OnderLaw attorneys have secured over $5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including multiple eight-figure recoveries for St. Louis collision victims. While other firms settle quickly for less, we prepare every case for trial, forcing insurance companies to pay what your injuries truly deserve. Our reputation in Missouri courtrooms means insurers know we won’t back down.
Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Insurance companies start building their defense immediately after your accident. That’s why our team begins investigating within 24 hours. We dispatch accident reconstructionists to the scene, secure surveillance footage before it’s deleted, and document evidence while it’s fresh. This rapid response has been the difference between modest settlements and life-changing recoveries.
When you’re hurt, the last thing you need is financial stress. We advance all case costs – from expert witnesses to accident reconstruction to medical evaluations. Our firm has invested millions in technology and resources that level the playing field against billion-dollar insurance companies. You pay nothing unless we win.
Every day, St. Louis drivers navigate some of Missouri’s most dangerous intersections and highways. From the congested I-64/40 corridor through downtown to the construction traffic of I-270, our roads present unique hazards. Understanding these risks and their legal implications can make the difference between a denied claim and full compensation.
Distracted driving has surpassed drunk driving as the leading cause of accidents on St. Louis roads. Despite Missouri’s texting-while-driving ban, we see devastating crashes daily from drivers who thought “just one quick text” was harmless.
Our investigations regularly uncover:
Missouri law holds distracted drivers fully accountable, but proving distraction requires skilled legal work. We subpoena phone records, secure social media data, and work with forensic experts to demonstrate exactly what a driver was doing instead of watching the road.
Despite decades of public awareness campaigns, impaired driving remains a persistent threat on St. Louis roads. The entertainment districts of Soulard, The Grove, and the Central West End see heightened enforcement, but drunk drivers still cause catastrophic injuries throughout our metro area.
Many victims assume that criminal DUI charges automatically guarantee civil compensation. This isn’t true. Criminal cases focus on punishing the drunk driver, while civil cases focus on compensating you. We pursue both tracks simultaneously, using evidence from criminal proceedings to strengthen your civil claim while seeking additional compensation through:
Speed kills – especially on notorious St. Louis roadways like:
Our accident reconstruction experts use advanced technology to prove speeding even when police didn’t issue citations. Skid marks, vehicle damage patterns, and “black box” data often reveal the truth about pre-crash speeds.
While weather is an “act of God,” driving too fast for conditions is driver negligence. We prove liability by showing drivers failed to adjust their speed, following distance, or decision to drive despite dangerous conditions.
Not all accidents result from driver error. Defective vehicles and parts cause thousands of preventable crashes:
These cases require extensive investigation and often involve multiple defendants – from manufacturers to maintenance shops to parts suppliers.
Missouri law entitles car accident victims to full compensation for all losses – both economic and non-economic. Insurance companies hope you don’t understand the true value of your claim. Our attorneys ensure you receive every dollar you deserve, not just what insurers want to pay.
Your health is priceless, but medical care has a price – often a shocking one. Emergency room visits are just the beginning. Serious car accidents often require months or years of treatment. We work with medical experts to project future care needs, ensuring settlements account for ongoing therapy, surgeries, medications, and adaptive equipment. Our in-house nurses help document how injuries impact your daily life.
When injuries prevent you from working, bills don’t stop arriving. We calculate not just lost paychecks but lost opportunities – promotions you’ll miss, careers you can no longer pursue, retirement contributions that stopped. For self-employed St. Louis residents, we use forensic accountants to prove income losses insurance companies try to minimize.
Insurance companies can’t put a price on your pain, but Missouri law can. While economic damages have receipts, non-economic damages recognize that injuries affect more than bank accounts. We present compelling evidence of how injuries changed your life – from daily pain to lost enjoyment of activities you loved.
Beyond medical bills and lost wages, accidents create dozens of unexpected expenses. We meticulously document every cost, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. From replacing car seats to hiring help for household tasks, these “minor” expenses add up quickly.
A mother and her newborn son were involved in a serious automobile collision both of them suffered catastrophic injuries resulting from an automobile collision and subsequent medical malpractice. Utilizing 3-D computer generated accident reconstruction and medical life care plans, the firm was able to maximize the family’s recovery. This is the largest reported personal injury settlement in St. Louis County history.
