Hantla & Hantla, LTD Personal Injury Attorney Central Car Accidents Southern Illinois IL St. Louis MO

Our firm represents individuals who have been seriously injured because of the negligent or intentional behavior of another. A personal injury case can be based on injuries caused by a wide variety of accidents, including:

Victims of personal injury are entitled to financial compensation for their medical and property expenses, incidental costs caused by the accident, and may be entitled to additional damages to cover future expenses, pain and suffering, or other issues. "Wrongful Death" is a legal term that refers to situations when a person dies due to the negligence of another. Wrongful Death cases may arise in a as a result of a variety of incidents, including car accidents and medical malpractice. The goal of our firm is to make sure that the survivor and beneficiaries are maximally compensated for their loss.

When we handle your personal injury case, you can rest assured that your case is in the best of hands. Every client and every case is important to us. We welcome questions and feedback from our clients and we strive for your complete satisfaction.

Spinal cord injuries change lives. Victims and their families often must deal with permanent disabilities that lead to significant medical and legal needs. The causes of these spinal cord injuries are widely varied and are frequently the result of another's negligence-car accidents, falls, and gun shot wounds are just a few. Lawsuits for most spinal cord injury accidents are brought under negligence, strict liability, and third party liability laws. (Even uninvolved third parties can contribute to an injury; for example, the company that made a faulty seatbelt or tire.) If you or a loved one has experienced spinal cord and nerve damage as the result of an accident or another's negligence, you should seek medical and legal assistance as soon as possible.

Brain injury can cause physical, cognitive, social, and vocational changes. Recovery is often a lifelong process of adjustments and accommodations for the injured individual and his or her family. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines a traumatic brain injury as an injury that occurs when a sudden physical assault on the head causes damage to the brain. Traumatic brain injuries can be caused by a variety of accidents, including those involving trains, cars, trucks, and motorcycles. These accidents additionally may cause spinal cord injuries. All brain injuries are not traumatic. Deprivation of oxygen any time during the labor and/or delivery can cause brain injury and may result in life long disabilities.

Appropriate treatment of a brain injury can involve diagnostic testing, drugs, surgery, and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation, a critical aspect of optimal recovery, is prohibitively expensive. For catastrophic injuries, an extensive team of caregivers may be necessary. It is not uncommon for an injured individual to see a neurologist, neurosurgeon, physiatrist, neuropsychiatrist, vocational expert, life-care planner, neuro-psychologist, and physical, occupational and speech therapists. In most cases, the lives of the injured individual's family are completely disrupted as they focus their energies on securing proper medical care.

While car accidents comprise a significant portion of personal injury and wrongful death claims, it would be wrong to think that they are always simple to resolve. We understand not just the "rules of the road" and the special duties imposed on commercial and public carriers, but also the complex scientific and engineering principles often necessary to unravel just how an accident occurred on the roadways of Illinois and Missouri and who was at fault. We understand the medicine needed to evaluate what complaints, as well as the economic and accounting principles needed to evaluate losses. We handle accident cases involving:

When cases can be optimally resolved, through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods, our attorneys can aid in achieving the best result. When cases must be tried, our firm recognizes that and can tap into our extensive experience in the courtroom. Whatever the practical or legal issues that arise out of a motor vehicle accident, we are prepared to address them in order to maximize our client's recovery.

It is generally believed that uninsured drivers cause more accidents and that those accidents cause the greatest damages. Uninsured Motorists Coverage compensates you for amounts that you might be legally entitled to recover as damages from the owner or driver of an uninsured motor vehicle. Uninsured Motorists Coverage usually is offered in the same amount as Bodily Injury Liability Coverage. Uninsured Motorists Coverage pays for you, your spouse, resident relatives and guest passengers riding in your car at the time of the accident.

If you are in an accident that results in bodily injury to you, your spouse, resident relatives, or guest passengers and the costs are greater than the 'at-fault' person's auto policy limits, Underinsured Motorists Coverage may provide additional compensation for the injuries. Under most policies, you must first demonstrate that the liability policies of all other responsible parties have been exhausted. This includes the liability limits of insured drivers who were at fault, tavern owners, if applicable, UM claims, if applicable, and any other liability policies of any responsible parties. If, after exhausting all other applicable liability policies, you have not been fully compensated and the UIM limits exceed the amount that has been collected, then a UIM claim may proceed.

Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Coverage is a unique type of insurance for many reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is that you bring your claim against the insurance company, instead of the driver of the vehicle that caused the injury. Although the insurance company has an obligation to pay you benefits if you have uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage, the process is often arduous and claims are frequently underpaid, delayed or wrongfully denied. Most Uninsured / Underinsured motorist claims are handled in arbitration.

Trucking and transportation liability cases involve a complicated group of laws and large amounts of evidence. Because the industry is heavily regulated, an accident involving a truck is significantly more complex than an automobile accident case. Frequently, an action can be brought against both the driver and the insurance company. Consequently, you need a firm that has the experience and specialized knowledge to lead the investigation into the cause of the accident and to help you collect the maximum amount allowed under the law. Our firm has extensive experience in representing the victims of accidents involving trucks. Our years of practice have resulted in our access to innumerable experts in a variety of specialty areas related to trucking and transportation litigation. This access and expertise enhances our ability to maximize a recovery for our clients.

A medical malpractice case involves injuries arising from the care or treatment rendered by a medical provider. Medical providers include physicians, nurses, hospitals, psychologists, x-ray technicians and a variety of other medical professionals. There are many different kinds of medical malpractice, but some examples are: birth injuries, dispensing the wrong medicine or the wrong dose of medicine; improper reading of x-rays; transfusion errors; the misdiagnosis of a life-threatening condition; surgery on the wrong limb; accidents during surgery; infections related to treatment; birth trauma; preventable suicide; restraint-related injuries; burns, falls and pressure ulcers. If you believe you've been the victim of a medical mistake, you should contact an attorney with experience in medical malpractice to evaluate and handle your case as quickly as possible. There are complicated and stringent statutes of limitations for medical malpractice cases that limit the amount of time an injured individual has to file a lawsuit.

Medical care professionals handle most births and deliveries appropriately; however, medical negligence can occur. Sometimes physicians, midwives or obstetrical nurses fail to diagnose or properly treat various conditions that arise during pregnancy. Negligent injuries during child birth may constitute medical malpractice. A protracted labor and delivery process, despite signs and symptoms or fetal distress, can result in birth injuries. If a necessary cesarean section delivery is delayed, the lack of oxygen reaching the child may result in injury or death. Deprivation of oxygen any time during the labor and/or delivery process can result in permanent serious injury.

The emotional and financial cost to a victim of malpractice during childbirth can be catastrophic. There are complicated and stringent statutes of limitations for medical malpractice cases limit the amount of time an injured individual has to file a lawsuit.

"Slip and Fall" describes the type of injury suffered on someone else's property as a result of a defect, slippery substance, or other dangerous condition. These injuries commonly occur at supermarkets and restaurants due to food on the floor. The general rule of law is that the owner or operator of the premises has a duty to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition or at least warn customers of a dangerous condition of which the owner or operator caused, knows about, or should know about.

Although the vast majority of train accidents are minor, they can also be catastrophic due to the impact of the force against whatever the train hits. In 1999, 2,700 train accidents caused more than 900 deaths.

Railroads are responsible for passenger safety and can be held liable for injuries caused by elements in their control. In a railroad crossing, a railroad company and its train crew must use reasonable care to avoid injury to anyone traveling on highways crossed by the train tracks. This issue becomes complicated when one considers that it takes about one third of a mile to stop a train moving at an average speed.

Most railroads are operated and owned by the government, which means that injury claims are governed by the "torts claims acts". These laws have strict time limitations for reporting injuries and filling law suits and are significantly more complicated than the laws governing motor vehicle accidents. Hiring an attorney who is familiar with the laws governing train accidents is crucial.

Our firm has experience representing individuals who have been injured as a result of an unsafe product that was designed, manufactured, sold, and/or furnished by a person or company. Our attorneys have represented individuals injured by asbestos, apparel, alcoholic beverages, firearms, food and agricultural products, machinery and tools, medical products and devices, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products, recreational products, and tobacco.

If you or a family member has been the victim of a dangerous or defective product, you should contact an attorney with experience in products liability to evaluate and handle your case as quickly as possible. There are complicated and stringent statutes of limitations for products liability cases that limit the amount of time an injured individual has to file a lawsuit.

Many dog owners will not take the necessary minimal steps to train and supervise their dogs to prevent them from attacking innocent people, and especially children. Dogs, particularly some breeds, including Pit Bulls, can, and often do, cause serious, permanent and extremely painful physical and emotional injuries. In most circumstances, a dogowner will be financially liable for all of the personal injury their dog causes.

