was killed in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver.  Who can file a lawsuit for my friend's death?
• What is the statute of limitations in a wrongful death claim?
• My friend who was killed in a car accident has a surviving spouse and one child. The surviving spouse and the child don't get along.  If they both are entitled to sue, which one of them actually gets the money that comes from the lawsuit?

General

• ¿Si me dañan en el trabajo en Missouri, puedo elegir a los doctores que me tratan?