Intersection crashes are among the most dangerous car accidents on Kansas City roads because they often involve high speeds, multiple vehicles, and drivers coming from different directions at once.
If you were hurt when another driver ran a red light, turned left into your path, or blew through a stop sign, you have the right to pursue compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and the pain you are living with.
The hard part is proving who had the right of way, and that is exactly where cases are won or lost.
Fault at an intersection is rarely as obvious as the other driver claims it is. Insurance companies know this, and they move fast to pin blame on you before you have a chance to tell your side.
Wendt Law Firm offers free case evaluations so you can find out where you stand before you say anything to an adjuster. Call (816) 531-4415 or contact us online to get started today.
Most intersection crashes trace back to a driver who ignored the rules that keep traffic moving safely. The causes we see most often include:
Each of these points to a violation of traffic law, which can become powerful evidence in your claim.
Intersection collisions frequently involve finger-pointing, and the insurer may argue you were partly responsible. Whether that argument ends your claim depends on which state you are in.
Missouri and Kansas handle shared fault differently, and the difference can decide your case. Missouri follows pure comparative fault: you can recover even if you were mostly to blame, with your compensation simply reduced by your percentage of fault. Kansas is stricter. Under K.S.A. 60-258a, Kansas bars recovery entirely once you reach 50% fault.
At 25% fault on $80,000 in damages, you still collect $60,000 in either state. But push that to 50% fault, and the outcomes split: a Kansas driver collects nothing, while a Missouri driver still recovers half. This is why you should never accept an adjuster’s word that your own mistake killed your case. The fight is over percentages, and where the crash happened can matter as much as the number itself.
The value of your claim depends on how badly you were hurt and how the injury has changed your life. A full claim accounts for both the bills you can add up and the losses that are harder to measure, including:
How long you have depends on where the crash happened, and the difference is significant.
Missouri generally gives you 5 years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit under Missouri Revised Statutes § 516.120, and 3 years for a wrongful death claim under Missouri Revised Statutes § 537.100. Kansas is far stricter: under K.S.A. 60-513, you generally have only 2 years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit, and 2 years from the date of death for a wrongful death claim.
The evidence that proves your case can vanish within weeks, no matter which state’s deadline applies to you, so acting early protects what your claim is worth.
Intersection cases turn on evidence that disappears quickly, and our team knows how to lock it down before it is gone. We pull traffic signal timing data, recover camera footage from nearby businesses, and bring in accident reconstruction experts who can show a jury exactly who entered the intersection illegally. That level of investigation is what separates a claim the insurer takes seriously from one it lowballs.
We have recovered millions of dollars for injured people across the Kansas City metro, and we do not treat your case like a file to close cheaply. When the other side sees that we are prepared to take a case to trial, settlement offers tend to rise. That track record is on the case results page if you want to see it for yourself.
A police report is influential, but it does not have the final say on fault. Officers arrive after the crash and reconstruct events from limited information, and they sometimes get it wrong. Your legal team can challenge the report with camera footage, signal data, and witness testimony that tells a different story.
Several sources can establish who had the right of way, including traffic signal timing records, surveillance video from nearby businesses, dashcam footage, and independent witness statements. When accounts conflict, an accident reconstruction expert can analyze vehicle damage and skid marks to determine who entered the intersection legally.
You may still have a path to compensation through your own uninsured motorist coverage. Report the crash to police immediately, gather any witness information, and let us help you file the claim. We can also work to identify the driver through video and other evidence.
Give them only basic identifying details and nothing more. Adjusters are trained to get you to say something that sounds like an admission of fault, then use it to cut your payout. Direct all substantive questions to your attorney so your words are not turned against you.
The other driver’s insurer is already building a case to pay you as little as possible, and every day that passes makes your evidence harder to recover. Our team is ready to take the investigation, the paperwork, and the fight off your shoulders so you can focus on healing. You are in good hands with a firm that has recovered millions for injured people in Kansas City and is prepared to do the same for you. Call our team at Wendt Law Firm at (816) 531-4415 or contact us online for your free consultation today.
