Charles W. Armbruster
Top rated Transportation & Maritime attorney in Maryville, Illinois
Armbruster Dripps Blotevogel, LLC
Practice Areas: Transportation & Maritime, Personal Injury, Products Liability; view more
Licensed in Illinois since: 1993
Education: Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2025 Call today:
618-208-0320
Free Consultation Armbruster Dripps Blotevogel, LLC
51 Executive Plaza CtMaryville, IL 62062 Visit website
Details
A member of Armbruster, Dripps, Winterscheidt & Blotevogel, LLC, Charles W. Armbruster III focuses his practice entirely on the representation of clients nationwide who have been harmed by the negligence or recklessness of other persons or entities. Located in Maryville, Illinois, he has appeared before state and local trial courts across the country on behalf of his plaintiff clients. Admitted to practice in Illinois, Missouri and West Virginia, he is also admitted to practice before numerous district trial courts as well as before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th, 7th, 8th and 10th Circuits and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Part of Mr. Armbruster's practice is devoted to the representation of injured railroad workers in cases brought under the Federal Employers Liability Act. Unlike state workers' compensation programs, FELA requires plaintiffs to prove that the railroad was at least partially at fault for the incident that resulted in their injuries. He also has handled whistleblower claims arising under the Federal Railroad Safety Act. Mr. Armbruster's personal injury and wrongful death experience also includes motor vehicle crashes, nursing home neglect, defective products and medical malpractice.
Mr. Armbruster's successful track record and high degree of ethics have earned him the high regard of his colleagues. A member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, he has been named to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, and he has received an AV Preeminent* peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell and a "Superb" peer review rating through Avvo.
A 1989 Bachelor of Arts recipient from the University of Michigan, Mr. Armbruster went on to attend Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and was awarded his Juris Doctor in 1992. His professional affiliations include the American Association for Justice and The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Charles is a member of several honorary organizations. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum must be Life Members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and must have acted as principal counsel in at least one case which has resulted in a multi-million dollar verdict, award or settlement. Membership is limited to fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers, and acknowledges excellence in advocacy.
He is one of The Top 100 National Trial Lawyers. This organization is composed of the premier trial lawyers from across the country who meet stringent qualifications as civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense trial lawyers. Only the top 100 trial lawyers from each state or highly-populated regions of certain states who are actively practicing in civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense law are eligible for invitation. Invitees must demonstrate superior qualifications, leadership skills, and trial results as a legal professional.
He was recently named a Top 10 Trial Lawyer in Railroad/FELA cases, Trucking Cases and Nursing Home cases by the National Trial Lawyers organization.
Practice areas
Transportation/Maritime, Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Products: PlaintiffFocus areas
Admiralty & Maritime Law, Animal Bites, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Railroad Accident, Slip and Fall, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death
- 60% Transportation/Maritime
- 20% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 20% Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1993, Illinois
Professional Webpage: https://www.adwblaw.com/charles-armbruster/
- Member in Illinois Trial Lawyers' Association, 2012
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
- American Association for Justice
- United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Missouri
- Member in the American Association for Justice, 2012
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States Supreme Court
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- Litigation Counsel of America
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
- Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys
- Illinois
- United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- Member in Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, 2012
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma
- Illinois State Bar Association
- United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
- West Virginia
- Truck driver awarded $346,000 for injuries he received when he fell in a truck stop shower., 2020
- Truck driver awarded $892,600 in a retaliatory discharge case related to filing a workers' compensation claim., 2020
- $3,150,000 verdict for railroad worker assaulted by his supervisor., 2019
- Madison County jury awards man $550,000 for a shoulder injury suffered when he fell in a Casey's General Store. The man fell because store employees left liquid on the floor, failed to clean it up, and failed to warn about its presence., 2017
- Together with partner, Roy Dripps, Charles Armbruster obtained judgment for Tyree Webb, a river worker who suffered PTSD after his employer required him and the rest of his crew to ride out Hurricane Katrina on board a river boat. The boat was located about 50 miles south of New Orleans, Louisiana when the storm hit. Rather than evacuate the crew like it had with other crews in the area, TECO Barge Line, Inc. chose to keep this crew on the boat. During the storm, the boat broke loose from it’s moorings. It rode through 26 foot waves. It was blown across the river and up river, against the current by the force of the storm. As a result, Webb suffered physical injuries and was disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder. Webb filed suit under the Jones Act and general maritime law for unseaworthiness. Webb has not been able to work since. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois determined that Webb was entitled to recover $4.29 million dollars in total damages., 2012
- A St. Louis County woman was awarded $722,811.10 for injuries she received in a vicious dog attack. Based on the evidence presented at trial, the court agreed with the plaintiff, Emily Yowell, that she suffered serious, permanent injuries as a result of the 2008 attack., 2013
- Couple awarded $301,000 for injuries they received in an automobile collision in Madison County, Illinois. The couple was turning left from a Walgreens' parking lot when they were struck by Defendant's car. The defendant was improperly passing stopped traffic, at times crossing into oncoming traffic to do so., 2016
- On December 13, Charles Armbruster obtained a verdict of nearly $2,300,000 for his client who suffered a brain injury when a pizza delivery driver crossed the center line of the road and struck the plaintiff’s vehicle head on. In the case of Bruntjen v. Imo’s Franchising, et al., the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the plaintiff after 8 hours of deliberation Imo’s last settlement offer before trial was $500,000.
