Serving Auto Accident Victims in Illinois & Missouri

The statistics regarding car accidents are alarming: there are as many as six million car accidents in the United States each year, resulting in 90 deaths per day and three million injuries over the course of a year. Despite the fact that using a seat belt reduces the risk of death in a car accident by 45 percent, one in seven people do not buckle up when they drive. Impairment, exceeding the speed limit, and driving carelessly or recklessly are the primary causes of car accidents.

Why Choose a St. Louis Car Accident Attorney from Finney Injury Law?

When you have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, your life may have changed in ways you cannot imagine or expect. Your health may be damaged and unlikely to improve any time soon, and your financial future may be crumbling before your very eyes. Finney Injury Law is here to help you because we believe your life should be more than medical bills, lost wages, health issues, and pain. We want you to recover what has been taken from you following your car accident. Finney Injury Law is always prepared to assist, whether it goes to trial or is settled outside of trial. When you choose Finney Law, you are choosing a firm that:

  • Has more than 100 positive reviews
  • Offers a free consultation
  • Allows you to afford an attorney
  • Is available 24/7
  • Can come to you when you are too injured to travel
  • Have both English and Spanish-speaking staff
  • Has an award-winning trial lawyers 
  • Is deeply involved with the community

Your choice of lawyer following your car accident truly makes a difference in how your future plays out following your car accident. Choose a St. Louis car accident attorney from Finney Injury Law.  

FAQ: When Should I Hire a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

What Are Common Damages That Can Be Collected Following a Car Accident?

Car accidents can be costly, painful, and stressful, leaving you with medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages. You may be unsure of how you need to deal with these damages, however, if you were not at fault for the car accident, you may be eligible to collect compensation for your damages. Damages refer to the compensation you can collect due to being injured or suffering a loss as a result of another driver’s negligence. You are entitled to medical costs associated with your injuries. These medical costs can include:

  • The cost of prescription medications
  • All medical bills associated with doctor visits, the cost of treatments, tests, and hospitalization
  • The cost of the ambulance
  • Physical therapy and rehabilitative services 
  • Necessary in-home services
  • The costs associated with a permanent disability

In the event you need further treatment past the date you file your claim, you will need to account for those expenses in the form of future medical expenses or life care plans. These are case-specific costs that include anticipated expenditures for medical assessments, treatments, diagnostic testing, medical and adaptive equipment, tools for independent function, home modifications, prescription and over-the-counter medications, home care/facility care, routine medical care, and other services. 

What is the Legal Process Following an Auto Accident?

A highly experienced attorney can ensure you received a full and fair settlement for your injuries. If the at-fault driver’s insurer has denied liability for your injuries, you need a strong legal advocate who can definitively prove liability and negotiate an equitable settlement on your behalf. Handling a personal injury claim following a car accident is a process that requires time and careful organization. If you are coping with pain and the aftermath of your injuries, having a strong legal advocate who will handle all the legal details can make a huge difference. Your St. Louis car accident attorney from Finney Injury Law will ensure your rights and your future are properly protected throughout the legal process.

FAQ: Are Car Accident Settlements Taxable?

Most Common Types of Car Accidents

Rear-end collisions are one of the most common types of car accidents. Americans are avid tailgaters—and also happen to be chronically distracted, whether from using a phone, eating, changing radio stations, fiddling with car controls or the GPS, turning around to see what the children are doing, talking to a passenger, or simply daydreaming. Rear-end collisions are not typically fatal, and generally, occur in heavy start-and-stop traffic situations. That being said, rear-end collisions can result in significant, long-lasting injuries.

A side-impact collision is also known as a T-bone accident. Side-impact collisions occur when one car hits another on one side or the other. Side-impact accidents often occur in intersections and can not only cause significant damage to the vehicle which is hit but can also result in significant injuries to the passengers, particularly those on the side which is struck. Head-on collisions are among the deadliest type of auto accidents and can occur when two vehicles collide, front-to-front, or when one car strikes a tree, animal, or another stationary object. When snow, rain, ice, fog, or other inclement weather exists, or in cases where one driver is impaired, a head-on collision can occur.  Head-on collisions are more likely to cause death or severe injury than any other type of car accident.

Multi-vehicle collisions are those which involve at least three cars and often occur on busy freeways and highways. Multi-vehicle car accidents are extremely dangerous, and, like head-on collisions, are more likely to cause death or serious injury. Multi-vehicle accidents are becoming more common across the United States—probably the result of increased traffic and congested highways.

Typical Injuries Sustained in a Car Accident

Some car accident injuries can resolve within a matter of days, with no medical treatment at all, while more severe injuries can cause long-term or permanent results, including partial or total disability. Some of the factors which will impact the severity of the injuries include whether the person was wearing a seat belt, where the car was struck (front, rear, or side), the speed the car or cars were traveling at the time of the impact, whether the car had airbags, and which direction the victim was facing (straight ahead, or the body and/or head turned in another direction).

Impact injuries are those resulting when a body part hits a car part—such as the knee striking the dashboard. Penetrating injuries are cuts and abrasions caused by shattering glass or loose objects which fly through the air at the time of impact. A whiplash injury is most likely to occur when a person is struck from the rear, while the more serious head, chest, and spinal cord injuries can occur in high-speed, side-collision, or head-on collision.

Other common injuries following a car accident include:

  • Severe bruising
  • Scars and disfigurement
  • Broken bones
  • Facial injuries
  • Neck injuries
  • Whiplash
  • Loss of limbs
  • Leg and foot injuries
  • Concussions
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Burns
  • PTSD
  • Back injuries 
  • Paralysis
  • Internal bleeding

Back and neck injuries can often benefit from both traditional medical care as well as chiropractor or acupuncture treatments.

