Whiplash St. Louis - Whiplash Injury - Car Accident

Whiplash St. Louis - Whiplash Injury - Car Accident

What to Do After a Multi-Vehicle Car Accident

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multi vehicle crash

A car accident is a stressful enough situation. If you’ve ever been in a fender-bender or a single-car accident, you know that to be the truth. But what about serious car accidents that involve 2, 3, or even more cars, such as a pile-up on the highway?

It’s hard to know what to do to stay safe in these situations, so we’ve put together these tips to help you deal with even the most difficult multi-car accidents.

1. Don’t Move Your Car After The Accident (And Don’t Get Out)

While there are some rare exceptions to this rule, the police usually must determine who was at fault and caused a “chain reaction” leading to the accident.

This is the reason that you generally shouldn’t move your car after an accident without police permission, unless it is necessary to do so for safety reasons. It is generally best not get out of the car until emergency services personnel like EMTs, the police, or fire department have secured the scene, and informed you that it is safe to do so.

2. Take Photos And Video Of The Scene

Determining fault and liability in a multi-car accident can be nightmarishly complex. Because of this, we recommend taking photos and video of the scene, if possible. If you have a smartphone, take it out and take photos of your car from every angle, and take photos of all other cars involved in the accident, as well as a video of the scene, if possible and safe to do so.

3. Get Insurance Information From All Other Available Parties (And Provide Your Own)

The majority of work determining fault will be done by your respective insurance agencies. Get the insurance information of all other involved parties, so that you will be able to report the incident, and the details of the accident.

4. Give a Report to the Police

Once the police arrive, give them a report of the accident, and be honest and truthful about the circumstances surrounding the incident. However, you do not have to admit fault.

They should give you information about how to get a police report when it is finalized.

5. Contact a Car Accident Lawyer

You must report your accident to your insurance adjuster as soon as you can. Doing so will help speed up the process, particularly if multiple insurance companies are involved. Additionally, you should speak with an experienced car accident attorney ASAP. Despite what you may think, the insurance companies are not looking out for your best interests. Insurance companies are looking to minimize the amount they pay out to injury victims. Speaking with a St. Louis car accident attorney will go a long way in ensuring your legal right to compensation is protected after an accident.

Follow These Tips To Get Through An Accident!

A multiple-car accident can be very stressful, but with these tips, you can stay safe, and ensure that you do everything you can to streamline the process of reporting and filing an insurance claim.

Injured in a Multi Car Accident?

Call (314) 361-4242 for a FREE Consultation

3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Your Cell Phone While Driving

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Distracted driving is becoming even more common, and it’s one of the leading preventable causes of death and injury on the highway.

St. Louis man texting and driving

Many people have done it – gotten a notification on their phone while driving, picked it up, and tapped out a reply to a text message. Sure, they we were a little distracted for a second – but everything ended up okay, right?

As any car accident attorney can tell you, this is not always the case. Distracted driving is extraordinarily dangerous, and it is never a good idea to use your phone while driving.

Here are just 4 reasons that you should keep your phone in your pocket while driving, and avoid distracted driving.

1. You Are Far More Likely To Get In An Accident

When you drive distracted, you don’t have your eyes on the road – and you can easily drift off of the highway, hit a car that’s slowing down, or even injure a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist. Cell phone use causes 1.6 million accidents per year.

If you take your eyes off of the road for just 5 seconds at 55 mph, you cover more than the length of a football field.

2. You’re More Likely To Be Found At-Fault For An Accident

If you were distracted while driving, and you are involved in an accident, you are far more likely to be found at-fault by your insurance company, and you may be liable if the victim of the crash hires a car accident lawyer to pursue a lawsuit.

Currently, Missouri law only prohibits under-21 drivers from texting and driving, though a new bill may extend this ban to other drivers. However, while texting and driving may be legal, that does not mean that it’s safe, or that it is not a factor taken into account during the insurance claims process.

