Wausau Car
Accident Attorney
Reliable Wausau Car Accident Lawyer
Car accidents can leave victims feeling confused and vulnerable, especially when faced with misleading information online about their rights to compensation. You might believe that you have an unlimited timeframe to pursue legal action or that settling your claim is a simple matter. For accurate guidance and clarity, turn to Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler, LLC. Our Wausau car accident lawyers offer free consultations to discuss your rights in detail and provide personalized advice based on your unique circumstances.
Call 608-784-4370 now to schedule a free consultation with our Wausau car accident lawyers
Routine Car Collision Scenarios in Wausau, WI
Car accidents are sadly a common occurrence in Wausau and can happen at any time. Some of the most common types of crashes include rear-end collisions, where a vehicle crashes into the back of another, often occurring at intersections or when a driver is tailgating. Head-on collisions are tragic accidents where two vehicles collide frontally, usually due to illegal passing or drifting over the center line.
Side-impact crashes, also known as T-bones, happen at intersections when one vehicle crashes into the side of another. Sideswipe accidents involve two vehicles traveling parallel to each other colliding, often happening when one is merging onto the highway with limited space. Rollovers can occur when a vehicle flips onto its side or hood, often triggered by gravel or potholes. Single-vehicle accidents involve one vehicle flipping or being forced off the road without colliding with another car, with many caused by another driver fleeing the scene.
Understanding Personal Injury Claims in Wausau
A personal injury claim allows injured victims to recover compensation for harm caused by another person’s negligence. When you’re hurt in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you have the right to seek damages from the at-fault driver. Personal injury law exists to protect people who suffer injuries because of someone else’s negligence or reckless behavior.
Personal injury cases can involve many types of accidents beyond just car accidents. These include truck accidents, motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, nursing home abuse, and wrongful death cases. Each case is unique, but they all share one thing in common: an injured person deserves fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm handles all types of personal injury matters in Wausau, WI and surrounding areas.
The legal process for a personal injury claim starts with gathering evidence about your accident and injuries. This includes medical records, police reports, witness statements, and photos from the scene. Your Wausau personal injury lawyer will review this evidence to build a strong case. Time matters in these situations because Wisconsin law sets deadlines for filing claims.
Types of Injuries from Car Accidents
Car accidents can cause a wide range of injuries, from minor injuries to life-threatening conditions. Serious injuries like spinal cord injuries can result in permanent disability and require lifelong care. These severe injuries change every aspect of an injured person’s life, affecting their ability to work, enjoy activities, and care for themselves. Spinal cord injuries may lead to paralysis, loss of sensation, and the need for extensive rehabilitation.
Traumatic brain injuries are another common result of car accidents. Even seemingly minor injuries like whiplash can cause lasting physical pain and limitations. Broken bones, lacerations, and internal injuries require immediate medical attention and ongoing treatment. Some injuries aren’t obvious right away but develop symptoms days or weeks after the accident.
Emotional distress often accompanies physical injuries after a car accident. Victims may experience anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. These psychological impacts are real and deserve compensation just like physical injuries. Our personal injury attorneys understand that injuries caused by car accidents affect more than just your body.
Why You Need a Wausau Personal Injury Attorney
Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney makes a significant difference in your injury claim outcome. Insurance companies employ teams of lawyers and adjusters whose job is to minimize what they pay out. Without legal representation, you’re at a disadvantage when facing these professionals. A Wausau personal injury attorney levels the playing field and fights for your rights.
Personal injury lawyers know how to value claims accurately. They consider not just your current medical bills and lost wages, but also future expenses and losses. An insurance company might offer a quick settlement that seems good at first, but doesn’t cover everything you’ll need. Your attorney can tell you whether an offer represents fair compensation or if you should keep negotiating.
Our personal injury law firm has years of experience handling car accident cases in Wausau. We understand Wisconsin laws and how local courts operate. This knowledge helps us build stronger cases and achieve better results for our injured clients. We handle all aspects of your injury case so you can focus on healing.
The Role of Insurance Companies
Insurance companies play a major role in car accident claims, but their interests don’t align with yours. These companies are businesses focused on profits, which means paying out as little as possible on claims. Adjusters may seem friendly and helpful, but their job is to protect the insurance company’s bottom line, not to look out for your best interests.
An insurance company might use various tactics to reduce what it pays. They may claim your injuries aren’t as severe as you say, argue that you had pre-existing conditions, or dispute who was at fault for the accident. They might pressure you to give a recorded statement and twist your words to use against you later. Some insurers delay processing claims, hoping you’ll get desperate and accept less money.
