Car accidents are common in Indianapolis, with over 21,000 crashes reported in Marion County in 2021 alone. These incidents can cause serious injuries, emotional distress, and financial strain, leaving victims with medical bills, lost wages, and long-term recovery challenges. If you’ve been injured in a car crash, having an experienced Indianapolis car accident lawyer from Vaughan & Vaughan can make all the difference in securing the compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Our team at Vaughan & Vaughan helps car accident survivors like you file civil complaints against the parties responsible for their losses. Contact an Indianapolis personal injury lawyer today to arrange your free case evaluation.
Together, we advocate for your right to fair compensation. We have over 110 years of experience that we can apply to your claim.
In this video, the team at Vaughan & Vaughan emphasizes the importance of contacting a law firm immediately after an accident. It highlights our compassionate and expert approach, supported by strong relationships with top medical professionals. We handle a wide range of complex injuries, ensuring clients receive the necessary medical care and thorough support throughout their legal journey. We excel in negotiating with adjusters and pursuing fair settlements. The team is dedicated to answering client questions and assembling comprehensive case packages to achieve just outcomes, committed to restoring clients’ lives and securing the compensation they deserve.
When to Call an Indianapolis Car Accident Lawyer
The sooner you can get in touch with a car accident attorney after a severe accident, the better. Accident attorneys can help you navigate difficult conversations with your insurance provider and make the most of your time at the scene of an accident. Gathering initial evidence before a liable party has time to misrepresent your losses can make it easier for you to secure a settlement.
Our team can also help prevent police officers or related parties from misinterpreting the nature of your accident. We communicate with all parties related to your losses on your behalf. You, in turn, can focus on securing the medical attention you need to begin recovering from any injuries sustained in your crash.
Lastly, early contact with an experienced attorney makes filing a personal injury claim against the party liable for your crash easier. You must abide by Indiana’s personal injury statute of limitations if you want your demand for financial compensation to move forward in civil court.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Indianapolis
Our legal team has the training, resources, and experience to assist with many types of car accident claims. You can reach out to us 24/7 if you need help from an:
- Indianapolis Construction Zone Car Accident Lawyer: Many accidents happen in construction zones because drivers become distracted by changes to the flow of traffic and the work happening around them. We can help accident victims involved in construction zone crashes.
- Indianapolis Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer: Distracted drivers cause many crashes every year. These drivers may look away from the road to text, use their phone, eat, or drink. We can establish their fault for the crash when you hire us to provide legal representation.
- Indianapolis Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer: You have a chance to file a claim if a driver hits you while impaired by alcohol. An experienced car accident attorney in Indianapolis can help after a DUI accident.
- Indianapolis Failure to Yield Car Accident Lawyer: Drivers have a legal responsibility to yield to other motorists when appropriate. Drivers who ignore these rules can cause collisions. You can turn to us for professional help in this situation.
- Indianapolis Head-On Collision Car Accident Lawyer: Drivers who run red lights or cross the center line can cause head-on accidents. We can help you build an auto accident claim after this kind of collision.
- Indianapolis Highway Accident Lawyer: Many auto collisions happen on the busy highways in and around Indianapolis. We can find the at-fault driver after this kind of crash and help you secure fair compensation for your losses.
- Indianapolis Intersection Car Accident Lawyer: Many collisions happen at intersections, often caused by drivers who aren’t paying attention. Car accident injury lawyers from our team can help you secure compensation if someone rear-ends you at a stop sign or T-bones you as you cross an intersection.
- Indianapolis Lyft Accident Lawyer: Injured individuals can face significant challenges after a crash involving a Lyft driver. A motor vehicle accident lawyer from our team can handle representatives from Lyft on your behalf.
- Indianapolis Rideshare Accident Lawyer: An experienced automobile accident attorney can help you after a crash involving a rideshare driver. We’ll determine who needs to pay for your losses after this kind of crash.
- Indianapolis T-Bone Car Accident Lawyer: T-bone accidents commonly happen at intersections, especially if another driver runs a red light. An experienced auto accident attorney from Indianapolis can help you build a claim after a T-bone crash.
- Indianapolis Teen Driver Car Accident Lawyer: Teen drivers have a reputation for causing more crashes than drivers in other age groups due to their inexperience and tendency to engage in reckless behavior. We’re here to help after a collision with a teen motorist.
- Indianapolis Uber Accident Lawyer: We can provide you with fast legal advice after an Uber accident. We know how to handle these complex claims and stand up for your best interests every step of the way.
The above list contains examples of the types of car accident claims we handle. You can reach out to us 24/7 to discuss the specifics of your situation.
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Identifying Negligence After an Indianapolis Car Accident
Our team’s primary purpose is to help you secure the financial support you need to recover from a severe car accident. With that in mind, we gather evidence from the scene of your accident to establish roadway negligence.
