Automobile Injury Attorney High Hill, MO
High Hill, MO Personal Injury Lawyers
Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | High Hill, MO Automobile Injury Attorney
Automobile injury attorney in High Hill, MO. Injuries in auto wrecks happen without warning, and the emotional, physical and financial burdens they create happen suddenly as well. If you were injured in a High Hill, MO auto accident, you need an automobile injury attorney who will defend your rights. 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 a knowledgeable attorney, you will get the justice and financial recovery you deserve. We serve the injured in High Hill, MO, the Greater St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. You owe us no fees unless we win. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in High Hill, MO now at 866-382-4167 or contact us online for a complimentary consultation.
We have experience with many different automobile injury claims, including:
High Hill, MO Automobile Injury Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions
For most of our clients, this is the first time they've had to be a part of the injury claims process. They understandably have a lot of questions as to the process and what to expect. 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 Claim?
In order to have a realistic chance of being compensated, your injury needs to create some amount of economic damages, for instance an appointment with your GP or lost wages, and there has to be another party who is at least partially at fault for the accident. If you your back hurt for a few days after the accident, but you never sought medical treatment, you're unlikely to have a valid claim. If the accident was largely your fault, you may not have a case either.
Never assume that you don't have a case without speaking to an attorney first. Halvorsen Klote's High Hill, MO automobile injury attorneys offer free case reviews for people who were injured and aren't sure of the validity of their claim.
Is it Worth it to Hire a Lawyer for an Automobile Injury?
Usually, yes, but not all the time. If there's no dispute about who to blame for the accident and your medical bills are minimal — for instance, one urgent care appointment — include copies of your records and bills in your settlement letter, and see if you can get some extra money for the nuisance. 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.
But, with more significant injuries that require ongoing medical treatment and don't allow you to work for a period, the insurance company is going to do whatever they can to pay you as little as possible. If the insurance company is not willing to compensate you fairly, or is saying your injuries were pre-existing, then you absolutely need a lawyer. Insurance adjusters know how to devalue claims; personal injury lawyers know how to fight back against them.
There are things besides significant injuries that require an attorney, such as if the negligent driver refuses to be held accountable, or if your injuries occurred in a multi-vehicle accident, almost always require the assistance of an automobile injury attorney.
What Compensation Can I Recover For My High Hill, MO Automobile Injuries?
The damages you are eligible for after a car accident are meant to provide you with an equitable financial recovery for all the ways an injury affected your life. With a knowledgeable High Hill, MO automobile injury attorney, you'll be compensated for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages from time spent off work
- Lost earning capacity if you can no longer work
- Miscellaneous expenses, such as hiring household services for chores you can't do while you're injured
- Noneconomic damages like pain and suffering, or loss of consortium if your spousal relationship is negatively impacted by your injuries
How much compensation you receive in your car accident settlement is mostly based on how your injuries have impacted your life.
How Are Pain and Suffering Calculated?
There are two commonly accepted ways to calculate pain and suffering damages:
- 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. With this approach, your High Hill, MO automobile injury attorney assigns a dollar amount to a single day of suffering, and multiplies that by the number of days you suffered. So, if we stick with the same example, say $200 a day is a fair approximation of your pain and suffering:
For example, the negligent driver caused a moderate neck injury, leading to $15,000 in medical expenses and lost wages, and which caused you to have physical discomfort for four months, and inconvenienced you because you had to wear a neck brace for a few days. The pain and suffering might be given a multiplier of three. So:
$15,000 in economic damages × 3 for a pain and suffering multiplier = a $45,000 financial recovery
$200 × 121 days (four months) = $24,200 in noneconomic damages (on top of your economic damages)
Your attorney will use the method that applies best to your specific case.
Will I Still Get Compensation if My Medical Insurance Covers My Medical Bills?
Yes. All of your medical expenses will be included in your settlement or judgment, even if they were partially or fully covered by insurance. However, insurance companies and medical providers have a right place a medical lien on your compensation. That allows them to be repaid by the liable party's insurance, just as you are being compensated.
There are various legal remedies to reduce medical liens. A knowledgeable High Hill, MO 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 almost 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, you can use your own policy's underinsured motorist coverage. Secondly, in their investigation your attorney might might determine that there are other liable parties who you can also make a claim against.
Who Else Could Be Liable for My Auto Accident Injuries in High Hill, MO?
In most cases, liability is solely on the driver responsible for the crash. However, there are other people and entities that may have contributed to your accident:
- An car manufacturer may may have produced a faulty car component, leading to a product liability claim
- In a truck accident, there are a variety of regulations the trucking company may have violated
- A mechanic may have improperly repaired an automobile, causing a defect that contributed to the crash
- A bar or restaurant if they served alcohol to a drunk driver that caused your crash
- A government body responsible for keeping roads safe
- A construction company if the accident was caused by an unsafe construction site
What if The Insurance Company is Saying the Accident is My Fault?
Shifting blame is a common tactic insurance adjusters use to avoid paying you. Providing detailed evidence, as well as an experienced automobile injury attorney fighting back against insurance companies, will demonstrate that you aren't liable.
If it's true that you were partially to blame for your injuries, you are not completely barred from compensation. Both Missouri Law and 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 followed the legal principle of "comparative negligence." 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 at fault.
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's someone you know. While they may have to pay a moderate amount more for insurance, that doesn't compare to the medical bills and lost wages you've incurred 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 attend hearings or a trial for a car accident claim. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that less than five percent of tort claims go to trial.
You'll likely have to take a deposition and may have to attend a mediation, but your automobile injury attorney will make sure you're adequately prepared and will do most of the work themselves.
How Long Will I Have to Wait Until I'm Compensated?
That depends on your case and, usually, how complex it is. A personal injury claim can take anywhere from six to eight weeks to three or four years before it's resolved. Many insurance adjusters immediately agree to a settlement demand letter once they've learned that you hired a lawyer. Other times, 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 considerable investigation and time put in.
Most cases reach a conclusion within three to nine months. While we'd obviously like to resolve your claim as quickly as possible, it's always the best idea to wait to agree to a settlement until it's the full, fair financial recovery you're owed. You only have chance to receive compensation.
Is It Expensive to Hire an Automobile Injury Attorney?
Halvorsen Klote's High Hill, MO automobile injury attorney work on a contingency fee basis. That means we take a percentage of your final compensation as our attorneys' fees, and you don't owe us anything upfront. If we don't secure any compensation for you, you don't owe us anything, so there's no reason to see money as an obstacle in hiring one of our lawyers.
We don't believe that money should be an obstacle for people who just want to be fairly compensated for their injuries.
If you have any other questions about the claims process, check out the frequently asked questions area of our website, have a look at our legal resources page or contact us online.
Other cases we take on in High Hill, 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
Speak to an Automobile Injury Attorney in High Hill, MO Today
We do what we do because we believe that everyone should have access to the same high quality legal representation as the insurance companies that are trying to keep them from the compensation they are owed. An injury is shocking and can leave you with a profound sense of uncertainty. But you don't have to go through the claims process alone. We fight back against insurance companies every day and know how to get our High Hill, MO clients the best possible results. We pride ourselves on our client communication, and do everything we can to make the claims process easy and seamless for you and your High Hill, MO family. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in High Hill, MO now at 866-382-4167 or reach out to 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.
