Dedicated Service When Rights Are On The Line

Representative Cases Of Ankerholz & Smith

At Ankerholz and Smith, our Kansas and Missouri personal injury attorneys each have more than 25 years of experience fighting for the rights of people injured because of negligence. We have served as lead counsel in significant cases involving complex personal injury and wrongful death claims. This page includes some of the types of claims we handle. Please visit the links in the articles below to visit the specific practice information page associated with each type of claim.

From offices in Overland Park, Kansas, our attorneys represent clients in personal injury cases in Johnson County, Wyandotte County, Miami County, Clay County, Jackson County, Cass County, and communities throughout Kansas and Missouri. Call us at 913-800-6071 or contact us by email to arrange a free consultation with one of our experienced Overland Park personal injury claim lawyers today.

The representative cases below are not necessarily typical of personal injury litigation results. Talk to us about the specific circumstances of your injury or wrongful death claim.

Motor Vehicle Accident Damages For A Wrongful Death Claim


A careless moment can end in tragedy. When a truck pulling a boat on a trailer dropped a few inches off the edge of highway pavement, the driver lost control. The boat came off the trailer and flew into oncoming traffic. The boat sheared the roof from an automobile, decapitating the passenger, and mortally injuring the driver. In such cases, the challenge is often to secure enough insurance coverage to compensate victims.

By painstaking work, we were able to put together a package of insurance coverage to provide for the decedent’s family, which included three small children. All sources of funds were examined, including motor vehicle coverage, governmental liability for the highway condition, and boat and trailer manufacturer insurance coverages.

Our efforts also included the defense of claims by other litigants in the Circuit Court of Cass County, Missouri, who sought to get a bigger share of the insurance money for themselves. A confidential settlement provides for the children.

Complex Brain Injury Claim Resulting From Unsafe Roads And Signage

Sometimes even the clients who were involved in an accident cannot fully explain its causes. When a young mother and her three children were involved in a side-impact accident, everyone blamed the other driver. Multiple injuries were involved, including traumatic brain injuries to one of the children, which produced lifelong disabilities.

After detailed investigation by our team of lawyers and investigators, we determined that a combination of defective highway design, and flaws in traffic light management contributed to the accident.

Our law firm not only obtained compensation for the injury victims; we also prompted redesign and the expenditure of tens of millions of dollars for the reconstruction of the highway interchange at I-35 and 87th Street Parkway in Overland Park and Lenexa, Kansas.

Full Compensation For The Family Of A Child Suffering Catastrophic Injuries

Injuries to children are heartbreaking. Massive injuries to a child stick with us forever. When we were called to assist the family of a young boy who lost both legs in a train accident, we knew the whole family needed help. We provided comfort at the hospital, and followed up with family members at every stage of the case.

A thorough investigation of the case involved private investigation, and attorney travel to multiple cities to develop liability theories and proof. We obtained opinions from safety experts in the railroad industry. The railroad denied liability. Railroad representatives blamed the child’s parents for lack of supervision, and blamed the child for being in the open rail yard.

Nonetheless, this case was concluded with a combination of cash payouts to meet the family’s immediate needs, plus a structured settlement to buy prosthetics, and to support the injured boy for the rest of his life.

Lifetime Compensation For Every Type Of Damage

When a family breadwinner is injured, the whole family can suffer. One of our clients was injured in what the insurance industry would describe as a routine motor vehicle accident. But the insurance company and its law firm defense team would not adequately compensate all forms of injuries, including loss of consortium suffered by our client’s wife.

We rejected the insurance company’s offer to settle for limited case value. We also made a claim for the payment of underinsured motorist coverage. A jury trial was conducted in the Wyandotte County District Court.

The jury awarded full value for all claims, including loss of consortium compensation for the wife, in its verdict of $210,000.

Complex Auto Defect Product Liability Claim

The burn unit of a major hospital is one of the most heart-wrenching places in the world. Our lawyers have had several opportunities to assist burn victims as clients. When a defective vehicle design led to a fuel-fed fire, our clients were horribly burned. If the vehicle had not burst into flames, all of the vehicle occupants would have been able to walk away from the accident with minimal injuries. Instead, they endured extremely painful wound debriding, multiple skin grafting procedures and debilitating scarring.

We produced video documentation of the accident scene, and we even purchased the vehicle salvage to ensure that defective design evidence was preserved. Making a claim against a major car manufacturer is a long and technically difficult process.

By assembling a case with nationally recognized experts, we successfully completed the claim, subject to the requirement that terms of settlement never be disclosed. To top it off, we recovered compensation from all applicable motor vehicle coverage, and from the municipality for flawed traffic light sequencing.

Injured In Kansas Or Missouri? Call The Experienced Attorneys At Ankerholz & Smith

From offices in Overland Park, Kansas, our attorneys represent clients in personal injury cases in Johnson County, Wyandotte County, Miami County, Clay County, Jackson County, Cass County, and communities throughout Kansas and Missouri.

Call us at 913-800-6071 or contact us by email to arrange a free consultation with one of our experienced Overland Park personal injury claim lawyers today.