When another party is to blame for your injuries, you should not have to pay the costs of medical care and suffer other significant financial losses. Filing an insurance claim or a civil personal injury claim can allow you to hold the at-fault party accountable. A Columbia personal injury lawyer can help you recover the damages you suffered from a personal injury.
Personal injuries happen frequently and in unexpected circumstances. Personal injuries may result from sudden accidents and injuries or from long-term issues like repetitive motion injuries and hazardous material exposure.
Dealing with these injuries or illnesses is not easy, and it can be hard to file a claim in the timeframe that is required. The support of an attorney makes this easier.
Wendt Law Firm P.C. supports injured individuals and their families in our communities throughout Missouri. We fight for your financial interests in the face of careless and reckless individuals or entities. Our team has over 50 collective years of experience in personal injury claims across a wide range of injuries and causes. Our experience includes settlements secured out of court and litigated decisions.
When you contact our team at Wendt Law Firm P.C., we can quickly review the facts of your case and determine if you have a viable case. We explain your options for compensation and what your rights are. Our dedicated and compassionate legal support focuses on you first. Our attorneys focus on securing the maximum settlement that is possible in your unique circumstances.
When you look for legal support in your personal injury case, one important consideration is the types of personal injury claims they handle and have experience with. An attorney with previous experience in the sort of accident you were in can benefit your claim immensely. There are other things you want to consider when selecting an attorney, including how long they have been practicing personal injury law and their federal reputation.
Different types of personal injuries and the accidents that caused them may require unique approaches. An attorney with previous experience to draw on will have more familiarity with aspects of your claim like:
This knowledge can help you secure the settlement you deserve and may resolve the claim more efficiently than a less-experienced attorney.
The team at Wendt Law Firm P.C. has worked on numerous straightforward and complex personal injury claims, including:
Missouri is an at-fault state for car accidents, meaning that injured drivers must file with the insurance provider of the at-fault party. Determining fault is a crucial part of these claims, and an attorney is beneficial to support your interests. An auto insurance company does not have your interests in mind but is looking to provide as little compensation as possible.
Motor vehicle accidents cover a variety of accidents on the road, including accidents with passenger cars, commercial trucks, motorcycles, rideshare cars, and buses. While vehicle accidents are common, they are often very complicated.
These collisions are especially complex when commercial companies are involved or if multiple parties are partially at fault. It’s important to work with a lawyer who has experience and success in these types of complex situations. That way, you are more likely to get the most compensation possible, allowing you to cover damage to your vehicle and medical bills for your injuries.
When bicycles and pedestrians are involved in a collision with motor vehicles, they are more likely to have serious and fatal injuries than those in the motor vehicle. The compensation in these accidents must be high to recover the costs of long-term and disabling injuries.
Bicyclists and pedestrians can also be injured from hazards on the road or sidewalk and may be able to hold a governmental agency or private property owner responsible for those injuries.
Accidents on or while boarding aircraft can occur on commercial flights, corporate planes, private flights, helicopters, and other types of aircraft. Depending on the accident, the staff may be liable for their negligence, or their employer may be liable for improper or insufficient training.
An accident caused by defective equipment can be the liability of the maintenance crew, the owner of the plane, or the manufacturer of the equipment. An attorney is important for determining if you have a personal injury claim and what party is liable for your injuries.
Boating accidents can occur to passengers on a boat or to those near and around a boat. A careless boat operator may be liable for their distraction, fatigue, or intoxication. An accident can also occur from faulty equipment. A manufacturer of this equipment could be liable, or the boat owner could be liable for failure to properly maintain the boat. Your attorney can determine if you have a personal injury claim after a boating accident.
Property owners and property managers are responsible for maintaining safe grounds. A property owner must address a hazard when they know about it and warn visitors if they cannot fix it immediately. To some extent, property owners are also responsible for hazards they do not know about if a review of the grounds would have noted the hazard.
If property hazards remain unaddressed, and someone is injured as a result, the property owner or manager can be held liable for those damages. Hazards may commonly include broken stairs or hand railings, dim or broken lighting, cords and tripping hazards across walkways, spills and slippery ground, and uneven ground.
Attacks by dogs and other pets are the strict liability of the animal’s owner in Missouri. Dog attacks can cause severe injuries, including puncture wounds, infection, and crushing injuries. The dog owner can be responsible for the cost of these injuries and the immense psychological trauma from the attack.
There are certain exceptions to this strict liability, such as if you provoked the dog or were illegally trespassing on the premises where the attack occurred. An attorney can gather evidence that this was not the case and that you deserve compensation for the damages done by the dog.
When asbestos particles are released into the air and breathed in, they build up in the lungs and cause severe damage. This increases your risk of respiratory illnesses and cancers like mesothelioma or lung cancer.
If you have been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos exposure and suspect you are at high risk for long-term exposure, an attorney can help you investigate. Miners, construction workers, and demolition workers are at especially high risk for long-term and dangerous asbestos exposure.
When we entrust our healthcare to a medical professional, we trust that they will do what they can to properly treat us. Many healthcare providers uphold this professional duty of care. Unfortunately, when a provider does not, it can cause serious harm to their patient.
This medical negligence or malpractice can happen when a surgeon makes a surgical error, when a pharmacist fills a prescription incorrectly, or when a practitioner misdiagnoses an illness despite clear contradictory evidence. These errors can lead to injuries and deaths of their patients, and they should be held liable for their failures.
The staff members at nursing homes and long-term care facilities are responsible for the medical health and well-being of residents who cannot provide that care for themselves. When a staff member is negligent or abuses the residents under their care, they should be held legally responsible for these vile actions.
Negligence and abuse in nursing homes can lead to severe illness, injuries, and even death. An attorney can help loved ones investigate neglectful or criminal staff in nursing homes.
If you were the victim of sexual assault or abuse, you can file criminal charges as well as a civil personal injury case. While a civil case may not be the first thought, it can be useful to recover financial damages and support yourself and your healing, as well as hold the at-fault party further accountable. An experienced attorney is important in helping you navigate such a claim.
The loss of a loved one is only made more difficult to deal with when it should have been avoided if not for another party’s carelessness and recklessness. When your loved one should have been eligible for a personal injury claim if they had survived, then surviving family members can file for a wrongful death claim to recover certain financial and emotional losses.
This compensation will not ever make up for a family’s loss. It can only provide them a sense of closure, hold the at-fault party responsible, and give a family some financial certainty as they grieve.
When your personal injury claim is against an insurance company, such as a car insurer or a commercial trucking insurer, they have many more resources than you do. They leverage these resources to limit their financial liability. There are many ways that insurance companies will try to undermine and devalue your personal injury claim.
The company may claim your damages are not worth much or try to prove that you were partially to blame for the accident. It may present you with a low-ball settlement soon after the accident, trying to get you to accept much less than your claim is worth.
When you work with an attorney, they have experience with these tactics. They know how to negotiate your claim effectively. In fact, insurance companies often do not even attempt these tactics when speaking to an attorney. An attorney calculates the cost of your claim and investigates the accident to determine fault. This information makes for stronger negotiations, and your attorney will not accept a low settlement.
The benefits of an attorney apply even if you are not negotiating with an insurance provider. The other party will be trying to limit their own liability, and your attorney can protect your personal and financial interests.
If the other party does not allow a fair settlement, then your attorney can take the claim to court and represent your interests there.
At Wendt Law Firm P.C., we can help you protect yourself after an injury and hold an at-fault party liable for the actions. Contact our firm today.