When an accident occurs on the interstate, the resulting damage is often significant. One of the reasons for this is that vehicles travel on the interstate at high speeds. You could be entitled to compensation if you were injured in an interstate accident. Recovering money after an accident can be crucial to covering medical costs and other expenses.
At the law offices of Vaughan & Vaughan, we have been helping accident victims get the money they need after a crash for over 100 years. Our team of car accident lawyers in Indiana has the experience necessary to help you get the money you need. Contact us today by phone or through the contact form on this website to schedule a free case review.
Establishing Responsibility for an Interstate Accident
The first step on the road to recovering compensation after an interstate accident is determining who is to blame. Unfortunately, establishing fault is often easier said than done. The good news is that you don’t have to attempt to prove liability on your own.
When you hire an experienced Indiana interstate accident attorney, they will know exactly what steps need to be taken to help prove fault. Your lawyer will investigate your case and help establish who is to blame for your damages so that you can begin to pursue compensation.
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Recoverable Damages You Can Pursue Following an Interstate Accident
After getting injured in an interstate accident, you will likely be eligible to pursue a wide range of damages. In order to recover the full value of your claim, you must identify which damages apply to your case. While some damages are easily identifiable, others may be a bit more difficult to sort out.
Fortunately, by hiring an experienced interstate accident attorney in Indiana, you will put yourself in the best position to recover all the damages you are entitled to. All recoverable damages fall into one of three primary categories.
Economic Damages
Any monetary losses you sustained due to your interstate accident fall into this category. Because of the financial nature of economic losses, quantifying their value tends to be fairly straightforward. Some of the most commonly claimed economic damages include:
- Lost wages
- Decreased earning ability
- Money spent on daily tasks that your injuries prevent you from performing yourself
- Medical costs
- Future medical expenses
- Property damage
Non-Economic Damages
Any other loss resulting from your intestate accident is grouped into this category. The fact that these losses are of a more personal rather than financial nature makes determining their value far more difficult. Some of the most commonly claimed non-economic damages include:
- Loss of companionship
- Emotional distress
- Permanent disability
- Loss of consortium
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
Punitive Damages
The compensatory damages reviewed above are all focused on the losses sustained by the accident victim. In contrast, punitive damages are all about the actions taken by the at-fault party. Punitive damages are used as monetary punishment meant to discourage similar behavior in the future.
Punitive damages are only assessed in extreme cases. A judge will only award these damages if the at-fault party acted in a criminally negligent manner or if their actions were meant to cause harm to others.
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Steps an Interstate Accident Lawyer in Indiana Will Take on Your Behalf
Once you have hired an interstate accident lawyer, they will immediately get to work building your case. One of the first things your attorney will do will be to investigate your accident so they can establish liability and gather evidence to help support your compensation claim.
After your lawyer has finished their investigation, they will review the losses you suffered and calculate the total value of your claim. Depending on the path you choose toward recovering compensation, your attorney will either file a claim with the liable party’s insurance provider or submit a lawsuit against them to the court.
Should you choose to pursue a lawsuit, it will then be time to begin the pretrial process. At the conclusion of this process, your lawyer will fight your case at trial if necessary. All along the way, your attorney will be in negotiations with opposing counsel, attempting to hammer out a favorable settlement agreement.
Make Sure Not to Miss Any Deadlines When Filing an Interstate Accident Lawsuit
When pursuing compensation through an interstate accident lawsuit, it is essential that you pay attention to the statute of limitations. In Indiana, accident victims are generally given two years to file a lawsuit against the liable party. If you don’t get your paperwork filed on time, you will most likely find that you no longer have any options for pursuing compensation.
While the statute of limitations is often quite rigid, there are exceptions to this time limit. The particular circumstances of your accident will determine whether an exception applies to your case. An exception could allow you to file a lawsuit years after the standard deadline set forth by the statute of limitations has passed.
On the other hand, you could find that an exception actually further limits the amount of time you have to submit your lawsuit. For example, in cases where the liable party is a government entity, you will likely find that you only have months to file rather than years. Hiring an Indiana interstate accident lawyer shortly after your crash is the best way to protect your right to sue.
Get a Free Case Review from an Indiana Interstate Accident Attorney Today
When pursuing compensation after an interstate accident, it is crucial that you choose the right attorney to handle your case. You need to pick a lawyer with experience handling cases similar to yours and a history of winning big. At Vaughan & Vaughan, our team of interstate accident attorneys has helped countless accident victims get the money they need.
Reach out to us by completing our online contact form or giving us a call. We offer free, no-obligation consultations, so don’t hesitate to get started today.
