Kansas City Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident is sometimes more than an inconvenient fender-bender in a parking lot. When a car accident in Kansas City causes serious injury it can be catastrophic to the victim’s life. If the car accident was preventable and only occurred because of another driver’s careless or reckless behavior or due to a negligent car part manufacturer or road crew, you shouldn’t be left responsible for the consequences of the accident. The consequences are your “damages” in a Missouri car accident claim and often include large medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

A Kansas City car accident lawyer from Miller & Hine is ready to help you navigate the legal aspects of your accident while you focus on your physical recovery and your family. Call the personal injury attorneys in Kansas City at the law office of Miller & Hine today so we can begin prompt action on your case.

Why Choose Us for Your Car Accident Lawyers in Kansas City?

The attorneys at Miller & Hine have a notable track record of success in Kansas City car accident claims. We’ve earned a favorable reputation and generated a wealth of resources in the area including access to the best accident reconstruction experts and medical experts to help build a compelling case. Our track record includes a recent $610,000 settlement in a car accident case.

By choosing representation from Miller & Hine, you’ll enjoy legal advantages such as:

• A team of renowned Kansas City auto accident attorneys Jason Hine and Jimmy Miller, who are rising stars with track records of success in recovering millions of dollars for Kansas City car accident victims
• Skilled negotiators who will work to maximize the compensation available to you in a settlement so you don’t have to go to court
• Experienced litigators who are more than ready to argue your case aggressively in a courtroom if the insurer wrongfully denies the claim or offers an unacceptable settlement amount
• A dedicated team of client advocates putting collaborative effort behind your case as well as the individual attention of a lawyer personally devoted to working for the best possible outcome in your claim

Car accident claims in fault-based insurance states like Missouri quickly become complex due to the state’s contributory negligence laws. The at-fault party’s insurance company isn’t likely to pay out happily on a large claim, but instead, protect their profits at your expense if you don’t have a powerful legal voice behind your claim.

Relevant Case Results

$4,000,000 settlement for a car accident

$610,000 settlement for a collision involving a semi-truck

$160,000 settlement for a collision involving a bus

What Can a Kansas City Car Accident Lawyer Do For Me?

Car accident claims are complicated and time-consuming. They require specialized knowledge of Oklahoma’s traffic laws and insurance system. It’s difficult for a car accident victim to take on a claim with the assertiveness required for recovering full compensation, especially while they are recovering from serious injuries or undergoing medical treatment. An experienced attorney from Miller & Hine will take on your car accident claim and defend your best interests throughout the process by doing the following on your behalf:

• Investigating all aspects of the car accident to determine the at-fault party and document evidence of their liability
• Make a compelling case for liability and present it to the insurance company of the at-fault driver or other entity like a negligent road maintenance agency
• Carefully calculate your current and future damages related to the injury to maximize the amount of compensation available to you
• Negotiate with the insurance adjuster assigned to your case to seek the highest possible settlement while also preparing for court in case a lawsuit becomes necessary
• Obtain an ample settlement for your economic and non-economic losses or file a lawsuit within the state’s statute of limitations to take your case to court seeking a positive jury verdict for your damages

Most car accident claims are settled out of court, but the experienced litigators at Miller & Hine are more than ready to argue for your compensation to a jury if needed.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Kansas City Car Accident Claims?

Missouri has a uniquely generous statute of limitations for car accident personal injury claims. In Missouri, car accident injury victims have up to five years to file a lawsuit. Typically, insurance claims to recover losses occur shortly after the accident, but if the insurance company wrongfully denies or undervalues the claim, the case must come to court within the state’s five-year time limit.

Common Car Accident Injuries in Kansas City Accident Claims

Experts explain that three collisions take place in a car accident, the collision between a vehicle and another vehicle or obstacle, the collision inside the car as crash force propels the body against the seatbelt or parts of the car, and the collision inside the body as the organs, bones, and brain suffer a powerful jolt. Depending on the circumstances, such as the speed at impact and whether or not the vehicle rolls over, injuries range from mild to catastrophic. Common injuries in Kansas City car accident claims inlcude the following:

• Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Fractures
• Internal organ injuries
• Burns
• Soft tissue injuries
• Facial injuries
• Spinal cord damage
• Traumatic limb loss

When injuries occur in car accidents, the aftermath of the accident becomes a chaotic whirlwind of dealing with the injuries to yourself and possibly to other family members and encountering the unexpected roadblock of large medical bills at the same time you can’t return to work. A successful car accident claim recovers compensation from the insurance company of the person responsible for your accident so you can focus on moving forward.

