Blog Posts in Car Accidents

Car crashes – even small ones – can cause huge financial holes in your life. The injuries, doctor’s appointments, and missed work can quickly deplete any financial reserves you may have had. These can ...

Several news outlets recently reported a major crash on Interstate 435 in Kansas City. On March 15, 2024, 17-year-old Muneer Henderson and 19-year-old Orlando Ward were killed when the Nissan car in ...

As personal injury lawyers in Kansas City, we handle hundreds of car crash cases per year. These cases range from minor fender benders to devastating wrecks caused by commercial motor vehicles. To ...

NPR reported recently that traffic fatalities in Kansas City increased in 2023. The article states, “In 2023, 102 people died in traffic crashes, according to the Kansas City Police Department. That’s ...

Happy New Year! As is tradition, New Year's comes with resolutions. In the first half of 2023, there were over 19,000 traffic fatalities in the US. Why not resolve to drive more safely in 2024 and do ...

The Kansas City Star recently published an article about the risks of teenaged drivers. The article included alarming statistics about teen driving. Specifically, it said, “Motor vehicle accidents are ...

There have been several news articles recently about dump truck crashes in Kansas City. In one crash in Olathe on July 26, 2023, a high school senior was killed. In another crash in Kansas City on ...

We’ve been handling car crash cases in Missouri and Kansas for over 15 years. A common question we get from potential car crash clients is “What do you do?” Here are a few of the things that car crash ...

A common question we get from potential new clients is when should they hire a lawyer to handle their car crash case. If you want a lawyer to handle your claim for compensation after a car crash, then ...

Any attorney licensed to practice law in the state where your crash happened can handle your car crash case. However, that is different than the type of attorney you should hire. As a lawyer handling ...

My general rule of thumb for potential car crash clients is to encourage them to try and settle their case on their own, especially when the crash was clearly the other driver’s fault. However, having ...

A common question I get from potential car accident clients is, "how do car accident lawyers get paid?” Many of our cases are car crash cases and we have been handling crash cases in Missouri and ...

As a personal injury lawyer handling car crash cases in Missouri and Kansas for over 16 years, I get a lot of common questions from potential crash clients. The most common is whether she or he should ...

NPR published a story recently about the most dangerous intersections in Kansas City. The article mentions several intersections throughout Kansas City and notes the high number of the pedestrian, ...

The Kansas City Star recently published an article with the ten most dangerous streets for pedestrians and bike riders. These streets include Independence Ave in Kansas City, 39th Street, Prospect ...

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recently reported that in 2021, there was a 10.5% increase in traffic fatalities from the previous year. The NHTSA projects that an estimated ...

In response to the alarming increase in traffic fatalities, the Kansas City Police Department announced it will be stepping up enforcement in high crash areas this weekend. This will no doubt help ...

I saw a news flash recently from the Missouri Department of Transportation that this week is Work Zone Awareness Week. According to their website, “National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an ...

The Kansas City Police Department recently issued a press release outlining the unusually large amount of traffic fatalities so far in 2022. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 21 traffic ...

The KC Star recently published an article about the 13 deadliest intersections in Kansas City. The intersections include Bruce R. Watkins Drive and Gregory Boulevard and the Three Trails Crossings, ...

The City of Kansas City has an online heat map of intersections with the most crashes. The map uses crash data from the City, so its accuracy is as good as the data that goes in. Regardless of the ...

An article on Fox 4 News’ website discusses a report from the KCPD that shows a 12% increase in traffic crashes from last year. The article includes a quote from Sgt. Bill Mahoney, supervisor for ...

As personal injury lawyers in the Kansas City area, we handle a lot of car crash cases in our firm. Over the years, we’ve developed tips and tricks that we use to help increase the value of these ...

Last week week was National Work Zone Awareness Week. According to its website, “National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual spring campaign held at the start of construction season [that] ...

As Kansas City personal injury lawyers, we handle a lot of pedestrian car crash cases. There are many types of claims that can be made against a negligent driver who hits a pedestrian. In this blog, ...

As a personal injury law firm in Missouri and Kansas, we have handled several bus accident cases. These can be devastating collisions because the victims are often children. Even when the collision ...

As personal injury attorneys in Kansas City, we handle a lot of car crash cases. Oftentimes when people get hit by a careless driver, that driver flees the scene, or the driver stays but reveals that ...

Missouri has a list of jury instructions that contain the most common allegations of negligence in various types of personal injury cases. For car crash cases, the list includes several acts of ...

For the most part, the amount of money you get in a personal injury lawsuit is related to how hurt you are and your level of damages. This is why its called compensation; the money makes up for the ...

The Kansas City Police Department recently tweeted that as of October 5, 2020, there has been a 54% increase in the number of people killed in car crashes since last year. This is a staggering ...

Hyundai released a new advertisement showcasing its lane departure technology by depicting a driver drifting over a lane because she was distracted by her phone. As a personal injury lawyer who ...

When you are hurt because of someone else’s negligence and are making a claim for money compensation, you bear the burden to show the nature and extent of your injuries. The most common way we show ...

In most Missouri personal injury cases, the defendant is negligent if he or she failed to use ordinary care. This means the defendant should have done what an ordinarily careful person would do under ...

KMBC recently reported that highway traffic deaths are up nearly 20% from last year. The article quotes Sgt. Andy Bell from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who understandably expresses frustration ...

