Automobile Injury Attorney Osage Beach, MO | Personal Injury Lawyers | Car Accident Lawyers | Halvorsen Klote

Osage Beach, MO

Automobile Injury Attorney Osage Beach, MO

Osage Beach, MO Personal Injury Lawyers


Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Osage Beach, MO Automobile Injury Attorney

Automobile injury attorney in Osage Beach, MO. Injuries in auto accidents happen without warning, and the mental, physical and economic hardships they create are quick to materialize as well. If a careless driver in Osage Beach, MO injured you, you require an automobile injury attorney who will fight to get you justice. At Halvorsen Klote, we fight for those injured by the negligence of another when the whole world seems to have turned against them. Insurance adjusters may try to deceive you, but with a knowledgeable attorney in your corner, you will get the justice and financial recovery you are lawfully entitled to. We provide exceptional legal representation to the vulnerable in Osage Beach, MO, the Greater St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. You owe us no fees until you get the compensation you deserve. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Osage Beach, MO today at 866-382-4167 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.

We have experience with many different automobile injury claims, including:


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Osage Beach, MO Automobile Injury Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions

For most of our clients, this is their first experience with the injury claims process. They understandably have a lot of questions as to the process and what the experience will be like. Below are some of the questions we get most frequently:

How Do I Know if I Have a Valid Claim?

In order to have a realistic chance of being compensated, you have to have suffered an injury that led to some form of economic damages, 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 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 make that decision alone. Halvorsen Klote's Osage Beach, MO automobile injury attorneys are more than happy to discuss the validity of your claim for free.

Is it Worth it to Hire a Lawyer for an Automobile Injury?

There are some cases where a lawyer won't be able to add much value to your claim. If the other party accepts liability and you didn't need much medical treatment — for example, one urgent care appointment — include detailed records in your letter to the insurance adjuster, and ask for some extra money for the nuisance. With milder injuries where fault is clearly established, an automobile injury attorney won't be able to add much value to your claim.

But, with more significant injuries that require ongoing medical treatment and cause you to lose time off work, 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 weren't caused by the accident, then a lawyer is likely the only way you'll get what you are owed. 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 you were in a multi-vehicle accident, almost always require the assistance of an automobile injury attorney.

How Much Are My Automobile Injury Worth in Osage Beach, MO?

The damages you recover after an automobile injury are intended to provide you with an equitable financial recovery for all the ways an injury affected your life. With a talented Osage Beach, MO automobile injury attorney, you can be reimbursed for:

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages from time spent recovering
  • Lost earning capacity if your injuries result in permanent disability
  • Other related 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 compensation you receive for your automobile injuries depends largely on how your injuries have affected your life.

How Are Noneconomic Damages Calculated?

There are two commonly accepted ways to calculate noneconomic 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, using higher numbers for more debilitating injuries.
  • Say you suffered a whiplash injury, leading to $15,000 in economic damages, and which led to neck pain for four months, and further disrupted you because it forced you to wear a neck brace for a few days. Your noneconomic damages might be assigned a multiplier of three. So:

    $15,000 in medical bills and lost wages × 3 for the noneconomic damages multiplier = a $45,000 financial recovery
  • The Per Diem Method — "Per Diem" means "per day" in Latin. Using this method, your Osage Beach, MO 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, using the same whiplash injury example, say $200 a day is a fair approximation of your pain and suffering:
  • $200 × 121 days (four months) = $24,200 in noneconomic damages (on top of your economic damages)

Your attorney will know the best way to calculate your pain and suffering damages for your individual case.

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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, insurance companies and healthcare providers have a right place a medical lien on your claim. That allows them to be compensated by the liable party's insurance, just as you are being compensated.

The law allows a variety of avenues to reduce medical liens. An experience Osage Beach, MO automobile injury attorney will know best how 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 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

While the at-fault driver may have a policy with higher limits, there is still no guarantee that there's enough to cover all of your damages. That doesn't mean we can't get more compensation than the limits. First, your Osage Beach, MO automobile injury attorney can file an underinsured motorist claim with your own insurance company, that can provide compensation for the rest of your damages. Secondly, in their investigation your attorney might uncover other liable parties who you can also make a claim against.

Who Else Could Be Liable for My Auto Accident Injuries in Osage Beach, MO?

In most cases, liability is squarely on the driver responsible for the accident. However, there are other people and entities that may have contributed to your accident:

  • An car company may may have produced a faulty vehicle component, and you can make a product liability claim
  • In a truck crash, the trucking company may have failed to maintain a truck, or may have forced their driver to drive more hours than regulations allow
  • A mechanic may have improperly repaired an automobile, causing a defect that contributed to the accident
  • A bar or restaurant if someone got drunk at their venue, drove afterwards and caused your injuries
  • A local, state or federal entity responsible for designing and maintaining the safety of roads
  • A construction company if a construction site was not properly cordoned off

What if The Insurance Company is Saying the Accident is My Fault?

An insurance adjuster may try to blame you for your accident in order to devalue your claim. Providing sound evidence, in addition to having an automobile injury attorney used to fighting back against that tactic, will help prove you're not to blame.

In some car accidents, both drivers really are each partially liable. Both Missouri Law and Illinois Law followed the legal doctrine of "comparative fault." Meaning, each party pays for the percentage of fault they bear for the accident. 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's someone you know. While their insurance premiums might go up a little, which is likely much less than your medical bills and lost wages. 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 be required to go to court 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 handle most of the work.

How Long Will My Claim Take?

Each case is different, and the more complicated a case, usually the longer it takes. A personal injury claim can last anywhere from a month to three or four years before it's resolved. Many insurance adjusters immediately agree to a settlement demand letter once they've received notice that you hired a lawyer. 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 considerable 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 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 deserve. 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 Osage Beach, 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 secure any compensation for you, you don't pay, so there's no financial risk involved in hiring our services.

We don't believe that money should be a barrier for people who just want to be fairly compensated for their injuries.

If you have any other questions about personal injury claims, have a look at our other FAQs, go to our legal resources page or contact us online.

Other injury claims we handle in Osage Beach, MO include:

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Speak to an Automobile Injury Attorney in Osage Beach, MO Today

We do what we do because we believe 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 negotiate with insurance companies every day and know how to get our Osage Beach, MO clients the full financial recovery they deserve. We pride ourselves on our client communication, and handle the entire legal process so you and your Osage Beach, MO family can focus on healing. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Osage Beach, MO today at 866-382-4167 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.


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.