If you’ve been injured in an accident in St. Louis, understanding what compensation you can pursue is one of your most pressing concerns. Missouri law allows injury victims to recover several types of damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and in some cases, punitive damages. The Dixon Injury Firm’s award-winning legal team has recovered over $60 million for injury victims throughout Missouri and knows how to build comprehensive claims that account for every dollar you deserve.
The Dixon Injury Firm has secured major verdicts and settlements for St. Louis injury victims — including $30 million in a single wrongful death case, $12 million in another wrongful death settlement, and $2.75 million in a premises liability case. Attorney Chris Dixon lives in St. Louis and raises his family here, so when we fight for maximum compensation for you, we’re fighting for our neighbors. We’ve taken on some of the biggest insurance companies in Missouri and won. Call (314) 208-2808 today for a free, no-obligation consultation — you pay nothing unless we win.
On this page:
Missouri law recognizes three distinct categories of damages in personal injury cases: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Each category serves a different purpose in making you whole after an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. Understanding these categories helps you recognize the full value of your claim and ensures you don’t settle for less than you deserve.
Economic damages compensate you for measurable financial losses. Non-economic damages address the human impact of your injuries — the pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life that don’t come with receipts but are just as real. Punitive damages, available only in specific circumstances, punish particularly reckless or intentional conduct and deter similar behavior in the future.
Insurance companies often focus only on your immediate medical bills and try to minimize or dismiss non-economic damages entirely. That’s why having an experienced St. Louis personal injury attorney who understands how to document and value all three categories is critical to recovering full compensation.
Economic damages represent the tangible, calculable financial losses you’ve suffered because of your injury. These damages have clear dollar amounts attached to them, supported by bills, receipts, pay stubs, and other documentation. Missouri law allows you to recover both past and future economic losses related to your accident.
Medical Expenses and Healthcare Costs
Medical expenses typically form the largest component of economic damages. This includes all costs related to diagnosing, treating, and recovering from your injuries. You can recover compensation for emergency room treatment, hospitalization, surgery, diagnostic imaging (X-rays, MRIs, CT scans), prescription medications, physical therapy, rehabilitation services, medical equipment (wheelchairs, crutches, home modifications), and follow-up appointments.
For serious injuries like traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries, future medical expenses can dwarf past expenses. You may need ongoing care, additional surgeries, lifetime therapy, or permanent attendant care. Working with medical experts to document your future medical needs is necessary to ensure these costs are included in your claim.
Lost Wages and Income
If your injuries prevented you from working, you can recover compensation for lost wages. This includes regular salary or hourly wages, overtime pay you would have earned, bonuses and commissions, sick days and vacation time you had to use during recovery, and benefits like health insurance contributions your employer would have made.
Documentation is key. Your attorney will gather pay stubs, tax returns, employment contracts, and statements from your employer to prove your lost income. For self-employed individuals or business owners, proving lost income requires additional documentation like profit and loss statements, tax returns, and expert testimony about business interruption.
Loss of Earning Capacity
When your injuries permanently affect your ability to work — whether you can no longer perform your previous job, must accept lower-paying work, or cannot work at all — you can recover damages for loss of earning capacity. This forward-looking damage compensates you for the difference between what you would have earned over your working life without the injury and what you can now earn.
Calculating loss of earning capacity requires expert testimony from vocational rehabilitation specialists and economists who analyze your education, work history, skills, age, life expectancy, and the impact of your permanent limitations. For catastrophic injuries that end your career, this can represent millions of dollars in compensation.
Property Damage
In cases involving vehicle accidents, you can recover the cost to repair or replace your damaged vehicle. If your car is totaled, you’re entitled to the fair market value of the vehicle immediately before the accident. You can also recover compensation for damaged personal property, such as electronics, clothing, or other items damaged in the accident.
Additional property-related damages may include rental car expenses while your vehicle is being repaired, diminished value of your vehicle even after repairs, and towing and storage fees.
