Car Accident Lawyer DeKalb County, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, having concerns about your job or your family should be the last thing on your mind. Between medical treatment, dealing with trauma, and repairing your car, the aftermath of an car accident in DeKalb County, MO can quickly overwhelm anyone, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the monetary reward you should be getting.
Contact Our DeKalb County, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help DeKalb County, MO residents who have been involved in car accidents and are hesitant about what to do next. Our DeKalb County car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports for their clients. We fight fiercely on behalf of all our DeKalb County, MO auto accident clients to get them not only appropriate compensation, but also justice and closure after going through a very troubling experience.
After you’ve been in a DeKalb County, MO auto accident, don’t hesitate to contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put an experienced and dedicated DeKalb County, MO auto accident attorney to work for you. Our firm offers complimentary initial consultations, and guarantees that won’t owe us a penny if we do not get a positive outcome in your case.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Complete DeKalb County, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Thousands of cars and trucks take to the road every day in and around DeKalb County in order to go to work, deliver goods, run errands, or just to enjoy the open road. Unfortunately, though, car accidents are an everyday occurence, whether due to another driver’s careless actions, poor weather conditions, or roads not being properly maintained. Automotive damages and personal injuries can range from minor cosmetic blemishes or a few cuts and scrapes, to life-altering ailments and a car so damaged as to be unrecognizable.
As veteran DeKalb County, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled all kinds of car accident claims and seen first-hand how the effects of a car accident in DeKalb County 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 compensation to DeKalb County accident victims. We offer personalized legal strategies that are designed to satisfy your unique needs and give our clients justice as well as a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In DeKalb County, MO
Following a car accident, it is common for people to be in a state of shock and uncertain how to proceed. However, having dealt with many car accident clients across DeKalb County, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte recommends that all our clients take these steps after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Pull over to somewhere where you will not obstruct traffic, if possible, and check to see if you are hurt.
- 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 come, be honest about the accident but choose your words wisely: statements that imply guilt can and will be used against you by insurance providers when determining fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your insurance card, registration, and license, which you are required to do by law, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take photos. The invention, and widespread adoption, of camera phones means that it is very simple to document your DeKalb County, MO accident and compile evidence. Get shots of the site of your accident, skid marks, and the full extent of your damage. If there were pedestrians or passersby who witnessed your accident, it is a good idea to record their accounts of the accident, as it can help your case immensely.
- Get medical care. If you were injured as a result of your DeKalb County car accident, immediately get emergency medical care. For smaller injuries, a local urgent care center is a more affordable and convenient option than an ER visit. However, larger and more serious injuries will likely necessitate a trip to the hospital, or if possible a visit to your primary care physician.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The sooner you talk to a reputable and compassionate DeKalb County, MO car accident lawyer, the quicker they can get to work on your behalf and allow you to get on with recovering from your accident.
As well as these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients hold on to the following receipts and documentation. They can help immensely when negotiating a settlement, or to give a more complete idea of the effect a car accident in DeKalb County, 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 directly caused by your accident
What Damages Can I Recover After A Car Accident?
In general, there are five kinds of damages an accident victim can claim after a car accident in DeKalb County, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not strictly limited to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim costs for medications, visits to mental health professionals, rehab or physical therapy due to accident injuries, and necessary medical equipment such as a wheelchair, as well.
- Lost wages/earning potential: for the most part this is based off of what you were earning prior to the accident, the extent of the impact the accident had on your ability to fully perform work, and how the lasting effects of your accident/injuries may keep you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair or replacement of your car in addition to any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your DeKalb County auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be hard to put into words, since in most cases the amount of difficulty one goes through after an accident differs from person to person. In general, though, documenting changes in mental health, lingering symptoms, and attitude is a good rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a DeKalb County, MO car accident may result in a victim suffering permanent injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and compensation cannot remedy the unspeakable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more freedom to adapt to their new normal.
It is also critical to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the amount of damages one or more parties can take home is adjusted based on how much at fault they were for causing a car accident. Missouri is a pure comparative fault state, which allows for even someone who was judged 99% responsible for an accident to collect a commensurate amount of damages.
Contact A DeKalb County, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the muscle and acumen of a competitive DeKalb County, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one care of an individual practice. Our firm has worked with DeKalb County residents from all walks of life to obtain the justice they merit following a car accident in DeKalb County, MO. We take all our cases on what is called a contingency basis, which means that unless you get a positive result in your DeKalb County, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us a fee.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in DeKalb County, MO caused by someone else’s reckless behavior, do not wait: contact a DeKalb County car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-strings-attched conversation.