Many people who have been in a car crash struggle with whether to make a claim for money compensation. Understandably so. They may be worried that they will be seen as making a frivolous claim or ...

The lock-down for the Coronavirus pandemic is gradually being lifted and life is getting back to normal (for the most part). At our office, we’re back at full strength (although still following local ...

You’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence and are seeking money compensation from her, his, or its insurance company. Much of what will be used to prove the other side’s negligence and your ...

Motorcycle Safety During a Pandemic. Those are words I never imagined typing. But here we are. May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Right now in Kansas City, the weather is getting nicer ...

The Kansas City area is on lockdown right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of Kansas Citians are out of work and forced to stay home. People still need to drive, however, to pick up ...

Missouri Rules of the Road As a Kansas City personal injury lawyer, I vet a lot of potential car crash cases. One of the first things I look into is whether any of Missouri’s rules of the road were ...

As I’m writing this, its nasty outside! School was cancelled last night even before a drop of freezing rain came down today. That’s because what the weather brought us today was a sheet of ice. It’s ...

Happy New Year! Congratulations on making it to 20’s. With the new year and new decade comes the traditional new year’s resolution. This time around, to celebrate the beginning of a new decade, I ...

Most modern cars are equipped with black box-like devices called event data recorders or EDRs. These are similar to airplane black boxes in that they record information from the moments leading up to ...

In February, KSHB Kansas City reported on a rise of car-on-pedestrian crashes in the metropolitan area. Using information from the Kansas City Police Department, the article states there were 360 ...

Although the dangers of texting while driving have been well documented, a disturbing 77% of adults and 55% of teenagers say they can “ easily manage ” texting and driving. Unfortunately, even the ...

In our connected society, people often use driving as a time to catch up on important calls or schedule appointments over the phone. For most Americans, the cell phone is more than just an auxiliary ...

Using technology is second nature to most of us. It’s integrated into every facet of our world, and we appreciate the way it enhances and enriches our lives on a daily basis. It’s so ingrained into ...

Have you ever answered a phone call while driving? Looked up an address on your phone’s GPS after realizing you were lost? Answered a quick text from a friend on route to your destination? Most people ...

A few weeks ago, the Kansas City Star published an editorial about the sharp rise in trucking collisions, both at home in Kansas City and across the US. The editorial did a good job recounting the ...

Wired magazine published an article recently about patents applied for by Mazda to incentivize attentive driving. It describes a unique approach to the distracted driving problem. Where some car ...

Study Shows Drivers Use Phones On More Than 1/3 of Trips Yet another study was released with some pretty gloomy data on distracted driving. Everqoute, makers of a safe driving app called EverDrive, ...

Underinsured Motorist insurance ( UIM ) pays for injuries, such as medical expenses, that result from an auto accident caused by a driver who has too little insurance to cover all of the injuries. The ...

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed several changes to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 5-Star Safety Rating system applied to new vehicles. Car buyers will now be ...

NPR reported recently that a decrease in gas prices results in an increase in traffic fatalities. What should seem like a positive for most Americans has shown to be the ultimate loss for some. They ...

A common question in car accident cases is: "Does the fact that the negligent driver got a ticket make any difference?" If the other driver got a ticket, it could be used to strengthen your case. If, ...

The Missouri Legislature passed a law recently that could cut your compensation in car accident cases. The law, Mo. Rev. Stat. Section 303.390, says that if you do not have car insurance, you cannot ...

Missouri Lawyers Weekly just released an article on a major case victory obtained by Attorney Matt Meyerkord and two other lawyers he collaborated with. The article covered a case in which a family ...

The holidays are upon us and people across the country are driving to relatives' houses or their vacation spots. The amount of traffic on our roads will greatly increase, as will the amount of ...

The legal team at Meyerkord & Russell is pleased to announce that Attorney Matthew D. Meyerkord was recently successful in settling an accident claim for $25,750.00. His client had been injured while ...

The legal team at Meyerkord & Russell is proud to announce that Attorney Brian C. Russell was recently successful in obtaining a $75,000.00 settlement on behalf of his client. The victim had been ...

Kansas City personal injury firm, Meyerkord & Russell, is pleased to have recovered over $1 million in damages during their first year of operation. Though their firm was recently established, they ...

Oftentimes when we get a call about a new case, the potential client has already given a recorded statement to the potential defendant's insurance company. Cooperating with an insurance company is a ...

Legislation is advancing in the Missouri Senate that would ban texting while driving. The bill would make texting while driving an infraction similar to a speeding ticket in which you would get points ...

One of the most important pieces of evidence in car accident cases is the police report. It provides a number of key facts about how an accident happened and who was involved. It is also the ...

One of the most pressing concerns my personal injury clients often have is how long their case will take. To give a very lawyerly response, it depends. If personal injury cases are not able to settle, ...

Like airplanes, most modern cars have "black boxes" that record information prior to an accident. These devices, called Event Data Recorders, are crash resistant and store various types of data from ...

I read an interesting article in law journal today about company cell phone use motor vehicle accidents and want to share it with you. But first, a little background. Under a legal theory called ...

An often overlooked piece of evidence in car accident cases or other personal injury cases is recordings from 911 calls. Many lawyers don't realize that these recordings are readily available and ...

Not wearing a seatbelt is surprisingly common. When you are in a car accident in Kansas City as a result of someone else's fault, but you are not wearing a seatbelt, there will be legal consequences ...