First time, non-violent offenders are often eligible for a Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS probation). If you receive SIS probation for your first Felony offense and complete the probation successfully, you will not have a Felony Conviction on your criminal record.

This is a significant benefit because it allows you to truthfully say you have not been convicted of a felony on most job applications and background checks.

Felony cases are often issued in warrant status – meaning you do not start out with a court date and you first need to turn yourself in to get a court date scheduled.

It is wise to hire a lawyer before you turn yourself in so that lawyer can set a bond hearing immediately. This way the lawyer can try to get you released from custody as soon as possible.

Courts typically mail notice of court dates to the mailing address listed on your driver’s license. If you moved and did not update your mailing address with the DMV, you likely would not receive any notices about scheduled court dates.

Important: Always keep your address current with the DMV to ensure you receive important legal notices.

No. You have the right to remain silent, and you should exercise this right. Politely tell the officers that you want to speak with an attorney before answering any questions.

Anything you say can be used against you in court. Even if you believe you’re innocent, statements made to police can be taken out of context or misinterpreted.

An SR-22 insurance policy is similar to any other car insurance policy. The only difference is that the SR-22 policy is automatically reported to the Missouri DOR when it’s active.

Drivers are often required to maintain an SR-22 insurance policy as a condition of reinstating a suspended license. An SR-22 insurance policy basically just informs the state of Missouri that you are maintaining car insurance.

If you fail to appear in court for a pending traffic charge, the judge can issue a warrant for your arrest. The judge can also issue a “Lieu of Bail” hold to suspend your license.

This would temporarily suspend your license until you obtain a stay order from the Court. A Lieu of Bail hold suspends your license even if your license was valid before you failed to appear in Court.

Each court has different requirements for issuing a stay order to lift a Lieu of Bail hold. Therefore, it is very important to consult with an expert traffic law attorney immediately.

Many inexpensive insurance policies only cover the owner of the policy. If you drive another person’s vehicle and that person does not have you listed as an “additional driver” under their policy, you are likely driving without insurance coverage.

You can avoid receiving no-insurance tickets in this situation by having a Non-Owners Insurance Policy.

Everyone has a Driver’s License record regardless of whether you have taken the written and/or road test. If you accumulate 8 points within 18 months, your license will be placed under a point suspension even if your license has never been valid.

If this happens, an added condition of license reinstatement would be to pass the written and road test.

Call the Missouri DOR customer service line at (573) 751-4475 and ask for the status of your license. You can also find out the requirements for reinstatement by calling this number.

Alternatively, you can check your license status online through the Missouri Department of Revenue website.

Contact an attorney immediately. You have only 15 days to request an administrative hearing to challenge your license suspension. Missing this deadline means automatic suspension with no second chance.

Keep the forms provided by the officer (Form 2385 or Form 4323) safe – these serve as your temporary driving privilege and are important documents for your defense.

If you refuse a breath or blood test, your license is automatically revoked for one year, even for first-time offenders. You only get a 15-day temporary driving privilege.

However, within that 15-day window, your lawyer can file a lawsuit and request a Stay Order from a judge that will allow you to continue driving until your case is heard.

Yes. You can be charged with DWI for driving under the influence of prescription medication, marijuana, or any other drugs that impair your ability to drive safely.

It doesn’t matter if the medication was legally prescribed – if it impairs your driving, you can face DWI charges.

Missouri adopted a “Pay to Play” statute under RSMO 303.390.1. An uninsured driver is unable to collect damages for pain and suffering against the at-fault driver.

This basically means that you can only collect reimbursement for your medical bills against the at-fault driver if you were uninsured when the at-fault driver caused your accident.

There are exceptions to the “Pay to Play” statute, so it is important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney immediately following a car accident.

Contact the police immediately to ensure that an accident report is drafted by the responding officer. It is very important to make sure any car accident is well documented to support your insurance claim.

If you simply exchange insurance information and leave the scene, the at-fault party might give an inaccurate statement about the accident to their insurance company.

I have handled situations where an at-fault driver produced insurance that did not actually cover them. Because of this, it is always important to contact the police immediately following a car accident.

The value of your case depends on many factors including:

• Severity of your injuries
• Medical expenses incurred
• Lost wages and future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Insurance policy limits
• Degree of fault of each party

Eric Abramson provides free consultations to evaluate your case and explain potential compensation.

No. Personal injury cases are typically handled on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t pay attorney fees unless we win your case.

If we recover compensation for you, the attorney fee is a percentage of that recovery. If we don’t win, you don’t owe attorney fees.