Automobile Injury Attorney Festus, MO
Festus, MO Personal Injury Lawyers
Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Festus, MO Automobile Injury Attorney
Automobile injury attorney in Festus, MO. Injuries in auto crashes happen suddenly, and the emotional, physical and economic hardships they create happen suddenly as well. If a negligent driver in Festus, MO injured you, you require an automobile injury attorney who will fight to get you justice. At Halvorsen Klote, we stand by injury victims when they need help the most. Insurance adjusters may try to deceive you, but with the help of an experienced attorney, you will get the justice and financial recovery you are rightfully entitled to. We provide outstanding legal advocacy to the vulnerable in Festus, MO, the Greater St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. You don't pay until you get the compensation you deserve. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Festus, MO today at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a free case review.
We have experience with a number of automobile injury claims, including:
Festus, MO Automobile Injury Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions
For most of our clients, this is their first foray into the injury claims process. They understandably have doubts and uncertainties as to what the experience will be like. Below are some of the questions we get most frequently:
Do I Even Have Auto Accident Claim?
In order to have a case, your injury needs to lead to some form of financial loss, such as urgent care bills or lost wages, and there has to be another party who is at least partially at fault for the accident. If you suffered some bumps and bruises, but your injuries didn't lead to financial loss, you're unlikely to have a successful claim. If you were the negligence party, you cannot file a claim against someone else's insurance.
Never assume that you can't make a successful claim without speaking to an attorney first. Halvorsen Klote's Festus, MO automobile injury attorneys offer free case reviews for people who were injured and aren't sure if they have a case.
Do I Need to Get 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 — include copies of your records and bills in your letter to the insurance adjuster, and ask for some extra money for the hassle. With milder injuries where fault is not in dispute, it's unlikely an automobile injury attorney will be able to get you significantly more money.
However, if your injuries are more severe, require ongoing medical treatment and result in lost wages, the insurance company is going to do whatever they can to pay you as little as possible. If the insurance company refuses to pay the full extent of your damages, or is trying to convince you that your injuries weren't caused by the accident, then you absolutely need a lawyer. Insurance adjusters have a lot of experience minimizing payouts; personal injury lawyers know how to get maximum compensation.
There are things besides significant injuries that require an attorney, such as if the negligent driver refuses to admit fault, or if your injuries occurred in a multi-vehicle accident, also make an automobile injury attorney necessary.
How Much Are My Automobile Injury Worth in Festus, MO?
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 knowledgeable Festus, MO automobile injury attorney, you'll be compensated for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages from time spent recovering
- Lost earning potential if you can no longer work
- Out-of-pocket expenses, such as hiring transportation to and from medical appointments
- Noneconomic damages like pain and suffering, or loss of consortium if your spousal relationship is affected by your injuries
How much compensation you receive in your car accident settlement depends largely on how your injuries have affected your life.
How Are Pain and Suffering Calculated?
The dollar amount a plaintiff receives for pain and suffering damages is determined through one of two methods:
- The Multiplier Method — With this approach, we multiply the total of your medical bills, lost wages and out-of-pocket expenses by a number between 1.5 and 5, depending on how severe your injuries were. The more disruptive the injury, the higher the number.
- The Per Diem Method — "Per Diem" means "per day" in Latin. Using this method, your Festus, MO automobile injury attorney determines how much money a day of suffering is worth, and multiplies that by the number of days your injuries affected you. So, using the same whiplash injury example, say your lawyer assigned $200 a day to your injuries:
For example, the negligent driver caused a moderate neck injury, leading to $15,000 in economic damages, and which led to physical discomfort for four months, and further disrupted you because it forced you to wear a neck brace for a short period. The pain and suffering might be given a multiplier of three. So:
$15,000 in medical bills and lost wages × 3 for the noneconomic damages multiplier = $45,000 in total compensation
$200 × 121 days (four months) = $24,200 in pain and suffering damages (on top of your economic damages)
Your attorney will know the best way to determine your noneconomic damages for your specific case.