3. Distracted Driving Is One Of The Leading Causes Of Deaths On The Highway

Distracted driving caused 3,450 deaths in 2016 alone, and injured 391,000 people. For comparison, drunk driving caused 10,497 deaths in 2016.

Distracted driving is becoming even more common, and it’s one of the leading preventable causes of death and injury on the highway, especially among teenagers and young adults, who already have significantly higher crash rates.

Don’t be a victim – or cause an accident. Put the cell phone down while you’re driving. It’s not worth your life.

Don’t Drive Distracted In St. Louis – Keep Yourself & Others Safe

The costs associated with a distracted driving case can be quite high. Higher insurance, legal costs, court fees, and more can take a toll.

So don’t drive distracted in St. Louis. Stay safe, and keep your phone where it belongs while you drive – out of sights, and out of mind.

Injured in a Distracted Driving Accident?

Call (314) 361-4242 for a FREE Consultation

Should I Accept a Car Accident Settlement Offer?

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Once you sign a settlement offer you absolve the insurance company from any liability going forward. Here’s what you should  be aware of before accepting a settlement offer.

signing settlement agreement

If you are in an auto accident in Missouri, then the at-fault driver, or their insurance company is responsible for paying for any resulting damages and injuries. The problem is that although an insurance policy is meant to ensure that someone is compensated wholly, that is not the insurance company’s number one priority.

A settlement is an offer that an insurance company will make to those who are injured in an accident to stop the case from escalating to trial.

It is an amount that is meant, not to make sure that the victim is compensated to the fullest, but to limit the insurance company’s losses by offering the least amount possible.

If you are offered a lowball settlement price, and you think that taking it would be settling for less than you are entitled to, you are probably right.

Do You Know How to Calculate Non-Economic and Economic Losses?

Unless you are an expert in car accident injury law, you may not understand how to calculate both non-economic and economic injuries. Economic injuries might be easier to figure out. They are a combination of all the medical treatment and lost revenue you have due to your injuries. Non-economic damages are different. They are not concrete like economic damages.

How to Calculate Non-Economic Damages

To figure out how much your injury is worth, you have to know how to use either the multiplier method or the per diem method of calculation. If you don’t calculate your injury correctly, you will not know how much they are worth and you could end up not getting all that you deserve.

To ensure that you get all that you are entitled to for your car accident injuries, it is an excellent idea to speak with a St. Louis car accident attorney. Using your medical bills and other documents, your attorney can come to a quantitative amount of what your experience related to the accident is.

Since non-economic damages are not concrete and include pain and suffering and emotional distress, there is going to be a lot of wiggle room between what the insurance company thinks your anguish is worth and what a St. Louis car accident lawyer defending you thinks it is worth.

If an insurance company offers you a settlement, and although you don’t feel it is enough, you are tempted to take it, don’t. Having a lawyer look over your claim is the best way to ensure you are getting the full amount you deserve.

Once more, if you do sign it, then you absolve the insurance company from any liability going forward.

To make sure that your legal interests are protected right from the start of your claim, call us 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE case evaluation.

Hit and Run Case

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If you are in an accident with someone who is charged with hit-and-run, it is a good idea to speak with a St. Louis car accident lawyer.

police lights

In Missouri, it is illegal to be involved in an accident and to flee from the scene without notifying the proper authorities. If you are charged with hit-and-run, there can be some significant consequences for your future and maybe even your freedom. To make sure that you aren’t breaking the law, it is important to know what you do and do not have to do if you are involved in a car accident.

Legally, a hit-and-run is a crime where someone who is guilty of a car collision leaves the scene on purpose, so that they aren’t found out. A hit-and-run criminal charge can be anything from a misdemeanor crime to a felony crime, depending on the egregious nature of the act. There are times when you might inadvertently leave the scene unaware that you are doing anything illegal at all.