Your own insurance policy may provide coverage through uninsured motorist protection or medical payments coverage. However, even your own insurance company may resist paying what you deserve. Having a Wausau car accident attorney handle communications with all insurers protects you from their tactics and ensures your claim receives proper attention.
Compensation Options for Car Accident Victims
Car accidents can result in significant financial burdens that impact you and your loved ones in various ways. Our legal team is committed to securing complete compensation for your economic losses, which may include expenses such as ambulance transportation, diagnostic tests, prescription drugs, doctor’s appointments, specialist visits, surgery, hospital stays, physical therapy, behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, and future medical costs.
Additionally, we can seek reimbursement for past and future lost income, as many car accident injuries can hinder individuals from working during their recovery. Our firm also handles compensation for vehicle damages, whether it’s repairs or replacement if the car is deemed totaled. Furthermore, we advocate for compensation for pain and suffering, encompassing emotional distress, depression, physical pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the loss of enjoyment of life.
Car accidents can drastically disrupt one’s life, and at Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler, LLC, our Wausau car accident lawyers have extensive experience negotiating with all major insurance companies in Wisconsin. You can trust us to stand up for your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.
Medical Expenses and Treatment Costs
Medical expenses after a car accident can overwhelm victims financially. Emergency room visits, ambulance rides, and hospital stays cost thousands of dollars. Diagnostic tests like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans add up quickly. Surgery and specialized treatments for serious injuries create even larger bills. These costs pile up while you’re unable to work and earn income.
Future medical expenses matter just as much as current bills. Severe injuries often require ongoing care, physical therapy, and follow-up appointments for months or years. Some victims need assistive devices, home modifications, or long-term nursing care. An experienced personal injury attorney works with medical experts to calculate these future costs accurately so your settlement covers everything you’ll need.
Medical bills shouldn’t prevent you from getting proper treatment. Many healthcare providers work with accident victims on payment arrangements. Some doctors treat on a lien basis, meaning they wait for your settlement to get paid. Focus on your recovery and let your personal injury lawyer handle the financial aspects of your care.
Lost Wages and Reduced Earning Capacity
Lost wages represent a major component of car accident claims. When injuries prevent you from working, you lose income at a time when expenses are mounting. Some victims miss weeks or months of work during recovery. Others can’t return to their previous jobs at all because of permanent disabilities. This lost time affects not just you but your entire family.
Calculating lost wages involves more than just missing paychecks. It includes lost overtime, bonuses, benefits, and other compensation you would have earned. For self-employed individuals, proving lost income requires documentation of typical earnings patterns. Your Wausau personal injury lawyer knows how to gather the right evidence to prove your wage losses.
Reduced earning capacity applies when injuries limit your ability to work in the future. You might need to switch to a lower-paying job or work fewer hours because of physical limitations. These long-term impacts deserve compensation as part of your personal injury claim. Economic experts can calculate the total value of these future losses.
How Negligence Affects Your Claim
Negligence forms the foundation of most personal injury claims. To recover compensation, you must prove the other driver acted negligently and caused your injuries. Negligence means failing to exercise reasonable care while driving. This includes behaviors like speeding, running red lights, texting while driving, or driving under the influence.
Wisconsin follows a comparative negligence rule, which means you can still recover damages even if you were partially at fault. However, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you’re found more than 50% responsible, you can’t recover anything. This makes proving the other driver’s negligence critical to your case outcome.
Evidence of negligence includes police reports, traffic citations, witness statements, and accident reconstruction. Photos of the accident scene, vehicle damage, and road conditions help establish what happened. Your injury lawyers know how to gather and present this evidence effectively to prove the other driver’s fault.
The Importance of Medical Records
Medical records provide the most important evidence in personal injury cases. These documents show what injuries you suffered, what treatment you received, and how the accident impacted your health. Complete medical records include emergency room reports, doctor’s notes, test results, treatment plans, and billing statements. They create a clear timeline connecting your injuries to the car accident.
Gaps in medical treatment can hurt your injury claim. Insurance companies argue that if you weren’t hurt badly, you would have sought treatment immediately and consistently. Follow all your doctor’s recommendations and attend every appointment. If you can’t afford treatment, tell your attorney rather than skipping care. They can help find solutions.
Medical records also document prognosis and future treatment needs. Doctor’s opinions about long-term impacts carry weight when negotiating settlements. If your physician says you’ll need ongoing care or face permanent limitations, this information justifies higher compensation. Your personal injury attorney works with medical experts to fully document your injuries and their impact on your life.
Understanding Fair Settlements
A fair settlement compensates you fully for all losses caused by the car accident. This includes medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and future losses. What seems like a lot of money at first might not cover everything you need, especially with serious injuries that require long-term care. An experienced personal injury attorney helps you understand the true value of your claim.