If the evidence we gather can prove that someone on the road violated the duty of care owed to you, you can go to court.
Specifically, you can file a civil claim naming a particular party financially responsible for your losses. Identifying that party isn’t always a straightforward process, though. The parties that can cause roadway collisions include but are not limited to:
- Rideshare drivers
- Construction crews
- Commercial truck drivers
- Commercial motor vehicle drivers
- Pedestrians
- Motorcyclists
- Bicyclists
- Private institutions
It’s your Indianapolis car accident attorney’s job to determine which of these parties – or some combination thereof – bears the brunt of the blame for your accident. Once we’ve identified who engaged in the distracted driving, reckless behavior, or illegal roadway conduct that caused your accident, we can demand damages from them on your behalf.
Bring Your Losses to an Insurance Company’s Attention
While you can take legal action against the party liable for your losses, you can also reach out to a liable party’s insurance company and request damages via an insurance claim. Most companies send insurance adjusters out to assess the extent of your losses.
Unfortunately, not every insurance adjuster represents your losses accurately. Some insurance providers want to prioritize their financial standing over your right to fair compensation. Others may act in bad faith and deny your claim outright.
You can get ahead of this bad faith behavior by requesting that a personal injury lawyer interface with a relevant insurance company on your behalf. Our team can alternatively step in following a claim denial and either appeal the denial or take the provider to civil court.
You May End Up in an Accident with an Uninsured Driver
While Indiana requires its drivers to maintain minimum liability coverage, some drivers operate a vehicle while underinsured or uninsured.
You can discuss whether or not it’s worth it to pursue an insurance claim against a negligent driver when you first meet with Indiana’s personal injury lawyers. Our car wreck lawyers in Indianapolis can recommend alternative paths to compensation as applicable.
In this video, our seasoned nurse on staff with sixteen years of diverse experience discusses her role here at Vaughan & Vaughan. She highlights her unique insights into medical terminology and patient care, drawing from her background in emergency and pediatric care, as well as her personal experience as a former client. Her role involves compiling and analyzing medical records to assist car accident attorneys in better understanding client injuries and their potential long-term impacts. She emphasizes the firm’s commitment to treating clients like family, ensuring personalized and thorough support through their legal and medical journeys.
Why Select Our Team to Help After a Car Crash?
Our team at Vaughan & Vaughan has over 110 years of legal experience that we draw on to help the injured party after a car crash. We put our clients first and adjust the services we offer to address your unique needs.
We’ve built a reputation for bringing our clients fair compensation for their losses. For example, we recently secured $5 million for a client hurt in a car accident.
Additionally, we handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis, so you’ll only have to pay us for legal fees after your claim is resolved. We don’t want to add to the financial pressures you experience after a side-impact, head-on, or rear-end collision.
Using Evidence to Prove Fault After a Vehicular Accident
Our team can gather evidence to establish fault after a collision. Depending on your circumstances, we may vary the strategies we use to investigate the causes of your crash. We may focus on:
- Speaking to eyewitnesses and getting their official statements
- Getting a copy of the police accident report
- Visiting the scene of your collision
- Working with expert witnesses
- Collecting surveillance videos from local businesses
We can use the proof we collect to help you secure a fair settlement that covers all the losses you sustain.
Types of Compensation Available After a Car Accident
The legal system breaks your motor vehicle accident losses down into two categories: economic and non-economic. Your economic losses, and subsequently economic damages, tie directly to the bills generated by your accident.
Our attorneys then step in and rely on state standards to determine the value of your non-economic or intangible losses, like loss of consortium or accident-related stress.
The losses that an Indianapolis car accident lawyer can most often integrate into a motor vehicle accident claim include the following:
Medical Bills
You may qualify for funds to cover all your current and long-term medical bills after a crash. We can use our legal experience to help you secure the money you need to pay for emergency treatment, time in a hospital, medications, physical therapy, and other required healthcare.
You may qualify for money to cover the care you need if you sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken bones, a spinal cord injury (SCI), or other catastrophic losses.
Lost Income or Wages
After a crash, you may need a lot of time off work to recover. We can help you seek compensation for your lost pay.
If your accident results in a permanent disability, you may also qualify for funds to cover your diminished earning potential.
Non-Economic Losses
Our auto accident lawyers can help you secure fair compensation for the non-economic effects of your crash. You may qualify for funds to pay for your:
- Lost or reduced quality of life
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship or consortium, if applicable
An experienced car accident lawyer in Indianapolis can calculate a fair value for all of these non-economic damages.
Property Damage
Our team can help you secure money to pay for the costs of repairing or replacing your vehicle after a crash. We can include these losses in your claim against the responsible party.
Our personal injury lawyers can ensure you have the evidence you need to defend your right to these losses and subsequent damages upon bringing your claim to court. We can return to your accident scene to bring forward the physical debris or photo evidence that can specifically tie these expenses back to your accident and someone else’s negligence.
