Dedicated and Experienced Kansas City Car Accident Attorneys
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the U.S., causing tens of thousands of deaths every year, along with hundreds of thousands of non-fatal but serious injuries. The great tragedy is that the vast majority of car accidents that occur could have been prevented had a negligent, reckless or distracted driver simply paid proper attention to the road and driven with a reasonable amount of care. The attorneys at Gorny Dandurand represent car accident victims in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas and nationwide. Our experienced personal injury lawyers fight to see that our clients receive a full and fair amount of compensation to deal with the injuries and damages which have been inflicted on them by the negligence of another.
Dealing with Low Auto Insurance Requirements
Both Missouri and Kansas require drivers to carry liability insurance, but the minimum amounts required are very low. Both states only require $25,000 for personal injury and $10,000 for property damage. If more than one person is injured in an accident, the negligent driver’s insurance may only cover $50,000 total for injuries to all persons hurt in the crash. In a serious accident which results in catastrophic injury or permanent disability, the costs to the victim can easily exceed these low policy limits. At Gorny Dandurand, we explore all possible avenues to achieve the maximum recovery available, including investigating whether there may be multiple defendants responsible or multiple insurance policies in place that can be used to pay a settlement or judgment.
Dealing with Uninsured Drivers
Despite the low mandatory minimums, thousands of drivers still choose to flout the law and drive without insurance. In Kansas, 9.4% of drivers are insured, while Missouri ranks 18th in the nation with 13.5%, or about one in every seven drivers, uninsured. Fortunately, both states require Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage as well as liability insurance. If you maintained insurance when you were hit, then you can make a claim against your insurance company under your UM/UIM coverage. As with any personal injury claim, filing a claim with “your” insurance company still involves a fight to see that you get what you are properly owed. The attorneys at Gorny Dandurand can help you with your UM/UIM claim, or litigation against the negligent driver personally, if necessary.
Auto Accident Lawsuits in Kansas
In Kansas, a person injured in a car accident cannot even sue the other driver unless a certain injury threshold is met. Without meeting this threshold, the injury victim is basically limited to receiving $4,500 in medical expenses and about $10,000 for disability or loss of income, under the state’s no fault system of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. In order to sue another driver in Kansas for the full amount of your damages, including your pain and suffering, you have to be able to show one of the following:
- You incurred $2,000 or more in medical bills
- You suffered permanent disfigurement
- You received a fracture of a weight bearing bone
- You had a compound, comminuted, displaced or compressed fracture
- You suffered the loss of a body part
- You acquired a permanent injury
- You incurred the permanent loss of a bodily function
Kansas law also allows lawsuits in the event of wrongful death in a car accident.
Help is Available for Serious or Catastrophic Kansas City Car Accidents
The attorneys at Gorny Dandurand have years of experience handling serious car accidents in Kansas City, throughout Missouri and Kansas, and even nationwide. Our successes include multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for persons seriously injured in car accidents and their families. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car accident, call Gorny Dandurand at 816-756-5071 for a free consultation about your potential claims and how we can help you get the compensation you need to move forward after a serious car accident.
