Columbia Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident is a frightening and painful experience with physical, emotional, financial, and even legal effects that often leave an injury victim feeling as though they are drowning under the dramatic changes to their life. In many cases, these impacts are fortunately temporary and car accident victims eventually recover and move forward; but sadly, some car accident victims in Columbia and elsewhere in Missouri suffer permanent disability or lose a loved one. These are catastrophic car accident damages that never go away. Whether the impacts of your car accident are temporary or permanent, if someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions caused your accident and injuries, call Miller & Hine so you don’t have to be left handling the financial impacts as well as the physical and emotional pain.

Why Select the Columbia Car Accident Attorneys at Miller & Hine?

No one who is still dealing with the aftermath of an accident should have to navigate a complex car accident claim in Missouri, where the state’s fault-based insurance laws leave them with the burden of proving another driver’s liability for their damages like medical expenses and lost wages. With the Columbia personal injury lawyers at Miller & Hine on your side, you’ll have the following advantages:

• Our St. Louis personal injury lawyers possess over five decades of combined experience, knowledge, and resources to back your claim
• A legal team that prioritizes your full and fair compensation rather than leaving it in the hands of an insurance adjuster assigned to protect company profits at your expense
• A results-oriented approach seeking the maximum settlement while preparing each case as though for court, leaving us court-ready if required to obtain your compensation
• A strong voice behind your claim through our well-earned reputation for success that includes a recent $610,000 recovery for a Missouri car accident victim

We invite all potential clients to bring their cases to Miller & Hine for a free consultation. With contingency-based payment, our clients pay nothing until we recover their settlement or court award.

What Causes Most Car Accidents In Columbia?

Despite efforts to reduce traffic accidents, Missouri’s Department of Transportation released preliminary 2024 data revealing an alarming 987 traffic fatalities. While down from the highest recent number of 1,057 car accident deaths in 2022, the number of fatalities is far from the state’s “Show Me Zero” car accident initiative goal. Common causes of car accidents in Columbia and elsewhere in Missouri include the following:

• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Aggressive driving
• Failure to yield the right of way and other traffic violations
• Unsafe lane changes
• Improper merging
• Tailgating
• Improper passing
• Fatigued driving
• Drunk driving

In 2023, there were 521 traffic deaths related to speeding and aggressive driving, 384 fatalities in intersections, and 106 deaths due to distracted driving.

What Types of Injuries Occur In Columbia Traffic Accidents?

The crash force in an accident is far more powerful than many motorists realize, transforming an average 150-pound adult into a 6,750-pound force propelled forward in a collision at 45 miles per hour. Although seatbelts and airbags save lives, they cannot prevent all injuries and may contribute to specific types of car accident injuries, such as broken collarbones, shoulder injuries, facial injuries, and intestinal damage. Common injuries in Columbia car accident claims include:

• Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries
• Fractures
• Neck injuries
• Back injuries
• Internal organ injuries and internal bleeding
• Facial and dental trauma
• Spinal cord injuries
• Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and torn ligaments
• Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
• Burns
• Traumatic limb loss
• Wrongful death

An experienced Columbia car accident lawyer assertively advocates for the maximum financial compensation for victims of car accidents and their family members.

What to Do After a Car Accident In Columbia?

The aftermath of a car accident is chaotic and confusing, especially when you or others have suffered serious injuries. In some cases, car accident victims are incapacitated and unable to take any purposeful action, depending completely on emergency service personnel. In other cases, a car accident victim in Columbia could begin protecting their physical and financial future at the accident scene by doing the following, or asking an uninjured companion or bystander to do it for them:

• First, call 911 to report the accident and attend to any emergency first aid required
• Then, use the phone’s camera to take photos of the damaged vehicles and the accident scene, including anything relevant like traffic signs and skid marks
• Take photos of visible injuries
• Add the contact information of the other driver or drivers involved
• Add the contact information of eyewitnesses (this is crucial in places lacking traffic cameras or nearby security camera footage)

It’s important to go to a hospital straight from the accident scene, either in an ambulance or by arranging transportation. This ensures effective emergency treatment and provides inarguable evidence that the injury occurred in the car accident so an insurance company cannot dispute this important aspect of a successful Columbia car accident claim.

What Can I Recover In a Missouri Car Accident Claim?

When receiving medical care after a car accident in Missouri, it’s important to ask the medical provider to make a detailed medical report listing every injury and treatment recommendation. Then, carefully follow their instructions. Obtain copies of the medical report and police report of your accident. These become key evidence in your compensation case. A successful Missouri car accident claim obtains compensation such as:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Past and future income loss
• Lowered future earning capacity due to disability
• Out-of-pocket costs
• Pain and suffering
• Any other non-economic damages that might apply such as loss of limb, loss of vision or hearing, disfigurement, diminished quality of life, or PTSD

If you lost a loved one in a fatal car accident in Columbia, a wrongful death claim could bring compensation to a family member financially affected by the death.

Contact Miller & Hine for Experienced Legal Representation In Your Car Accident Claim In Columbia Missouri

After a car accident, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t let a profit-protecting insurance company take advantage of you during a vulnerable time. Instead, call the Columbia car accident lawyers at Miller & Hine, Attorneys at Law for dedicated attention and personalized legal strategy to help you maximize your recovery.