Non-economic damages address the subjective, human impact of your injuries. These damages don’t come with receipts or bills, but they’re just as real and just as compensable under Missouri law. Insurance companies often try to minimize non-economic damages or claim they’re not legitimate, but Missouri juries routinely award significant compensation for these very real losses.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering damages compensate you for the physical pain and discomfort you’ve endured and will continue to endure because of your injuries. This includes acute pain immediately following the accident, chronic pain that persists months or years later, painful medical treatments and surgeries, physical discomfort from permanent injuries or limitations, and the physical toll of rehabilitation and therapy.
Documenting pain and suffering requires more than just stating you’re in pain. Your attorney will use your medical records (which document pain levels and pain management treatments), your testimony about how pain affects your daily life, testimony from family members about changes they’ve observed, pain journals documenting your daily pain levels and limitations, and expert testimony about the typical pain associated with your type of injury.
Emotional Distress and Mental Anguish
Serious injuries don’t just hurt your body — they hurt your mind. You can recover compensation for anxiety and depression following the accident, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly after traumatic accidents, fear and worry about your future and financial security, insomnia and sleep disturbances, and loss of confidence or self-esteem, particularly with disfiguring injuries like burn injuries.
Mental health treatment records, testimony from therapists or psychiatrists, and testimony from family members about personality changes all support emotional distress claims.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
When your injuries prevent you from enjoying activities you previously loved, you can recover damages for loss of enjoyment of life. This includes the inability to participate in hobbies and recreational activities, loss of ability to exercise or play sports, reduced ability to travel or participate in family activities, loss of physical intimacy, and diminished overall quality of life.
For a lifelong runner who can no longer jog because of back injuries, or a musician who can no longer play their instrument because of hand injuries, these losses are profound and deserve compensation.
Disfigurement and Scarring
Permanent scars, burns, amputations, or other visible injuries warrant separate compensation for disfigurement. These damages recognize both the physical alteration to your appearance and the psychological impact of living with permanent disfigurement. Factors affecting disfigurement damages include the size, location, and visibility of scars or disfigurement, your age and gender, the impact on your career or social interactions, and available treatments like plastic surgery or scar revision (the costs of which are also recoverable).
Loss of Consortium
In Missouri, the spouse of an injured person can bring a separate claim for loss of consortium. This compensates the spouse for the loss of companionship, affection, comfort, sexual relations, and services that resulted from the injury. In wrongful death cases, family members can recover for the permanent loss of their loved one’s companionship and guidance.
Contact The Dixon Injury Firm today to discuss all the damages you may be entitled to recover. Our team knows how to document and value both economic and non-economic damages to maximize your compensation. Call (314) 208-2808 for a free consultation.
Unlike economic and non-economic damages, which compensate you for your losses, punitive damages serve a different purpose: punishing the defendant for particularly reckless, wanton, or intentional conduct and deterring similar conduct in the future. Punitive damages are not available in every case — Missouri law limits them to situations involving truly egregious behavior.
When Punitive Damages Are Available
Under Missouri law, punitive damages are available when the defendant’s conduct showed “complete indifference to or conscious disregard for the safety of others.” This is a high standard. Common scenarios where punitive damages may be awarded include drunk driving accidents where the driver had a very high blood alcohol content or prior DUI convictions, trucking accidents where the trucking company knowingly violated safety regulations, assault or intentional infliction of harm, product manufacturers who knew about dangerous defects and concealed them, and premises liability cases where property owners knowingly ignored serious hazards.
The key distinction is between ordinary negligence (which doesn’t support punitive damages) and reckless or intentional conduct (which does). Simply making a mistake or being careless typically won’t support punitive damages. The defendant’s behavior must demonstrate a conscious disregard for the known risk of serious harm.
