Automobile Injury Attorney Manchester, MO
Manchester, MO Personal Injury Lawyers
Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Manchester, MO Automobile Injury Attorney
Automobile injury attorney in Manchester, MO. The effects of an auto accident injury are immediate and severe. If a thoughtless driver in Manchester, MO injured you, you require an automobile injury attorney who will defend your rights. At Halvorsen Klote, we stand by injury victims when the whole world seems stacked against them. Insurance adjusters can seem heartless, but with the help of a skilled attorney, they will not be able to prevent you from collecting the best possible compensation you are lawfully entitled to. We provide exceptional legal representation to the vulnerable in Manchester, MO, the Greater St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. You don't pay unless we win. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Manchester, MO now at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a complimentary case evaluation.
We have experience with many different automobile injury claims, including:
Manchester, 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. Some of the most commonly asked questions we get are:
Do I Even Have Autombile Injury Claim?
For a claim to be valid, you have to have sustained an injury that led to some form of financial loss, such as urgent care bills or lost wages, and accident had to be caused or contributed to by another party. If you your back hurt for a few days after the accident, but you were never medically evaluated, you're unlikely to have a valid claim. If the accident was largely your fault, you cannot file a claim against someone else's insurance.
The good news is you don't have to rely on guesswork to understand if you have a case. Halvorsen Klote's Manchester, MO automobile injury attorneys are more than happy to discuss your case for free.
Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer for an Automobile Injury?
There are some injuries where you probably don't need a lawyer. If there's no dispute about who to blame for the accident and your medical expenses aren't very high — for instance, one emergency room visit — send copies of your records and bills to the insurance adjuster, 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.
However, if your injuries are more severe, require ongoing medical treatment and don't allow you to work for a period, the insurance company is not going to willingly pay for all those damages. If the insurance company refuses to pay the full extent of your damages, 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 get maximum compensation.
Other complications, such as if the other side denies liability, 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 Manchester, MO Automobile Injuries?
The damages you recover after an automobile injury are meant to provide you with an equitable financial recovery for all the ways an injury affected your life. With an experienced Manchester, MO automobile injury attorney, you'll get a financial recovery for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages from time spent recovering
- Lost earning potential if you can no longer work
- Other related expenses, such as hiring transportation to and from medical appointments
- Noneconomic damages like pain and suffering, or loss of consortium if your injuries prevent you from helping and giving affection to your spouse
How much money you get for your automobile injuries depends largely on the severity of your injuries.
How Are Pain and Suffering Calculated?
The dollar amount a plaintiff receives for noneconomic damages is determined through one of two methods:
- The Multiplier Method — With this method, we multiply the total of your medical bills, lost wages and out-of-pocket expenses by a number between 1.5 and 5, using higher numbers for more significant injuries.
- The Per Diem Method — "Per Diem" translates from Latin to "per day." Using this approach, your Manchester, 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, with the above example, say $200 a day is a fair approximation of how your injuries affected you:
Say the negligent driver caused a moderate neck injury, leading to $15,000 in economic damages, and which caused you to have neck pain for four months, and further disrupted you because it forced you to wear a neck brace for a short period. 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 final compensation
$200 × 121 days (four months) = $24,200 in pain and suffering damages (in addition to your medical bills and lost wages)
Your attorney will know the best way to determine your noneconomic damages for your individual case.
Will I Still Get Reimbursement if My Medical Insurance Covers My Medical Expenses?
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, your medical insurance company will 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. A knowledgeable Manchester, 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 the Insurance Coverage is Limited?
Missouri and Illinois have nearly the same 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
The other driver could have those, or other policy limits, but there is still a chance with more severe injuries that your damages will exceed the policy limits. That doesn't mean we can't get more compensation than the limits. First, your Manchester, MO automobile injury attorney can file an underinsured motorist claim under your own policy, asking them to make up the difference. Secondly, in their investigation your attorney might might determine that there are other liable parties who you can also make a claim against.
What Other Parties Could Be Held Accountable for My Auto Accident Injuries in Manchester, MO?
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 auto manufacturer may may have produced a faulty car component, and you can make a product liability claim
- If you were injured in a truck crash, the trucking company may have failed to repair a truck, or may have required their driver to drive more hours than allowed
- A mechanic may have negligently worked on the car, which contributed to the accident
- 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 the accident was caused by an unsafe construction site
What if I'm Being Blamed For My Accident?
Shifting blame is a common trick insurance companies use to devalue your claim. Having sound evidence, in addition to having an automobile injury attorney used to fighting back against insurance companies, will demonstrate that you aren't liable.
If it's true that you were partially responsible for your injuries, you can still make a recovery. Both Missouri Law and Illinois Law followed the legal doctrine 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, your right to compensation is barred if you were more than half liable.
What if I Was Injured as a Passenger?
If you were injured as a passenger, you still seek compensation from the liable driver's insurance company, even if it's someone you know. While your friend's or family member's insurance premiums might go up a little, which is likely substantially less than your economic damages. 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 96 percent of tort claims are settled before trial.
Depositions and mediations are common formal procedures in automobile injury claims, 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 the plaintiff hired a lawyer. Other times, a fair settlement is only offered right before trial begins, or there are complexities to the case that require substantial investigation and expert testimony.
Most cases reach a conclusion within three to nine months. While we'd obviously like to resolve your claim without waiting a long period, it's always the best idea to wait to agree to a settlement until it's the maximum compensation you're owed. This is your only chance to receive compensation.
What if I Can't Afford an Automobile Injury Attorney?
Halvorsen Klote's Manchester, 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 there are no upfront costs. If we don't win, you don't owe us anything, so there's no financial risk involved in hiring our services.
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 car accident claims, check out our other FAQs, have a look at our legal resources page or call us at 866-382-4167.
Other cases we take on in Manchester, 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 Manchester, MO Today
We do what we do because we believe that everyone deserves the same standard of legal advocacy as the insurance companies that are trying to keep them from the compensation they are owed. Injuries are always unexpected and can leave you with a profound sense of uncertainty. But you don't have to go through the claims process alone. We stand up to insurance companies every day and know how to get our Manchester, 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 Manchester, MO family. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Manchester, MO now at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a free consultation.
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.
