Truck crash victims can experience devastating injuries, significant financial burdens, and a number of other accident-related challenges. If you’ve been hurt in a truck wreck, you’re probably unsure what to do next. Fortunately, a truck accident lawyer in Carmel, Indiana, can guide you through the process of filing a claim or personal injury lawsuit.
A Carmel personal injury attorney from Vaughan and Vaughan can investigate the collision, determine who should be held accountable for your injuries, and pursue a high-value settlement or jury verdict on your behalf. Contact our firm today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how to move forward after a serious truck crash.
Why You Need a Carmel, Indiana, Truck Accident Attorney
Pursuing compensation without the help of an attorney can be incredibly difficult and is likely to result in a failed claim or lawsuit. You’ll need a skilled lawyer to get the assistance you need to obtain a fair payment. They’ll take the following steps to dramatically improve your chances of receiving damages:
Calculate Your Losses
It can be hard to request the correct amount of compensation if you’re unaware of all the damages that are available for wrongfully injured individuals. Our Carmel truck accident lawyers are familiar with all the forms of compensation that collision victims often require.
They can assess the losses you’ve taken and even identify losses you didn’t know were compensable. Once they’ve calculated how much money you’re owed, they can negotiate a settlement or push for a court verdict that works for your unique situation.
Investigate the Accident
Even if you were a skilled investigator, your injuries would probably prevent you from collecting the evidence you need to file a solid claim. Fortunately, an attorney from our team can collect evidence from the accident scene and other sources. They’ll collect the following pieces of evidence to construct a winning claim or lawsuit for you:
- The official police report
- Traffic camera footage of the crash
- Photos of the crash scene
- Witness testimony
- Testimony from accident reconstructionists
- Information from the truck’s event data recorder (EDR)
Prove Liability
While a truck accident attorney from Carmel, Indiana, is investigating your truck crash, they’ll look for evidence that sheds light on who should be held liable for your losses and injuries. When it comes to truck collision cases, one of the following parties is often held responsible for the damage done:
- The trucking company: The trucking company may be held liable if they incentivized the driver to work longer than the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s driving limit, resulting in a collision caused by driver fatigue. The company may also be held responsible for failing to train the driver or vet them before hiring.
- The truck driver: The truck driver may be held liable if they were driving recklessly, distracted, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or violating any other traffic laws.
- The cargo loaders: Your attorney may take legal action against the cargo loaders if they failed to balance or secure the cargo properly, causing the truck to tip over or the driver to lose control of the vehicle due to destabilization.
- A truck maintenance provider: The maintenance provider may be held liable for a truck accident if they failed to properly maintain the vehicle, causing mechanical issues that led to the accident.
- A truck parts manufacturer: A parts manufacturer may be to blame if a defective component, like faulty brakes or a malfunctioning steering wheel, caused the crash.
- Another driver: Sometimes, other drivers on the road can cause truck collisions. If another motorist cut off the semi-truck or swerved into their lane, causing the truck driver to collide with your vehicle, the other motorist could be held accountable for the damage they caused with their reckless driving.
Deal With Dishonest Insurers
Unfortunately, insurance providers often jump through hoops to avoid paying you the settlement you’re owed. They’ll do anything to reduce their liability, even if it means rejecting your claim or ambushing you with an early lowball offer.
To combat dishonest insurers, you’ll need a truck accident attorney who knows how much your claim is worth and isn’t afraid to negotiate. At Vaughan and Vaughan, we never settle for an insufficient settlement. We’ll keep battling for the damages you deserve, even if it means taking your case to court.
Demand Compensation in Court
If the insurance company refuses to cooperate with our team, we’ll have no issue with taking your case to trial. During your court case, we’ll present evidence to the jury and explain why the defendant should be ordered to provide financial remedies for the expenses and suffering you’ve had to deal with.
Whether we secure your damages from an insurance claim or court case, we’ll make sure to request full compensation for all the losses you’ve taken on.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
Common Damages for Truck Accident Victims
As you’re probably aware, getting into a serious truck wreck can turn your life upside down and make it hard for you to get back to your normal way of life. To get you back to the position you were in before the collision, or as close to it as possible, a Carmel, Indiana, truck accident attorney can pursue the following damages on your behalf:
- Current medical expenses
- Long-term care costs, including ongoing medical expenses and cost of assistance with daily activities
- Cost of rehabilitative therapy and assistive devices
- Vehicle repair costs
- Cost to replace damaged property that was in your vehicle during the crash
- Lost wages
- Decreased earning ability
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
In addition to the forms of compensation listed above, you may also receive punitive damages from a lawsuit. Punitive damages act as a form of punishment for drivers who exhibit extremely reckless behavior, like drunk drivers. These damages aren’t awarded often, but when they are, they can increase the compensation you receive from your verdict.
There is no fee
unless you win
You Have Limited Time to File a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Carmel, Indiana
If you’ve been involved in a truck wreck that left you with injuries, financial losses, or emotional suffering, you’ll have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit against the liable party. According to Indiana Code § 34-11-2-4, you have two years from the date of the collision to take legal action.
Waiting too long to hire an attorney and get started on your case could cause you to miss Indiana’s filing deadline. If that happened, you would probably be barred from obtaining damages. So reach out to a lawyer today and protect your right to compensation.
Discuss Your Case With an Experienced Carmel Truck Accident Lawyer for Free
Recuperating from a serious truck collision can be a challenging, uphill battle without the assistance of an experienced attorney. Luckily, the attorneys at Vaughan and Vaughan can help you get the damages you need to take back your life.
Our firm has represented accident victims and obtained favorable case results for over a century, so you can rest assured that your case is in good hands when you work with one of our truck accident lawyers in Carmel, Indiana. Contact us today to speak with a member of our team and find out if you’re eligible to file a claim or lawsuit.