No Cap on Punitive Damages in Missouri
Unlike some states that cap punitive damages, Missouri does not impose a statutory limit on punitive damage awards in personal injury cases. This means juries have discretion to award punitive damages proportionate to the defendant’s conduct and financial situation. However, punitive damages must still be reasonable and proportionate to the actual harm suffered and the defendant’s culpability.
The Dixon Injury Firm has experience handling cases involving punitive damages and knows how to present evidence of egregious conduct to maximize your compensation. We’ve taken on major corporations and won because we’re not afraid to expose reckless behavior.
Calculating damages requires both mathematical precision (for economic damages) and nuanced judgment (for non-economic damages). Insurance companies use formulas and computer programs that often undervalue claims. Your attorney’s job is to present the evidence that supports the true value of your case.
Economic Damages Calculation
Economic damages calculation starts with documentation. Your attorney will gather all medical bills and records, pay stubs and tax returns showing lost income, receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, estimates for future medical care from medical experts, and vocational expert reports on lost earning capacity.
For future damages, experts calculate present value — the lump sum needed today that, when invested, would provide for your future needs. This calculation considers factors like inflation, investment returns, life expectancy, and the duration of ongoing needs.
Non-Economic Damages Calculation
Non-economic damages are more subjective, but several factors influence their value. These include the severity and permanence of your injuries, the amount of pain you endured and continue to endure, how your injuries affect your daily life and activities, your age (younger victims who will live with injuries longer typically receive more), visible scarring or disfigurement, and the impact on your relationships and mental health.
Insurance adjusters often use a “multiplier method” — multiplying your economic damages by a number (typically 1.5 to 5, depending on severity) to estimate non-economic damages. However, this is just a starting point. Serious cases with permanent, life-altering injuries can warrant non-economic damages many times higher than economic damages.
The Role of Jury Verdicts
While most cases settle before trial, jury verdicts in similar cases provide important benchmarks for valuing your claim. An experienced St. Louis personal injury attorney knows the value of cases in St. Louis City Circuit Court and St. Louis County Circuit Court and can point to comparable verdicts to support settlement negotiations.
The Dixon Injury Firm’s track record includes securing $30 million in a wrongful death case, $2.75 million in a premises liability case, $2 million after a commercial bus crash, and numerous six-figure settlements. This experience gives us the knowledge to accurately value your claim and the credibility to demand what you deserve.
Missouri follows a “pure comparative fault” system under RSMo § 537.765. This means you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault for the accident — but your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
How Comparative Fault Works
If you’re found 20% at fault and your total damages are $100,000, you’ll recover $80,000. If you’re 50% at fault, you’ll recover $50,000. Even if you’re 99% at fault, you can still recover 1% of your damages. This differs from modified comparative fault states, which bar recovery if you’re 50% or 51% at fault.
The comparative fault determination happens either through settlement negotiations or at trial. Insurance companies routinely try to inflate your percentage of fault to reduce what they have to pay. Common defense tactics include claiming you were speeding, distracted, or not paying attention, arguing you failed to take reasonable precautions, or asserting you didn’t follow traffic laws or property rules.
Fighting Unfair Fault Allocation
Having an attorney who will fight back against inflated fault allegations is critical. Your lawyer will gather evidence showing the defendant’s conduct primarily caused the accident, challenge the defendant’s version of events with witnesses and expert testimony, and present the accident from your perspective supported by evidence.
In rear-end collision cases, for example, the rear driver is typically at fault. But insurance companies may claim you brake-checked them or your brake lights weren’t working. Your attorney’s job is to refute these allegations with evidence.
Don’t let insurance companies blame you for an accident that wasn’t your fault. Contact The Dixon Injury Firm today for a free case evaluation. We’ll investigate your accident, determine fault, and fight for maximum compensation.
Missouri does not cap economic damages in personal injury cases. You can recover full compensation for all past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and other financial losses, regardless of how large they are.
Missouri also does not cap non-economic damages (pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life) in most personal injury cases. You can recover full compensation for these losses based on the evidence and jury verdict.
