Belleville, IL - Halvorsen Klote

Belleville, IL

Automobile Injury Attorney Belleville, IL

Belleville, IL Personal Injury Lawyers


Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Belleville, IL Automobile Injury Attorney

Automobile injury attorney in Belleville, IL. The effects of an auto accident injury are immediate and severe. If you were injured in a Belleville, IL auto accident, you need an automobile injury attorney who will fight to bring you justice and a fair financial recovery. At Halvorsen Klote, we stand by those injured by the negligence of another when they need it the most. Insurance adjusters may try to deceive you, but with a knowledgeable attorney by your side, they will not be able to keep you from the best possible compensation you deserve. We provide the highest quality of legal representation to the vulnerable in Belleville, IL, the Greater St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. You don't pay unless we win. Call a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Belleville, IL now at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a free consultation.

We've gotten great results for our Belleville, IL clients in numerous types of auto accident claims, including:


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Belleville, IL Automobile Injury Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions

For most of our clients, this is their first experience with the injury claims process. They understandably have doubts and uncertainties as to what the experience will be like. Below is a list of FAQs to give you a little bit clearer picture of what to expect:

Do I Even Have a Personal Injury Case?

For a claim to be valid, you have to have sustained an injury that led to some amount of economic damages, for instance emergency room bills or lost wages, and accident had to be caused or contributed to by another party. If you you were sore for a few days after the accident, but you were never medically evaluated, it's unrealistic to expect an insurance company to compensate you. If the accident was largely your fault, your own insurance company can pay for your damages, but your premiums will go up.

The good news is you don't have to rely on guesswork to understand if you have a case. Halvorsen Klote's Belleville, IL automobile injury attorneys are more than happy to discuss the validity of your claim for free.

Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer for an Automobile Injury?

Usually, yes, but not all the time. If the other party accepts liability and your medical expenses aren't very high — for example, one appointment with your doctor — send detailed records to the insurance company, and see if you can get some extra money for the hassle. In those types of situations, it's unlikely an automobile injury attorney will be able to get you significantly more money.

But, if your injuries are more severe, result in several physical therapy or chiropractic appointments and result in lost wages, the insurance company is not going to willingly pay for all those damages. If the insurance company refuses to compensate you fairly, or is trying to convince you that your injuries were pre-existing, then you absolutely need a lawyer. Insurance adjusters know how to devalue claims; personal injury lawyers know how to have just as much experience holding them accountable.

There are things besides significant injuries that require an attorney, such as if the other side denies liability, or if you were in a multi-vehicle accident, also make an automobile injury attorney required.

How Much Are My Automobile Injury Worth in Belleville, IL?

The damages you are eligible for after a car accident are intended to provide you with an equitable financial recovery for all the ways an injury affected your life. With a talented Belleville, IL automobile injury attorney, you'll get a financial recovery for:

  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages from time spent off work
  • Lost earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from making a living as you're used to
  • Miscellaneous expenses, such as hiring a nanny or take care to look after your kids
  • Noneconomic damages like pain and suffering, or loss of consortium if your spousal relationship is affected by your injuries

How much money you get for your automobile injuries is mostly based on how your injuries have affected your life.

How Much Will I Get for Pain and Suffering?

There are two commonly accepted ways to calculate pain and suffering damages:

  • The Multiplier Method — With this approach, your economic damages will be multiplied by a number, typically between 1.5 and 5, using higher numbers for more debilitating injuries.
  • Say you suffered a moderate neck injury, leading to $15,000 in medical expenses and lost wages, and which led to physical discomfort for four months, and inconvenienced you because you had to wear a neck brace for a week. Your noneconomic damages might be assigned a multiplier of three. So:

    $15,000 in economic damages × 3 for a pain and suffering multiplier = $45,000 in total compensation
  • The Per Diem Method — "Per Diem" means "per day" in Latin. Using this approach, your Belleville, IL automobile injury attorney assigns a dollar amount to a single day of suffering, and multiplies that by the number of days your injuries affected you. So, with the above example, say your lawyer assigned $200 a day to your injuries:
  • $200 × 121 days (four months) = $24,200 in pain and suffering damages (in addition to your economic damages)

Your attorney will use the method that applies best to your unique case.

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Will I Still Get Reimbursement if My Medical Insurance Pays For My Medical Bills?

Yes. The settlement or judgment is based on all of your medical expenses, regardless of whether it was paid for by insurance or out of pocket. However, insurance companies and medical providers have a right place a medical lien on your claim. That allows them to collect the money that paid for your injuries from your compensation.

There are various legal remedies to reduce medical liens. An experience Belleville, IL automobile injury attorney will be able to work with your insurance company and healthcare providers to reduce those liens and put as much money as possible in your pocket.

