Car Accident Lawyer St. Louis County, MO. After you have been injured in a car or truck accident, worrying about family or work should be the last thing on your mind. Between mental trauma, car repairs, and getting back to full fitness, the aftermath of an car accident in St. Louis County, MO can easily overwhelm anyone, especially when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the compensation you are entitled to.
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 unsure about what to do next. Our St. Louis County car accident lawyer reviews accident reports, gathers evidence, and corresponds with insurance or financial representatives for their clients. We fight fearlessly on behalf of all our St. Louis County, MO auto accident clients to get them not only appropriate compensation, but also justice and closure following an incredibly traumatic experience.
After you’ve been in a St. Louis County, MO auto accident, don’t hesitate to contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a dedicated St. Louis County, MO auto accident attorney to work for you. Our firm offers free 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 Full-Service St. Louis County, MO Car Accident Lawyer
On any given day, thousands of vehicles are on the road in and around St. Louis County for all sorts of purposes. Sadly, though, car accidents are an everyday occurence, whether due to bad weather, poor road conditions, or someone else’s negligence. Injuries and property damage can range from minor cosmetic blemishes or a few cuts and scrapes, to totaled cars and permanent injuries.
As veteran St. Louis County, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled all kinds of car accident claims and personally viewed how the results of a car accident in St. Louis County can change someone’s life, in some cases permanently. Our firm has years of experience in the courtroom, and knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying just compensation to St. Louis County accident victims. We offer client-centered legal strategies that are tailor-made to meet 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. Louis 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 St. Louis County, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte recommends that all our clients do the following after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Find a place to stop away from traffic, if possible, 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 badly injured you may need to have an ambulance come and take them to a hospital. 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 determining fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your license, registration, and insurance details, 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 St. Louis County, MO accident and gather evidence. Get shots of all damage, skid marks, where one or more cars collided, as well as the general area around your accident. If you can find witnesses, it is smart to record their accounts of the accident, as it can greatly benefit your case.
- Get medical care. 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 affordable and convenient option than an ER visit. However, more severe or bigger will likely necessitate a trip to the hospital, or if possible a visit to your primary care physician.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The quicker you call a reputable and understanding St. Louis County, MO car accident lawyer, the faster they can start working on your case and allow you to focus on recovering after an accident.
As well as these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients keep the following paperwork. They can help immeasurably when discussing settlement terms, 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, 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 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 medications, visits to mental health professionals, rehab or physical therapy to fully recover from accident injuries, and necessary medical equipment such as crutches, 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 fully perform work, and how the knock-on effects of your accident/injuries may keep you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes fixing or replacing 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 for the most part the amount of difficulty a St. Louis County, MO victim goes through after an accident differs from person to person. In general, though, documenting changes in personality, attitude, and mental health is a smart rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe situations, a St. Louis County, MO car accident may result in a victim sustaining life-changing injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot remedy the unspeakable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more freedom to successfully navigate 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 the level they were 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. Louis County, MO Car Accident Lawyer That Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we provide the muscle and intelligence of an elite St. Louis County, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one attention of an individual practice. Our firm has worked with St. Louis County residents from all walks of life to obtain the justice they merit following a car accident in St. Louis County, MO. We take all our cases on what is called a contingency basis, meaning that unless you win your St. Louis County, MO car accident case or obtain a favorable settlement, you will not need to owe us anything.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in St. Louis County, MO caused by another party’s negligence, do not hesitate: contact a St. Louis County car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-strings-attched document review.
