Car Accident Lawyer in Lake St. Louis, MO
Car Accident Lawyer Lake St. Louis, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, worrying about family or work should be your lowest priority. Between car repairs, medical treatment, and mental trauma or anguish, the impact of an car accident in Lake St. Louis, MO can quickly overwhelm anyone, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the compensation you are entitled to.
Contact Our Lake St. Louis, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of Lake St. Louis, MO who have been in car accidents and do not know about what steps to take afterwards. Our Lake St. Louis car accident lawyer works with insurance agents, looks over accident reports, and compiles all evidence on behalf of their clients. We fight fiercely on behalf of all our Lake St. Louis, MO auto accident clients to win them not only appropriate remuneration, but also a measure of justice after going through a very troubling experience.
After you’ve been in a Lake St. Louis, MO auto accident, don’t wait: contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a veteran Lake St. Louis, MO auto accident attorney in your corner. Our firm offers free initial consultations, and promises that if they do not get a positive result in your Lake St. Louis auto accident lawsuit, you will not owe them a fee.
Giving You One Less Thing To Worry About
A Full-Service Lake St. Louis, MO Car Accident Lawyer
On any given day, thousands of vehicles are on the road in and around Lake St. Louis to deliver the mail, take people to and from work, go to the store, or just out for a leisurely drive. Unfortunately, though, every day many car accidents happen, caused by poorly maintained roads, the negligence of other motorists, or adverse weather conditions. Injuries and property damage can range from bumps and bruises and small scratches and dings, to life-changing injuries and vehicles better suited as scrap metal.
As veteran Lake St. Louis, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has taken car accident claims of all types and seen first-hand how the effects of a car accident in Lake St. Louis can change someone’s life, in some cases permanently. Our firm has years of experience handling car accident cases, and knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying just compensation to Lake St. Louis accident victims. We offer personalized legal strategies that are designed to satisfy your unique needs and give our clients closure in addition to a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Lake St. Louis, MO
After you have been in a car accident, it is common for people to be in a state of shock and uncertain how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across Lake St. Louis, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte recommends that all our clients take these steps after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Pull over to somewhere where you will not obstruct traffic, if possible, and check to see if you have suffered any injuries.
- 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 severely injured you may need to call for an ambulance. When the police arrive, be honest about the accident but avoid saying anything unnecessary: statements that suggest guilt can and will be used against you by insurance providers when adjuticating fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your registration, license, and insurance provider, which you are legally required to do, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take photos. Everyone now having a camera on their phone means that it is incredibly easy to document your Lake St. Louis, MO accident and compile evidence. Get shots of skid marks, property damage, physical surroundings, and the point of impact of your accident. If you can find witnesses, 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 injured as a result of your Lake St. Louis car accident, immediately get 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 necessitate a trip to the hospital, or if they are available a visit to your personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The quicker you speak to a reputable and understanding Lake St. Louis, MO car accident lawyer, the quicker they can begin work on your case and allow you to get on with recovering from your accident.
As well as these steps, our firm urges all our clients to save the following documents. They can help immensely when discussing settlement terms, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident in Lake St. Louis, MO had on your life.
- Medical documentation
- Photos of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness accounts
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, rehab costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair records
- Incidental bills including 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 in Lake St. Louis, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not strictly limited to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim reimbursement for medications, visits to mental health professionals, rehab or physical therapy to fully recover from accident injuries, and required medical equipment such as crutches, as well.
- Lost wages/earning potential: generally this is determined by what you were earning prior to the accident, the extent of the impact the accident had on your ability to successfully perform labor, 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 fixing or replacing your car as well as any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your Lake St. Louis auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be hard to put into words, since in most cases the amount of discomfort one goes through after an accident varies from person to person. As a rule, though, recording changes in personality, attitude, and mental health is a good rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe situations, a Lake St. Louis, MO car accident may result in someone sustaining life-altering injuries. While in a large number of cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot soothe the immense pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more freedom to adapt to their new normal.
It is also key to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the quantity of damages one or more parties are entitled to is adjusted 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 adjudged to be 99% responsible for an accident to collect a proportional amount of damages.
Contact A Lake St. Louis, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the aggression and legal knowledge of a competitive Lake St. Louis, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one care of a small practice. Our firm has worked with Lake St. Louis residents of all backgrounds to obtain the justice they merit following a car accident in Lake St. Louis, MO. We take all our cases on what is referred to as a contingency basis, meaning that unless you get a positive result in your Lake St. Louis, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us a fee.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in Lake St. Louis, MO caused by someone else’s reckless behavior, do not wait: contact a Lake St. Louis car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation conversation.
