It depends on where the accident happened. If you were injured in Belleville or anywhere else in Illinois, Illinois law applies to your claim. If you were injured in Missouri — for example, crossing into St Louis — Missouri law applies. Many Metro East residents have accidents on the Illinois side and some have accidents after crossing into Missouri. We identify which state's law controls your claim as the first step in evaluating it. We handle personal injury cases for Metro East residents under Illinois law as well as Missouri law.

Illinois gives personal injury victims two years to file a lawsuit under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. This is significantly shorter than Missouri's five-year limit. For Illinois wrongful death claims, the deadline is also two years under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act. Medical malpractice in Illinois has a two-year limit from discovery with an absolute four-year outer limit. If your accident happened in Illinois, the shorter deadlines mean time is more urgent than it would be for a Missouri accident.

Belleville is in St Clair County, Illinois, so personal injury cases from Belleville residents involving Illinois accidents are filed in the St Clair County Circuit Court. This is entirely separate from Missouri courts. St Clair County has historically been considered a plaintiff-friendly venue and is sometimes referred to among attorneys as a "magic jurisdiction." That reputation affects how insurers approach settlement of St Clair County cases, which can be strategically significant in how your case is handled.

Nothing upfront. We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. Our fee is a percentage of the compensation we recover for you, and it is only paid if we win. If we do not recover anything for you, you owe us nothing. There are no consultation fees, no retainer fees, and no hourly billing. The contingency arrangement means our interests are aligned with yours — we are motivated to recover as much as possible because our fee depends on it.

Missouri follows pure comparative fault, which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated entirely. If you were 40 percent at fault for an accident and your total damages are $100,000, you recover $60,000. Even a plaintiff found to be 99 percent at fault can theoretically recover one percent of their damages. Insurance companies understand this rule and routinely try to inflate your fault percentage during settlement negotiations. Having an attorney who can document the other party's fault accurately and completely makes a direct financial difference in what you recover.

Five years for most personal injury claims under RSMo 516.120. Medical malpractice is two years under RSMo 516.105. Wrongful death is three years under RSMo 537.100. Claims against government entities have separate notice requirements that are often as short as 90 days, which is completely separate from and in addition to the lawsuit filing deadline. Missing any of these deadlines almost always permanently bars your claim, regardless of how clear the negligence was.