Personal injury lawyers in Carmel, IN, understand that the thought of pursuing legal action after a severe accident can be off-putting to some. The thought of legal fees on top of medical expenses, property restoration, and mandatory time away from work can leave even the most stalwart of accident survivors uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Vaughan & Vaughan knows how to help accident survivors pursue justice for their losses without exacerbating survivors’ financial woes. Survivors like you can schedule free case consultations with our law office to discuss your right to legal action. You can then count on consummate representatives to defend your right to justice and damages in civil court.
What Is a Personal Injury Accident?
The term “personal injury accident” describes an instance wherein one or multiple parties end up injured due to the negligence of another person or group. That definition is broad because the category of personal injury accidents is similarly broad. The accidents that can appear within this category in Indiana’s civil court include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Commercial truck accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Slip and fall
- Product liability
Anyone who wants to determine whether or not they qualify for a personal injury case can consider the nature of their accident and what negligence may have contributed to their losses. It’s a survivor’s obligation to prove that they can tie their losses to negligence, thus opening them up to the possibility of post-accident compensation.
Do You Need to Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer After an Accident?
You are not obligated to contact a Carmel personal injury attorney after what you think may be a personal injury accident. Indiana residents can file their own personal injury claims and represent themselves in either settlement negotiations or a civil trial. That said, representing yourself after a severe injury can be physically draining, if not impossible.
Survivors who want to take advantage of their right to legal action but don’t have the physical means to do so can call on a personal injury lawyer to represent their best interests. Our attorneys can specifically help survivors like you:
- Investigate your losses
- Compile evidence of negligence in a comprehensive complaint
- Estimate the value of a personal injury case
- Communicate with an at-fault party
- Submit a complaint within Indiana’s personal injury statute of limitations
- Represent your best interests before a judge
- Arrange out-of-court settlement negotiations
It’s up to you to determine how you want a personal injury case to proceed and, in turn, what services you want to request from a personal injury lawyer. Our office can work with you to establish expectations early on while prioritizing your right to the most comprehensive settlement possible.
Why Should You File a Personal Injury Claim?
Filing a personal injury claim lets you control your accident’s narrative. If you don’t act quickly after an accident, the party responsible for your losses may attempt to claim that you bear some of the fault for your accident. You may then find yourself unable to secure the full compensation you deserve under Indiana’s understanding of modified comparative negligence.
If you do choose to file a personal injury claim against the party responsible for your accident, make a point to do so within Indiana’s statute of limitations. The state directs accident survivors to Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4, which gives you no more than two years to demand damages for your losses.
What Information Should You Include in a Personal Injury Claim?
When you move to submit a personal injury claim, you need to ensure that you’ve included all of the information essential to your case therein. This means that you and your personal injury lawyer in Carmel should emphasize:
Evidence and Liability
The best way to hold another party liable for your personal injury accident is to make sure you have the evidence you need to identify that party’s duty of care. “Duty of care” describes the responsibility other parties owe to you, whether you’re behind the wheel, walking down the street, or making the most of Carmel’s suite of local amenities.
Everyone you encounter has a responsibility to reasonably protect you from harm. You, similarly, owe this responsibility to everyone you pass. Someone who violates the duty of care owed to you can subsequently be held responsible for any harm that befalls you, so long as you can prove their involvement. The evidence you can use in a personal injury case can include:
- Video or photo footage of your accident
- Statements from nearby witnesses
- Third-party opinions from expert witnesses
- Analysis of debris from the scene of the accident
- Police reports
- Medical reports
Our attorneys can gather this evidence on your behalf. We can then analyze the evidence and ensure that we name the right party accountable for the harm that befell you.
An Estimate of Your Losses
You can use the same evidence you bring forward to prove liability to defend your right to personal injury compensation. So long as you can effectively argue your case, you can demand that the party responsible for your accident help you contend with the cost of your recovery. Most personal injury cases allow you to request damages addressing your:
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Medical expenses
- Property restoration and repair
- Lost wages or opportunities to pursue alternative employment
You can discuss which specific personal injury damages you may be entitled to during an initial case consultation with our team.
Let Vaughan & Vaughan Investigate Your Personal Injury Accident
The lawyers with Vaughan & Vaughan want you to have the legal support you need to demand damages in the wake of an accident. You can contact our office to classify your losses, estimate those losses’ value, and file a personal injury claim against the person responsible for your accident.
Your first case consultation with Carmel’s personal injury lawyers comes free of charge. You can reach out and schedule your no-obligation appointment courtesy of Vaughan & Vaughan’s online contact form. Our team is also available to discuss your case over the phone. Don’t wait any longer to take civil action. Let our attorneys defend your right to a peaceful recovery.