Medical Malpractice Exception
The only significant exception is for medical malpractice cases. Missouri previously imposed a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases, but this cap was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2012 as unconstitutional. Currently, there is no cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases, though the legislature could potentially enact a new cap in the future.
No Cap on Punitive Damages
As discussed earlier, Missouri does not cap punitive damages in personal injury cases. Juries have discretion to award punitive damages proportionate to the defendant’s conduct.
This lack of caps is good news for injury victims. It means the jury can fully compensate you based on the evidence, not arbitrary legislative limits. It also means that insurance companies can’t point to a cap and claim that’s all you can possibly recover.
Every case is different, and numerous factors influence how much compensation you can recover. Understanding these factors helps you evaluate settlement offers and make informed decisions about your case.
Severity of Injuries
More severe injuries typically result in higher compensation. Catastrophic injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and severe burns warrant substantial compensation because they permanently alter your life. Minor injuries like bruises or minor sprains, while compensable, won’t yield the same damages.
Clarity of Liability
When fault is clear — such as drunk driving accidents or rear-end collisions — cases typically settle for higher amounts because the defendant knows they’ll lose at trial. When liability is disputed, settlement values may be lower to account for trial risk.
Quality of Evidence
Strong evidence increases case value. This includes police reports clearly faulting the other party, photographs of the accident scene and your injuries, eyewitness statements supporting your version of events, expert testimony on causation and damages, and thorough medical documentation of your injuries and treatment.
Available Insurance Coverage
The defendant’s insurance policy limits can affect what you recover. If the at-fault party has minimum liability coverage ($25,000 per person in Missouri), you may not be able to collect the full value of your claim from them personally. However, you may have additional options through your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, particularly in uninsured motorist accidents, claims against additional parties who share fault, or recovery of personal assets from wealthy defendants.
Your Age and Life Expectancy
Younger victims typically recover more for permanent injuries because they’ll live with those injuries longer. A 25-year-old who suffers a permanent back injury has potentially 50+ years of pain and limitation, while a 75-year-old with the same injury has a shorter period of impact.
Impact on Your Daily Life
Injuries that significantly disrupt your daily activities, hobbies, career, and relationships warrant higher non-economic damages. An injury that confines you to a wheelchair has a more profound impact than one that causes intermittent pain.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Pre-existing conditions don’t bar recovery, but they can complicate valuation. Missouri follows the “eggshell plaintiff” rule — defendants take victims as they find them. If your pre-existing neck injury was aggravated by the accident, you can recover for the aggravation. However, insurance companies will try to blame your symptoms entirely on pre-existing conditions, making strong medical testimony critical.
When negligence causes a death, Missouri law allows certain family members to pursue a wrongful death claim for damages. Wrongful death damages differ somewhat from standard personal injury damages.
Under RSMo § 537.090, recoverable damages in Missouri wrongful death cases include funeral and burial expenses, medical expenses for treating the deceased’s final injury or illness, lost financial support the deceased would have provided, loss of services, guidance, and counsel the deceased provided, loss of companionship and consortium, and pain and suffering experienced by surviving family members.
Missouri’s wrongful death statute requires claims to be filed within three years of the date of death — shorter than the five-year statute for personal injury claims. Wrongful death claims can only be brought by the deceased person’s spouse, children, parents, or siblings (in that order of priority), or by a designated plaintiff appointed by the court.
The Dixon Injury Firm has recovered substantial wrongful death settlements for Missouri families, including $30 million and $12 million settlements. We understand that no amount of money can replace your loved one, but compensation can provide financial security and a measure of justice during an impossible time.
Insurance companies are businesses focused on minimizing payouts. Understanding their common tactics helps you avoid being taken advantage of.
Offering Quick, Low Settlement Offers
Shortly after your accident, the insurance adjuster may offer a quick settlement — often before you’ve even finished medical treatment. These early offers invariably undervalue your claim because the insurance company doesn’t yet know the full extent of your injuries, particularly future medical needs and permanent limitations.