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 healthcare providers have a right place a medical lien on your compensation. That allows them to collect the money that paid for your injuries from your compensation.
There are various legal remedies to reduce medical liens. A talented Festus, MO automobile injury attorney will be able to work with your insurance company and healthcare providers to reduce those liens and make sure as little is taken out of your settlement as possible.
What If the Insurance Coverage is Limited?
Missouri and Illinois have nearly identical minimum auto insurance requirements:
- $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
While the at-fault driver may have more coverage, there is still no guarantee that there's enough to compensate you for all of your damages. If that happens, we have a couple options. First, your Festus, MO 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 Festus, MO?
In most cases, liability is squarely on the driver that caused the accident. However, there are other people and entities that may have contributed to your accident:
- An auto manufacturer may have negligently designed, manufactured, or tested a vehicle component, and you can make a product liability claim
- If you were injured in a truck crash, there are a variety of regulations the trucking company may have violated
- A mechanic may have negligently worked on the car, which had a hand in the wreck
- A bar or restaurant if they served alcohol to a drunk driver that caused your crash
- A government authority responsible for designing and maintaining the safety of roads
- A construction company if a construction site was not properly secured
What if I'm Being Blamed For My Accident?
Shifting blame is a common trick insurance adjusters use to avoid paying you. Having strong evidence, as well as an experienced automobile injury attorney fighting back against that tactic, will demonstrate that you aren't liable.
In some car accidents, both drivers really are each partially liable. Both Missouri Revised Statute §537.765 and Illinois Law followed the legal doctrine 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, your right to compensation is barred if you were more than 50 percent liable.
What if I Was Injured as a Passenger?
If you were injured as a passenger, you would still file a claim against the at-fault driver, even if it was the person driving your car. While your friend's or family member's insurance premiums might go up a little, that doesn't compare to the economic and noneconomic damages you've suffered because of their negligence. An automobile injury attorney will communicate with other side so you don't have to feel awkward.
Will My Claim Go to Trial?
You probably will not have to go to court for your automobile injuries. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that less than five 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 I Have to Wait Until I'm Compensated?
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 last anywhere from six to eight weeks to several years before it reaches its conclusion. Many insurance adjusters start cooperating immediately once they've learned that you hired a lawyer. In other cases, they'll wait until the eve of trial to finally agree to what is fair, or there are complexities to the case that require considerable investigation and time put in.
Most cases reach a conclusion from anywhere between a few months to a year. While we'd obviously like to resolve your claim soon, it's always the best idea to hold out for the best possible financial recovery you're owed. Once you agree to a settlement, you can never go back and ask for more money later.
What if I Can't Afford an Automobile Injury Attorney?
Halvorsen Klote's Festus, MO automobile injury attorney receive our fees through a contingency fee. That means we we get a portion of your final payout, and there are no upfront costs. If we don't win, 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 need quality legal representation to make a full financial recovery.
To learn more about personal injury claims, check out the frequently asked questions area of our website, go to our legal resources page or request a free consultation.
Other cases we handle in Festus, MO include:
- Fatal Car Accident Lawyer
- Auto Accident Attorney
- Bike Wreck Lawyer
- What to Do After a Car Accident
- Premises Liability Attorneys
- Motorcycle Accidents Attorney
- Lawyer for Bicycle Accident
- Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
- Injury Claim Lawyer
Hire an Automobile Injury Attorney in Festus, MO Today
We do what we do because we believe that an injury victim should have access to the same standard of legal advocacy as the insurance companies that are trying to keep them from the financial recovery they are owed. Injuries are always unexpected and create fear and confusion. But we will be by your side every step of the way. We negotiate with insurance companies every day and know how to get our Festus, MO clients the full financial recovery they deserve. We always have open lines of communication with our clients, and do everything we can to make the claims process easy and seamless for you and your Festus, MO family. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Festus, MO today at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a free case review.
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
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.
