WISCONSIN’S TRUSTED CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS
In Wisconsin, car accident victims are entitled to full, fair compensation from the parties that hurt them. But getting that compensation usually isn’t easy, especially when serious injuries are involved.
You may be in one of the most vulnerable positions of your life, but the challenges just don’t stop. Different insurers are making demands of you, trying to minimize what they pay out as much as possible. At the same time, you have to negotiate with health care providers and your health insurance to figure out how you’ll get the treatment you need – and how you’ll pay for it.
You shouldn’t navigate the complexities of an insurance claim on your own, and you deserve more than a flashy billboard promise. Our trial-tested, experienced car accident attorneys deliver personalized, white-glove service—offering you the exceptional care, professionalism, and uncompromising advocacy necessary to secure the fairness and accountability you deserve. We handle your case while you focus on recovery.
When Winning Really Matters
Barton Cerjak understands the complexities of car accident claims and will help you navigate the myriad issues involved. If there’s any gray area, the insurance company will argue that the crash was your fault, your injuries weren’t related to the crash, your medical expenses weren’t necessary, or that some other person or company needs to pay for your treatment or injuries.
If the insurance company doesn’t outright reject your claim, they will most likely try to have you accept a lowball settlement offer. While this may seem tempting, it’s better to take the time to understand the full extent of your recovery needs and fight for what’s fair. You only have one chance for compensation, and the last thing you need is for money to dry up when you’re still having problems and in need of expensive medical treatment.
Our law firm prides itself on providing all-encompassing care and attention toward our clients, helping them recover the most money possible for their personal injury claim while letting them focus on healing. Every case is unique and requires a comprehensive strategy tailored toward helping our clients make an optimal recovery—and countering the tactics of the insurer. And if acceptable settlement negotiations fail, we are ready and willing to levy our extensive legal experience at trial.
Give us a call to schedule a free consultation with a Milwaukee car accident attorney today.
What Should You Do After a Car Wreck?
Time is of the essence. The longer you wait to act, the higher the risk of key evidence disappearing and the more time the insurance company will have to take advantage of the situation.
Here’s what you should prioritize:
- Report the crash. This is the law in Wisconsin if you’ve been hurt or your vehicle has sustained more than minor damage.
- See a doctor as soon as you can, even when you don’t believe you’ve been hurt that badly. Your injuries might be worse than you think, and you’ll need medical records to link your injuries to your claim. The longer you wait, the more wiggle room the insurer will have to dispute your injuries.
- Document everything you can about the crash. Take photos of the vehicle damage, your injuries, and the accident scene. Get contact and insurance info from the other driver. Get contact info from eyewitnesses. Consider writing everything you remember down in a journal or taking an audio recording.
- Contact an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. The initial consult is free, so there’s no reason not to get objective legal advice before deciding how to proceed. If you decide to work with the attorney, they will get started right away investigating the crash, handling your medical bills, and negotiating on your behalf.
- Avoid speaking with the insurance adjuster before you’ve talked to an attorney first. Adjusters are not on your side and may try to trick you into giving a recorded statement or saying things that might hurt your case. Letting your attorney handle those conversations (or at least getting their advice beforehand) can protect you from accidentally damaging your claim.
How Much is Your Car Accident Claim Worth?
The value of any auto accident claim broadly depends on four key things:
- Liability
- The amount of damages you can claim
- The amount of available insurance coverage
- The skill of your attorney
Let’s dig a little bit deeper into each one.
Liability
Wisconsin uses a system of modified comparative negligence. This means that multiple people can be responsible for your car accident. Your compensation will also be reduced or denied if you share some of the blame.
If you are more than 50% at fault for your car crash, you cannot recover anything. If you are 50% responsible or less, your damages will be reduced by your percentage of fault. In other words, if a court determines you were 20% responsible, you can only obtain up to 80% of your damages.
Damages
Damages you can seek in a Wisconsin car accident claim include:
- Economic damages. This includes medical bills, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and other losses you can put a price tag on by totaling previous expenses and estimating future ones.
- Non-economic damages. This includes more subjective losses such as pain and suffering, emotional trauma, or loss of enjoyment of life. If you’ve suffered a serious injury, the value of non-economic damages might be several times greater than economic damages.
- Punitive damages. These might be awarded if the at-fault party acted with recklessness or malice—to the point where the court believes additional punishment is warranted as a deterrent. Most cases will not include punitive damages.
Insurance Coverage
Every driver is supposed to carry car insurance with liability coverage to pay for any accidents they cause. However, the minimum legal coverage amount is very small for personal automobiles. In Wisconsin, drivers can operate with only $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in liability coverage—plus $10,000 in property damage.
If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured and has no other significant assets they can use to pay your claim, you might not be able to recover much from them regardless of how badly you are hurt. You can protect yourself by ensuring you have enough uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) from your auto insurance policy.
Your Attorney
The skill and experience of your attorney can make a huge difference for your motor vehicle accident claim.
Not all attorneys have the background or resources to take on a big, expensive case. For example, cases involving commercial trucks are often expensive to investigate and litigate, and require in-depth knowledge of state and federal regulations. Furthermore, not all car accident attorneys are comfortable taking cases to trial. They may reach a faster settlement, but they also might have less leverage to ensure that settlement is fair.
If you’ve been badly hurt in a wreck, we recommend choosing an experienced car accident lawyer willing and able to do whatever it takes to get you the best possible result.
Can You Afford a Car Accident Lawyer?
Yes.
Personal injury attorneys (including those at Barton Cerjak) almost always offer a contingency fee structure to prospective clients. This means you won’t owe anything up front and won’t owe anything at all if you don’t win your case. The attorney fee is taken as a percentage of the final settlement or verdict.
In short, you don’t need a load of cash on hand to get the best legal representation. We understand that families dealing with the aftermath of car accidents usually don’t have money to spare. All you need is a strong case and a confident attorney willing to bet on themself for victory.
Representative Matters
- $750,000 settlement for elderly motor vehicle driver who was rear-ended on freeway and suffered an injured shoulder resulting in multiple surgical interventions.
- $600,000 settlement for driver injured in a multi-vehicle crash who sustained chronic low-back pain resulting from crash.
- $500,000 settlement relative to a disputed-liability crash involving county officer resulting in fractures to client’s spine, sternum, and wrist.