No two accidents look the same. In many ways, “personal injury” serves as an umbrella term. Whether you're pursuing a slip and fall case, a construction accident case, or an auto accident case, your case can be classified as a personal injury lawsuit. No matter what your personal injury case looks like, you deserve the opportunity to have a professional break down your legal rights. You can work with a Frankfort personal injury attorney to assess the negligence that led to your case. From there, the Vaughan & Vaughan team can calculate the economic value of the claim you have the right to put forward.
Our Firm Addresses a Range of Personal Injury Accidents
When you hit the road, take a walk, or go out in public, you're entitled to a duty of care. This means that the people around you have a responsibility to act reasonably. While no one has to throw themselves in front of a bus on your behalf, they have to take steps to ensure that you and the general public are safe from immediate dangers, including those they control. Anyone who violates the duty of care owed to you in such a way as to cause an accident can subsequently be held liable for that oversight via a personal injury claim. Vaughan & Vaughan Frankfort team includes:- Car accident lawyers
- Truck accident lawyers
- Motorcycle accident lawyers
- Bicycle accident lawyers
- Slip and fall accident lawyers
- Catastrophic injury lawyers
When to Call a Personal Injury Attorney
According to Indiana Code §34-11-2-4, you have a total of two years to get in touch with an experienced attorney and investigate your case. Your personal injury claim must make it to a judge's desk within that two-year period if you want to win the right to demand compensation from the party responsible for your accident. With that in mind, it's in your best interest to contact an attorney as soon as you can after your accident injuries. An attorney can help you gather evidence of negligence and manage conversations with police officers, insurance adjusters, and even the liable party. You can also rely on a personal injury lawyer to:- Open an investigation into your accident
- Prevent the liable party from offering you an insufficient settlement
- Assess the value of your losses and estimate the value of your case
- Prepare you for examination and cross-examination should your case go to court
Let's File Your Personal Injury Claim
If you decide to proceed with a personal injury claim, you need to take the time allotted to you to ensure that your claim is comprehensive. You must specifically use your claim to identify the person, corporation, or related party responsible for your losses. This means that you need to provide a court with evidence of that party's involvement and specify the form of their negligence. If you don't have evidence to both back your assertion of fault and qualify the monetary damages you're requesting, then you may have a harder time arguing for your right to monetary compensation.Assess the Extent of Your Accident's Losses
How do you calculate your possible damages after a personal injury accident? You break your losses down into two categories: economic and non-economic. Your economic losses generate bills, making it easier for both you and a Frankfort personal injury lawyer to find the sum of them. You then modify that sum by the value of your non-economic losses. Your claim for compensation may include:- Medical expenses: your post-accident medical expenses
- Property damage: The cost of restoring or replacing damaged property
- Lost wages: Compensation for wages lost throughout your recovery
- Pain and Suffering: Compensation for physical pain and emotional distress
Use Evidence to Assert Liability
Because personal injury accidents are so varied, it's all but impossible to generalize as to who you can hold responsible for your losses. In every personal injury case, it's essential that you follow the evidence and use that data to identify a liable party. The evidence you present alongside your personal injury claim can include:- Police reports addressing your accident
- Video footage of your accident
- Photos or still footage of your accident
- Accident audio
- Bystander statements
- Expert witness statements, including input from accident recreationists
- Medical reports
Injuries We Commonly Claim in Accident Cases
Every accident and person's injuries are unique, but here are some common types of injuries we see and fight to obtain compensation for in our cases:- Soft tissue damage: These include sprains, strains, and muscle tears resulting from the impact of a car accident. Soft tissue damage often causes long-term pain and mobility issues.
- Back and neck: Whiplash or herniated discs from accidents are regularly claimed, as back problems are long-lasting and debilitating for many people.
- Broken bones: Fractures of the extremities, ribs, spine, and other injuries requiring casting, surgeries, or hardware placement require expensive treatment.
- Head trauma: Even mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions can lead to cognitive deficits affecting work and life. Serious head trauma may cause permanent disability.
- Internal bleeding: Damage to organs like the liver, spleen, and kidneys demands medical attention and recovery time away from normal activities.
- Scarring and disfigurement: Major lacerations, burns, and other harm leaving visible scars change how people feel about their appearance.
- Mental health issues: The emergence of conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety following a traumatic accident event are regularly claimed as non-economic damages.