What Damages Can I Recover Compensation for in a Kansas City Car Accident Claim?

Car accident injuries cause both economic and non-economic damages. Common compensation in a successful car accident claim covers damages such as the following;

• Property damage
• Medical expenses
• Anticipated future medical costs related to the injury
• Loss of income
• Lowered future earning capacity due to temporary or permanent disability
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life, PTSD, and other non-economic damages that might apply in your case such as disfigurement compensation or compensation for loss of limb

Your attorney from Miller & Hine will thoroughly investigate your accident, document evidence of liability, and carefully calculate your damages to present in a compelling demand package to the at-fault party’s insurer before beginning negotiation for an ample settlement in your case.

What If the Insurance Company Claims I’m Partly At Fault for My Car Accident in Kansas City?

Missouri is one of a handful of comparison negligence insurance states for car accident and personal injury claims. Under this system of contributory fault, you can still recover a portion of your damages if you contributed to the accident but the amount of compensation you receive is minus your percentage of fault. Missouri’s revised 537.765. states the following:

“The Defendant may plead and prove the fault of the plaintiff as an affirmative defense. Any fault chargeable to the plaintiff shall diminish proportionately the amount awarded as compensatory damages but shall not bar recovery.”

Under this law, you can still recover $80,000 in a $100,000 car accident claim if you were 20 percent at fault for the accident. For instance, if you were exceeding the speed limit by seven miles per hour when another driver ran a stop sign and hit your car, the insurer could argue that had you been driving the speed limit you could have avoided the collision or suffered less severe injuries. Sadly, insurance companies sometimes assign unfair percentages of fault to an injury victim to lower the amount they pay out on a claim. You need a strong defense throughout the process to recover the total amount you deserve through an attorney who can demonstrate the at-fault party’s liability for damages.

What Other Insurance Company Tactics Should I Be Wary of After a Car Accident?

We all know insurance companies are not on the victim’s side after an accident, despite their compassionate ads. Instead, they hire insurance adjusters for the purpose of finding means to deny or underestimate claims. It’s always best to hire an attorney soon after an accident and direct all communication with the insurance company to your lawyer. However, from the very beginning of the car accident claim process, it’s important to be aware of the following common methods insurance companies use against injury victims:

• Calling within days of the accident with a lowball settlement offer when the victim doesn’t yet know the full extent of their damages
• Calling on a recorded line and using an accident victim’s remarks out of context against them
• Claiming that the victim isn’t as injured as they claim based on minimal damage to their car (this is common for whiplash claims)
• Asking for medical authorization to examine the car accident injury record but in actuality, using the authorization to review the victim’s entire medical history seeking pre-existing conditions or previous injuries
• Assigning an undue percentage of blame to the victim to lower the amount they have to pay out by the victim’s supposed percentage of fault.

It’s also important to avoid posting on social media until after you’ve recovered your compensation. Insurance adjusters sometimes use social media posts as “evidence” against injury victims even though it’s impossible to know the level of pain a person is experiencing even if they are smiling at their child’s graduation.

Startling Car Accident Statistics

We know car accidents happen, yet we never truly believe they can happen to us; however, statistics argue otherwise. Over two million car accidents occur each year in the United States. Nearly 43,000 traffic accident fatalities occurred in 2021. Missouri traffic accident statistics are also alarming, including the following:

• There were 937 car accident deaths in Missouri in 2020
• Only 17% of traffic accidents in 2020 happened during inclement weather
• Traffic accidents in Kansas City saw a 16-year high in 2021
• 103 traffic accident wrongful deaths occurred in Kansas City in 2021, 90 deaths in 2022, and 102 in 2023
• The age group involved in the highest number of fatal crashes in Missouri in 2021 were those ages 25-34 at over 20% of the total

According to the National Safety Council, their goal is to achieve 0 annual traffic deaths by 2050 by improving vehicle and road designs and boosting roadway policing and emergency response.