Our firm has extensive experience in representing individuals who have been injured by exposure to toxic and other dangerous substances, forms of energy, and devices, including asbestos, mold, chemicals and cosmetics, hazardous waste, medical products and devices, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, radiation and electromagnetic energy, and tobacco. We represent clients in recovering money damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages, where appropriate, individually or as part of a class action

The most common types of neglect and abuse are malnutrition, falls, dehydration, pressure sores, infections, burns, and assaults. Staffing and training deficiencies often cause these injuries. If your loved ones are victims of neglect or abuse in a nursing or residential facility, there are probably other residents in the facility who are also being neglected or abused; in fact there is probably a continuing pattern of neglect at the facility. The facility's history of violations of both federal and state law can show this pattern. Our firm will aggressively pursue all forms of neglect, abuse and assault.

Dangerous roads cause accidents. Municipalities and state agencies are variably responsible for maintaining and controlling thousands of miles of roads throughout the United States. When the roads become dangerous or defective they are legally responsible. Dangerous & defective roadways are defined a number of ways, the following are a few of the more common:

Individuals who have been injured as a result of a dangerous or defective roadway may have a cause of action against the municipality and/or state agency responsible for maintaining the road. Because these cases are complex, it is important to consult with attorneys who have experience in this type of case.

While the food supply in the United States is one of the safest in the world, CDC estimates that 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 Americans die each year from forborne illness.

We have extensive experience representing victims of food poisoning. Food poisoning is caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. Many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens, can contaminate foods, so there are many different foodborne infections. In addition, poisonous chemicals, toxins, or other harmful substances can cause foodborne diseases or illnesses. Commonly, a microbe or toxin enters the body through the gastrointestinal tract, causing the first symptoms there, so nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea are common symptoms in many food poisoning cases.

If you or someone you love has been injured by contaminated food, there are many variables affecting the ability to recover for the injuries and loss incurred. Our goal with every case is to maximize the damage recovery. Through experience we know that you deserve the maximum compensation for your loss, and your pain and suffering.

The Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) requires railroads to provide railroad employees with a safe place to work. A FELA action is the exclusive remedy a railroad employee injured on the job has against his employer. Generally, FELA lawsuits can be brought in either state or federal court and allow an injured railroad employee to recover a variety of damages, including:

A FELA lawsuit is significantly more complicated than a workers' compensation or personal injury lawsuit. Hiring an attorney who is familiar with the laws governing railroad workplace accidents is crucial.

Some car accidents are caused by drunk drivers. Generally, a dram shop claim arises when a bar or liquor store sells alcoholic beverages to a person who is under the influence of alcohol at the time. If the person to whom the liquor was sold injures a third party while under the influence, the courts may impose liability for the third person's injuries on the commercial seller of the liquor. The "dram shop" claim may be especially helpful when the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, and may add significant coverage in the case of serious and extensive injuries.

There are nearly 13 million boats and personal watercraft (e.g., Jet Skis and Ski Doos) currently registered in the United States and the popularity of recreational boating increases every year. Unfortunately, thousands of people are injured in boating accidents each year, usually as a result of operator negligence. Rules established by the Coast Guard and various state agencies outline the rules for safe boating. What many recreational boat and personal watercraft operators don't know is that they are subject to the same laws and rules as ocean-going vessels and other commercial operators.

Recreational boat and watercraft operators must follow a wide variety of state and Federal boating laws and regulations that include those dealing with:

Filing a claim against a negligent boat or watercraft operator is typically far more complicated than an automobile accident claim and may involve the highly specialized application of admiralty laws. Make sure you consult with an attorney with the appropriate knowledge and experience.

We help injured merchant seamen, fishermen, longshoremen, harbor workers, passengers and pleasure boaters utilize Federal Maritime laws to achieve maximum compensation for their injuries at sea and shore side. Maritime law which is based in federal law treats injuries in maritime cases differently from land-based accidents that result in bodily harm. The Jones Act provides an injured seaman a remedy against employers for injuries arising from negligent acts of the employer or co-workers during the course of employment on a vessel. Claims brought under the Jones Act can also raise claims against a vessel's owner that a vessel was not seaworthy. If a seaman dies, a wrongful death claim may be based on the Jones Act, general maritime law, or the Death on the High Seas Act.

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation.

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