Never accept a settlement until you’ve completed treatment and understand the full impact of your injuries. Once you sign a release, you typically cannot pursue additional compensation even if your condition worsens.
Disputing Medical Treatment as Unnecessary
Insurance companies often hire doctors to review your medical records and claim your treatment was unnecessary, excessive, or unrelated to the accident. They may argue you overtreated, that certain procedures weren’t medically necessary, that you should have recovered faster, or that symptoms are from pre-existing conditions, not the accident.
Your attorney will counter these arguments with testimony from your treating physicians, peer-reviewed medical literature supporting your treatment, and expert medical testimony explaining why your treatment was appropriate.
Surveillance and Social Media Monitoring
Insurance companies may hire investigators to surveil you or monitor your social media accounts, looking for evidence that contradicts your injury claims. A photograph of you smiling at a family gathering may be used to claim you’re not really suffering. A video of you carrying groceries may be used to dispute physical limitations.
Be cautious about what you post on social media during your case. Even innocent posts can be taken out of context and used against you.
Delaying Tactics
Insurance companies sometimes delay responding to settlement demands, slow-walk investigations, or repeatedly request the same documentation. These tactics aim to frustrate you into accepting a lower settlement out of financial desperation.
Having an attorney who won’t be bullied by insurance company delay tactics is necessary. We keep pressure on insurance companies and, when necessary, file lawsuits to force them to take your claim seriously.
Don’t face the insurance company alone. The Dixon Injury Firm has fought and won against major insurance companies throughout Missouri. We know their tactics, and we know how to beat them. Call (314) 208-2808 for a free consultation.
When your financial recovery and future security are on the line, your choice of attorney matters. The Dixon Injury Firm brings the experience, resources, and commitment needed to maximize your compensation.
Proven Track Record of Results
We’ve recovered over $60 million for injury victims throughout Missouri. Our results include $30 million in a wrongful death case, $12 million in another wrongful death settlement, $2.75 million in a premises liability case, $2 million after a commercial bus crash, $1.175 million in a car crash settlement, $1 million after an uninsured motorist accident, and $1 million after a drunk driver struck a pedestrian.
These results demonstrate our ability to handle complex cases, value claims accurately, and fight for maximum compensation.
Award-Winning Legal Team
Our attorneys have earned recognition as Super Lawyers® for 2024-2025, Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association, and Lifetime Members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum (restricted to the top 1% of U.S. trial lawyers). These awards reflect our skill, experience, and dedication to injury victims.
We’ve Fought the Big Guys and Won
Insurance companies and large corporations have teams of lawyers working to minimize what they pay you. We’ve taken on these powerful opponents throughout our 25+ years of combined legal experience and won. We have the resources, determination, and courtroom skill to fight for you against any opponent.
True St. Louis Connection
Attorney Chris Dixon isn’t just a lawyer who works in St. Louis — he lives here and raises his family here. His children attend local schools. He’s invested in this community because it’s his home. When Chris fights for you, he’s fighting for his neighbors, his friends, and his fellow St. Louisans. That personal connection drives our commitment to every client we serve.
No Fee Unless We Win
We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront and owe us nothing unless we recover compensation for you. This means you can afford experienced, award-winning legal representation regardless of your financial situation. We only get paid when you get paid.
Personalized Attention to Every Case
You’re not just a case number to us. Every client receives individualized attention and a legal strategy tailored to their specific circumstances. You’ll work directly with your attorney, not just paralegals or assistants. We answer your questions, keep you informed, and involve you in every major decision about your case.
Comprehensive Case Preparation
Maximizing your damages requires thorough preparation. We investigate every accident, gather all available evidence, consult with medical experts to document injuries and future needs, work with economists and vocational experts on lost earning capacity, prepare demonstrative evidence for negotiations and trial, and build a comprehensive demand that accounts for every dollar you deserve.