What Types of Car Accidents Are Common in Kansas City?

No one steps into a vehicle expecting an accident before they reach their destination, but the average person experiences at least one car accident in a lifetime. Common types of car accidents in Kansas City include the following:

• Rear-end collisions: These often result from tailgating drivers or drivers exceeding the speed limit who are unable to come to a full stop in time to avoid a collision.
• Side-impact collisions: Also called T-bone crashes or angle collisions, these most commonly occur in intersections due to a driver who fails to yield the right of way or runs a stop sign or red light.
• Head-on collisions: These most commonly occur when a driver drifts into an oncoming lane, departs from their lane while making a wide turn or curve, or when a driver enters a one-way street or divided highway in the wrong direction.
• Sideswipe collisions: This type of accident happens when one vehicle hits the other in a glancing blow off the side of the car, sometimes sending one or both vehicles out of control. Sideswipes most commonly occur from unsafe lane changes.
• Roadway departures: When a vehicle accidentally drives off the road and then crashes either into an obstacle or by flipping sideways. Roadway departures may result from distraction, as the result of a sideswipe, or due to debris in the road or poor road conditions.
• Rollover accidents: This type of accident occurs in high-speed roadway departures or in accidents with taller vehicles such as SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, buses, and commercial trucks.
• Truck accidents: Accidents involving large semi-trucks can be catastrophic for those involved. Our Kansas City truck accident lawyer can hold negligent drivers and trucking companies liable.

Steps to Take After a Kansas City Car Accident

Car accidents are terrifying, especially when they cause serious, painful injuries and trauma. After an accident, you may be too seriously injured to do anything other than wait for help to arrive; however, if you can take purposeful steps—even from your spot without moving—or hand your phone to an uninjured person to use for you, do the following to protect yourself physically and financially:

• First, always call 911 to report the accident and request emergency services
• Then address any necessary emergency first aid
• Use your phone camera to snap photos of the damaged vehicles
• Photograph the scene of the accident, being sure to include anything relevant like an intersection, traffic signs, skid marks, and debris in the road
• Take photos of any visible injuries
• Add the contact information of any other involved drivers
• Add the contact information of eyewitnesses—this is important in cases where there’s no available video of the accident
• Accept emergency transportation to the hospital or if you think you aren’t seriously injured, arrange transportation directly to the hospital after you’re cleared to leave the scene

At the hospital ask for a full medical examination as well as treatment for your obvious injuries. This ensures that any injury with delayed onset of symptoms receives medical care and appears on your medical report. A detailed medical report is important evidence in a claim for damages.

In the days and weeks following your car accident, keep copies of your medical expenses, obtain a copy of the police report, and hire an attorney from Miller & Hine before talking to insurance adjusters assigned to your case.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in Kansas City?

Driver error is by far the leading cause of car accidents. Less commonly, the at-fault party in a Kansas City car accident claim is a negligent road maintenance agency or the manufacturer of a defective car part. Common causes of Missouri car accidents include the following:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Tailgating
• Intoxicated driving
• Failure to yield the right of way in an intersection
• Making unsafe lane changes
• Making unsafe left-turns in an intersection
• Drowsy driving
• Aggressive driving
• Defective auto parts
• Poor roadway design
• Obstructed traffic signs
• Unexpected obstacles (including downed limbs and crossing animals)

A skilled attorney investigates the accident to determine fault and then documents compelling evidence of liability for an accident victim’s property damages, and medical costs.

Call the Car Accident Attorneys at Miller & Hine Today

The timing of your claim is important. Although Missouri has a generous five-year statute of limitations for car accident injury claims, evidence disappears quickly and a claim loses momentum. It’s important to time your claim appropriately so you have compelling evidence and a clear picture of the damages you are facing. Reach out to the car accident lawyers at Miller & Hine for your free case evaluation so we can get started on recovering your losses.