St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys
The Midwest's Most Effective Injury Law Firm
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
- Last Modified:
- November 18, 2024
Distracted driving is responsible for countless injuries and deaths every year. When a driver is distracted, they must be held accountable for the accidents they cause. Our St. Louis distracted driving attorneys at Brown & Crouppen help clients secure life-changing compensation, so they’re not left to deal with the burdens of these accidents on their own.
Get started with your case by calling (314) 501-9510 or request a free case evaluation online. And remember, our attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning there is no upfront cost to you — we only get paid if you win.
Use our legal checklist to learn what to do after an accident and understand key legal considerations for recovering financial compensation.
- How Our St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys Can Help After An Accident
- How Do I Prove Another Driver Was Distracted?
- What Types of Damages Can I Get if I File a Distracted Driving Claim in St. Louis?
- Missouri Distracted Driving Laws
- What Are the Three Types of Distracted Driving?
- Why Is Distracted Driving So Dangerous?
- Types of Distracted Driving Accident Cases We Handle
- How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After a Distracted Driving Accident in Missouri?
- Get a Free Case Evaluation for Your Distracted Driving Accident Claim
Are you struggling with painful, debilitating injuries after a car accident with a distracted driver in St. Louis, Missouri? You do not have to bear the burden of your injuries on your own. Call Brown & Crouppen and discover how our St. Louis distracted lawyer can help you work toward a meaningful financial recovery.
Texting and driving may be one of the leading causes of driver distraction, but distracted driving isn’t new. Since our founding in 1979, our top-rated law firm has been a source of strength and support for clients injured by distracted drivers. Our goal is simple: to make a genuine and meaningful difference in the lives of the people we represent. Our track record speaks for itself. We’ve won more than $1 billion in compensation for deserving clients like you.
Now is the time to stand up and demand the compensation you deserve. Our award-winning Missouri trial attorneys are here to help. Call our law office in St. Louis today to schedule a free consultation and learn more.
How Our St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys Can Help After An Accident
Nobody expects to be in a car accident, but the reality is that the roads can be dangerous. The risk of an accident is always present, especially with the uptick in distracted driving due to handheld electronics.
After an accident, you may be in pain, scared, and even angry. The last thing you want is to deal with insurance companies while trying to recover. That’s why having an experienced distracted driving attorney on your side is essential.
Our attorneys understand how to deal with adjusters and how to get you the compensation you deserve. Deadlines, letters, phone calls, negotiations, and procedures—we will handle it all. We can take the wheel while you focus on recovering from your injuries. You can count on us to:
- Investigate your distracted driving accident.
- Gather important evidence, including witness statements, traffic camera footage, phone records, police reports, photos of vehicle damage, and medical records.
- Determine if the other defendant was also negligent in other ways (e.g., speeding or driving drunk).
- Address your questions about your St. Louis car accident.
- Help you make informed decisions about your case.
- Handle settlement negotiations with the insurance company.
- Prepare your case for trial if the insurer refuses to offer you a fair settlement.
We have won over $1 billion in life-changing case results for our clients. As an award-winning personal injury firm with attorneys across the country, we are well-equipped to handle your case.
Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation to learn about your rights and options. If you choose to work with us, you will owe nothing unless we secure compensation on your behalf.
Real Stories From Our Clients
Our attorneys are dedicated to fighting for our clients and protecting our community. Short of experiencing it yourself, their testimonials are the best way to learn about the high quality of our services:
How Do I Prove Another Driver Was Distracted?
Distracted driving is an act of negligence. Specifically, a distracted driver breaches the duty of care owed to you when they are distracted behind the wheel.
You’ll have the burden of proving that they (a) were distracted and (b) their distraction caused an accident in which you were injured.
Evidence that might be helpful in proving that another driver was distracted includes:
- Witness statements and testimony
- Photographs from red light cameras at St. Louis intersections
- Video footage proving the driver was distracted
- Cell phone statements
- Onboard navigation history
The more evidence you have to prove that a driver was distracted (and therefore negligent), the better the odds of a successful financial recovery.
Our car accident attorneys in St. Louis will thoroughly investigate the accident and leave no stone unturned as we search for evidence to support your claim.
What Types of Damages Can I Get if I File a Distracted Driving Claim in St. Louis?
When you’re hit by a distracted driver in St. Louis, you can generally recover compensatory damages in a claim or lawsuit.
Compensatory damages include compensation for financial losses (economic damages) and traumatic life changes related to your accident (non-economic damages).
Examples include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Nursing care
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
- Depression and anxiety
- Embarrassment
- Loss of consortium
At Brown & Crouppen, our St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyers will fight to ensure that your damages are calculated properly. We won’t give the insurance company the ability to drive down the value or scare you into accepting less money than you deserve. In fact, we’ll bring in experts and specialists to help us get the valuation right.
Our Distracted Driving Settlements
Our firm is proud of the high-value settlements and verdicts we have won for our clients. Here are a few of our favorites.
- $200K settlement: The attorneys at Brown & Crouppen obtained a $200,000 motorcycle accident settlement for our client, who was rear-ended by a driver in a car. Tom communicated with the other driver’s insurance company by issuing a 90-day demand. He argued that because the other driver was distracted and driving dangerously—even though our client was partially at fault for the car accident—the client’s injuries and damages were so severe that a jury would award them more than the maximum coverage under the policy.