We don’t cut corners or settle for less than you deserve. We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial, which gives us leverage in settlement negotiations and readiness if trial becomes necessary.
Understanding what damages you can recover is the first step toward securing the compensation you deserve. The Dixon Injury Firm has the experience, credentials, and commitment to maximize your recovery and fight for your future.
With over $60 million recovered for clients and major verdicts against large corporations and insurance companies, we have a proven track record of results. Our award-winning legal team knows how to document and value every aspect of your claim — from immediate medical bills to future care needs, from lost wages to lost quality of life.
Time is limited. Missouri’s statute of limitations gives you five years to file most personal injury claims, but evidence disappears, witnesses’ memories fade, and delays can hurt your case. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can begin building your claim.
You deserve an attorney who lives in St. Louis, understands your community, and treats you like a neighbor — because you are. Call The Dixon Injury Firm today at (314) 208-2808 for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your case, answer your questions, and explain exactly what damages you may be entitled to recover. You pay nothing unless we win.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Contact us today and let’s fight for the compensation you need to move forward with your life.
Missouri law allows you to recover three categories of damages: economic damages (medical expenses, lost wages, property damage), non-economic damages (pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life), and punitive damages (in cases involving reckless or intentional conduct). You can recover compensation for both past losses and future losses resulting from your injury.
Missouri’s statute of limitations gives you five years from the date of your injury to file most personal injury claims (RSMo § 516.120). Wrongful death claims must be filed within three years of the date of death. Medical malpractice claims have a two-year deadline from discovery. Missing these deadlines typically bars you from recovering any compensation, so contact an attorney as soon as possible.
Missouri follows pure comparative fault (RSMo § 537.765), which means you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault. Your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you’re found 30% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you’ll recover $70,000. You can recover compensation even if you’re 99% at fault, though your recovery will be reduced accordingly.
No. Missouri does not cap economic damages, non-economic damages, or punitive damages in most personal injury cases. You can recover full compensation for all your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses based on the evidence. This differs from some states that impose arbitrary limits on certain types of damages.
The Dixon Injury Firm handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing upfront and owe nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Our fee is a percentage of your recovery, so we only get paid when you get paid. This allows everyone to afford experienced legal representation regardless of their financial situation.
Economic damages compensate measurable financial losses like medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. They have specific dollar amounts supported by documentation. Non-economic damages compensate subjective losses like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. While they don’t come with receipts, non-economic damages are just as real and compensable under Missouri law.
Yes. Missouri law allows you to recover compensation for future damages, not just past losses. This includes future medical treatment, surgeries, therapy, medications, and medical equipment you’ll need. You can also recover for future lost earnings if your injuries permanently affect your ability to work. Medical experts and economists help calculate these future damages.
Punitive damages are available when the defendant’s conduct showed “complete indifference to or conscious disregard for the safety of others.” Common scenarios include drunk driving accidents, trucking companies that knowingly violate safety regulations, assault or intentional harm, and companies that knowingly conceal dangerous product defects. Ordinary negligence doesn’t support punitive damages — the conduct must be particularly reckless or intentional.
Insurance companies often use formulas multiplying your economic damages by a factor (typically 1.5 to 5) to estimate non-economic damages. However, these formulas frequently undervalue claims, particularly for serious injuries. An experienced attorney will present comprehensive evidence of all your damages — economic, non-economic, and future losses — to demand fair compensation that reflects the true value of your case, not an insurance company formula.
No. Initial settlement offers are almost always lower than what your case is worth. Insurance companies hope you’ll accept a quick settlement before you understand the full extent of your injuries, particularly future medical needs and permanent limitations. Never settle until you’ve completed medical treatment and consulted with an experienced personal injury attorney who can accurately value your claim.
Many personal injury law factories get as many clients in the door as possible, hoping one will be the jackpot. Not us. At The Dixon Injury Firm, we’re highly selective about our cases because we devote considerable time and attention to each client.
