Clive Car Accident Lawyer

Trial-tested car accident lawyers preparing Clive, IA cases with experience and dedication.

Our Clive, IA car accident lawyer at Law Group of Iowa can handle the legal side of your claim while you focus on recovery. Our founding partners have over two decades of plaintiff-side trial experience in Iowa. Consultations are free, and we’ll give you a straight answer about your claim.

Car Accident Lawyer Clive, IA

A car accident lawyer handles the legal and financial side of a wreck so you can focus on recovery. We investigate liability, work with treating providers to document injuries, push back on insurance companies that try to dismiss soft tissue injuries or shift blame onto you, and file suit when settlement talks stall.

An Iowa car accident claim is built on negligence. The injured driver has to show the other party failed to use reasonable care and that the failure caused the crash and the resulting harm. None of that proves itself. A Clive car accident attorney builds the proof, piece by piece.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Clive

Clive straddles two counties and sits at the crossroads of some of the metro’s busiest commuter routes. The cases we handle reflect that geography. Each one comes with its own facts, but the categories below capture most of what walks through our door.

• Rear-end collisions. Stop-and-go traffic on Hickman Road and the off-ramps from I-35/80 produces these constantly. Even a low-speed rear-end can cause serious neck and back injuries. We document the medical picture in full.
• T-bone and intersection crashes. Failure to yield, running a light, or misjudging a left turn. T-bone collisions often produce serious injuries to the side struck. We pull the signal timing data, the dash cam footage, and the witness statements that resolve the fault dispute.
• Head-on collisions. Rare but devastating, often involving a centerline violation or impairment. Damages cases in these matters tend to be substantial, and we treat them accordingly.
• Drunk driving wrecks. We’ve handled crashes caused by drivers who left a bar overserved, drivers who took prescription medication they shouldn’t have been driving on, and drivers who simply made the wrong choice. Iowa law treats these cases differently, and so do juries.
• Distracted driving cases. Phones are the obvious culprit, but distraction comes in many forms. We’ve used cell records, infotainment system data, and timestamped social media activity to prove what the other driver was doing.
• Hit-and-run crashes. When the responsible driver flees, uninsured motorist coverage usually steps in. We’ve dealt with plenty of hit-and-run claims, and we know how to make UM carriers pay reasonable value.
• Underinsured driver claims. The at-fault driver may carry only the state minimum. Your UIM coverage fills the gap if your damages exceed their policy limits. Reading those provisions takes care.
• Multi-vehicle crashes. The pileups on I-235 and I-80 around Clive create complicated liability disputes. Multiple insurers want to point at each other while none of them pays.
• Fatal car accidents. When someone is killed in a crash, the claim becomes a wrongful death case under Iowa law. We handle these matters with the gravity they deserve.
• Pedestrian and cyclist strikes. Drivers fail to yield in crosswalks and on shared-use paths around Clive. The injuries are usually severe, and the insurance defense is usually aggressive.

Why Choose Law Group of Iowa for Car Accidents in Clive, IA?

Founded by Trial Lawyers Who Represent Plaintiffs

Our personal injury lawyer in Clive, IA takes the injured side of these cases. Always. The firm was founded by two trial lawyers who built their practices around plaintiff work, and that focus runs through everything we do.

Christopher Johnston has practiced since 2001. He’s licensed in Iowa and Minnesota and is admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and the Federal District Court of Minnesota. He’s tried car accident cases, dram shop matters, semi-truck wrecks, civil rights cases, and wrongful death claims. He holds memberships in the Iowa State Bar Association, the Minnesota Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice, and was named Up and Coming Attorney of the Year in 2007. A third-generation Iowan, he’s spent his career representing fellow Iowans.

Christopher Martineau has practiced since 2003 and concentrates on automobile accidents, collisions involving semi-trucks, drunk driving wrecks, and serious injury cases. He’s a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization that limits membership to trial lawyers with verdicts or settlements at the million-dollar level.

What Is Important to Understand About a Car Accident Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation Under Iowa Law

Iowa law breaks compensable damages into a handful of recognized categories. A good claim accounts for all of them; a bad one settles for one or two and leaves the rest on the table.

• Past and future medical care
• Lost earnings and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent impairment or disfigurement
• Property damage and diminished value
• Loss of consortium for spouses in catastrophic or fatal matters

Liability runs on Iowa’s modified comparative fault rule. Recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and if your share exceeds 50 percent, you’re barred from recovering at all. Adjusters lean on this rule constantly. A modest assignment of partial blame can cut a settlement by tens of thousands. That’s why so much of our early work focuses on locking down the liability narrative before the insurer can shape it.

What Are Important Aspects of a Car Accident Case?

Some practical points that are often important include:

• Get medical attention and keep treating. Gaps in treatment lower case value.
• Don’t give a recorded statement to the at-fault carrier without legal advice. They use statements against injured plaintiffs routinely.
• Settle property damage separately from injuries, and read every release before signing it.
• Assume defense counsel will see your social media. Post accordingly, or don’t post at all.
• The two-year filing window passes faster than people expect.

What Is the Car Accident Case Timeline?

Cases vary, but the arc tends to follow a recognizable pattern:

• Treatment and investigation in the months following the crash
• Preparation and delivery of a demand package to the at-fault insurer
• Negotiation, with most cases resolving here if the offer is reasonable
• Filing in district court if the insurer won’t pay fair value
• Discovery, depositions, mediation, and trial preparation
• Trial, when settlement isn’t a workable option

What Should You Bring to Your Car Accident Consultation?

A short list of items helps us evaluate your case in the first meeting:

• Any crash report or police paperwork you’ve received
• Photos of the vehicles, the scene, and visible injuries
• Witness names and phone numbers
• Your auto insurance declarations page
• Medical records, bills, and discharge instructions to date

The consultation costs nothing. We’ll review what you have, ask the questions we need to ask, and tell you whether the claim looks worth pursuing. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of what comes next.

What Are Important Iowa Legal Resources for Car Accident Cases?

A few official sources may help if you want to read up on the rules:

• The Iowa Legislature website hosts the Iowa Code, including the two-year statute of limitations for personal injury actions.
• The modified comparative fault rule is set out in Chapter 668 of the Iowa Code.
• The Iowa Judicial Branch maintains civil procedure rules and court forms.
• The Polk County District Court is the trial-level court where most civil personal injury lawsuits arising from crashes in Clive are filed.
• The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau publishes statewide crash data and traffic safety information.

These resources are a starting point. They aren’t a substitute for legal advice about the facts of your case.

Reach Out to Law Group of Iowa to Schedule a Consultation

You don’t have to figure this out alone, and you shouldn’t try. Our consultations are free, and we get back to most callers the same day. Contact us to set up a time to speak with a Clive car accident attorney about what happened, what you’re dealing with, and what your case might be worth.