Automobile Injury Attorney Wardsville, MO
Wardsville, MO Personal Injury Lawyers
Call 866-382-4167 for a Free Consultation | Wardsville, MO Automobile Injury Attorney
Automobile injury attorney in Wardsville, MO. The consequences of an auto accident injury are immediate and severe. If a thoughtless driver in Wardsville, MO injured you, you require an automobile injury attorney who will get you the full compensation you need to be made whole again. At Halvorsen Klote, we have dedicated our practice to fighting for injury victims when they need help the most. Insurance adjusters can seem heartless, but with the help of an experienced attorney, they will not be able to prevent you from collecting the maximum compensation you deserve. We serve the injured in Wardsville, MO, the Greater St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. You don't pay until we win your case. Call a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Wardsville, MO today at 866-382-4167 or contact us through our website for a free case evaluation.
We've gotten full compensation for our Wardsville, MO clients in numerous types of auto accident claims, including:
Wardsville, MO Automobile Injury Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions
Most of our clients have never had to make an injury claim before, and 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:
Do I Even Have Auto Accident Claim?
In order to have a realistic chance of winning, you have to have suffered an injury that led to some amount of economic damages, such as an appointment with your doctor 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 your injuries didn't lead to financial loss, it would be difficult for you to make a personal injury claim. If you were the negligence party, 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 Wardsville, 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 injuries where a lawyer won't be able to add much value to your claim. If there's no dispute about who the at-fault driver was and your medical expenses aren't very high — for example, one emergency room visit — include copies of your records and bills in your letter to the insurance adjuster, and ask for a little more on top for inconvenience. In those types of situations, an automobile injury attorney won't be able to add much value to your claim.
However, 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 isn't coming close to giving you a fair offer, or is saying your injuries were pre-existing, then you absolutely need a lawyer. Insurance adjusters have a lot of experience minimizing payouts; personal injury lawyers know how to have just as much experience holding them accountable.
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, also make an automobile injury attorney required.
How Much Will I Receive For My Wardsville, MO Automobile Injuries?
The damages you recover after a car accident are intended to reimburse you for the economic, physical and emotional consequences of your injuries. With an experienced Wardsville, MO automobile injury attorney, you'll get a financial recovery for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages from time spent off work
- Lost earning potential if your injuries result in permanent disability
- 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 compensation you receive for your automobile injuries depends largely on how your injuries have impacted your life.
How Much Will I Get for Pain and Suffering?
The dollar amount a plaintiff receives for pain and suffering damages is determined through one of two methods:
- 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 significant injuries.
- The Per Diem Method — "Per Diem" translates from Latin to "per day." Implementing this approach, your Wardsville, MO automobile injury attorney determines how much money a day of suffering is worth, and multiplies that by the number of days your injuries affected you. So, if we stick with the same example, say your lawyer assigned $200 a day to your injuries:
Say the negligent driver caused a moderate neck injury, leading to $15,000 in economic damages, and which led to physical discomfort for four months, and inconvenienced you because you had 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 the noneconomic damages multiplier = a $45,000 financial recovery
$200 × 121 days (four months) = $24,200 in noneconomic damages (on top of your medical bills and lost wages)
Your attorney will use the method that applies best to your specific case.
Will I Still Get Compensation if My Medical Insurance Pays For 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, your medical insurance company will place a medical lien on your settlement. 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 Wardsville, 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 negligent 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 Wardsville, MO automobile injury attorney can file an underinsured motorist claim under your own policy, 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 Wardsville, MO?
In most cases, the other driver is the only personal liable for your injuries. However, there are other people and entities that may have contributed to your accident:
- An car manufacturer may have negligently designed, manufactured, or tested a vehicle component, and you can make a product liability claim
- 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, causing a defect that contributed to the wreck
- A licensed alcohol vendor if they served alcohol to a drunk driver that caused your crash
- A local, state or federal body responsible for keeping roads safe
- 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 tactic insurance adjusters use to avoid paying you. Having strong evidence, as well as an automobile injury attorney experienced in fighting back against that tactic, will demonstrate that you aren't liable.
If it's true that you were partially at fault for your injuries, you can still make a recovery. Both Missouri Law and 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 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, you cannot make any recovery if it is determined that you were more than 50 percent at fault.
What if I Was Injured as a Passenger?
If you were injured in a car that somebody else was driving, you still seek compensation from the negligent driver's insurance company, even if it was the person driving your car. While they may have to pay a moderate amount more for insurance, which is likely much less than your economic damages. An automobile injury attorney can help make the process less personal.
Will I Have to Go to Court?
You probably will not be required to go to court for a car accident claim. The Bureau of Justice Statistics issued a study in 2005 that found 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 prep you for those and do most of the work themselves.
How Long Will My Claim Take?
Each claim is different, and the more complicated a case, usually the longer it takes. A personal injury claim can take 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 there's an attorney on the case. 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 expert testimony.
Most cases reach a conclusion within three to nine months. While while we understand that you'd like to receive your money soon, it's always in your best interest to wait to agree to a settlement until it's the best possible compensation you deserve. Once you agree to a settlement, you can never go back and ask for more money later.
Is It Expensive to Hire an Automobile Injury Attorney?
Halvorsen Klote's Wardsville, 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 you don't owe us anything upfront. If we don't win, you don't owe us anything, so there's no reason to see money as an obstacle in hiring one of our lawyers.
We see no reason that money should be a barrier for people who need quality legal representation to make a full financial recovery.
If you have any other questions about personal injury claims, have a look at our other FAQs, have a look at our legal resources page or call us at 866-382-4167.
Other injury claims we handle in Wardsville, 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
Consult With an Automobile Injury Attorney in Wardsville, 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 fight back against insurance companies every day and know how to get our Wardsville, 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 Wardsville, MO family. Speak to a Halvorsen Klote automobile injury attorney in Wardsville, MO today at 866-382-4167 or reach out to us online 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.