What If My Damages Exceed the Policy Limits?

Missouri and Illinois have very similar laws regarding minimum auto coverage:

  • $25,000 minimum coverage for bodily injury per person
  • $50,000 minimum coverage for bodily injury per accident
  • $25,000 (Missouri)/$20,000 (Illinois) minimum coverage for property damage

The other driver could have those, or other policy limits, but there is still no guarantee that there's enough to cover all of your damages. If that happens, we have a couple options. First, your Belleville, IL automobile injury attorney can make an underinsured motorist claim under your own policy, asking them to make up the difference. Secondly, your attorney can find out if there are other liable parties.

Who Else Could Be Liable for My Auto Accident Injuries in Belleville, IL?

In most cases, the other driver is the only personal we can hold accountable for your injuries. However, there are other people and entities that may have contributed to your accident:

  • An car company may may have produced a defective car component, and you can make a product liability claim
  • In a truck accident, there are a variety of regulations the trucking company may have violated
  • A mechanic may have negligently worked on the car, which caused the accident
  • A licensed alcohol vendor if someone got drunk at their venue, drove afterwards and caused a crash
  • A government entity responsible for designing and maintaining the safety of roads
  • A construction company if the accident was caused by an unsafe construction site

What if I'm Being Blamed For My Accident?

Shifting blame is a common tactic insurance companies use to avoid paying you. Having sound evidence, as well as an experienced automobile injury attorney fighting back against that tactic, will help prove you're not to blame.

In some car accidents, both drivers really are each partially responsible for the accident. Both Missouri Revised Statute §537.765 and Illinois Law followed the legal principle of "comparative fault." Meaning, if you were 30 percent at fault for the accident, you can recover 70 percent of your damages from the other party. In Illinois, you cannot make any recovery if it is determined that you were more than half to blame.

What if I Was Injured as a Passenger?

If you were injured in a car that somebody else was driving, you still seek compensation from the liable driver's insurance company, even if it's someone you know. While they may have to pay a moderate amount more for insurance, that doesn't compare to the economic and noneconomic damages you've sustained because of their negligence. An automobile injury attorney can help make the process less personal.

Will My Claim Go to Trial?

It's very unlikely that you'll have to go to court for a car accident claim. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that only four percent of tort claims go to trial.

Depositions and mediations are common formal procedures in automobile injury claims, but your automobile injury attorney will prep you for those and do most of the work themselves.

How Long Will My Claim Take?

That depends on a lot of things, such as the severity of your injuries, how clear negligence is and even the insurance company or adjuster we're negotiating with. A personal injury claim can take anywhere from a month to three or four years before it reaches its conclusion. Many insurance adjusters start cooperating immediately once they've received notice that there's an attorney on the case. In other cases, they'll wait until the eve of trial to finally agree to what is fair, or the liability and insurance coverage elements are so complex that they require substantial investigation and time put in.

Most cases are settled from anywhere between a few months to a year. While we'd obviously like to resolve your claim earlier than not, it's always the best idea to hold out for the best possible financial recovery you're entitled to. Once you agree to a settlement, your right to get additional compensation is barred.

What if I Can't Afford an Automobile Injury Attorney?

Halvorsen Klote's Belleville, IL automobile injury attorney receive our fees through a contingency fee. That means we we get a portion of your final payout, and you don't owe us anything upfront. If we don't secure any compensation for you, you don't pay, so there's no reason to see money as a barrier to hiring one of our lawyers.

We see no reason that money should be an obstacle for people who just want to be fairly compensated for their injuries.

To learn more about the claims process, have a look at the frequently asked questions area of our website, go to our legal resources page or contact us online.

Other cases we handle in Belleville, IL include:

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Hire an Automobile Injury Attorney in Belleville, IL Today

We founded our practice on the idea that everyone deserves the same high quality legal representation that large insurance companies have. An injury is shocking and create fear and confusion. But we will be by your side every step of the way. We stand up to insurance companies every day and know how to get our Belleville, IL clients the full financial recovery they deserve. We pride ourselves on our client communication, and handle the entire legal process so you and your Belleville, IL family can focus on healing. Call a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Belleville, IL today at 866-382-4167 or reach out to us online for a free consultation.


Joel Halvorsen

Joel Halvorsen

Attorney at Law

Joel Halvorsen and his partner Greg Klote founded the Halvorsen Klote law firm on the principle that injured people and their families should have access to the same quality legal representation as large insurance companies.


Greg Klote

Greg Klote

Attorney at Law

Greg Klote is a partner and founder of Halvorsen Klote.

Greg has successfully fought for people who were injured through no fault of their own. He became a lawyer to help make a difference in the lives of those who have been wronged and treated unfairly.