Our truck accident lawyers in Hammond know how fruitless recovery can seem after a collision with a big rig. You don’t have to let the bills from your accident overwhelm you, though. Our team can guide you through the process of filing a civil claim so you can hold a negligent driver responsible for your losses.
Vaughan & Vaughan has served Hoosiers in need since 1913. Our Hammond personal injury lawyers know how to navigate you through the civil process without compounding your accident-related stress. You can contact our staff today to learn more about the methods we can use to help you demand the settlement you deserve.
Who’s Responsible for a Truck Accident?
Before you can demand compensation for a truck accident, you need to know who you can hold accountable for your losses. You can discover who you have the right to name liable for your accident by:
Assessing Evidence of Negligence
You need to meet Indiana’s burden of proof if you want to name a specific party responsible for your post-accident recovery. To meet that burden, you need evidence. The evidence of negligence that can help you build a case against a liable party may include the following:
- A truck’s black box data
- Electronic data
- Debris and roadway damage
- Pictures from before and after the accident
- Videos of the accident
- Statements from witnesses
- Input from expert witnesses
Breaking Down Relevant Contracts
Truck drivers tend to operate as independent contractors in a provider/client relationship with larger companies. Larger companies prefer these relationships because they relieve those companies from liability for a driver’s behavior.
What does this mean for you? If you get into an accident and discover that a liable truck driver works as an independent contractor, you can sue that individual. You cannot sue their clients.
However, if you get into an accident with a driver who works as an agency or corporate employee, matters change. Those companies may assume legal responsibility for their driver’s behavior. You may subsequently have the right to sue those corporations instead of the individual driver.
Our attorneys can break down the contracts involved in your case to identify the party you have the right to sue after a crash.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
Can a Hammond Truck Accident Lawyer Help You Recover Damages?
Yes, Hammond, IN, truck accident lawyers can help you recover damages based on your losses. The attorneys with Vaughan & Vaughan can specifically calculate the value of your economic and non-economic expenses to determine the value of the settlement you should request from a liable party.
Our calculations allow us to account for expenses like the following:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Emergency medical bills
- Lost wages
- Property damage and restoration
- Long-term medical treatments
It’s true that losses like pain and suffering don’t have a predetermined dollar value like your medical bills do. That’s okay. Our team pulls from several decades of combined experience to assign these losses a value. This way, your non-economic losses still have a place in your request for support.
There is no fee
unless you win
How Do Truck Accident Claims Progress?
Once you know the value of your claim and who you can hold accountable for your losses, you can file your claim. Indiana’s civil courts then decide whether or not to move your claim forward. Should your claim progress, you get a say in how you ask for financial support.
You can:
- Negotiate for support, meeting with a liable party in private to discuss the value of your losses. Negotiations tend to resolve more quickly than trials but may require you to compromise when asking for certain damages.
- Go to trial, undergoing discovery before an attorney presents your case to a judge and/or jury. This can be a time-consuming process, but it’s ideal for cases involving belligerent or uncooperative parties.
Our truck accident attorneys in Hammond can recommend a path forward based on the circumstances that led to your collision. We can also keep the door open for negotiations throughout a civil trial if a liable party decides that they would prefer to settle.
When Should You Contact a Hammond Truck Accident Lawyer?
Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4(a)(1) requires any party interested in filing a civil claim against a negligent truck driver to do so within two years of their accident. Failure to bring a claim forward before your statute of limitations expires may see you waive your right to compensation awarded through the civil system.
If you’re struggling to recover from serious injuries and can’t participate in an investigation yourself, don’t panic. Our attorneys can represent you as we revisit accident scenes, meet with a liable party, and fight for your right to support. You can learn more about our services during a free case assessment.
Let’s Explore Your Right to Recover
You already know how expensive it is to recover from a truck accident. You don’t need to empty out your bank account to pay your bills, though. A Hammond truck accident attorney can help you hold a negligent party financially responsible for your recovery.
You can connect with the attorneys with Vaughan & Vaughan. Our team can take over the investigation into your losses so you can focus on recovering. We can then build your personal injury case, outline your right to support, and fight for the damages you deserve. Book a free case evaluation with our staff to learn more.
