Automobile Injury Attorney Valley Park, MO
Valley Park, MO Personal Injury Lawyers
Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Valley Park, MO Automobile Injury Attorney
Automobile injury attorney in Valley Park, MO. The effects of an auto accident injury are immediate and severe. If a careless driver in Valley Park, MO injured you, you require an automobile injury attorney who will fight to get you justice. At Halvorsen Klote, we fight for injury victims when the whole world seems to have turned against them. Insurance adjusters may try to cheat, but with a skilled attorney by your side, they will not be able to prevent you from collecting the full compensation you are lawfully entitled to. We provide exceptional legal representation to the injured in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO now at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a free consultation.
We have experience with a number of automobile injury claims, including:
Valley Park, 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 damages. Below are some of the questions we get most frequently:
How Do I Know if I Have a Case?
For a claim to be valid, your injury needs to lead to some form of financial loss, for instance urgent care bills or time spent off work recovering, and accident had to be caused or contributed to by another party. If you suffered some bumps and bruises, but you never sought medical treatment, it's unrealistic to expect an insurance company to compensate you. If you were responsible for your injuries, you may not have a case either.
The good news is you don't have to make that decision alone. Halvorsen Klote's Valley Park, MO automobile injury attorneys offer free consultations for people who were injured and aren't sure of the validity of their claim.
Do I Need to Get a Lawyer for an Automobile Injury?
There are some injuries where a lawyer won't be able to add much value to your claim. If there's no dispute about who to blame for the accident and your medical bills are minimal — say, one appointment with your doctor — send copies of your records and bills to the insurance adjuster, and see if you can get some extra money for inconvenience. In those types of situations, it's unlikely an automobile injury attorney will be able to get you significantly more money.
But, if your injuries are more severe, result in several physical therapy or chiropractic appointments 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 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 have just as much experience holding them accountable.
Other complications, such as if the negligent driver refuses to be held accountable, 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 Valley Park, MO?
The damages you are eligible for after an automobile injury are intended to compensate you for the economic, physical and emotional toll your injuries cause. With a talented Valley Park, MO automobile injury attorney, you can be reimbursed for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages from time spent off work
- Lost earning capacity if you can no longer work
- 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 injuries prevent you from helping and giving affection to your spouse
How much compensation you receive for your automobile injuries is mostly based on the severity of your injuries.
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" translates from Latin to "per day." With this approach, your Valley Park, MO automobile injury attorney determines how much money a day of suffering is worth, and multiplies that by the number of days you suffered. So, using the same whiplash injury example, say your lawyer assigned $200 a day to your injuries:
Say you suffered 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 week. The pain and suffering might be given 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 noneconomic damages (in addition to your economic damages)
Your attorney will know the best way to calculate your pain and suffering damages for your unique 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 collect the money that paid for your injuries from your compensation.
The law allows a variety of avenues to reduce medical liens. A talented Valley Park, 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 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 negligent driver may have a policy with higher limits, there is still a chance with more severe injuries that your damages will exceed the policy limits. If that happens, we have a couple options. First, you can use your own policy's underinsured motorist coverage. Secondly, your attorney can find out if there are other liable parties.
Who Else Could Be Liable for My Auto Accident Injuries in Valley Park, 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 have negligently designed, manufactured, or tested a car component, and you can make a product liability claim
- In a truck accident, there are a variety of regulations the trucking company may have violated
- A mechanic may have negligently worked on the car, causing a defect that had a hand in the wreck
- A bar or restaurant if someone got drunk at their venue, drove afterwards and caused your injuries
- A government authority responsible for keeping roads safe
- 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. Having detailed evidence, as well as an experienced automobile injury attorney fighting back against insurance companies, will help prove you're not at-fault.
If, as in some cases, you really were partially responsible for the accident, you are not completely barred from compensation. Both Missouri Revised Statute §537.765 and Illinois Law followed the legal doctrine of "comparative negligence." Meaning, each party pays for the percentage of fault they bear for the accident. In Illinois, you cannot make any recovery if it is determined that you were more than 50 percent to blame.
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 that person is a friend or family member in Valley Park, MO. While your friend's or family member's insurance premiums might go up a little, which is likely substantially less than your medical bills and lost wages. An automobile injury attorney can help make the process less personal.
Will My Claim Go to Trial?
It's very unlikely that you'll be required to go attend hearings or a trial for a car accident claim. The Bureau of Justice Statistics issued a study in 2005 that found that more than nine out of 10 tort claims are settled before trial.
Depositions and mediations are common formal procedures in personal 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 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 six to eight weeks to several years before it reaches its conclusion. Many insurance adjusters start cooperating immediately once they've received notice that there's an attorney on the case. Other times, a fair settlement is only offered right before trial begins, or there are complexities to the case that require substantial investigation and time put in.
Most cases are settled within three to nine months. While while we understand that you'd like to receive your compensation earlier than not, it's always in your best interest to wait to agree to a settlement until it's the maximum compensation you're entitled to. Once you agree to a settlement, your right to get additional compensation is barred.
What if I Can't Afford an Automobile Injury Attorney?
Halvorsen Klote's Valley Park, MO automobile injury attorney receive our fees through a contingency fee. That means we take a percentage of your final compensation as our attorneys' fees, and we only get paid at the conclusion of your claim. If we don't secure any compensation for you, you don't pay, 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 a barrier for people who need quality legal representation to make a full financial recovery.
To learn more about the claims process, have a look at the frequently asked questions area of our website, have a look at our legal resources page or call us at 866-382-4167.
Other injury claims we take on in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO Today
We founded our practice on the idea that everyone deserves the same high quality legal representation 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 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 Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO family can spend your energy on healing. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Valley Park, MO now at 866-382-4167 or contact us online 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.
