Kansas Car Accident Lawyers

Serving Reno County, Sedgwick County, Saline County, Finney County, Ford County, Seward County, and Ellis County

Distracted driving has become the most common cause of injury to others on the road. The tragic thing about this is it’s preventable.

If you’re reading this, you may have been seriously hurt by another driver in an automobile accident. You’re probably dealing with pain. You may have had to endure surgery and possibly ongoing medical treatment.  You may be stressed over finances because you can’t work. You are also probably looking for someone to give you guidance about a car accident injury claim.

Our Kansas car accident attorneys are here to help get you what you need. Come to us for free legal advice today.

The consultation is free, so you don’t have to worry about having money to come in and talk. Call us today.

The information here will give you the basics about your car accident claim. First, we’ll cover the most common missteps people make in Kansas on these cases. Then, you’ll see a story that illustrates other important elements about your claim. Be sure to read it all to get the most benefit.

Common Car Accident Injury Claim Mistakes

There are numerous ways you can unintentionally derail your accident claim. Check them out to give yourself the chance of building the strongest case possible.

Not Getting Treated by a Doctor

When you are injured in a car accident, your first concern needs to be getting medical care. It’s vital that you get treated for your injuries, but also establish a clear picture of what your recovery will involve.

Knowing how long your injuries will affect your mental and physical health is an essential part of building a strong case, as is understanding how much it will cost you in terms of treatment and loss of income.

Insurance companies often try to use a delay in treatment to their advantage, implying that the injuries suffered must not have been as serious as the victim claims.

The insurance company may also use a gap between accident and medical treatment to try and get the case thrown out entirely by suggesting that the injuries were not from the accident at all.

Failing to Follow Doctor’s Orders

Far too many people who do go to the doctor don’t continue with the prescribed treatment. We see this all the time. It might be chiropractic appointments or physical therapy. It could be another form of care, such as finishing the entire course of a prescribed medication.

It’s best for you and for your case to do whatever the doctor tells you is the best course of action after your accident. Not doing so will just give the insurance company more ammunition to put the blame for your condition back on you.

Giving a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company

Insurance companies were created on the concept of being there should a crisis arise. While this is true, don’t forget that they are also there to make a profit, and they are not your friends. The lower the settlement they can get you to accept, the more money they save.

Part of the insurance adjuster’s routine is to ask you to give them a recorded statement after your accident. While this may sound helpful, insurance companies are trained to guide you into answering their questions with answers that will hurt your claim.

Do not to give them a statement. It’s okay to say “no” politely and hang up the phone. In fact, we recommend it. Your lawyer is the best person to communicate with insurance companies on your behalf.

Not Calling a Lawyer Right Away

A lot of people wait to call an attorney. If this describes you, it might be due to a fear of the expense. It might be because you think the timeframe to make a case for compensation is open-ended. You may be overwhelmed by questions, so you end up doing nothing.

Whatever the reason is you may be putting off calling a lawyer, know that it’s hurting your case. Assume evidence and witnesses will disappear with the passage of time. Don’t set yourself up for the regret of knowing you could have had a stronger case.

Choosing the Wrong Lawyer

This one can tank your case. Just being a lawyer doesn’t make a person the best person for your case. There are many areas of law practice, each with its specific knowledge base.

This makes it a gamble to just go with the first person you find with a law degree. Know a wonderful small business attorney? Not the right fit. Neither is an estate attorney, or an intellectual property attorney. Don’t even go for the attorney that handles traffic violations, like tickets. Call a lawyer who knows personal injury.

Take it a step further and call a lawyer who handles car accident injury.

Finally, the person who can help you most will be an experienced trial attorney. This is the person you will need if your case doesn’t settle and needs to go before a judge and jury.

Going to trial may seem like a big, scary deal. It’s not for an experienced trial attorney. The only scary scenario you need to be concerned about here is showing up with the wrong attorney. The right attorney eats trials for breakfast. And guess who knows that— the insurance company.

Insurance companies know who’s a trial attorney and who’s not. An attorney they don’t want to face in court can get insurance companies to settle your case before it goes that far. And these settlements are the ones likely to be the largest.

Don’t set yourself up for far less than you deserve by choosing the wrong attorney. Your best chance for full and fair compensation is through an experienced car accident attorney.

Melinda Young assists people with personal injury matters in the following locations: Buhler, Burrton, Cheney, Garden Plain, Haven, Hutchinson, Inman, Kingman, Nickerson, and Sterling.

Kansas Car Accident Injury Client Story

Names and details of this story have been changed to protect the privacy of our client. This story is intended to teach you about car accident injury cases. It’s also meant to answer commonly asked questions. It’s important to read it to the end. There is a lot of helpful information here for you. When you’re finished, please give yourself the benefit of our free legal consultation to get the specific information you need about your case.

A few years ago, three weeks after their youngest child’s birthday, a couple in Newton, Julie and Dave Bowen, decided it was time to resume their weekly date night. Now four and seven, their children were old enough to be left with the responsible teenager up the street for the evening.

To Julie and Dave’s surprise, when the sitter Annie arrived, there were no tears. In fact, Annie’s energy and happiness were a big hit and there were giggles all around.

Julie and Dave had a great time at the movies, laughing about how much more popcorn there seemed to be without the kids pilfering their buckets. They left the theater hand-in-hand, relaxed and debating whether to follow up the popcorn with some ice cream.

In the end, they decided not to push their luck, and happily headed home. They spent the drive back to the house chatting about what they’d do on their next date.

As the couple entered the intersection to make the left turn onto their street, an oncoming car going way too fast ran the light and slammed into the passenger side of the car, and Julie.

