Car Accident Lawyer Polk County, MO. After you have been hurt 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 Polk County, MO can easily take over anyone’s life, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the compensation you deserve.
Contact Our Polk County, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of Polk County, MO who have been involved in car accidents and are unsure about what steps to take afterwards. Our Polk County car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports for their clients. We fight aggressively on behalf of all our Polk County, MO auto accident clients to win them not only appropriate compensation, but also justice and closure following an incredibly traumatic experience.
Following a Polk County, MO auto accident, don’t hesitate to contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a veteran Polk County, MO auto accident attorney on your side. Our firm offers no-obligation initial consultations, and guarantees that if they do not get a positive result in your Polk County auto accident lawsuit, you will not owe them a fee.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Complete Polk County, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Thousands of cars and trucks take to the road every day in and around Polk County in order to go to work, deliver goods, run errands, or just to enjoy the open road. Unfortunately, however, every day many car accidents happen, caused by poorly maintained roads, the negligence of other motorists, or adverse weather conditions. Automotive damages and personal injuries can range from bumps and bruises and small scratches and dings, to life-changing injuries and vehicles better suited as scrap metal.
As veteran Polk County, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has taken car accident claims of all types and seen first-hand how the effects of a car accident in Polk County can alter someone’s life, in some cases permanently. Our firm has years of experience handling car accident cases, and knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying proper restitution to Polk County accident victims. We provide client-centered legal strategies that are tailor-made to meet 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 Polk County, MO
Following a car accident, it is likely that people will be in shock and clueless how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across Polk 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 talk with police and get a full report of your car accident, but if you or someone else is severely injured you may need to have an ambulance come and take them to a hospital. When the police arrive, 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 adjuticating fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your insurance card, registration, and license, which you are legally required to do, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take pictures. The invention, and widespread adoption, of camera phones means that it is incredibly easy to document your Polk County, MO accident and gather evidence. Take photos of the site of your accident, skid marks, and the full extent of your damage. If you can find witnesses, it is wise to record what they saw, as it can greatly benefit your case.
- Get medical attention. If you were injured as a result of your Polk County car accident, immediately get emergency medical care. For smaller injuries, a local urgent care center is a more convenient and cost-effective option than a trip to the emergency room. However, more severe or bigger will likely require a trip to the hospital, or if they are available a visit to your personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The sooner you talk to a reputable and understanding Polk County, MO car accident lawyer, the quicker they can start working on your case and allow you to get on with recovering from your accident.
In addition to these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients keep the following paperwork. They can help immensely when discussing settlement terms, or to paint a full picture of the effect a car accident in Polk County, MO had on your life.
- Medical documentation
- Photos of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness accounts
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, rehab costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair bills
- Incidental bills such as 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 someone can claim following a car accident in Polk County, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not strictly restricted to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim costs for prescriptions, psychological appointments, rehab or physical therapy to fully recover from accident injuries, and necessary medical equipment such as crutches, too.
- Lost wages/earning potential: generally 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 successfully perform work, and how the lasting effects of your accident/injuries may prevent you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair/replacement of your car as well as any/all additional items that were damaged as a result of your Polk County auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be difficult to quantify, since by and large the amount of anguish one goes through after an accident differs from person to person. As a rule, though, recording changes in personality, attitude, and mental health is a good rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a Polk County, MO car accident may result in someone sustaining life-altering injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot remedy the immense pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more opportunity to successfully navigate their new normal.
It is also key to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the amount of damages one or more parties are entitled to 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 judged 99% responsible for an accident to collect a commensurate amount of damages.
Contact A Polk County, MO Car Accident Lawyer That Puts You First
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the muscle and intelligence of an elite Polk County, MO car accident law firm as well as the personal care of an individual practice. Our firm has worked with Polk County residents from all walks of life to get the justice they are entitled to receive following a car accident in Polk County, MO. We take all our cases on what is known as a contingency basis, meaning that unless you get a positive result in your Polk 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 Polk County, MO caused by another party’s negligence, do not hesitate: contact a Polk County car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation conversation.