Duties of a Driver

To obtain a driver’s license in the state of Missouri, you must agree to follow the rules of the road. There are also certain duties that you assume responsibility for when you get behind the wheel. If you are in an accident where someone is injured or where significant damage occurs, you are required to call 911 and to report the accident.

You also have a duty to exchange information, like auto insurance information and personal information, with other drivers after an accident. To perform your duties as required by the laws in Missouri, you have to be on the scene and stay there until your duties are carried out. If you leave the scene without performing those duties, you are in violation of the law.

Punitive Damages

If you are involved in a hit-and-run there is the potential that you can be responsible for something called “punitive damages.” Typically, in a car accident, those who are injured are entitled to both economic and non economic damages. However, if you are involved in an accident where someone flees and is then charged with hit-and-run, then the injured person can seek punitive damages.

Punitive damages are a type of damage that is supposed to teach wrongdoers a lesson so that others do not follow the same example. They are meant to be harsh. They are also meant as a deterrent to anyone who is considering doing something illegal. So, if you leave the scene of the accident, whether you intend to leave without being discovered or not, then you are subject to hit-and-run charges and even punitive damages.

Action Steps

The best way to prevent hit-and-run charges is to never to leave the scene of any accident without filing a police report and calling 911. Even if you leave your information with the other driver or drivers, you will want to stick around and wait for authorities to arrive to be sure everything is communicated properly.

If you are in an accident with someone who is charged with hit-and-run, it is a good idea to speak with a St. Louis car accident lawyer. You might not only be entitled to collect non economic and economic damages, but punitive ones as well. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE consultation.

Suing for Emotional Distress After Car Accident

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Things like fear, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and depression are all types of things that would fall under the classification of emotional distress.

emotional distress after St. Louis car accident

When you are injured in a car accident in Missouri, you are generally entitled to two types of damages.

Economic damages are those things that make you suffer a financial loss.

Things that fall under the economic damage umbrella are costs like medical bills, lost earnings from work, and hospital-stay bills. They are concrete and come with a bill or invoice as documentation.

The other types of damages that you may be entitled to are non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are things like emotional distress and pain and suffering.

Pain and suffering is a phrase that is pretty clear and easily understood for both patient and juries. When it comes to emotional distress, however, the scars from emotional distress are harder to see, define, and, in a court of law, sometimes harder to prove.

What Do Emotional Distress Damages Include?

Non-economic damages that are labeled “emotional distress” are those damages that are meant to make a person whole by compensating them for the emotional distress that they suffered due to the circumstances of their accident.

They are any damages that someone suffers due to the psychological consequences of the accident itself, and the injuries that you sustain. Emotional distress is anything that disrupts your daily life.

Things like fear, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and depression are all types of things that would fall under the classification of emotional distress. Some of them are short-term, and some of the can be life-long and disabling to car accident victims.

If you believe that you are suffering emotional distress due to a car accident, or the injuries that you sustained due to a car accident, it is critical that you get the help necessary to get past the distress, and have the proper documentation to prove that you are suffering.

How Do You Document Emotional Distress?

It may not be enough to say that you are fearful or anxious all the time. To make sure that you can get the compensation that you deserve for your non-economic damages, you need to seek medical attention and get documents to use as proof of your emotional scars.

Whether you seek psychological care (which is recommended) or you make your physician aware of your emotional symptoms, it is imperative that you speak up and tell the professionals involved in your treatment how you are feeling and how you are suffering emotionally.

Keeping a journal of your emotional journey from day one is also a great way to document the emotional distress of a car accident and its fallout. Since there are varying levels of severity of emotional distress, it is essential also to record how severely it is affecting your everyday life.

Since non-economic damages tend to be less concrete and more subjective, to get all that you deserve, make sure to speak up, explain your emotional distress to medical professionals, and seek the help of a St Louis car accident attorney to ensure that you get the full amount of compensation you are legally entitled to in the state of Missouri.

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