Car Accident Lawyer in Vandalia, MO
Car Accident Lawyer Vandalia, MO. After you have been hurt in a car or truck accident, having concerns about your job or your family should be your lowest priority. Between mental trauma, car repairs, and getting back to full fitness, the impact of an car accident in Vandalia, MO can easily take over anyone’s life, especially when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the monetary reward you should be getting.
Contact Our Vandalia, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of Vandalia, MO who have been involved in car accidents and are hesitant about how to proceed. Our Vandalia car accident lawyer reviews accident reports, gathers evidence, and corresponds with insurance or financial representatives on behalf of their clients. We fight aggressively for all our Vandalia, MO auto accident clients to get them not only fair and just financial rewards, but also a measure of justice after going through a very troubling experience.
After you’ve been in a Vandalia, MO auto accident, do not delay in contacting Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a dedicated Vandalia, MO auto accident attorney to work for you. Our firm offers no-obligation initial consultations, and guarantees that you do not win or get a settlement in your Vandalia auto accident lawsuit, you owe us nothing.
Giving You One Less Thing To Worry About
A Full-Service Vandalia, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Thousands of cars and trucks take to the road every day in and around Vandalia for all sorts of purposes. Sadly, though, 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 bumps and bruises and small scratches and dings, to life-changing injuries and vehicles better suited as scrap metal.
As experienced Vandalia, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has taken all kinds of car accident claims and personally viewed how the effects of a car accident in Vandalia 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 restitution to Vandalia accident victims. We offer client-centered legal strategies that are designed to meet your unique needs and give our clients closure as well as a fair reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Vandalia, MO
After you have been in a car accident, it is likely that people will be in shock and clueless how to proceed. However, having dealt with many car accident clients across Vandalia, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte recommends that all our clients do the following after their car accident:
- Make sure you are safe. Find a place to stop away from traffic, if you can, and check to see if you are hurt.
- Call 911. Not only will you need to file a police report after your accident, but if you or someone else is severely 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 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 required to do by law, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take pictures. Camera phones now being ubiquitious means that it is very easy to document your Vandalia, MO accident and gather evidence. Get shots of the site of your accident, skid marks, and the full extent of your damage. If you can find witnesses, it is smart 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 Vandalia car accident, immediately seek out emergency medical care. For more minor injuries, a local urgent care center is a more affordable and convenient option than an ER visit. However, larger and more serious injuries will likely require a trip to the hospital, or if they are available a visit to your personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The sooner you speak to a reputable and compassionate Vandalia, MO car accident lawyer, the sooner they can start working on your case and allow you to focus on recovering after an accident.
In addition to these steps, our firm recommends that all our clients save the following paperwork. They can help immeasurably when discussing settlement terms, or to give a more complete idea of the effect a car accident in Vandalia, MO had on your life.
- Medical documentation
- Photos of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness statements
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, physical therapy costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair bills
- 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 kinds of damages someone can claim after a car accident in Vandalia, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not only restricted to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim costs for prescriptions, psychiatric care, 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 based off of what you were earning prior to the accident, how much the accident impacted your ability to adequately perform work, and how the lingering effects of your accident/injuries may keep you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair or replacement of your car in addition to any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your Vandalia auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be hard to quantify, since by and large the amount of difficulty a Vandalia, MO victim goes through after an accident differs from person to person. In general, though, documenting changes in mental health, lingering symptoms, and attitude is a good idea.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a Vandalia, MO car accident may result in someone sustaining life-altering injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot remedy the unmeasurable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more opportunity to adapt to their new normal.
It is also critical to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the amount of damages one or more parties can take home is adjusted based on how responsible 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 Vandalia, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the aggression and intelligence of an elite Vandalia, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one care of a small practice. Our firm has worked with Vandalia residents from all walks of life to get the justice they merit following a car accident in Vandalia, MO. We take all our cases on what is called a contingency basis, meaning that unless you get a positive result in your Vandalia, 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 Vandalia, MO caused by another party’s negligence, act quickly: contact a Vandalia car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation document review.