Airbags deployed in the same instant the ear-splitting clash of metal tore through the couple’s awareness and both Dave and Julie were knocked unconscious. A moment later it was completely silent, except for the ticking of the engine.

In the eerie quiet, Dave awoke and tried to comprehend what had happened. He wiggled his fingers, moved a foot. He seemed to be okay… Then, with a sickening rush everything came back — Julie! He reached over and gently touched her cheek. She was alive, but unconscious, and he could feel her faint breaths on his hand.

Dave began to call Julie’s name, hoping she could somehow be okay. He knew he shouldn’t try to pull her out. Then, remembering the scenes from the movie when cars exploded after colliding, Dave began to panic. Could he get her out? Should he try?

Just then, his door was opened by a first responder who’d arrived at the scene. He and another EMT helped Dave safely out of the car while three other first responders worked to open Julie’s door with the jaws of life.

Both Dave and Julie were taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Even though Dave didn’t feel injured at the scene, he too got checked out in the emergency room. He was found to be all right, aside from some minor bruising. He immediately sought out information about his wife.

Julie was in surgery.

The accident had crumpled Julie’s door so badly, she was left in a coma for four days. She also suffered a concussion, a broken arm, a broken rib that had punctured her right lung, and a fractured hip. She would spend the next three weeks in the hospital.

Every time she woke in her hospital bed, she found Dave by her side. As she grew stronger, they talked it over and decided to find a lawyer to help them with a car accident claim.

We received a call from David after he found our website. Because Julie was still in a hospital bed, we came to them for a free consultation.

The instant we met them, it was clear Julie and Dave were wonderful people. We shared a laugh when it quickly became clear that each of them was clearly more concerned for the other, in addition to the children. They were filled with questions.

Read on to find answers to Julie and Dave’s questions that you most likely want to know for your own claim.

How much does a car accident attorney cost?

When one of our Kansas car accident attorneys arrived at her hospital room, Julie had been there for 16 days, and awake for only twelve of them. Her arm and hip would take months to heal. Her concussion left her with headaches and periods of fogginess that may, or may not, go away.

Even though Julie had two young children in her care, their schooling and activities enabled her to work part-time for good pay. Dave was still in the process of launching what they were sure would be a lucrative lawn care business, but it wasn’t off the ground yet. As a result, Julie’s small but mighty part-time job played a big role in family finances. A job she would be unable to do for the foreseeable future.

Money would be tight for a long time. Even after Julie’s broken bones healed, she would need to undergo physical therapy to regain strength after so much time off her feet.

One of the first questions out of Julie’s mouth was, “How much will it cost to hire you?”

Our Kansas car accident attorney’s answer to them both was, “Our law firm doesn’t charge upfront.” The attorney explained that we would fund the entire case and cover all the expenses. Working on a contingency basis like this, our firm only gets paid after the successful resolution of Julie’s case.

The explanation was followed by an audible exhale of relief from both Julie and Dave. “We were worried we couldn’t afford to hire you,” Dave said, as Julie nodded.

How much is my case worth?

While the couple was comforted by our contingency fee format, Julie remained concerned about the financial outlook for the family. She next asked, “How much could my case be worth?”

We then let them both know that it is truly almost impossible to predict the value of a case early on. Our firm would need to conduct a thorough investigation first, and make a solid assessment of the couple’s damages.

To do this, we would begin an immediate investigation of the accident. This would involve as much evidence as was available from the scene, as well as witness statements and anything else involved in getting the case ready.

Julie and Dave’s assignment was to focus on Julie’s recovery and treatment. The very best thing Julie could do to strengthen her case and her body was to follow the doctor’s orders. Julie would need to reach maximum medical improvement.

Maximum medical improvement is the point where the doctors can either pronounce you back to normal or tell you your current state is as good as it gets. This is also the place the doctor can confirm there will be no more surgeries, and future medical care can be predicted.

“Once we know this information, we will be able to sum up your current and future economic and non-economic damages,” our lawyer explained.

Dave and Julie looked at each other somberly and nodded their agreement.

How long will my car accident claim take?

At this point, Dave spoke up and asked, “How long does a car accident claim take in Kansas?”

This too, is tough to determine in the early phase of a case.

There are two determining factors when addressing the question of a case’s timeline. The first is how long it will take to get a clear picture of damages. The second is how reasonable — or not — the insurance company turns out to be.

We again emphasized the importance of Julie and Dave putting the focus on her recovery. Only when she reached maximum medical improvement would we truly understand her damages.

We told the two of them, “Upon having an understanding of damages, we will send a demand letter to the insurance company.

“If the company responds reasonably and with fairness, we can settle the case quickly.”

We then let Dave and Julie know that while we were hoping this to be the case, sometimes insurance companies are neither fair nor reasonable. In such an event, we would take her case to trial.

We assured the couple not to worry, because either way, we were ready, and they would be, too. “We bring cases to trial regularly,” our lawyer said, adding, “The insurance companies know this, and it’s the last thing they want.”

We also assured Julie and Dave that when a case is put in suit, it often spurs the insurance company to come to the table with a more-than-fair frame of mind.

Our lawyer then said, “This is the biggest reason to hire a lawyer who has trial experience. That lawyer will prepare every case, from the beginning, as if it’s going to court.”

“Your best compensation will be recovered by an experienced car accident trial attorney.”

Dave and Julie echoed our point of view and retained our law firm. We are pleased to report that Julie’s case was awarded more than seven times what was initially offered by the insurance company.

Call Our Kansas Car Accident Attorneys Today

Hopefully, this information has helped you gain a clearer idea of your car accident injury claim. You can probably tell how much the specific variables of a case can affect its compensation and timeline. Call our office as soon as you can to get information about your case during a free legal consultation. You don’t have to figure this out or take it on all alone. Call us for free advice on your injury claim today.