- The family of a railroad worker in Florida requested that Charles Armbruster represent them for the death of their father and husband who suffered a heart attack at work. Because the heart attack was not caused by stress or overwork, Mr. Armbruster and Michael Blotevogel investigated the railroad’s emergency response. They discovered that the railroad gave wrong directions to the ambulance crew resulting in a significant delay in first response that caused the worker’s death. After a 5-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in the amount of $1,089,000.00 in favor of the railroad worker’s family., 2012
- An Illinois couple was awarded over $115,000 for injuries they suffered as a result of an automobile collision in 2010. On May 20, 2014, a jury in Macoupin County, Illinois returned a verdict in favor of the couple for the injuries they received. Fortunately, neither party required surgery for their injuries., 2014
- Charles Armbruster and Michael Blotevogel obtain a record setting verdict in Grant County New Mexico for an injured railroad engineer. After a four day trial brought pursuant to the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), the jury returned a net verdict of over $988,000 for the plaintiff, Raymond Chavez. Mr. Chavez suffered a back injury in a 2008 derailment. According to court personnel, the verdict is believed to be the largest personal injury verdict ever returned in Grant County., 2012
- A St. Louis County, Missouri jury awarded an automobile transport driver over $2,000,000 for injuries he suffered in 2007. Johnson alleged that known defects with the truck he was using caused permanent back injury. After several hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict agreeing with Johnson., 2013
- Supporter of Disabled Athlete Sports Association (DASA). This organization provides athletic opportunities to people with various ability levels, from wheelchair basketball to track and field competition., 2017
- Leading Lawyers surveys lawyers, asking them which of their peers, indeed their competitors, they would recommend to a family member or friend if they could not take a case within their area of law or geographic region. Lawyers cannot nominate themselves or anyone at their own law firm. Leading Lawyers limits the total number of Leading Lawyers in a state to less than five percent of all lawyers licensed to practice law in that state., Member, Leading Lawyers in America, 2015
- This organization is an invitation-only professional organization composed of and limited to the Top 10 attorneys from each state or region., Top 10 Nursing Home Trial Lawyer, The National Trial Lawyers, 2020
- This organization is an invitation-only professional organization composed of and limited to the Top 10 attorneys from each state or region., Top 10 Trucking Accident Trial Lawyer, The National Trial Lawyers, 2020
- This organization is an invitation-only professional organization composed of and limited to the Top 10 attorneys from each state or region., Top 10 Railroad Accident Trial Lawyer, The National Trial Lawyers, 2019
- Member of The National Trial Lawyers Top 100. The National Trial Lawyers is a member-driven organization composed of the premier trial lawyers from across the country who meet stringent qualifications as civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense trial lawyers., The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, The National Trial Lawyers, 2018
- Member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Fewer than 1% of US lawyers are members., Life Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2017
- Current member of the Litigation Counsel of America. LCA is an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society. Membership is limited to less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. The purpose of the LCA is to recognize deserving, experienced, and highly qualified lawyers. Fellows are selected and invited into Fellowship after being evaluated on effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation and trial work, along with ethical reputation., Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, 2011
- AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell organization. According to the Martindale-Hubbell rating system, AV Preeminent is a significant rating accomplishment a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence., Martindale/Hubbell, 2010
- University of Michigan with a BA in 1989
- Masters in Trial seminar in Atlanta, GA., Presenter, 2016
- Masters in Trial seminar in Atlanta, GA, Presenter, 2017
Office location for Charles W. Armbruster
51 Executive Plaza Ct
Maryville, IL 62062
Phone: 618-208-0320
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2025
