West Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer

Helping injured clients in West Des Moines, IA pursue full recovery after serious accidents.

A West Des Moines, IA personal injury lawyer at Law Group of Iowa can help you recover after an injury. Our founding partners have practiced plaintiff-side injury law in Iowa for over two decades, and Jason Yates, also a partner, brings insurance defense experience that we now turn against the carriers. Consultations are free, and we’ll review your case before any decisions get made.

Personal Injury Lawyer West Des Moines, IA

Personal injury law covers harm caused by another party’s negligence or wrongful conduct. The legal goal is straightforward: recover money damages that put the injured person back, as nearly as possible, in the position they would have been in without the injury. That goal is straightforward. Getting there is not.

A personal injury claim involves proof of duty, breach, causation, and damages. Each element gets contested. A West Des Moines personal injury attorney handles the proof problems while you focus on recovery, and we coordinate with treating providers, accident reconstruction professionals, and economic experts when the value of the case justifies it.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in West Des Moines

West Des Moines is the second-largest city in the Des Moines metro and home to major commercial corridors along Mills Civic Parkway, Jordan Creek Parkway, and the I-235/35 interchange. The range of injury cases we see here matches that scope.

• Car accidents. Rear-end wrecks, intersection crashes, distracted driving collisions, and DUI cases. We handle insurance negotiations and litigate when carriers refuse to pay fair value.
• Motorcycle accidents. Riders face higher catastrophic injury rates and pervasive bias from adjusters and juries alike. We build cases that counter that bias from the start.
• Bicycle accidents. Drivers fail to see cyclists in bike lanes and at intersections. The injuries tend to be serious, and the liability story is rarely as simple as the driver’s account suggests.
• Pedestrian accidents. Crosswalk strikes, parking lot collisions, and drivers who roll through stop signs. Walkers carry no protection, and the injuries reflect that.
• Truck and commercial vehicle crashes. Semi-truck and delivery truck cases involve federal regulations, multiple insurers, and aggressive defense from the trucking industry. We handle them throughout the metro.
• Slip and fall claims. Wet floors, ice and snow accumulation, broken stairs, poor lighting. Premises liability cases turn on what the property owner knew and when. We investigate fast, before evidence disappears.
• Dog bites and animal attacks. Iowa imposes strict liability on dog owners in many circumstances, which simplifies the liability question but rarely the damages fight.
• Workplace and construction injuries. Workers’ compensation handles part of the picture, but third-party liability claims often run alongside the comp claim and can produce substantially more recovery.
• Wrongful death cases. When negligence kills a loved one, the family may bring a claim for the loss they suffered. We approach these matters with the gravity they deserve.
• Catastrophic injuries. Brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, and amputations. These cases require careful damages work to capture lifetime medical needs and lost earning capacity.

Why Choose Law Group of Iowa for Personal Injury in West Des Moines, IA?

Founders Who Built the Firm Around Plaintiff Work

Christopher Martineau, a founding partner, has practiced since 2003 and concentrates on automobile accidents, semi-truck collisions, slip and fall injuries, and wrongful death matters. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization that limits membership to trial lawyers with verdicts or settlements at the seven-figure level.

Christopher Johnston, the firm’s other founding partner, has been in practice since 2001. He’s admitted in Iowa, Minnesota, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, and the Federal District Court of Minnesota. He’s tried car accidents, civil rights claims, motorcycle wrecks, pharmaceutical cases, and wrongful death matters, and he holds memberships in the Iowa State Bar Association, the Minnesota Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice. Earlier in his career he was named a Rising Star by Minnesota Law and Politics.

A Litigator Who Knows the Defense Playbook

Over the course of our practice, our attorneys have helped Iowa families recover millions of dollars across personal injury and wrongful death matters. Carriers track which firms try cases. We’re on that list.

What Is Important to Understand About a Personal Injury Case?

Insurance carriers treat personal injury claims as financial decisions, not human ones. Their goal is to close files for as little as possible, and the adjuster’s incentives don’t line up with yours. Understanding how an insurer evaluates a personal injury case is part of why early legal involvement changes outcomes. Documentation matters just as much. A claim supported by complete medical records, witness statements, and a developed liability narrative commands far more leverage than one resting on a single incident report. We build the file with that reality in mind from the start.

Damages, Liability, and Compensation Under Iowa Law

Iowa law allows several categories of compensation in a personal injury claim. A full recovery accounts for all of them, not the one or two the adjuster wants to discuss.

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent impairment, scarring, or disfigurement
• Loss of consortium for spouses in catastrophic or fatal cases
• Property damage where applicable

Liability runs on Iowa’s modified comparative fault rule. Your share of fault reduces your recovery proportionally, and if your share exceeds 50 percent, you recover nothing. Adjusters rely on that rule when they argue you contributed to the accident. Pushing back on inflated fault assignments is a big part of what we do, and even a partial blame finding can substantially reduce settlement value.

What Are Important Aspects of a Personal Injury Case?

Taking the right steps and avoiding costly mistakes are very important for your case.

• See a doctor promptly and keep up with treatment. Long gaps in care reduce case value.
• Avoid giving the at-fault insurer a recorded statement before talking to a personal injury lawyer.
• Preserve physical evidence. Photographs, damaged property, and witness contact info can disappear within days.
• Limit your social media activity. Defense counsel will look at everything you post.

What Is the Personal Injury Case Timeline?

Cases vary depending on injury severity, treatment course, and insurer behavior. The typical arc looks like this:

• Investigation and treatment in the months following the injury
• Demand package and negotiations once treatment is complete or stable
• Filing suit in district court if the insurer won’t pay fair value, within the two-year window
• Discovery, depositions, and mediation
• Trial when settlement isn’t an option

What Should You Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation?

A short list of materials helps the first meeting go quickly:

• Any incident or police reports
• Photographs of the scene, injuries, and damaged property
• Names and contact details for witnesses
• Medical records, bills, and discharge paperwork
• Insurance information for all parties involved

The consultation costs nothing, and there’s no obligation to hire on the spot. We’ll give you our read on the case and explain what working with the firm would look like.

What Are Important Iowa Legal Resources for Personal Injury Cases?

A few official sources may help if you want to read up on the rules that govern an Iowa personal injury claim:

• The Iowa Legislature site hosts the searchable Iowa Code, including the two-year statute of limitations for personal injury actions.
• Iowa’s modified comparative fault rule is found in Chapter 668 of the Iowa Code.
• The Iowa Judicial Branch maintains civil procedure rules, court forms, and case search tools.
• The City of West Des Moines site provides information about local services, including police records and traffic information.
• The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau publishes statewide crash data and safety reports.

These resources cover the basics. They aren’t a substitute for legal advice on the facts of your case.

Reach Out to Law Group of Iowa to Schedule a Consultation

You don’t have to figure this out by yourself. We offer free consultations to anyone injured in a West Des Moines accident, and we get back to most callers the same day. Contact us to set up a time to talk with a West Des Moines personal injury attorney about your situation, your injuries, and what your case may be worth.