Car Accident Lawyer in O’Fallon, MO
Car Accident Lawyer O’Fallon, MO. After you have suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, having concerns about family or work should be the last thing on your mind. Between medical treatment, dealing with trauma, and repairing your car, the effects of an car accident in O’Fallon, MO can easily take over anyone’s life, doubly so when insurance companies refuse to deal with you or you do not receive the monetary reward you should be getting.
Contact Our O’Fallon, MO Car Accident Lawyers Here
Combs Waterkotte is here to help residents of O’Fallon, MO who have been involved in car accidents and are unsure about what steps to take afterwards. Our O’Fallon car accident lawyer finds evidence, deals with insurance and financial agents, and compiles accident reports on behalf of their clients. We fight fiercely on behalf of all our O’Fallon, MO auto accident clients to get them not only their rightful financial rewards, but also justice and closure following an incredibly traumatic experience.
Following a O’Fallon, MO auto accident, don’t wait: contact Combs Waterkotte, either online or by calling (314) 900-HELP, and put an experienced and dedicated O’Fallon, MO auto accident attorney in your corner. Our firm offers free initial consultations, and vows that won’t owe us a penny if we do not get a positive outcome in your case.
Giving You One Less Thing To Worry About
A Complete O’Fallon, MO Car Accident Lawyer
Every day, thousands of cars and trucks take to the roads in and around O’Fallon in order to go to work, deliver goods, run errands, or just to enjoy the open road. Sadly, though, every day many car accidents happen, 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 experienced O’Fallon, MO car accident lawyers, Combs Waterkotte has handled all kinds of car accident claims and personally viewed how the aftermath of a car accident in O’Fallon can change someone’s life, forever in some situations. Our firm has years of experience in the courtroom, and understands how insurance firms do not enjoy paying just compensation to O’Fallon accident victims. We offer unique legal strategies that are designed to satisfy your unique needs and get clients both justice as well as a just reward for their injuries and losses.
What To Do After A Car Accident In O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO, the staff at Combs Waterkotte suggests 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 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 someone else is severely hurt you may need to have an ambulance dispatched. When the police arrive, tell the truth about the accident but avoid saying anything unnecessary: statements that imply 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. The invention, and widespread adoption, of camera phones means that it is incredibly easy to document your O’Fallon, MO accident and gather evidence. Take photos of skid marks, property damage, physical surroundings, and the point of impact of 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 hurt as a result of your O’Fallon 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 primary care physician.
- Contact a car accident lawyer. The quicker you speak to a reputable and understanding O’Fallon, MO car accident lawyer, the sooner they can start working on your case and allow you to begin the recovery process.
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 negotiating a settlement, or to give a more complete idea of the effect a car accident in O’Fallon, 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, rehab costs, medications, etc.)
- Doctor’s reports and observations
- Repair documentation
- Incidental bills including rental car receipts
- Lost earning opportunities
- Records of pain and suffering directly caused by your accident
What Damages Can I Recover After A Car Accident?
In general, there are five kinds of damages an accident victim can claim after a car accident in O’Fallon, MO. These are:
- Medical damages: these are not only restricted to hospital bills or doctor’s visits, either. An auto accident victim can claim reimbursement for prescriptions, psychological appointments, rehab or physical therapy due to accident injuries, and required medical equipment such as casts, too.
- Lost wages/earning potential: in general 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 keep you from working to your full potential in the future.
- Property damage: this includes repair or replacement of your car in addition to any/all additional items that were damaged as a result of your O’Fallon auto accident.
- Pain and suffering: these damages can be hard to put into words, since by and large the amount of anguish one 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 idea.
- Disability or disfigurement: in more severe cases, a O’Fallon, MO car accident may result in someone sustaining life-altering injuries. While in many cases those injuries are permanent and compensation cannot take away 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 key 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 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 proportional amount of damages.
Contact A O’Fallon, MO Car Accident Lawyer Who Cares
At Combs Waterkotte, we provide the muscle and acumen of a competitive O’Fallon, MO car accident law firm as well as the personal care of a small practice. Our firm has worked with O’Fallon residents of all backgrounds to secure the justice they merit following a car accident in O’Fallon, MO. We take all our cases on what is referred to as a contingency basis, which means that unless you get a positive result in your O’Fallon, MO car accident case, you will not need to owe us anything.
If you have been injured in a car accident in O’Fallon, MO caused by another party’s negligence, act quickly: contact a O’Fallon car accident lawyer at Combs Waterkotte today by dialing (314) 900-HELP or online for a free, no-strings-attched document review.