Insurance companies often make lowball offers hoping you’ll accept without questioning. They may pressure you to settle quickly before you understand the full extent of your injuries. Never accept a settlement without consulting a Wausau personal injury lawyer first. Once you sign a release, you can’t go back and ask for more money later, even if your condition worsens.
Reaching a fair settlement often requires tough negotiations. Your attorney presents evidence showing why you deserve more than the insurance company wants to pay. If negotiations fail, filing a personal injury lawsuit shows you’re serious about getting full compensation. Most cases settle before trial, but having an attorney willing to litigate strengthens your negotiating position.
Maximum Compensation for Serious Cases
Maximum compensation in severe injury cases accounts for the life-changing impact of the accident. Serious injuries like spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or severe burns require extensive treatment and cause permanent disabilities. The compensation in these cases must cover decades of future care, lost earning capacity, and reduced quality of life. Calculating maximum compensation requires expertise and thorough documentation.
Punitive damages may be available in cases involving extreme negligence or intentional misconduct. Wisconsin law allows these damages when a defendant’s behavior was particularly reckless or harmful. Punitive damages punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct. However, they’re only awarded in specific circumstances and require strong evidence of egregious behavior.
Our personal injury law firm has experience handling high-value cases involving catastrophic injuries. We work with economists, medical experts, and life care planners to document all current and future needs. This thorough approach helps us demand and achieve maximum compensation for clients with life-altering injuries.
What to Do After a Car Accident
Taking the right steps after a car accident protects both your health and your legal rights. First, check for injuries and call 911 if anyone needs medical attention. Even if you feel fine, get checked by a doctor soon after the accident. Some injuries don’t show symptoms immediately but can cause serious problems later. Seeking medical attention quickly also creates a record linking your injuries to the accident.
Report the accident to the police so there’s an official record of what happened. Exchange information with the other driver, including names, contact details, insurance information, and license plate numbers. Take photos of all vehicles involved, visible damage, the accident scene, road conditions, and any traffic signs or signals. Get contact information from witnesses who saw what happened.
Don’t give a recorded statement to any insurance company without talking to a Wausau car accident lawyer first. Adjusters may ask questions designed to get you to say something that hurts your claim. Stick to basic facts when reporting the accident and avoid speculating about fault or the extent of your injuries. Contact our law office as soon as possible to protect your rights.
Common Causes of Vehicle Accidents
Vehicle accidents happen for many reasons, but most involve some form of driver negligence. Distracted driving has become a leading cause, with drivers texting, talking on phones, eating, or adjusting radios instead of watching the road. Even a few seconds of inattention can cause a serious crash. Speeding reduces reaction time and makes accidents more severe when they occur.
Drunk driving and drugged driving cause countless accidents each year. Impaired drivers have slower reflexes, poor judgment, and reduced coordination. Reckless driving behaviors like aggressive lane changes, tailgating, and running red lights put everyone at risk. Weather conditions like snow, ice, and fog make driving more dangerous, especially when drivers don’t adjust their speed or following distance.
Rear-ended accidents often happen when drivers follow too closely or aren’t paying attention to traffic ahead. If you’ve been rear ended, the other driver is usually at fault because drivers must maintain safe following distances. Our injury lawyers help victims of all types of vehicle accidents caused by negligence recover the compensation they deserve.
The Legal Process for Injury Claims
The legal process for an injury claim typically starts with an investigation. Your personal injury attorney gathers evidence, reviews medical records, and evaluates the strength of your case. They send a demand letter to the insurance company outlining your injuries, treatment, expenses, and requested compensation. This begins the negotiation process.
Most injury claims settle during negotiations without going to court. Your attorney and the insurance company go back and forth on settlement amounts. These discussions can take weeks or months depending on the complexity of your case and how reasonable the insurer acts. If negotiations reach a fair settlement, you sign a release and receive your compensation.
When settlement talks fail, filing a personal injury lawsuit becomes necessary. This involves drafting legal documents, filing them with the court, and serving them on the defendant. The case enters the discovery phase where both sides exchange information and take depositions. Many cases still settle even after filing a lawsuit. If the case goes to trial, a judge or jury decides the outcome.
Working with Injured Clients
Our law firm understands the challenges injured clients face after car accidents. Physical injuries are just part of the problem. You’re dealing with medical bills, lost wages, pain, and uncertainty about the future. We treat every client with compassion and respect during this difficult time. You’re not just a case number to us.
Injured clients often have questions about their cases and the legal process. We make ourselves available to answer questions and provide updates. You’ll always know what’s happening with your case and what to expect next. Clear communication helps reduce stress and ensures you can make informed decisions about your injury claim.
