Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys

Focused Personal Injury Representation by Experienced Litigators.

As experienced litigators, the attorneys at Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. know how confusing and complex personal injury cases can be. It is important to retain a lawyer from our firm as soon as possible after you have been injured in order to ensure the claim will be valid and compensation can be won. Our Kansas City personal injury attorneys advocate for our clients to win the compensation they deserve after an accident to cover costs such as loss of wages, medical bills, physical therapy, pain and suffering, and more.

We represent clients involved in the following types of personal injury cases:

Why You Need a Personal Injury Attorney

You are actually allowed to represent yourself in nearly any legal context, including personal injury cases. However, being allowed to do something does not mean you should do it. Consider that you can go hiking through the Amazon jungle without hiring guides. Does that really sound like the best idea, though? Trying to represent yourself without a personal injury attorney for your claim is akin to jungle trekking without an expert guide.  

Get Started on Your Claim Today

According to Chapter 516.121 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Missouri is five years. This means you have five years to file your claim or you will most likely lose your legal right to pursue compensation. While there are ways to extend the statute of limitations, you must meet specific requirements predetermined by the state. Want to learn more about the statute of limitations? Read our blog "What is the Statute of Limitations in Missouri?” and contact us today to get started on your case.

The Difficulties of Personal Injury Claims

• The Opposition: For starters, the opposition should be enough to give you pause. When you act as the plaintiff in a personal injury claim, you are more than likely going up against an insurance company. This means you are going to be challenged by a defense attorney on retainer for that insurer. You will simply not be ready for their counterarguments if you go it alone.
• Liability Laws: The defense attorney is on the other side of the courtroom or conference room is going to bring up questions of legal liability. There are highly specific liability laws in every state that decide the answers and the truths behind these questions. You need to know them to stand a fair chance, but that essentially means you have to go to law school. Since this is out of the question, the next best option is hiring a personal injury attorney who can act on your behalf.
• Low-Ball Settlement Offers: Even in a positive scenario in which the insurance company wants to offer you a settlement to quickly close the case, you are still at a disadvantage if you are alone. Any dollar amount can seem impressive when it is offered by a large insurance company, but that does not mean the settlement offer is going to be accurate. Lowballing offers is an age-old insurer trick used against people who do not gain legal representation because the insurance company knows the plaintiff does not know the true extent of their damages. In particular, noneconomic damages like pain and suffering require careful casework to calculate correctly.

Don't trek the legal jungle alone! Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. is here to make your injury claim pain-free. Our Kansas City injury lawyers offer FREE initial case evaluations to let you learn more about your rights and legal options without grabbing for your wallet first. We also work for contingency fees, which means you only pay us if we win your case. Contact our law firm now to get started on your personal injury claim!

Common Types of Personal Injury

Personal injuries can have a devastating impact on individuals and their families. These types of accidents not only cause physical pain, but also emotional trauma, financial hardship, and long-term disability.

Some of the more common personal injuries include, but are not limited to:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries: These injuries can range from mild to severe and can be caused by a blow or jolt to the head. Symptoms may include headaches, memory loss, difficulty concentrating and processing information, mood swings, anxiety and depression.
• Neck and Back Injuries: One of the most common types of accident-related injury is whiplash – an injury that occurs when the neck muscles are strained or torn due to rapid forward-and-backward motion of the head after a collision. Other back injuries such as herniated discs or spinal cord damage can also occur in auto accidents and require long-term medical care.
• Knee Injuries: The knees are vulnerable areas during personal injury accidents due to legs often bearing most of the body's weight. For instance, in falls victims may try to land on their legs. However, depending on the height of the fall, the extreme forces could instead injure their knee joints instead. Impacts on the knees can also lead to fractures, sprains/strains, ACL tears or ruptures and meniscus tears or contusions (bruises).
• Bone Fractures/Broken Bones: Broken bones often result from serious impacts with hard surfaces like pavement or steel frames on vehicles. Some of the most common broken bones include ribs, collarbones, facial fractures and breaks in the arms or legs.
• Burns: Burns are often the result of accidents involving flammable liquids such as gasoline, corrosive chemicals such as strong cleaners, and thermal burns from hot surfaces such as car engines, radiators, and tailpipes.
• Soft Tissue Injuries: These are common accident-related injuries that involve damage to tendons, ligaments or muscles. Sprains, strains and contusions (bruises) can be caused by blunt force trauma, resulting in swelling, tearing and bleeding beneath the skin.

It is important to seek legal counsel from an experienced accident lawyer in Kansas City as soon as possible if you or someone you love has been injured due to the negligence of another party. An accident lawyer will provide knowledgeable guidance throughout the entire process of filing a claim for compensation and protect your rights while seeking justice. With an accident lawyer by your side, you can rest assured that all avenues of potential recovery are explored so that you receive fair compensation for your losses.

Damages You Can Recover in a Personal Injury Case

“Damages” is a legal term used to describe the types of compensation injury victims are eligible to pursue in a personal injury claim. There are three types of damages available economic, non-economic and punitive damages. The first two types of damages are responsible for compensating the injured party for the physical and emotional losses they suffer. Economic damages compensate for financial losses such as medical expenses and lost wages, while non-economic damages compensate for less tangible losses such as pain and suffering and mental anguish. The last type of damages, punitive, differs from the first two in that their main purpose is to punish the at-fault party for their negligence. 

