Another mistake people make is ignoring time limits and not acting rapidly on their claim. Justice delayed is justice denied. If you do not contact the insurance company and advise them of the incident and claim, if you do not get medical attention, if you do not act quickly to pursue your claim, your case will be damaged. We have many stories of people coming to us too late where we cannot find key witnesses in cases, cannot identify photographs, and cannot investigate the scene of the accident or look at skid marks. There is a wealth of information that can be obtained by rapid investigation in a case.

You might assume the other driver will testify accurately about the incident, that witness’ information will be in the police report, and that the defendant’s insurance company will treat you fairly--but sometimes this does not occur. Hiring a lawyer to investigate a serious collision is important. We have investigators and experts that can go to the scene. We will call up witnesses and take recorded statements of what occurred in the incident. We will secure photos or physical evidence that might be important to the case. We will communicate right away with the defendant’s insurance company to ensure a prompt and fair resolution of the claim.

There are also time limitations for filing lawsuits for claims. Missouri has a five year Statute of Limitations for personal injury claims (car accidents) and Illinois has a two year Statute of Limitations. This means that if no case is filed within that time the entire claim is time barred. Note that the limitations time for a wrongful death claim in Missouri is shorter – three years. There are other limitations periods that might affect your claim as well.