Car Accident Lawyer St. Joseph, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, having concerns about family or work should be your lowest priority. Between mental trauma, car repairs, and getting back to full fitness, the effects of an car accident in St. Joseph, MO can easily take over anyone’s life, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the restitution you should be getting.
Contact Our St. Joseph, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of St. Joseph, MO who have been involved in car accidents and do not know about how to proceed. Our St. Joseph car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports on behalf of their clients. We fight fiercely for all our St. Joseph, MO auto accident clients to secure them not only appropriate remuneration, but also a measure of justice after going through a very troubling experience.
Following a St. Joseph, MO auto accident, don’t hesitate to contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a veteran St. Joseph, MO auto accident attorney to work for you. Our firm offers no-obligation initial consultations, and promises that you do not win or get a settlement in your St. Joseph auto accident lawsuit, you owe us nothing.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Full-Service St. Joseph, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Every day, thousands of cars and trucks take to the roads in and around St. Joseph to deliver the mail, take people to and from work, go to the store, or just out for a leisurely drive. Unfortunately, though, car accidents are an everyday occurence, whether due to poorly maintained roads, the negligence of other motorists, or adverse weather conditions. Injuries and property damage can range from bumps and bruises and small scratches and dings, to life-changing injuries and vehicles better suited as scrap metal.
As veteran St. Joseph, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled car accident claims of all types and seen first-hand how the results of a car accident in St. Joseph can alter someone’s life, in some cases permanently. Our firm has years of experience in the courtroom, and understands how insurance firms do not enjoy paying just restitution to St. Joseph accident victims. We provide unique legal strategies that are tailor-made to meet your particular needs and get clients both justice in addition to a just reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In St. Joseph, MO
Following a car accident, it is common for people to be in a state of shock and uncertain how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across St. Joseph, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte suggests that all our clients do the following after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Find a place to stop away from traffic, if you are able to, and check to see if you have suffered any injuries.
- Call 911. Not only will you need to file a police report after your accident, but if you or someone else is badly hurt you may need to call for an ambulance. When the police arrive, tell the truth about the accident but avoid saying anything unnecessary: statements that imply guilt can and will be used against you by insurance providers when finding fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your registration, license, and insurance provider, which you are required to do by law, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take pictures. Everyone now having a camera on their phone means that it is incredibly easy to document your St. Joseph, MO accident and gather evidence. Get shots of all damage, skid marks, where one or more cars collided, as well as the general area around your accident. If nearby pedestrians saw your accident, it is a good idea to record their accounts of the accident, as it can greatly benefit your case.
- Get medical attention. If you were hurt as a result of your St. Joseph car accident, immediately seek out emergency medical care. For more minor injuries, a local urgent care center is a more affordable and convenient option than an ER visit. However, more severe or bigger will likely require a trip to the hospital, or if they are available a visit to your primary care physician.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The quicker you call a reputable and compassionate St. Joseph, MO car accident lawyer, the sooner they can get to work on your behalf and allow you to begin the recovery process.
In addition to these steps, our firm urges all our clients to keep the following receipts and documentation. They can help immeasurably when negotiating a settlement, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident in St. Joseph, MO had on your life.
- Medical documentation
- Pictures of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness statements
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, rehab costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair records
- Incidental bills including rental car receipts
- Lost earning opportunities
- Records of pain and suffering resulting from your accident
What Damages Can I Recover After A Car Accident?
In general, there are five types of damages someone can claim after a car accident in St. Joseph, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not strictly limited to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim reimbursement for prescriptions, psychiatric care, rehab or physical therapy to fully recover from accident injuries, and required medical equipment such as casts, too.
- Lost wages/earning potential: generally this is based off of what you were earning prior to the accident, how much the accident impacted your ability to adequately perform labor, and how the lingering effects of your accident/injuries may prevent you from working to your full potential in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair or replacement of your car in addition to any/all additional items that were damaged as a result of your St. Joseph auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be tough to put into words, since for the most part the amount of discomfort a St. Joseph, MO victim goes through after an accident varies from person to person. In general, though, recording changes in mental health, lingering symptoms, and attitude is a good rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a St. Joseph, MO car accident may result in someone sustaining life-altering injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot take away the unspeakable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more ability to adapt to their new normal.
It is also important to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the quantity of damages one or more parties receive is reduced based on how responsible they were for causing a car accident. Missouri is a pure comparative fault state, which allows for even someone who was adjudged to be 99% responsible for an accident to collect a proportional amount of damages.
Contact A St. Joseph, MO Car Accident Lawyer That Puts You First
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the muscle and legal knowledge of a top St. Joseph, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one care of an individual practice. Our firm has partnered with St. Joseph residents of all backgrounds to secure the justice they merit following a car accident in St. Joseph, MO. We take all our cases on what is called a contingency basis, meaning that unless you get a positive result in your St. Joseph, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us anything.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in St. Joseph, MO caused by someone else’s careless actions, do not wait: contact a St. Joseph car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-strings-attched consultation.