Dealing with Insurance Following a Car Accident

Insurance companies are well-known for being difficult to deal with following a car accident. After all, despite the warm, fuzzy car insurance commercials we commonly see, the goal of insurance companies is to pay out as little as possible, thereby increasing their annual financial bottom line. While the right decision you can make following your St. Louis car accident, is to contact an experienced Finney Injury Law car accident attorney, in the interim, it is important that you do not give your insurance company a recorded statement (these statements are often used later to minimize your recovery), and that you not accept the first offer from the insurance company.

Often insurance companies will offer a low settlement amount very soon after the accident, and just as often, victims of a car accident accept this offer, thinking they will not get a better one. Unfortunately, the injuries from the accident turn out to be considerably worse than initially thought, leaving the victim to pay medical expenses related to the accident out of their own pocket. A knowledgeable Finney Injury Law car accident attorney will ensure this does not happen to you.

Since insurance companies make their money by paying less than accident claims are worth, you need to expect that the insurance company will go out of its way to save as much money as possible. This is accomplished by offering a settlement that is less than the full value of your damages. If the insurance company does not offer a lowball settlement, they may do their best to deny your claim altogether or engage in other bad-faith insurance practices. Always remember that the insurance company does not have your best interests at heart, so never be fooled by an insurance representative that is friendly and seems to want what’s best for you. If you want to improve your chances of maximizing the value of your St. Louis car accident claim, you need to retain an experienced St. Louis car accident attorney from Finney Injury Law.  

When a Car Accident Case Goes to Trial

If negotiations do not result in a fair settlement, your attorney will ask for a trial date. Although your case can be settled at any time until the jury reaches a verdict, if it does go to trial your attorney will argue your case in front of the judge and jury. A Finney Injury Law trial attorney will ensure your damages are fully addressed as your case will proceed according to the unique circumstances involved, including proving the other driver’s negligence.

Intersections in St. Louis Where Car Accidents Commonly Occur

According to a Fox2Now St. Louis news story published in 2017, a busy intersection in Maryland Heights topped the list as one of the most dangerous intersections in the state of Missouri. One hundred and forty-nine accidents occurred on Dorsett Road and Interstate 270 from 2010 to 2015. The Hazelwood intersection of McDonnell Blvd. and I-270 was the scene of 80 accidents during that time period and the Jefferson Avenue and I-44 intersection was the scene of 74 fatal auto accidents during those five years.

Steps to Take Immediately Following a Car Accident

It is understandable that those involved in a car accident are shaken up, and perhaps not thinking clearly, however, if certain steps are taken following a car accident, it is more likely that the aftermath of the accident will go smoothly. After an auto accident, do the following:

  • Stay at the scene—unless you are in a deserted area and are fearful of the other driver, or if your car is in a dangerous place, and likely to be hit again.
  • Check on the status of all drivers and passengers, then seek immediate medical attention for those injured in the crash.
  • Call the police, and make sure you have the necessary information to obtain a police report.
  • Exchange information with the other driver, including name, phone number, address, drivers’ license number, license plate number, and insurance information.
  • If you are physically able, obtain witness statements, as well as the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of those witnesses.
  • Call your insurance company to report the accident, however, offer only the basic facts of the accident until you have spoken to a St. Louis car accident attorney from Finney Injury Law.

How Do You Select the Best Car Accident Lawyer?

Getting injured in a car accident can leave you fighting with insurance companies to get the coverage you need to pay your damages. One minute you are driving home from work, thinking about your upcoming weekend plans, and the next a negligent driver hits you, changing your entire life and future. You may wonder whether a St. Louis car accident attorney can actually make a difference in the outcome of your claim. The answer is “yes,” having an experienced car accident attorney from Finney Injury Law can make a huge difference in how your claim resolves. Our attorneys will advocate on your behalf, working hard to ensure you get what is owed to you. 

It’s important that your choice of an attorney is one that focuses on a particular type of case—in this situation, one that handles car accident claims on a regular basis. In addition to being a highly skilled negotiator, your St. Louis car accident attorney should also be experienced in taking cases all the way to trial. When your attorney has a winning track record of obtaining appropriate settlements and judgments from insurance companies, you will benefit from this experience.  

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

When you hire a St. Louis car accident attorney from Finney Injury Law, you will pay nothing upfront. Our attorneys have the skills, experience, knowledge, and resources necessary to ensure you are fully represented while working for a settlement that will fully cover your injuries and pain and suffering. Our vast network of resources helps us build your case in a way that benefits you now and in the future.

How Finney Injury Law Can Help Victims of a Car Accident

The aftermath of a car accident can be difficult, particularly if you suffered serious injury from the accident. If your car accident was the result of the negligence of another driver, having an experienced St. Louis auto accident injury lawyer from Finney Injury Law on your side can make a huge difference in the outcome of your eventual claim. The attorneys at Finney Injury Law really care about our clients and will fight for the compensation deserved following a car accident. Although some car accident claims do settle out of court, if the settlement offer is simply not what you need to move on with your life, we will argue your case in front of a judge and jury. If you are looking for experience, knowledge, and compassion in your St. Louis car accident attorney, contact Finney Injury Law today.

Co-Counsel Relationships for with Finney Injury Law

Finney Injury Law is also open to referrals from other attorneys in the area who need to hand their car accident claim over to an experienced trial attorney. If you are an attorney seeking a co-counsel relationship for trial, contact Finney Injury Law.

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