Des Moines I-235 Car Accident Injury Lawyers
An I-235 Car Accident Lawyer in Des Moines, IA Discusses Car Accident Injury Claims
Without a doubt, I-235 is the most heavily used road in the state of Iowa and, with the sheer amount of traffic, car and truck accidents happen. Unfortunately, some of those accidents will result in personal injuries ranging from head injuries to wrongful death and everything in between.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident on I-235 or elsewhere in Des Moines, Iowa, contact our Des Moines Iowa personal injury law firm today for a free consultation.
Our personal injury attorneys will help you recoup your accident-related loses and ensure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries, including:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Future medical care
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
Contact one of our attorneys who will take the time to listen and then, with your input, develop a game plan to help guide you through this challenging time.
I-235 in Des Moines, Iowa
Interstate 235 (I-235) in Des Moines, Iowa, is what is commonly referred to an auxiliary Interstate Highway. It is situated immediately north of downtown Des Moines and measures 13.78 miles when measured from its beginning at the intersection of Interstates 35 and 80 in West Des Moines to their separation in Ankeny, Iowa.
From its construction, I-235 saw very little change until the late 1990s and early 2000s at which time it was widened from two lanes in each direction to three with additional lanes near the city center. Traffic counts indicate that I-235 sees an average of nearly 80,000 to 125,000 drivers per day.
The Iowa Department of Transportation reports that the stretch of I-235 between 56th Street and 42nd Street is the busiest stretch on all of Iowa’s road with daily traffic counts in that area of approximately 130,000 cars.
I-235 sees not only regular commuters but many tourists as well. The reason for the heavy out-of-town traffic is due, in part, to the many Des Moines area amenities that are accessed from I-235 such as the Des Moines Botanical Center, the Wells Fargo Arena, the Iowa Events Center, East Village, and the Iowa State Capitol. This influx of tourists can contribute to car accidents on I-235 as many of these motorists are unfamiliar with the city and, thus, might make unexpected maneuvers and stops as they try to reach their destinations.
Highway Driving and Car Accidents
Driving comes with risk. Whether the risk is a pothole on a side street, construction on a thoroughfare, or another driving behaving in a negligent manner, we all know that driving can be dangerous.
Highway and interstate driving comes with its own inherent risk with the most obvious being high speed. Car accidents in which speed is a factor often result in more significant injury and property damage than those in which the drivers are moving more slowly as would be expected on a residential street. This isn’t to say that people do not get injured in lower speed car accidents because they do. However, when traveling on an Interstate, a driver’s speed is usually greater (over a longer time) than those on other types of roads thus I-235 sees a high number of serious car accidents.
Contact a Des Moines Iowa Personal Injury Attorney
If you have been in a car or truck accident on I-235 or anywhere else across Iowa, contact our Des Moines personal injury law firm today for a no-obligation / no-cost consultation.
If you were in a car accident and it wasn’t your fault, there are actions you can take to recover certain expenses or compensate for injuries you sustained in the accident. Of course, your first priority, if you are injured in an automobile accident, is to immediately seek medical assistance. If you sustained injuries that caused you to miss work and/or incur medical bills, you can seek help from an I-235 car accident lawyer in Des Moines, IA. They can work with you and the insurance companies to recoup damages from an accident that you did not cause.
There are several important things you need to do while still at the scene of the accident if you are not hurt seriously enough to be transported to the hospital:
- Get the name and phone number of the other driver
- Obtain the insurance information from the other driver
- See if there were any witnesses
- Was there a police presence and an accident report written?
- Was the other driver given a traffic citation?
If you can, take pictures of the accident scene. Be sure to include pictures of:
- Where the vehicles were located
- Any physical damage to any of the vehicles
- Pictures of the license plates of every vehicle
Insurance companies will likely require this information in putting together the claim report. It is also important to note that the insurance company may make it difficult for you to recover everything you are rightfully entitled. They want to pay as little out as necessary because it costs them money when they pay out a claim.
Therefore, they may drive you crazy by asking for mounds of paperwork or by trying to argue that you were partially or fully responsible for the accident. That is why collecting as much information a possible at the time of the accident is critical. In addition, the insurance company doesn’t have to settle with you. If you do not like the amount of compensation they offer you, they may tell you to file a lawsuit if you want any more than what they want to give you.
Damages You Can Collect
- Damage to your vehicle
- Damage to any personal property you had in the vehicle
- Cost to rent a car while your car is being fixed or until you purchase a different vehicle
- Any other expenses you may have incurred at the time of the accident (i.e. cab fare).
Most insurance companies will offer to settle a claim rather than go to court, especially if they are not confident of the outcome. Attorneys fees and litigation costs can make going to court extremely expensive and time consuming for most insurance companies.
Whereas you may be okay with negotiating a settlement with the insurance company for damage to your vehicle, if you were injured you may want to seek the help of an experienced personal injury attorney. An I-235 car accident lawyer in Des Moines, IA can talk to you about your injuries, possible future disabilities, medical expenses, lost wages, and any other injuries that may present themselves in the future because of this accident.
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