Car Accident Lawyer St. Francois County, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, worrying about your job or your family should be the last thing on your mind. Between mental trauma, car repairs, and getting back to full fitness, the impact of an car accident in St. Francois 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 are entitled to.
Contact Our St. Francois County, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of St. Francois County, MO who have been involved in car accidents and are unsure about how to proceed. Our St. Francois County car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports on behalf of their clients. We fight fearlessly for all our St. Francois County, MO auto accident clients to win them not only their rightful remuneration, but also a measure of justice after one of the most harrowing experiences of their lives.
After you’ve been in a St. Francois County, MO auto accident, do not delay in contacting Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a dedicated St. Francois County, MO auto accident attorney to work for you. Our firm offers free initial consultations, and promises that if they do not get a positive result in your St. Francois County auto accident lawsuit, you will not owe them a fee.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Complete St. Francois County, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Thousands of cars and trucks take to the road every day in and around St. Francois County in order to go to work, deliver goods, run errands, or just to enjoy the open road. Unfortunately, though, car accidents regularly occur, caused by bad weather, poor road conditions, or someone else’s negligence. 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. Francois County, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled car accident claims of all types and personally viewed how the aftermath of a car accident in St. Francois County 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 proper compensation to St. Francois County accident victims. We provide client-centered legal strategies that are tailor-made to satisfy your unique needs and give our clients closure as well as a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In St. Francois County, MO
After you have been in a car accident, it is likely that people will be in a state of shock and uncertain how to proceed. However, having dealt with many car accident clients across St. Francois County, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte recommends that all our clients do the following after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Pull over to somewhere where you will not obstruct traffic, if you can, and check to see if you have suffered any injuries.
- 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, tell the truth about the accident but choose your words wisely: 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 pictures. Camera phones now being ubiquitious means that it is very simple to document your St. Francois County, MO accident and compile evidence. Get shots of skid marks, property damage, physical surroundings, and the point of impact of your accident. If you can find witnesses, 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. Francois County car accident, immediately get emergency medical care. For smaller injuries, a local urgent care center is a more affordable and convenient option than a trip to the emergency room. However, larger and more serious injuries will likely require a trip to the hospital, or if possible a visit to your personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The faster you call a reputable and compassionate St. Francois County, MO car accident lawyer, the sooner they can begin work on your case and allow you to begin the recovery process.
In addition to these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients hold on to the following paperwork. They can help immensely when discussing settlement terms, or to give a more complete idea of the effect a car accident in St. Francois 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, 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 types of damages an accident victim can claim following a car accident in St. Francois County, 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 prescriptions, psychological appointments, rehab or physical therapy due to accident injuries, and necessary medical equipment such as a wheelchair, too.
- Lost wages/earning potential: for the most part this is determined by what you were earning prior to the accident, the extent of the impact the accident had on your ability to adequately perform labor, and how the lasting effects of your accident/injuries may keep 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 personal effects that were damaged as a result of your St. Francois 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 varies from person to person. As a rule, though, documenting changes in personality, attitude, and mental health is a good rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a St. Francois County, MO car accident may result in someone suffering permanent injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and a settlement cannot soothe 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 critical 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 much at fault they were for causing a car accident. Missouri is a pure comparative fault state, which allows for even someone who was determined to be 99% responsible for an accident to collect a commensurate amount of damages.
Contact A St. Francois County, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we provide the strength and legal knowledge of an elite St. Francois County, MO car accident law firm as well as the personal care of an individual practice. Our firm has partnered with St. Francois County residents from all walks of life to get the justice they deserve following a car accident in St. Francois 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 St. Francois County, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us a fee.
If you have been injured in a car accident in St. Francois County, MO caused by another driver’s careless actions, do not wait: contact a St. Francois County car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation conversation.