We work on a contingency fee basis, which means injured clients don’t pay any upfront costs. Our fee comes from your settlement or verdict, and only if we win your case. This arrangement makes quality legal representation accessible to everyone regardless of their financial situation. You can pursue justice without worrying about attorney fees while you’re already struggling with medical expenses and lost income.
Protecting Family Members After Accidents
Car accidents impact entire families, not just the injured party. Family members often become caregivers, providing support and assistance during recovery. They may face their own emotional distress watching a loved one suffer. In wrongful death cases, family members lose someone irreplaceable and face both emotional and financial hardships.
Wisconsin law allows certain family members to file wrongful death claims when an accident causes a fatality. These claims seek compensation for funeral costs, lost financial support, loss of companionship, and the family’s pain and suffering. No amount of money replaces a lost loved one, but compensation can help families cope with financial burdens during an impossible time.
Our Wausau personal injury lawyers handle cases involving injuries to spouses, children, parents, and other loved ones. We understand how accidents affect entire families and fight for compensation that addresses everyone’s losses. Whether you’re the injured person or a family member seeking justice, we’re here to help.
Why Choose Our Law Office
Our law office has served Wausau and the surrounding communities for years. We’ve built a reputation for aggressive advocacy and excellent results in personal injury cases. Our attorneys have the experience and resources to handle complex car accident claims against major insurance companies. We don’t back down when insurers try to deny valid claims or offer inadequate settlements.
Choosing the right law firm matters for your injury case outcome. You want attorneys who combine legal knowledge with genuine care for clients. We take time to understand your situation, answer your questions, and explain your options in plain language. You deserve an attorney who treats you like a person, not just a file.
Schedule a free case evaluation with our team to discuss your car accident and injuries. This consultation costs nothing and creates no obligation. We’ll review your situation, explain your rights, and outline potential strategies for recovering compensation. Call us today and take the first step toward getting the justice and compensation you deserve.
FAQs by Wausau Clients
Q. How does Wisconsin law handle uninsured or underinsured motorists in car accident cases?
Wisconsin requires uninsured motorist coverage, which can provide benefits if you’re injured by an uninsured or underinsured driver. This coverage acts like the at-fault driver’s insurance policy would have if they carried proper coverage. Your own insurance company pays your claim up to your policy limits. This protection becomes critical when the other driver lacks insurance or doesn’t have enough coverage to pay for your injuries and losses.
Q. How can I protect my rights and interests when dealing with insurance companies after a car accident in Wisconsin?
To protect your rights after a car accident in Wisconsin, document the accident scene, avoid giving recorded statements to insurance adjusters, and consult with an experienced car accident attorney. Take photos of all damage and injuries. Don’t sign any documents or accept settlement offers without legal advice. Insurance companies may try to use your words against you or pressure you into accepting less than you deserve.
Q. How can I obtain a copy of the police report for my car accident in Wisconsin?
You can obtain a copy of the police report for your car accident in Wisconsin by contacting the law enforcement agency that responded to the accident or by requesting it through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. These reports typically become available within a few days of the accident. Your personal injury lawyer can also request copies on your behalf. Police reports contain valuable information about the accident, including the officer’s determination of fault.
Q. What if I was partially at fault for the car accident in Wausau?
Wisconsin’s comparative negligence law allows you to recover compensation even if you were partially at fault, as long as you’re less than 51% responsible. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you’re found 20% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you can recover $80,000. An experienced personal injury attorney works to minimize your assigned fault percentage and maximize your recovery.
Q. How long do I have to file a personal injury claim after a car accident in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin law gives you three years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit for most car accident cases. However, you should contact a Wausau personal injury attorney much sooner. Evidence disappears, witnesses move away, and memories fade over time. Starting your case early gives your attorney the best chance to build a strong claim. Some situations involve shorter deadlines, so don’t wait to seek legal advice.
Contact a Wausau Car Accident Lawyer Today
At Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler, LLC, our team of car accident attorneys in Wausau is dedicated to providing skilled, compassionate, and experienced representation for victims and their families. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a crash, we are here to advocate for you. Connect with us online for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your case.
With offices located in Onalaska, La Crosse, and Eau Claire, our firm is equipped to handle catastrophic accident cases throughout Wisconsin, including Wausau and the surrounding regions. Our personal injury law firm handles all types of vehicle accidents and personal injury matters. Whether you need help with a car accident claim, truck accident case, or any other injury claim, we have the experience and dedication to fight for your rights.
Don’t face insurance companies alone after a serious accident. Call 608-784-4370 now for your free consultation today and speak with a Wausau car accident attorney who cares about your recovery and your future. Let our legal team handle the complex legal work while you focus on healing. We’re ready to fight for the full compensation you deserve.