A 48 year old woman was partially paralyzed when her vehicle was struck by a tractor trailer. A tractor trailer ran a red light, struck another vehicle, and then jackknifed into the woman’s vehicle, causing partial paralysis of her right arm and right leg, blurred version, cognitive deficits, and a broken arm, leaving her unable to work in her chosen profession as a nurse.
A defectively designed and manufactured tire failed, causing a father’s vehicle to be involved in a collision resulting in his death.
While car accidents might seem straightforward compared to pharmaceutical or product liability cases, the same skills that have earned us billions in mass tort litigation directly benefit your case:
Complex Medical Evidence: Our work with thousands of pharmaceutical injury victims means we know how to present complex medical evidence clearly. When insurance companies bring in hired experts to minimize your injuries, we have the medical knowledge and expert network to fight back.
David vs. Goliath Experience: We’ve taken on Fortune 500 companies and won. Insurance companies use the same delay tactics and lowball strategies as big pharma. The difference? We know their playbook and have the resources to outlast them.
Efficiency Through Scale: Our mass tort infrastructure – including in-house nurses, dedicated case managers, and proprietary case management systems – means your car accident case gets big-firm resources with personal attention.
Negotiation Leverage: Insurance companies know our reputation. They know we’ve secured billion-dollar settlements. They know we’ll take cases to trial. This reputation gets our car accident clients better offers faster.
These guys are amazing! Without revealing too much, I will say they helped by laying out a clear and consise plan, as well as recommending other options that were never offered to us by the previous firm we worked with. It saved us a lot of time and money, and we will forever be grateful. The staff was extremely friendly, and made us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. Would highly recommend this team of great folks!
Kasye moss
Personal Injury
I don’t have enough words to describe how amazing the experience with this firm was. They work very hard to make sure you have winning results. I could not have asked for better services. From the moment I first called until my case was over, I was at ease that I has made the right choice.
Mike Allen
Personal Injury
Kind people who have the rare gift that makes me feel like I am special, important and the only person who called at that moment. They take time to listen and translate much of what I do not understand and articulate in a way I can understand without making me feel unintelligent. I am thankful for their diligent work. I appreciate each of you.
Willie Conway
Personal Injury
Experienced attorneys dedicated to fighting for your rights
Founder And Attorney
James G. Onder is founder of OnderLaw, a preeminent personal injury and mass tort litigation firm with offices in St. Louis, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; and Newport Beach, California. Mr. Onder...
Meet James
Bad Faith Insurance Claims and Personal Injury Attorney
In practice since 1998, Matt now focuses primarily on disputes, claims, and litigation of bad faith insurance and personal injury litigation. Matt has also drawn upon many years of experience...
Meet Matt
Personal Injury Attorney
Mark Becker is an esteemed attorney with a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to legal excellence. With admissions to the Missouri Bar in 1991 and the Illinois Bar...
Meet MarkYour health comes first – always. If you can move safely, get to the roadside. Call 911 immediately, even for “minor” accidents. Police reports provide crucial documentation, and adrenaline often masks serious injuries. Request ambulance evaluation even if you “feel fine” – internal injuries and concussions aren’t always immediately apparent.
Insurance companies will use any gap in documentation against you. While waiting for police, photograph everything: vehicle positions, damage, skid marks, traffic signs, weather conditions, and your injuries. Get contact information from witnesses – their memories fade quickly, and insurance investigators will contact them within days.
The emergency room cleared you? That’s just the beginning. Soft tissue injuries, concussions, and spinal damage often manifest days or weeks later. Follow up with your primary doctor within 48 hours. Gaps in treatment become weapons for insurance companies to claim you’re not really hurt.
Insurance adjusters seem friendly. They’re not your friends. Their job is minimizing payouts. They’ll record your statement, twist your words, and use your politeness against you. One wrong statement can devastate your case. Let our attorneys handle all insurance communication while you focus on healing.
While you recover, we work. Our investigators visit accident scenes, interview witnesses, and secure evidence. We request traffic camera footage, analyze police reports, and consult accident reconstruction experts. Early investigation often uncovers evidence that disappears within weeks – from skid marks to surveillance video.
