After a car accident in St. Louis, the painful and expensive consequences can feel overwhelming, especially when it’s time to take on a challenging legal process to recover the compensation you deserve for your losses. When someone else caused the accident, you have the right to file a claim for your financial losses and compensation for your pain and suffering. An experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer greatly increases your chances of recovering the full and fair compensation available to you, but it’s important to know how to choose the right St. Louis car accident lawyer for your claim.
How Do I Choose the Right Car Accident Lawyer For My Claim?
First, it’s important to note that most car accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys offer a free consultation, allowing an injury victim to interview multiple attorneys and law firms before choosing an attorney to represent them. At the initial consultation, you should assess the following:
- The attorney’s educational background and credentials
- Their experience with cases similar to yours
- Their history of results in cases, especially those similar to yours
- Whether or not they have a strong history of trial experience
- Their reputation in the legal community and with insurance companies, since insurers are more likely to offer ample settlements when they know an attorney won’t hesitate to take them to court
- Their reviews and personal testimonials from past clients
- Their payment method and the percentage they charge. Most reputable personal injury and car accident lawyers in St. Louis and elsewhere use a contingency-based payment model, so you only pay if and when the attorney has obtained compensation for you through a settlement or court award
- Their preferred communication method, whether through phone calls, emails, teleconference, video conferencing, or texts
It’s also crucial to feel comfortable and confident with your attorney. Having a good rapport and trust in your St. Louis car accident lawyer is a very important aspect of a successful claim.
The attorneys at Miller & Hine pride themselves in treating every client like family. Injury victims can trust that their case is being handled by a deeply caring legal team who will fight for their justice.
Choose the St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer With a History of Exceptional Results
At Miller & Hine, we not only have decades of experience in car accident claims and personal injury law, but we have a history of exceptional results, including the following:
- A recent $1,500,000 recovery for an injured Missouri car accident victim
- A $610,000 settlement for a car accident victim who suffered injuries in a rear-end collision
- A $130,000 recovery for an injured passenger in a recent car accident claim
At Miller & Hine, we seek the full policy limits available for car accident victims with serious injuries, often filing claims against multiple parties. Under the pure comparative negligence system, anyone who causes or contributes to an accident can be held liable for the injury victim’s damages. For example, an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer may seek compensation from a negligent driver who caused a head-on collision, a negligent road maintenance agency that failed to repair the dangerous pothole that caused the negligent driver to swerve, and the manufacturer of a defective airbag that failed to deploy on time to prevent a head injury to the claimant.
An Experienced Car Accident Attorney Prepares All Cases as Though for Trial
While only about 4% of personal injury and car accident cases require court, the right attorney for your case should be one who prepares every case as though for trial throughout the process of the investigation. Typically, the investigation after a car accident requires reviewing the police report, scrutinizing evidence from the scene, interviewing eyewitnesses, and consulting accident reconstruction specialists to build a strong case proving liability. A skilled car accident lawyer prepares this evidence as though for trial. Then, they review your medical bills and lost earnings and consult with medical experts and occupational therapists to project your future medical costs and the impact of the injury on your earning ability. Finally, they use a specialized formula to calculate a monetary amount for your pain and suffering based on your medical costs, pain level, and the duration of the pain.
By preparing all evidence as though for court, it not only gives a St. Louis car accident lawyer a strong, evidence-backed case for negotiation, but also ensures a well-executed legal strategy should your case go to court due to an insurance company’s devaluing, delaying, or wrongfully denying your claim.
Why Do I Need a Car Accident Lawyer?
Missouri has a fault-based compensation system under a pure comparative negligence law. This system allows a car accident victim to file a compensation claim against the driver or other party who caused the accident; however, the injury victim bears the burden of proof. Often, the at-fault party’s insurance company will use common tactics to dispute or undervalue the claim. One way they do this is by assigning the injury victim an undue percentage of fault, allowing them to reduce the payout by that percentage. A St. Louis car accident lawyer protects their client’s best interests throughout the claim process by doing the following:
- Conducting an independent investigation into all aspects of the accident
- Documenting evidence of the at-fault party’s liability
- Consulting with medical experts, occupational therapists, and other specialists to carefully calculate economic damages and a monetary amount for your pain and suffering
- Sending their full findings to the insurance company in a demand letter
- Negotiating with the insurance company for the full compensation available to you
Fortunately, most claims end with a settlement from the insurance company, especially with skilled legal representation. This helps the injury victim avoid the strain of a court case. Only about 4% of cases require a trial.
Choose an Attorney With Meticulous Attention to Filing Details and Time Limits
Your car accident lawyer should be well-versed in Missouri’s accident laws, civil courts, and insurance system, including the unique time limits for claims against government agencies, such as a negligent road-maintenance agency, road-planning agency, or a negligent driver in a city, county, or state vehicle.
It’s also important to consider the state’s statute of limitations for car accident claims, which begins on the date the accident occurred, or, less commonly, on the date that an injury victim discovers an injury with delayed symptoms. Missouri has a generous five-year statute of limitations for car accident claims.
Contact Us Today
Our St. Louis car accident legal team is here to help. Contact Miller & Hine Car Accident Attorneys at Law today to learn what your case is worth, completely free.