Car Accident Lawyer Shelby County, MO. After you have been hurt 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 impact of an car accident in Shelby County, MO can easily overwhelm anyone, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the monetary reward you deserve.
Contact Our Shelby County, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help Shelby County, MO residents who have been involved in car accidents and are unsure about how to proceed. Our Shelby County car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports for their clients. We fight fearlessly for all our Shelby County, MO auto accident clients to secure them not only fair and just remuneration, but also closure after one of the most harrowing experiences of their lives.
After you’ve been in a Shelby County, MO auto accident, don’t wait: contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a veteran Shelby County, MO auto accident attorney on your side. Our firm offers free initial consultations, and vows that you do not win or get a settlement in your Shelby County auto accident lawsuit, you owe us nothing.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Full-Service Shelby County, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Thousands of cars and trucks take to the road every day in and around Shelby County for all sorts of purposes. Unfortunately, however, 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 minor cosmetic blemishes or a few cuts and scrapes, to life-changing injuries and vehicles better suited as scrap metal.
As experienced Shelby County, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has taken all kinds of car accident claims and personally viewed how the effects of a car accident in Shelby County can alter someone’s life, in some cases permanently. Our firm has years of experience handling car accident cases, and understands how insurance firms do not enjoy paying just compensation to Shelby County accident victims. We offer client-centered legal strategies that are built to satisfy your unique needs and get clients both justice as well as a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Shelby County, MO
After you have been in a car accident, it is common for people to be in shock and clueless how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across Shelby County, 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 you are able to, 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 a passenger is severely 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 suggest 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 legally required to do, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take photos. Camera phones now being ubiquitious means that it is incredibly simple to document your Shelby 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 smart 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 Shelby County 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, larger and more serious injuries will likely necessitate a trip to the hospital, or if possible a visit to your personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The quicker you call a trustworthy and understanding Shelby 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 urges all our clients to keep the following documents. They can help a great deal when discussing settlement terms, or to paint a full picture of the effect a car accident in Shelby County, MO had on your life.
- Medical documentation
- Photos of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness statements
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, physical therapy costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair documentation
- 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 an accident victim can claim after a car accident in Shelby County, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not only restricted to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim costs for medications, psychological appointments, 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 determined by what you were earning prior to the accident, how much the accident impacted your ability to adequately perform labor, and how the knock-on effects of your accident/injuries may stop you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair/replacement of your car in addition to any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your Shelby County auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be tough to put into words, since for the most part the amount of discomfort one goes through after an accident differs from person to person. In general, though, recording changes in mental health, lingering symptoms, and attitude is a good idea.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a Shelby County, MO car accident may result in someone suffering life-changing injuries. While in a substantial number of cases those injuries are permanent and a settlement cannot remedy the unspeakable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more ability to successfully navigate their new normal.
It is also important to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the amount of damages one or more parties can take home is reduced 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 Shelby County, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the muscle and acumen of a top Shelby County, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one care of a small practice. Our firm has partnered with Shelby County residents from all walks of life to secure the justice they are entitled to receive following a car accident in Shelby County, MO. We take all our cases on what is referred to as a contingency basis, which means that unless you get a positive result in your Shelby 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 Shelby County, MO caused by someone else’s reckless behavior, act quickly: contact a Shelby County car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation conversation.