- $111K settlement: Our firm also helped a client injured at a golf course because the defendant was texting while recklessly operating a golf cart. Our client was riding with the defendant in the golf cart, which flipped over and ejected our client. Their arm was crushed under the golf cart and required surgery. The defendant’s $100,000 coverage applied to the golf cart accident. The golf course also paid $10,000 in medical pay coverage, and the auto insurance company paid an extra $1,000.
Missouri Distracted Driving Laws
Missouri passed a new distracted driving law in 2023 banning handheld cell phone use while driving. Under this new law, drivers are forbidden from:
- Watching movies or videos.
- Manually typing, reading, sending, or writing text messages.
- Physically holding or supporting a mobile device using any part of their body.
- Recording, broadcasting, posting, or sending any video content.
Under the new law, drivers are permitted to:
- Use hands-free functions to make and answer calls with one touch or swipe.
- Use earphones, Bluetooth, or their phone’s built-in speaker to talk.
- Send text messages using voice-to-text recognition.
- Use GPS and music apps while driving.
If drivers are caught violating the new law, they will receive a $150 first-time violation ticket, which can increase to up to $500 for repeat instances within a two-year period. In the event of an accident, a violation can also be the basis for a negligence claim against the at-fault driver.
What Are the Three Types of Distracted Driving?
Texting and driving is incredibly dangerous, causing about 390,000 injuries and nearly 400 deaths annually. There’s a reason why texting is inherently dangerous: it involves all three types of driver distractions. The three types of distracted driving are:
- Cognitive – A distraction that takes your mind and concentration away from driving
- Manual – A distraction that causes you to remove your hands from the wheel
- Visual – A distraction that diverts your eyesight from the road
When a driver sends or reads a text, they’re thinking about the message, physically manipulating the phone with their hands, and looking at the cell phone. Of course, texting isn’t the only way drivers in St. Louis get distracted. Other examples of distracted driving include:
- Talking with a passenger in the vehicle
- Uber and Lyft drivers looking for a person who requested a ride
- Eating and drinking
- Calming a crying child in the back seat
- Reaching for an object on the floor of the vehicle
- Scrolling social media
- Making a phone call, even on a hands-free device
- Applying makeup
- Smoking
- Reading
- Daydreaming
- Replaying a conversation or interaction in your head
- Changing the radio station
When a driver is distracted, they’re less capable of identifying and reacting to changes in St. Louis traffic.
Why Is Distracted Driving So Dangerous?
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 15,059 distracted driving accidents were reported statewide in 2022. That’s roughly 41 car accidents caused by distracted drivers every day. Many of these accidents were serious, with 27 percent causing at least one injury or death. In 2022, 5,860 people were injured in Missouri distracted driving crashes, while 86 people were killed.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reading a text takes about 5 seconds. When driving at 55 miles per hour, a vehicle can travel the length of a football field in that time, and a lot can happen. When a driver takes their eyes off the road, they might:
- Have slowed reaction times
- Overlook pedestrians or bicyclists in intersections
- Swerve into other lanes of traffic
- Drive the wrong way down the road
- Inadvertently speed, tailgate, or engage in other reckless behavior
"Distracted driving is a real, real problem. We have these cell phones in our hands, taking your eyes off the road to look at a text. They say the average time that it takes is about five seconds. Imagine this, you're on the highway, you're going 55 miles an hour in some places, maybe 70, that's the speed limit, and try this. for the average length it takes to read or send a text. They say it's like closing your eyes for five seconds. You would never do that. That would be terrifying. Yet, if you look around at drivers around you and sometimes in your own vehicle, it happens every single day. Send that text at a stoplight or once you get to your destination. You are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk, it can wait."
Get started with a free consultation with one of our skilled Personal Injury Lawyers today.
Types of Distracted Driving Accident Cases We Handle
If you were in a distracted driving accident, we are here to help. No matter what the distraction was—texting, eating, phone use, GPS, makeup application, daydreaming, or other passengers—our attorneys can handle your case. We will thoroughly investigate the cause of your accident, gather all available evidence, and defend your right to compensation.
How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After a Distracted Driving Accident in Missouri?
You’ll have until the fifth anniversary of your distracted driving car accident in St. Louis to file a lawsuit.
If a family member is killed in a fatal car accident, you’ll have three years to bring a wrongful death claim.
Once the Missouri statute of limitations expires, you will forfeit your right to compensation. That’ll leave you to shoulder the burden of your accident on your own, something that simply shouldn’t happen.
You can protect yourself by reaching out to our award-winning Missouri car and truck accident attorneys for help right away.
Get a Free Case Evaluation for Your Distracted Driving Accident Claim
Did you recently get hurt in St. Louis, Clayton, or Ferguson because another driver was distracted behind the wheel? Call Brown & Crouppen for immediate legal help. You may be entitled to compensation from the distracted driver or their insurance company. Our St. Louis distracted driving attorneys can help you make the most of your fight for damages.
Benefit from a team with decades of experience, unparalleled client satisfaction, and a winning record that exceeds $1 billion in settlements. Call (314) 501-9510 or contact us online to get your free consultation.
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Address: 4900 Daggett Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: (314) 501-9510
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