You were hurt.
Someone else owes for it.
Forty-nine years representing injured Missouri clients in car accidents, trucking collisions, slip-and-falls, and wrongful death. Court-tested. Insurance-company tested. No fee unless we recover — and most calls returned the same business day.
Eight kinds of
personal injury cases.
Most Missouri injury claims fall into one of these categories. Click any to read our deep guide for that type of case.
Car Accidents
Rear-end collisions, intersection wrecks, hit-and-run, distracted driving, drunk driving. Most of our injury caseload. Read more →
Truck Accidents
Commercial 18-wheeler collisions involve federal regulations, multiple defendants, and far higher insurance limits. Read more →
Wrongful Death
When a family member dies due to another's negligence, Missouri law (RSMo §537.080) allows damages for grief, lost support, and funeral costs. Read more →
Motorcycle Accidents
Missouri lifted its universal helmet law in 2020 — but riders still face bias from juries. We've handled motorcycle crashes for decades.
Pedestrian & Bicycle
Hit by a car while walking or cycling? Drivers owe you the highest duty of care. These cases often involve severe injuries.
Slip & Fall
Wet floors at grocery stores, ice on commercial sidewalks, broken stair rails, inadequate lighting. Property owners owe a duty of safety.
Dog Bites
Missouri is a strict-liability dog bite state under RSMo §273.036. Owners pay regardless of prior aggression history.
Product Liability
Defective vehicles, dangerous drugs, faulty machinery. Manufacturers can be strictly liable for harm their products cause.
Public data on
typical recoveries.
Independent industry data — not our case results. Use these as rough orientation. Actual recovery depends on liability, injuries, insurance limits, and how the case is prepared.
Source: Insurance Research Council (IRC) Auto Injury Insurance Claims studies; Jury Verdict Research; Missouri Bar publications. Ranges shown are general industry data — not case results obtained by our firm. Past results do not predict future outcomes. Every case turns on its own facts. Choosing a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based on advertisements alone (Mo. Sup. Ct. R. 4-7.2(b)).
The insurance company
has lawyers. You should too.
An adjuster's job is to pay you as little as possible — that is the literal definition of their performance metric. Your job is to pay your medical bills, replace your wages, and rebuild what was taken from you. Those two goals never align. Hiring counsel is how you put a fair number on the table.
Higher recovery
Insurance Research Council data shows represented claimants recover, on average, 3.5 times more than unrepresented ones — even after attorney fees.
Up front
Contingency fee. We advance every cost of investigation, depositions, expert witnesses, and trial. If we don't recover, you owe nothing.
Years of practice
David Naumann has handled injury matters in Missouri since 1979. Insurance carriers know the firms that prepare every case the same way — and the ones that always settle for less.
Year statute (Missouri)
Missouri gives you five years to file a personal injury suit (RSMo §516.120). Don't assume time is on your side.
What happens
when you call us.
A Missouri personal injury claim has six predictable stages. Here is the rhythm.
Free intake call
Tell us what happened. Twenty minutes on the phone usually tells us whether you have a case, what we think it is worth, and what to do in the next 48 hours.
Investigation & preservation
We obtain the police report, vehicle data recorders, surveillance footage, and witness statements while they exist. Insurance companies destroy this evidence as a matter of policy — we get there first.
Medical treatment to maximum improvement
We rarely settle until you have completed treatment or reached "maximum medical improvement." Settling early means accepting a number for injuries you may still be living with.
Demand package
We assemble your medical records, lost wages, expert reports, and a written demand explaining what your case is worth. The carrier responds with an offer, a counter, or a refusal.
Negotiation or lawsuit
Most cases settle here. If the insurance company will not pay fairly, we file suit. The carriers we file against know this firm tries cases — and that often changes the math.
Resolution
Settlement or verdict. We pay your medical liens, deduct our fee and case costs, and write you a check. The conversation that started with "I just got hurt" ends with a number — and a path forward.
Personal injury
FAQ.
The questions Missouri clients ask before they hire us.
How much does a Missouri personal injury lawyer cost?
Nothing up front. Personal injury cases at our firm are handled on contingency — you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, agreed in writing before we begin.
What is the Missouri statute of limitations for injury cases?
Five years for most personal injury claims (RSMo §516.120). Three years for wrongful death (RSMo §537.100). Notice of claim against government entities can run as short as 90 days. Don't wait — call promptly.
How does Missouri's pure comparative fault rule work?
Missouri uses pure comparative fault under RSMo §537.765. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but never barred. A plaintiff 30% at fault on a $100,000 verdict still recovers $70,000 — even one 90% at fault still recovers $10,000.
Should I take the insurance company's first offer?
Almost never. The first offer is the carrier's opening number — and it is rarely close to what your case is actually worth. Once you sign a release, every option closes. Read our deep guide: Why You Should Never Accept the First Insurance Offer.
How long does a Missouri injury case take?
Most settle in 6 to 18 months from the date of hiring counsel. Cases that go to trial can take 18 to 36 months. Timeline depends on injury severity (we wait for maximum medical improvement before settling), the carrier's posture, and court availability.
What types of damages can I recover?
Past and future medical expenses, lost wages and lost earning capacity, property damage, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and in some cases punitive damages. Missouri has no general cap on non-economic damages in personal injury cases (a 2012 cap was struck down in Watts v. Lester E. Cox Medical Centers).
Personal injury
guides.
Long-form articles on Missouri personal injury law — written for the person on the other end of an arrest, an injury, or a difficult phone call.
Why You Should Never Accept the First Insurance Offer
How adjusters value claims, the tactics used to lowball, and what evidence increases recovery. Read →
15 Days to Save Your Missouri Driver's License
After a DWI arrest with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, the clock starts. Here is what to do in the first two weeks. Read →
Browse the full Insights Blog
Every article on Missouri injury, criminal defense, family, and estate law. Read →