Car Accident Lawyer in St. Louis County, MO
Car Accident Lawyer St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, MO can quickly take over anyone’s life, especially when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the monetary reward you should be getting.
Contact Our St. Louis County, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help St. Louis County, MO residents who have been in car accidents and are hesitant about how to proceed. Our St. Louis County car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports on behalf of their clients. We fight aggressively for all our St. Louis County, MO auto accident clients to win them not only appropriate remuneration, but also a measure of justice after one of the most harrowing experiences of their lives.
Following a St. Louis County, MO auto accident, do not delay in contacting Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a veteran St. Louis County, MO auto accident attorney to work for you. Our firm offers no-obligation initial consultations, and vows that won’t owe us a penny if we do not get a positive outcome in your case.
Giving You One Less Thing To Worry About
A Complete St. Louis County, MO Car Accident Lawyer
On any given day, thousands of vehicles are on the road in and around St. Louis County in order to go to work, deliver goods, run errands, or just to enjoy the open road. Sadly, however, every day many car accidents happen, whether due to bad weather, poor road conditions, or someone else’s negligence. Automotive damages and personal injuries can range from bumps and bruises and small scratches and dings, to life-altering ailments and a car so damaged as to be unrecognizable.
As experienced St. Louis County, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has taken car accident claims of all types and personally viewed how the effects of a car accident in St. Louis County can alter someone’s life, forever in some situations. Our firm has years of experience handling car accident cases, and knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying just compensation to St. Louis County accident victims. We provide client-centered legal strategies that are tailor-made to meet your particular needs and get clients both justice as well as a just reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In St. Louis County, MO
Following a car accident, it is common for people to be in shock and clueless how to proceed. However, having dealt with many car accident clients across St. Louis 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 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 badly hurt you may need to have an ambulance dispatched. When the police arrive, tell the truth about the accident but choose your words wisely: statements that imply guilt can and will be used against you by insurance providers when finding 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 simple to document your St. Louis County, MO accident and gather 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 smart to record their accounts of the accident, as it can help your case immensely.
- Get medical attention. If you were hurt as a result of your St. Louis 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 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 primary care physician.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The faster you call a trustworthy and understanding St. Louis County, MO car accident lawyer, the quicker they can begin work on your case and allow you to begin the recovery process.
As well as these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients save the following receipts and documentation. They can help a great deal when negotiating a settlement, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident in St. Louis 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, 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 types of damages an accident victim can claim after a car accident in St. Louis 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 reimbursement for prescriptions, psychological appointments, rehab or physical therapy to fully recover from 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 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 or replacement of your car in addition to any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your St. Louis County auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be difficult to explain, since by and large the amount of discomfort one goes through after an accident differs from person to person. In general, though, documenting changes in attitude, mental health and need for therapy, and longer-lasting after-effects of your accident is a good rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a St. Louis County, MO car accident may result in a victim sustaining life-changing injuries. While in a large number of cases those injuries are permanent and compensation cannot remedy the unmeasurable 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 quantity of damages one or more parties can take home 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 determined to be 99% responsible for an accident to collect a commensurate amount of damages.
Contact A St. Louis County, MO Car Accident Lawyer That Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we provide the muscle and legal knowledge of an elite St. Louis County, MO car accident law firm as well as the personal attention of a small practice. Our firm has partnered with St. Louis County residents of all backgrounds to get the justice they deserve following a car accident in St. Louis 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. Louis County, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us a penny.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in St. Louis County, MO caused by another driver’s careless actions, do not wait: contact a St. Louis County car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation document review.