Missouri is not a no-fault state. That means that every driver on the road is required by law to have a certain amount of insurance on their vehicle. In theory, this means that every single driver carries insurance to cover the expenses for injuries and damages they cause in a collision. In reality, thousands of Missouri drivers are uninsured and insurance companies always try to settle any claim for the lowest possible amount, and some injuries sustained in an auto collision require more funds than are allocated by the policy.
If any one of these scenarios becomes your reality, you should contact a personal injury lawyer. An average person simply is not equipped for any of the above scenarios. A personal injury lawyer will be able to help you recover losses even if the driver who hit you is uninsured. They can help if the insurance company attempts to settle with you unfairly, and they can maximize the settlement you deserve for serious and life-changing injuries.
Even if none of these complicated situations apply to your case in particular, you will still most likely be better served by employing an attorney than not. An injury firm will go about your claim in a much different way than an insurance company. A personal injury lawyer will often have private investigators at their disposal. When insurance companies determine liability, they will usually handle the entire investigation by phone. A certain human element is missing in such a system. They do not meet the witnesses. The adjusters do not usually see the site of the incident in person. Thus, the information collected, while factually true, presents a certain perspective of the event that is, frankly, antiseptic.
The private investigators often used by a personal injury lawyer physically see and photograph all relevant locations. They take face-to-face recorded interviews with any eye-witness, and more often than not, the facts uncovered will have the personable nuances so markedly lacking in an insurance company’s investigation.
Finally and perhaps the most important thing a lawyer can do for you is absorb some of the stress associated with handling an injury claim yourself. People seek damage claims because they have been hurt. The stress of proving yourself and your wounds to an insurance adjuster interrupts the healing process. Your personal injury lawyer will make the necessary calls and fight the necessary battles for you. After all, a personal injury lawsuit is not about claiming more than is due to you, but about repairing what was broken in your life and putting to rights what was wrong. If possible, it should erase any signs of the traumatic event from your life.
A personal injury lawyer can do all of this for you. Without one, it is very possible that you will recover less than what you are due or maybe even nothing at all. So, if you ever find yourself injured after an accident of any kind, contact a personal injury lawyer. It will be the best thing that happens to you all day.
