Car Accident Lawyer in Liberty, MO

A car wreck can change your life in a few seconds. Even when everyone walks away, the injuries, the medical bills and the missed work can follow you for months or years. Then the insurance calls start, and the adjuster on the other end wants to close your claim fast and for as little as possible.

Dougherty & Holloway is a personal injury law firm in Liberty, Missouri. Partners Ed Dougherty and Philip Holloway are trial attorneys with more than 80 years of combined experience and more than 300 jury trials between them. When you hire us, you work directly with Ed or Phil, not a case manager.

We help people hurt in crashes across Liberty, Kansas City, Gladstone, Kearney and the rest of Clay County, and we represent clients throughout Missouri and Kansas.

The first hours and days after a crash matter for your health and for your claim. If you can, do these things:

1. Get medical care. If anyone is hurt, call 911. Even if you feel fine, get checked out. Some injuries, like concussions and soft tissue damage, don't show up right away, and a gap in treatment is one of the first things an adjuster looks for.
2. Call the police. A police report records who was involved, what the officers saw and any witness names. Write down the report number. Depending on where the crash happened, the report will be with a city police department, the Clay County Sheriff's Office or the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
3. Trade information. Get the other driver's name, phone number, insurance company, policy number and plate number. Keep the conversation short and don't argue about who was at fault.
4. Take photos. Get the vehicles, the road, traffic signals, skid marks and any visible injuries. If you can't, ask someone nearby to help.
5. Get witness contact information. Independent witnesses can make a big difference when the other driver changes their story.
6. Don't sign anything or give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company before you talk with a lawyer. There may be more than one insurance policy that applies to your crash, and we can help you find them.

For a fuller checklist, see our guide: What to do after a car wreck in Liberty and Clay County.

• Rear-end collisions
• Intersection and stoplight crashes
• Head-on collisions
• Side-impact and T-bone crashes
• Multi-vehicle pileups
• Hit-and-run crashes
• Distracted driving crashes, including texting and phone use
• Drunk driving crashes
• Pedestrian and bicycle crashes
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims
• Crashes caused by road hazards or poor road conditions (see highway and guardrail accidents)
• Crashes with semi-trucks and commercial vehicles (see semi-truck accidents)

Missouri is an at-fault state. The driver who caused the crash, and their insurance company, is responsible for the harm. You can make a claim with the at-fault driver's insurer, and if a fair settlement isn't possible, you can file a lawsuit.

Pure comparative fault. Missouri uses a pure comparative fault rule. You can still recover compensation even if you were partly to blame, but your recovery goes down by your share of the fault. If a jury finds you 20% at fault, you can still recover 80% of your damages. Insurance adjusters know this rule well, and they often try to push more of the blame onto you to shrink the claim.

Seat belts. Many people worry that not wearing a seat belt ends their case. In Missouri, it usually doesn't. Under RSMo 307.178, not wearing a seat belt isn't treated as comparative fault, and it can only reduce damages by up to 1%, and only if the other side proves with evidence that the belt would have prevented the injuries.

Phones and distracted driving. Missouri's Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law took effect on August 28, 2023, and police started writing tickets under it on January 1, 2025. Drivers can't hold or support a phone while driving. If the other driver was on their phone, phone records and witness statements can help prove it.

Deadlines. In Missouri, most personal injury claims must be filed within five years of the injury. A wrongful death claim has a three-year deadline. Claims against a city, county or the state can have shorter notice requirements. Don't wait to find out which deadline applies to you.

Every Missouri auto policy has to include uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. If the driver who hit you had no insurance, or it was a hit-and-run, your own UM coverage may pay for your injuries. If the other driver's insurance isn't enough to cover your losses, underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage on your own policy may make up some of the difference.

These claims are made against your own insurance company, but that doesn't mean the company will be on your side. We review your policy, find every source of coverage, and handle the claim with your insurer.

Every case is different, and no lawyer can tell you what your case is worth on day one. In a Missouri car accident claim, compensation can include:

• Medical bills, now and in the future
• Lost wages and lost ability to earn a living
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life
• Property damage to your vehicle
• In cases of reckless conduct, such as drunk driving, punitive damages may be possible

The value of a claim depends on the injuries, the treatment, the effect on your work and daily life, who was at fault, and how much insurance coverage is available. Ed or Phil will go over these factors with you in a free consultation.

1. Review your case. We sit down with you, go over what happened, explain your options and answer your questions.
2. Investigate. We collect the police report, photos, witness statements and any video, and we work with the authorities to figure out who was at fault.
3. Document your injuries. We work with your medical providers to document the full extent of your injuries, including future treatment and how the injuries affect your life.
4. Negotiate, and go to trial if needed. We negotiate with the insurance companies for compensation covering your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and future costs. If the insurer won't make a fair offer, Ed and Phil are trial attorneys and are prepared to take your case to court.

Our office is at 9 Westowne Dr, Ste B, in Liberty. We help people hurt in crashes across the Northland and beyond:

• Liberty car accident lawyer
• Gladstone car accident lawyer
• Clay County personal injury lawyer
• Kansas City, Kearney and communities throughout Missouri and Kansas

Consultations are free, and we work on a contingency fee, which means attorney fees come out of a recovery. Ask us how fees and case costs work before you sign anything. Call (816) 891-9990, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or request a free consultation.