Cases We Handle

At Bertram & Graf, L.L.C., our skilled attorneys are backed by decades of experience. If you have or a loved one has been injured, don’t hesitate to contact us today! Having represented thousands of clients, our firm has the skill and experience you need to pursue the compensation you deserve. Our legal team can help you with the below case types.

• Catastrophic Injuries  
  Injuries are considered catastrophic when they are especially severe or result in a permanent injury. Our firm understands that these types of injuries require more to heal from. If you have been injured learn how we can help you today.
• Dog Bites  
  Dog owners are responsible for making sure their animal is safe around other people. If you or a loved one has been injured, read out dog bites page to learn more about Kansas City law and how we can help you.
• Premises Liability  
  It is the job of a landowner to ensure their property is safe for others, this includes retail and grocery stores. If you have been injured on someone else’s property, don’t hesitate to learn how we can help you today!
• Sports and Recreational Injuries  
  While participating in any sport comes with a risk, some injuries are caused because of the negligence of a person or company. If you or someone you love was injured because of the negligence of another, learn how our firm can help you today.
• Traumatic Brain Injury  
  A brain injury is one of the most severe injuries an individual can suffer. Capable of turning your life upside down, brain injuries often take an extended time to heal. Our firm understands this and is prepared to fight for the compensation and justice you deserve!
• Wrongful Death  
  Losing a loved one is never easy, losing a loved one in a preventable way at the hands of another’s negligence is devastating. If you have lost a loved one learn about your options and rights to file a wrongful death claim on our wrongful death page today.
• Mass Torts  
  A mass tort is a claim filed by hundreds of people instead of one person. If you believe you have a mass tort claim, learn more about how our firm can help you and your options on our mass torts page today.

10 Questions You Should Ask a Personal Injury Attorney

When you hire an attorney to be your legal advocate, you need them to be aligned with your objectives, understand what you expect, and do whatever they can to deliver. How can you be certain your lawyer has what it takes to meet all of these expectations and then some? Start by asking a series of questions before you commit your case to their services.

• 10 Questions Everyone Should Ask a Personal Injury Attorney:
• Do you focus on injury law?  
  There are many personal injury attorneys who actually do not pay much attention to personal injury cases and the laws that surround them. Legal professionals who dabble in several practice areas may be ambitious, but they are probably not who you want taking your high-stakes claim.
• Have you seen cases like mine before?  
  Just as some lawyers only dabble in personal injury law, some personal injury attorneys only touch upon a few case types, like dog bites and car accidents. Make certain the lawyer you choose has some experience in your specific case type.
• Can you take my case to trial if need be?  
  Some attorneys refuse to go to trial and litigation due to the inherent risk of failure, no matter how small. This is not good news for you if your case cannot be settled out of court.
• Will my case resolve sooner or later?  
  No one knows for sure how long a case will take to conclude. Although, an experienced lawyer may be able to give you a fairly accurate time estimate based on the complicatedness or straightforwardness of your case.
• Do you have time to manage my case?  
  You may encounter a law firm with a bad habit of overwhelming itself with cases, accepting everything that comes to its door. You need a legal representative that can actually pay attention to your needs and build your case appropriately.
• Is communication important at your law firm?  
  You do not want to be stuck with a personal injury law firm that will not give you the time of day. Open and honest communication with your attorney is a key to case success.
• Do you manage your cases personally?  
  Paralegals and support staff play integral roles in many personal injury law firms, and that is fine. But you deserve to know who is actually going to be doing the most work on your case.
• Do past clients refer you to others?  
  An attorney you can trust will be one the public trusts as well. Look for referrals from previous clients, or even from other law firms.
• What contingency fee percentage will you use for my case?  
  Contingency fee agreements pay an attorney for their work, only if they win the case and only based on a certain percentage of those winnings. Contingency fees often range between 25% and 40% based on the difficulty or complexity of the case. You have a right to know that amount.
• Has your license to practice law ever been suspended?  
  It is not a fun conversation to have but you need to ask your attorney if they have made any egregious mistakes in the past that jeopardized their own practice and a client’s case.

When looking for a reliable and friendly personal injury lawyer in Kansas City, MO, come to Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. We would be happy to address all our pressing concerns and questions about your case and our representation during a complimentary consultation. Contact our firm today to schedule yours.

Our Kansas City Personal Injury Lawyers are Ready to Fight for You

As personal injury attorneys, we work tirelessly to help our clients secure justice – no matter how complex or challenging a case may be. Given our experience as proven negotiators and litigators, we are able to identify weaknesses and strengths in defendants’ cases and pursue the most appropriate course of action to secure the results our clients need.

We also capitalize on our reputation and work we have done with other law firms in the region to seek the opinions and advice of leading lawyers who focus on unique matters in our own clients’ cases. This type of comprehensive approach to personal injury law often proves invaluable in securing positive outcomes.

When you depend on full and fair compensation to cover your expenses and losses following a preventable injury, working with the right legal team can make all the difference. Our personal injury law firm is committed to leveraging our extensive experience and insight to fight back against insurance companies that want to pay as little as possible. During difficult times, we’re here to help.

Don't wait to get help! Call (888) 398-2277​ to schedule a free consultation today.