Automobile Injury Attorney Rolla, MO
Rolla, MO Personal Injury Lawyers
Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Rolla, MO Automobile Injury Attorney
Automobile injury attorney in Rolla, MO. Injuries in auto wrecks happen without warning, and the emotional, physical and financial burdens they carry are quick to materialize as well. If you were injured in a Rolla, MO auto accident, you require an automobile injury attorney who will defend your rights. At Halvorsen Klote, we stand by injury victims when they need it the most. Insurance adjusters can seem heartless, but with the help of an experienced attorney, you will get the justice and financial recovery you deserve. We serve the vulnerable in Rolla, 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 Rolla, MO today at 866-382-4167 or reach out to us online for a complimentary case review.
We have experience with a number of automobile injury claims, including:
Rolla, 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 doubts and uncertainties as to how to proceed going about getting compensation for their injuries. Below are some of the questions we get most frequently:
How Do I Know if I Have a Valid Claim?
For a claim to be valid, you have to have sustained an injury that led to some amount of economic damages, for instance urgent care bills or time spent off work recovering, 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, it's unrealistic to expect an insurance company to compensate you. If the accident was largely your fault, you may not have a case either.
The good news is you don't have to make that decision alone. Halvorsen Klote's Rolla, MO 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?
There are some cases where you probably don't need a lawyer. If there's no dispute about who the at-fault driver was and you didn't need much medical treatment — for instance, one urgent care appointment — send copies of your records and bills to the insurance adjuster, and see if you can get some extra money for inconvenience. 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, with more significant injuries that 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 give you a fair offer, or is saying your injuries were pre-existing, 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 fight back against them.
There are things besides significant injuries that require an attorney, such as if there is a dispute over liability, 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 Rolla, MO?
The damages you recover after an automobile injury are intended to compensate you for the financial, physical and emotional consequences of your injuries. With a skilled Rolla, 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
- Miscellaneous 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 negatively impacted by your injuries
How much compensation you receive in your car accident settlement depends largely on the severity of your injuries.
How Much Will I Get for Noneconomic Damages?
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, depending on how severe your injuries were. The more disruptive the injury, the higher the number.
- The Per Diem Method — "Per Diem" translates from Latin to "per day." Implementing this method, your Rolla, 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 your lawyer assigned $200 a day to your injuries:
Say the negligent driver caused a whiplash injury, leading to $15,000 in economic damages, and which led to neck pain for four months, and inconvenienced you because you had to wear a neck brace for a short period. 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 individual case.
Will I Still Get Compensation if My Medical Insurance Covers 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, your medical insurance company will place a medical lien on your compensation. 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. A knowledgeable Rolla, 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 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 a policy with higher limits, 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 Rolla, MO automobile injury attorney can make an underinsured motorist claim with your own insurance company, asking them to make up the difference. Secondly, in their investigation your attorney might uncover other liable parties who you can also make a claim against.
What Other Parties Could Be Held Accountable for My Auto Accident Injuries in Rolla, MO?
In most cases, liability is squarely on the driver responsible for the accident. However, depending on the specifics of your case, other parties may be liable:
- An auto company may may have produced a faulty car component, leading to 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 licensed alcohol vendor if someone got drunk at their venue, drove afterwards and caused a crash
- A local, state or federal 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?
An insurance adjuster may try to blame you for your accident in order to devalue your claim. Providing strong evidence, as well as an automobile injury attorney used to fighting back against that tactic, will demonstrate that you aren't liable.
In some car accidents, both drivers really are each partially responsible for the accident. Both Missouri Law 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, you cannot make any recovery if 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 would still file a claim against the at-fault driver, even if it's someone you know. 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 incurred as a result. 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 your automobile injuries. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 96 percent of tort claims are settled before 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 I Have to Wait Until I'm Compensated?
Each injury is different, and the more complicated a case, usually the longer it takes. A personal injury claim can take anywhere from six to eight weeks to several years before it results in fair compensation. Many insurance adjusters start cooperating immediately once they know that the plaintiff 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 expert testimony.
Most cases reach a conclusion from anywhere between a few months to a year. While while we understand that you'd like to receive your money without waiting a long period, it's always in your best interest to wait to agree to a settlement until it's the maximum 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 Rolla, MO automobile injury attorney work on a contingency fee basis. 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 financial risk involved in hiring our services.
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 our other FAQs, go to our legal resources page or request a free consultation.
Other injury claims we take on in Rolla, 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 Rolla, MO Today
We do what we do because we believe that an injury victim deserves the same standard of legal advocacy that large insurance companies have. 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 Rolla, MO clients the full financial recovery they deserve. We pride ourselves on our client communication, and do everything we can to make the claims process easy and seamless for you and your Rolla, MO family. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Rolla, MO today at 866-382-4167 or reach out to us through our website for a complimentary 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.
