Car Accident Lawyer in Berkeley, MO
Car Accident Lawyer Berkeley, MO. After you have been injured in a car or truck accident, having concerns 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 in Berkeley, MO can easily overwhelm anyone, especially when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the monetary reward you should be getting.
Contact Our Berkeley, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of Berkeley, MO who have been involved in car accidents and are unsure about what steps to take afterwards. Our Berkeley car accident lawyer reviews accident reports, gathers evidence, and corresponds with insurance or financial representatives for their clients. We fight fearlessly for all our Berkeley, MO auto accident clients to secure them not only fair and just compensation, but also a measure of justice after going through a very troubling experience.
Following a Berkeley, MO auto accident, don’t wait: contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put an experienced and dedicated Berkeley, MO auto accident attorney in your corner. Our firm offers complimentary initial consultations, and vows that won’t owe us a penny if we do not get a positive outcome in your case.
Giving You Peace Of Mind
A Full-Service Berkeley, MO Car Accident Lawyer
On any given day, thousands of vehicles are on the road in and around Berkeley for all sorts of purposes. Unfortunately, however, 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 minor cosmetic blemishes or a few cuts and scrapes, to totaled cars and permanent injuries.
As veteran Berkeley, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled car accident claims of all types and seen first-hand how the effects of a car accident in Berkeley can alter 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 proper restitution to Berkeley accident victims. We offer client-centered legal strategies that are designed to meet your particular needs and get clients both justice in addition to a just reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Berkeley, MO
Following a car accident, it is likely that people will be in shock and clueless how to proceed. However, having worked with many car accident clients across Berkeley, MO, 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 possible, 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 badly injured you may need to call for an ambulance. When the police come, be honest about the accident but avoid saying anything unnecessary: statements that suggest guilt can and will be used against you by insurance companies when finding 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 photos. Everyone now having a camera on their phone means that it is very simple to document your Berkeley, MO accident and compile evidence. Get shots of the site of your accident, skid marks, and the full extent of your damage. If there were pedestrians or passersby who witnessed your accident, it is smart to record what they saw, as it can help your case immensely.
- Get medical attention. If you were hurt as a result of your Berkeley 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 a trip to the emergency room. However, more severe or bigger will likely require a trip to the hospital, or if possible a visit to your primary care physician.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The sooner you call a trustworthy and understanding Berkeley, MO car accident lawyer, the sooner they can begin work on your case and allow you to get on with recovering from your accident.
In addition to these steps, our firm urges all our clients to hold on to the following paperwork. They can help a great deal when discussing settlement terms, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident in Berkeley, MO had on your life.
- Medical records
- Pictures of the accident scene
- The full police report of the accident
- Witness accounts
- All medical-related bills (ambulance fees, physical therapy costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair records
- 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 in Berkeley, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not only limited to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim reimbursement for medications, psychiatric care, rehab or physical therapy due to accident injuries, and required medical equipment such as a wheelchair, too.
- Lost wages/earning potential: for the most part this is determined by what you were earning prior to the accident, how much the accident impacted your ability to successfully perform labor, and how the knock-on effects of your accident/injuries may keep you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair/replacement of your car in addition to any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your Berkeley auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be difficult to explain, since by and large the amount of difficulty a Berkeley, MO victim goes through after an accident varies from person to person. In general, though, documenting changes in attitude, mental health and need for therapy, and longer-lasting after-effects of your accident is a smart rule of thumb.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a Berkeley, MO car accident may result in a victim sustaining life-changing injuries. While in a large number of cases those injuries are permanent and a settlement cannot take away the unmeasurable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more ability to adapt to their new normal.
It is also important 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 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 Berkeley, MO Car Accident Lawyer That Puts You First
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the muscle and intelligence of a competitive Berkeley, MO car accident law firm as well as the one-on-one care of a small practice. Our firm has worked with Berkeley residents of all backgrounds to obtain the justice they deserve following a car accident in Berkeley, MO. We take all our cases on what is known as a contingency basis, which means that unless you win your Berkeley, MO car accident case or obtain a favorable settlement, you will not need to owe us a penny.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in Berkeley, MO caused by someone else’s negligence, do not wait: contact a Berkeley car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by calling (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-obligation case review.
