Car Accident Lawyer in St. Louis, MO
Car Accident Lawyer. After you have been injured in a car or truck accident, worrying about family or work should be the last thing on your mind. Between car repairs, medical treatment, and mental trauma or anguish, the aftermath of an car accident can easily overwhelm anyone, especially when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the restitution you are entitled to.
Contact Our St. Louis, MO Car Accident Lawyer Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help Greater St. Louis residents who have been in auto accidents and are unsure about what steps to take afterward. Our car accident lawyer reviews accident reports, gathers evidence, and corresponds with insurance or financial representatives on behalf of their clients. We fight fearlessly on behalf of all our car accident clients to secure them not only fair and just compensation, but also a measure of justice after one of the most harrowing experiences of their lives.
After you’ve been in a Greater St. Louis auto accident, do not delay in contacting Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put an experienced and dedicated car accident lawyer to work for you. our firm offers free initial consultations, and promises that if they do not get a positive result in your auto accident lawsuit, you will not owe them a fee.
A Full-Service Car Accident Lawyer
Every day, thousands of cars and trucks take to the roads in and around St. Louis in order to go to work, deliver goods, run errands, or just to enjoy the open road. Unfortunately, however, every day many car accidents happen, whether due to another driver’s careless actions, poor weather conditions, or roads not being properly maintained. Automotive damages and personal injuries can range from minor cosmetic blemishes or a few cuts and scrapes, to life-altering ailments and a car so damaged as to be unrecognizable.
As experienced car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled car accident claims of all types and seen first-hand how the aftermath of an auto accident can alter someone’s life, in some cases permanently. Our firm has years of experience in the courtroom, and knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying just compensation to accident victims. We provide client-centered legal strategies that are designed to meet your unique needs and get clients justice as well as a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After An Car Accident
After you have been in an auto accident, it is common for people to be stunned and unsure of how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across Greater St. Louis, the staff at Combs Waterkotte recommends that all our clients do the following after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Pull over to somewhere where you will not obstruct traffic, if you can, and check to see if you are hurt.
- Call 911. Not only will you need to talk with police and get a full report of your car accident, but if you or a passenger is injured you may need to have an ambulance dispatched. When the police arrive, be honest about the accident but choose your words wisely: statements that imply guilt can and will be used against you by insurance providers when determining fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your license, registration, and insurance details, which you are required to do by law, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take photos. The invention, and widespread adoption, of camera phones means that it is incredibly easy to document your accident and gather evidence. Get shots of all damage, skid marks, where one or more cars collided, as well as the general area around your accident. If there were pedestrians or passersby who witnessed your accident, it is a good idea to record their accounts of the accident, as it can help your case immensely.
- Get medical attention. If you were hurt as a result of your car accident, immediately seek out emergency medical care. For smaller injuries, a local urgent care center is a more affordable and convenient option than a trip to the emergency room. However, larger and more serious injuries will likely require a trip to the hospital, or if possible a visit to your primary care physician.
- Contact an auto accident attorney. The sooner you speak to a reputable and compassionate car accident lawyer, the quicker they can get to work on your behalf and allow you to get on with recovering from your accident.
In addition to these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients hold on to the following documents. They can help immensely when negotiating a settlement, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident had on your life.
- Medical records
- Photos of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness statements
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, rehab costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair documentation
- Incidental bills such as rental car receipts
- Lost earning opportunities
- Records of pain and suffering resulting from your accident
What Damages Can I Recover After A Car Accident?
In general, there are five types of damages someone can claim following a car accident. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not strictly limited to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. A car accident victim can claim costs for medications, visits to mental health professionals, rehab or physical therapy due to injuries, and required medical equipment such as crutches, as well.
- Lost wages/earning potential: generally this is based off of what you were earning prior to the accident, how much the accident impacted your ability to fully perform work, and how the lasting effects of your accident/injuries may prevent you from working to your full potential in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair/replacement of your car as well as any/all personal items or goods that were damaged as a result of your car accident.
- Pain and suffering: these can be hard to quantify since for the most part, the amount of anguish one goes through after an accident varies from person to person. In general, though, you should record changes in attitude, mental health and need for therapy, and longer-lasting after-effects of your accident.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a car accident may result in someone sustaining life-altering injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and compensation cannot take away the immense pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more funds to help them improve their quality of life after an accident.
It is also important to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the amount of damages one or more parties receive is reduced based on how much at fault they were for causing a car accident. Missouri is a pure comparative fault state, which allows for even someone who was judged 99% responsible for an accident to collect a commensurate amount of damages.
Contact A St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer That Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we provide the muscle and legal knowledge of a competitive auto accident law firm as well as the personal attention of an individual practice. Our firm has worked with St. Louisans from all walks of life to obtain the justice they deserve following an auto accident. We take all our cases on what is called a contingency basis, which means that unless you win your case or obtain a favorable settlement, you will not need to owe us a fee.
If you have been injured as a result of an auto accident caused by someone else’s reckless behavior, do not wait: contact a St. Louis car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation consultation.
