Car Accident Lawyer Poplar Bluff, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, worrying about your job or your family should be your lowest priority. Between car repairs, medical treatment, and mental trauma or anguish, the effects of an car accident in Poplar Bluff, MO can quickly take over anyone’s life, especially when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the compensation you should be getting.
Contact Our Poplar Bluff, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help Poplar Bluff, MO residents who have been involved in car accidents and do not know about what to do next. Our Poplar Bluff car accident lawyer works with insurance agents, looks over accident reports, and compiles all evidence on behalf of their clients. We fight fearlessly for all our Poplar Bluff, MO auto accident clients to secure them not only appropriate compensation, but also justice and closure after going through a very troubling experience.
Following a Poplar Bluff, MO auto accident, do not delay in contacting Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a dedicated Poplar Bluff, MO auto accident attorney on your side. Our firm offers free initial consultations, and guarantees that if they do not get a positive result in your Poplar Bluff auto accident lawsuit, you will not owe them a fee.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Full-Service Poplar Bluff, MO Car Accident Lawyer
On any given day, thousands of vehicles are on the road in and around Poplar Bluff to deliver the mail, take people to and from work, go to the store, or just out for a leisurely drive. Sadly, though, car accidents regularly occur, 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 bumps and bruises and small scratches and dings, to totaled cars and permanent injuries.
As veteran Poplar Bluff, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has taken car accident claims of all types and seen first-hand how the results of a car accident in Poplar Bluff can change someone’s life, forever in some situations. Our firm has years of experience handling car accident cases, and has seen the lengths insurance companies go to avoid paying just compensation to Poplar Bluff accident victims. We provide unique legal strategies that are built to meet your unique needs and give our clients justice in addition to a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Poplar Bluff, MO
Following a car accident, it is likely that people will be in a state of shock and uncertain how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across Poplar Bluff, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte suggests 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 have suffered any injuries.
- Call 911. Not only will you need to file a police report after your accident, but if you or a passenger is badly injured you may need to have an ambulance dispatched. When the police come, 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 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 photos. Everyone now having a camera on their phone means that it is very easy to document your Poplar Bluff, MO accident and gather evidence. Take photos of the site of your accident, skid marks, and the full extent of your damage. If nearby pedestrians saw your accident, it is smart to record their accounts of the accident, as it can help your case immensely.
- Get medical care. If you were hurt as a result of your Poplar Bluff car accident, immediately get 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 personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The sooner you speak to a trustworthy and compassionate Poplar Bluff, 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 save the following paperwork. They can help immeasurably when negotiating a settlement, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident in Poplar Bluff, 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, physical therapy costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair records
- Incidental bills such as 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 kinds of damages someone can claim after a car accident in Poplar Bluff, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not only limited to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim reimbursement for medications, visits to mental health professionals, rehab or physical therapy due to accident injuries, and necessary medical equipment such as casts, too.
- 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 adequately perform work, and how the lasting effects of your accident/injuries may prevent you from working to your full potential 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 Poplar Bluff auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be difficult to explain, since by and large the amount of discomfort a Poplar Bluff, MO victim goes through after an accident differs from person to person. As a rule, though, recording changes in mental health, lingering symptoms, and attitude is a smart rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe situations, a Poplar Bluff, MO car accident may result in a victim suffering permanent injuries. While in a substantial number of cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot take away the immense pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more opportunity 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 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 proportional amount of damages.
Contact A Poplar Bluff, MO Car Accident Lawyer That Puts You First
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the aggression and intelligence of a top Poplar Bluff, MO car accident law firm as well as the personal care of a small practice. Our firm has worked with Poplar Bluff residents of all backgrounds to get the justice they merit following a car accident in Poplar Bluff, MO. We take all our cases on what is referred to as a contingency basis, which means that unless you win your Poplar Bluff, MO car accident case or obtain a favorable settlement, you will not need to owe us anything.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Poplar Bluff, MO caused by someone else’s negligence, act quickly: contact a Poplar Bluff car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-strings-attched conversation.