Car Accident Lawyer in Columbia, MO
Car Accident Lawyer Columbia, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, worrying about family or work should be the last thing on your mind. Between medical treatment, dealing with trauma, and repairing your car, the aftermath of an car accident in Columbia, MO can quickly take over anyone’s life, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the compensation you are entitled to.
Contact Our Columbia, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of Columbia, MO who have been in car accidents and do not know about how to proceed. Our Columbia car accident lawyer reviews accident reports, gathers evidence, and corresponds with insurance or financial representatives for their clients. We fight fearlessly for all our Columbia, MO auto accident clients to secure them not only fair and just remuneration, but also closure after going through a very troubling experience.
Following a Columbia, MO auto accident, do not delay in contacting Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put a dedicated Columbia, MO auto accident attorney on your side. Our firm offers no-obligation initial consultations, and guarantees that you do not win or get a settlement in your Columbia auto accident lawsuit, you owe us nothing.
Giving You One Less Thing To Worry About
A Complete Columbia, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Every day, thousands of cars and trucks take to the roads in and around Columbia to deliver the mail, take people to and from work, go to the store, or just out for a leisurely drive. Sadly, though, car accidents regularly occur, caused by another driver’s careless actions, poor weather conditions, or roads not being properly maintained. Injuries and property damage 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 veteran Columbia, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled all kinds of car accident claims and seen first-hand how the effects of a car accident in Columbia can change someone’s life, forever in some situations. Our firm has years of experience handling car accident cases, and knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying proper restitution to Columbia accident victims. We offer unique legal strategies that are built to satisfy your particular needs and give our clients justice in addition to a just reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Columbia, MO
After you have been in a car accident, it is likely that people will be stunned and unsure of how to proceed. However, having dealt with many car accident clients across Columbia, 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 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 someone else is severely injured you may need to call for an ambulance. When the police come, tell the truth about the accident but choose your words wisely: statements that imply guilt can and will be used against you by insurance companies when adjuticating fault.
- Collect all relevant information. Exchange not only your license, registration, and insurance details, which you are legally required to do, but also phone numbers and other contact details.
- Take pictures. Everyone now having a camera on their phone means that it is incredibly simple to document your Columbia, MO accident and compile evidence. Get shots of all damage, skid marks, where one or more cars collided, as well as the general area around your accident. If you can find witnesses, it is wise to record their accounts of the accident, as it can help your case immensely.
- Get medical care. If you were injured as a result of your Columbia car accident, immediately get emergency medical care. For smaller injuries, a local urgent care center is a more affordable and convenient option than an ER visit. However, more severe or bigger will likely require a trip to the hospital, or potentially a visit to your personal doctor.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The sooner you call a reputable and compassionate Columbia, MO car accident lawyer, the faster 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 save the following paperwork. They can help immensely when discussing settlement terms, or to fully illustrate the effect a car accident in Columbia, 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, physical therapy costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair bills
- 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 an accident victim can claim following a car accident in Columbia, 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, psychological appointments, rehab or physical therapy to fully recover from accident injuries, and required medical equipment such as a wheelchair, as well.
- Lost wages/earning potential: in general 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 knock-on effects of your accident/injuries may keep you from working to your full ability in the future.
- Property damage: this includes fixing or replacing your car in addition to any/all personal effects that were damaged as a result of your Columbia auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be tough to explain, since by and large the amount of anguish one goes through after an accident differs from person to person. As a rule, though, documenting changes in attitude, mental health and need for therapy, and longer-lasting after-effects of your accident is a smart idea.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a Columbia, MO car accident may result in a victim sustaining permanent injuries. While in a substantial number of cases those injuries are permanent and money cannot soothe the unmeasurable pain and difficulty these injuries cause, it can help provide an accident victim more freedom to adapt to their new normal.
It is also critical to note that Missouri is a comparative fault state, which means that the quantity of damages one or more parties receive is reduced 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 adjudged to be 99% responsible for an accident to collect a proportional amount of damages.
Contact A Columbia, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we offer the strength and acumen of a competitive Columbia, MO car accident law firm as well as the personal care of an individual practice. Our firm has partnered with Columbia residents of all backgrounds to get the justice they are entitled to receive following a car accident in Columbia, MO. We take all our cases on what is called a contingency basis, which means that unless you get a positive result in your Columbia, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us a penny.
If you have been injured as a result of a car accident in Columbia, MO caused by someone else’s negligence, do not wait: contact a Columbia car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-strings-attched consultation.