Balancing Your Economic and Non-Economic Losses
The complaint you submit to Indiana courts needs to provide applicable bodies with an estimate of your total losses. Our attorneys are responsible for calculating this estimate, but you can help us establish the exact dollar value of some of your possible damages.
We can work together to establish the sum of your economic and non-economic losses before bringing your claim to a civil judge.
Our Team Can Help After a Fatal Car Accident
You can turn to us for help from a compassionate Indianapolis wrongful death lawyer after a deadly automobile crash. We’ll assist your family and provide the support you need during this challenging time, drawing on the full extent of our combined experience.
We know that filing a legal claim cannot bring back your loved one. However, this process can help you hold the liable party accountable for their dangerous choices and the loss of a family member.
The legal process can also help you get damages to cover all the losses your family faces after a fatal crash. The liable party may need to cover medical and funeral expenses and other losses caused by their actions.
How to Argue for Financial Support in Civil Court
You can argue for post-accident financial support in a few different ways. If you’d rather avoid a civil trial, you can request that your attorney arrange a private, out-of-court negotiation with the at-fault party. These negotiations tend to resolve more quickly than car accident trials. That said, they do put you face-to-face with the person or parties that caused your accident.
Some liable parties use negotiations to get you to assume a percentage of fault for your accident. In doing so, these parties may demand that you compromise when requesting financial support.
You do not have to give up damages that you feel you deserve. If the liable party refuses to cede the point, or you think they aren’t taking you seriously, you can request that an attorney transition you into a traditional trial.
What to Expect from a Car Accident Civil Trial
It can take time for a court to consider your request for compensation after an accident. Should a court move your complaint forward, you can control certain elements of its progression. Specifically, you can work with an attorney to determine how you want to address your losses.
You can pursue compensation through a traditional civil trial. The trial process tends to work best for survivors contending with belligerent or unresponsive defendants. Going before a judge allows you to place your right to car accident compensation in the hands of a jury.
If you choose to pursue a car accident civil trial, you can expect to undergo:
- Discovery
- Opening statements
- Examination
- Cross-examination
- Closing statements
- Deliberation
- Verdict
You can discuss whether or not this option appeals to you during an initial case consultation with our team. Our auto accident attorneys in Indianapolis and beyond continually advocate for your right to maximum compensation, no matter what environment you choose to exercise your legal rights within.
How to Negotiate for Car Crash Support
You do not have to go to trial to secure financial support after an auto accident. You can instead schedule out-of-court negotiations with the defendant and their attorney. Conversations with negligent drivers can prove challenging, but they’re not impossible to navigate.
Our Indianapolis car accident lawyer can outline your accident injuries and mediate your negotiations, even if conversations grow tense.
What to Do After a Car Accident In Indianapolis
Recovering from a car accident takes a considerable amount of time and resources. While there’s no right way to recover, there are steps you can take to make the process a little easier, including the following:
- Call emergency responders and address any immediate injuries
- Seek out additional medical care, if necessary
- Document the scene of the accident
- Collaborate with police officers as applicable
- Contact the liable party’s insurance company to begin the claim-filing process
- Consider reaching out to a car accident attorney for legal guidance
Our personal injury attorneys can provide more information about the steps you should take in your specific situation.
How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Claim?
Acting quickly after a car accident doesn’t always seem possible. That, however, is what an attorney is here for. Indiana Code §34-11-2-4 limits the amount of time in which you can act if you want to pursue compensation for your losses. You must specifically bring your complaint forward within two years of the day of your accident.
Our team can begin building your complaint on the same day your accident takes place. We give you the time you need to receive immediate medical attention as we gather evidence, collect bystanders’ contact information, and prevent an insurance provider from undermining your losses.
Even if you can’t contact us on the same day that your accident takes place, our team can still work within the deadline given to us by the Hoosier State. Reach out to us as soon as you or a personal executor can, and we can discuss your timeline.
How Long Does a Car Accident Claim Take?
The time to resolve your claim and secure economic and non-economic damages will vary. We may wrap up insurance negotiations in only a few months. However, a personal injury lawsuit may take a year or more to conclude.
When you hire us, we do everything possible to expedite your legal claim and secure the compensation you need from all potentially involved parties.
Contact Our Indianapolis Car Accident Lawyers Today
Many roads in Indianapolis make it all too easy to get into an accident. That doesn’t mean you can’t take action in the face of an accident you think stemmed from someone else’s negligence. If you believe misconduct contributed to your losses, you can contact Indianapolis car accident attorneys to discuss your right to civil action.
Vaughan & Vaughan can connect you with an experienced representative in your time of need. You can reach out to our law firm online or over the phone to schedule a free case consultation at your convenience.
Together, we can bring together your civil complaint and fight for your right to financial support as you recover from your accident.
