Hiring a car accident attorney is one of the best steps for any road user. These lawyers help to minimize losses whenever clients are involved in collisions of all sorts.
The Tom Fowler Law Firm has excellent lawyers to handle car accident cases in Altoona, IA.
Altoona Car Accident Statistics
According to police reports, there are about 286 accidents every day in Iowa. This breaks down to seven injuries and one fatality every eight hours. These are due to recklessness and negligence on the part of road users.
Insurers are always handling accident cases in the state and have mastered how to avoid paying maximum compensation to victims.
It is the reason why people should also contact a personal injury lawyer or any experienced attorney after an accident. Such professionals provide guidance in taking the appropriate legal action.
Contact Tom Fowler Law for insights into the injury law and other general information purposes. We are always ready to help people uphold their legal rights.
Causes of Car Accidents
There are many reasons why car accidents occur. Some of the most common causes of a car crash include:
Over speeding
Distracted driving
Drunk driving/DUI
Tiredness
Refusal to yield
Recklessness
Car accident lawyers can help to analyze a collision and build a solid personal injury claim for the victims.
Injuries from Car Accidents
Accident victims sustain different kinds of injuries. The outstanding attorneys from our law firm have assisted clients in filing claims for the following:
Spinal cord injuries
Broken bones/ fractures
Traumatic brain injuries
Head and neck injury
Internal bleeding
Soft tissue injuries
Victims usually find it difficult to return to work after sustaining serious injuries. Apart from medical bills, they also lose wages while recovering. These combine to add more burden to their pain and suffering.
How Much Can One Recover from Insurance Companies After an Accident?
Even though they may have similarities, accident cases are unique. The kind of compensation a person receives depends on the insurance coverage available. Evidence of personal injuries and out-of-pocket expenses that accident lawyers gather enables them to push for maximum compensation for clients.
Under the laws in Iowa, insurance policies for drivers entitle them to:
$5,000 in medical benefits even if they are the at-fault party.
$15,000 or $30,000 in bodily injury liability if the other driver is to blame for the accident.
$5,000 if the accident resulted in any form of property damage.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Altoona
A person's actions after an accident can affect their legal claim when they seek compensation. Tom Fowler Law recommends the following steps immediately after an individual is involved in a collision:
Seek medical treatment immediately
Gather evidence from the accident scene
Call emergency services
Contact a car accident lawyer
Don't talk to the insurance company of the other party
Taking these steps can help the personal injury case of anyone involved in a motor vehicle collision.
Get an Altoona Car Accident Attorney Immediately
Getting financial compensation for a car accident injury can be a complicated issue. Some processes should be well executed, and several other legal boxes ticked. The claim might require medical experts, mechanics, and many other resource persons.
A victim should be able to prove the party responsible for the accident beyond any reasonable doubt. It involves establishing the sequence of events and gathering evidence to support their claims. This requires they include witnesses, police reports, verified medical reports, property repair receipts, etc.
The plaintiff also deals with insurance companies for the other party or their legal representative.
Doing all this while trying to recover from injuries is almost an impossible task.
An automobile accident attorney in Des Moines handles all these and allows the victim to focus on recovery. They can conduct thorough investigations and have experience with everything required to ensure the claim has no weak points.
There are also instances when a claim might have to go to civil court instead of a settlement. A victim will have the best chance if a car accident lawyer handles such a case.
Most of these attorneys don't even take upfront payments for such cases. The contingency-fee structure means they get paid a percentage of the compensation they get for clients.
Statute of Limitations in Altoona, IA, Car Accidents
Personal injury claims should be filed on time to ensure that evidence and the witness testimony are clear. According to the laws, a person involved in an Altoona car accident has two years from the day of the crash to make a lawsuit.
If a civil suit is not made within that period, the courts reserve the right to throw out the case regardless of the facts.
Compensation After a Car Accident in Altoona
Evaluating the degree of loss after a car accident is not easy. To accurately determine what an accident victim loses, personal injury attorneys consider the following:
Physical and emotional pain and suffering
Severity of injuries
The extent of property damages
Medical bills (past and future)
Lost wages
Sometimes the accident can be fatal. In such situations, the victim's family can file a claim for wrongful death. This is to help cover medical bills, funeral, and burial costs. It also helps take care of the dead person's dependents.
The average compensation amount for such accident cases is about $20,000. An experienced accident lawyer from Tom Fowler Law can help plaintiffs get more if they sustained injuries or became disabled.
Why Hire an Attorney from Tom Fowler Law?
Our law firm is famous for helping accident victims obtain fair compensation from the liable party.
We have helped injured parties obtain millions of dollars in fair settlement from insurance companies in Altoona and other parts of Iowa.
Maintaining a positive attorney-client relationship with victims helps us understand how vehicle accidents affect their lifestyles. This knowledge helps us determine how much compensation and insurance coverage clients will require.
Attorneys from our firm are not only experts in car accidents but in other practice areas such as slip and fall cases, dog bites, workers' compensation, personal injury, etc.
Other Altoona Practice Areas
Call Tom Fowler Before Talking to Any Insurance Company
An accident victim should contact Tom Fowler Law immediately after the collision. Our law firm will connect them to an experienced Altoona car accident lawyer for an initial consultation.
Call us at (515) 203-8434 to schedule a free consultation with our lawyers as soon as possible.