Personal injury lawyer help in Dallas County, Missouri

Dallas County, Missouri includes 7 named communities, the largest being Buffalo. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same Missouri rules apply: a 5-year filing deadline for most injury claims, pure comparative negligence, and lawsuits filed in the Dallas County Circuit Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.

You describe what happened anywhere in Dallas County using the free claim review form, and your request may be shared with participating attorneys or legal services partners who handle that type of matter in Missouri. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney, and everything below is general legal information, not legal advice about your specific situation.

Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.

• Buffalo, MOpop. 3,040

Smaller communities in Dallas County include Elkland, Long Lane, Louisburg, Tunas, Urbana, Windyville. Residents of these areas follow the same Missouri rules, use the same Dallas County Circuit Court, and can request a free claim review from anywhere in the county.

Missouri generally gives an injured person five years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (RSMo § 516.120); medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years, and wrongful death claims typically run from the date of death. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency require a formal notice of claim far sooner, sometimes within a few months. Once the deadline passes, the Dallas County Circuit Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Dallas County is to get legal advice early.

Missouri follows pure comparative negligence. In plain terms, you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Dallas County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a crash in Dallas County, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Missouri requires drivers to carry only 25/50/25 in coverage (thousands of dollars for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage), which serious injuries quickly exhaust. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy and claims against additional responsible parties often make the difference in Dallas County cases.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Dallas County are typically filed in the Dallas County Circuit Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Dallas County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Dallas County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Dallas County are generally covered by Missouri workers' compensation, administered through the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation. Report the injury to your employer immediately and file a claim within the state's deadline (generally about two years). Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

• Polk County, MO
• Laclede County, MO
• Hickory County, MO
• Greene County, MO

See the Missouri personal injury guide for every county in the state.