Filing a claim in Columbia, MO means that a person, an injured individual, is notifying the insurance company that they have been injured in a motor vehicle collision and they are seeking compensation for their damages. Filing a case or filing a cause of action in Columbia is a legal procedure in which a document known as a petition for damages is filed within the local circuit court or the circuit court where the collision occurred to initiate the legal process for a car accident.
With the help of a skilled car accident attorney, you may be eligible to recover compensation for the damages you sustain in a car accident. Speak to our experienced legal team at A.W. Smith Law Firm to learn about to steps to filing a Columbia car accident claim.
The process for filing a Columbia car accident claim starts with a person retaining the services of an attorney. The car accident attorney should collect as much evidence as possible. Then, a demand is made, which is a letter written to the other driver’s insurance carrier presenting the facts and circumstances as well as the evidence collected up to that point. The letter demands that the insurance company pay a particular amount to compensate the injured person for their damages. They would have gone through a very steady, fair, and reasonable negotiation process with the other driver’s insurance companies. For some reason, a resolution was not able to be made, so a cause of action must be filed.
Some of the first steps a car accident attorney would want to take before filing a Columbia car accident claim are making certain of the wishes of the plaintiff and having as much evidence as possible to proceed with their cause of action. That evidence could include witness statement, crash reports, medical records, and medical billing. They would also have photographs of the motor vehicles involved as well as pictures of the scene.
Negotiations occur once a person has filed a claim to the date of trial. If the negotiations are not successful within a reasonable amount of time after a claim is filed within, an attorney and the injured individual could file a cause of action within the circuit of court. Even when that occurs, negotiations could occur between the attorney representing the injured person and the attorneys representing the insurance company of the other driver up to the date of trials. It does not prohibit them at all from negotiating prior to the trial.
It is essential to retain experienced Columbia legal counsel when filing a car accident claim because experienced legal counsel knows what their rights are. They know the possible remedies, the proper procedures, and have the proper education. The attorney should have experience helping injured claimants recover compensation that covers the full value of their injuries and damages.
The car accident lawyer could help assist the injured person by taking away any stress and making certain that their time is spent concentrating on their recovery, and not on the legal processes involved in a car collision claim. Speak to a skilled attorney to learn about the process of filing a Columbia car accident claim. Call today.
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