110 E Lockwood Avenue, St. Louis, MO, USA
110 E Lockwood Avenue, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: (314) 408-6143
Nothing upfront. OnderLaw works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay absolutely nothing unless we win your case. No consultation fees, no hourly rates, no retainer fees. We advance all case costs - from filing fees to expert witnesses to accident reconstruction. Our fee is a percentage of your settlement or verdict, typically 33-40% depending on case complexity. If we don't win, you owe us nothing. This ensures everyone has access to quality legal representation, regardless of their financial situation.
Every case is unique, but settlements typically range from thousands to millions of dollars depending on several factors: severity of injuries, medical expenses (current and future), lost wages and earning capacity, pain and suffering, and insurance coverage available. Minor soft tissue injuries might settle for $10,000-$50,000, while severe injuries requiring surgery often exceed $100,000. Catastrophic injuries involving permanent disability regularly result in million-dollar recoveries. We've recovered over $5 billion for clients because we thoroughly investigate every damage category and never accept lowball offers.
Missouri's statute of limitations gives you 5 years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, waiting means critical evidence disappears: witnesses forget details, surveillance footage gets deleted, skid marks fade, and vehicles get repaired or scrapped. Insurance companies also use delays against you, arguing your injuries aren't serious if you waited to seek legal help. Contact us immediately after your accident for the best outcome. Note: claims against government entities have much shorter deadlines - sometimes just 90 days.
Missouri's statute of limitations gives you 5 years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, waiting means critical evidence disappears: witnesses forget details, surveillance footage gets deleted, skid marks fade, and vehicles get repaired or scrapped. Insurance companies also use delays against you, arguing your injuries aren't serious if you waited to seek legal help. Contact us immediately after your accident for the best outcome. Note: claims against government entities have much shorter deadlines - sometimes just 90 days.
No. Insurance adjusters seem friendly but have one goal: minimizing payouts. They're trained to get you talking, record your statements, and use your words against you. Common tactics include calling while you're on pain medication, asking confusing questions, and getting you to admit partial fault or downplay injuries. Missouri follows "pure comparative fault" rules - even 1% fault attribution reduces your compensation. Let OnderLaw handle all insurance communication. We know their tactics and protect your rights.
Most cases settle within 6-18 months without going to trial. Simple cases with clear liability and documented injuries often resolve in 3-6 months. Complex cases involving disputed liability, severe injuries, or multiple defendants can take 2-3 years. Factors affecting timeline include: severity of injuries (we wait until you reach maximum medical improvement), insurance company cooperation, court scheduling, and whether trial becomes necessary. We push for quick resolution but never sacrifice fair compensation for speed. Our reputation for trial readiness often motivates faster, better settlements.
Strong cases require comprehensive evidence. Essential documentation includes: police reports, medical records linking injuries to the accident, photos of vehicle damage and injuries, witness contact information, and proof of lost wages. Also helpful: dashcam footage, surveillance video from nearby businesses, cell phone records (proving distracted driving), vehicle "black box" data, weather reports, and expert accident reconstruction. Don't worry if you don't have everything - our 180+ person team includes investigators who know how to find and preserve crucial evidence.
Missouri's "pure comparative fault" law means you can still recover damages even if partially at fault - your compensation is simply reduced by your percentage of fault. If you're 20% at fault for a $100,000 case, you'd receive $80,000. However, insurance companies exploit this by exaggerating your fault percentage. They'll claim you were "speeding" without proof or say you "could have avoided" the accident. We fight these tactics with accident reconstruction experts who scientifically determine actual fault percentages, often proving our clients had little or no fault despite insurance company claims.
You have the absolute right to choose your own doctors - don't let insurance companies tell you otherwise. However, seeing qualified physicians who understand car accident injuries is crucial. Emergency rooms focus on life-threatening injuries and often miss soft tissue damage, concussions, or developing conditions. We can recommend trusted St. Louis physicians who thoroughly document accident injuries and won't be intimidated by insurance company doctors. Always follow medical advice and attend all appointments - gaps in treatment devastate case values.
While every case differs, our car accident settlements significantly exceed state averages because we refuse quick lowball offers. Minor injury claims (whiplash, bruising) typically range from $10,000-$30,000. Moderate injuries requiring physical therapy average $30,000-$100,000. Severe injuries requiring surgery often exceed $250,000. Catastrophic injuries with permanent effects regularly result in million-dollar recoveries. Our average settlements run 3x higher than unrepresented victims because we know how to document and prove every damage element.
