South Bend may not play host to as much truck traffic as some other surrounding cities, but that doesn’t mean that the city isn’t rife with opportunities for accidents. If you find yourself struggling to get back on your feet after going toe-to-toe with a truck, don’t panic.
A South Bend truck accident lawyer can help get your life back on track without adding to your financial stress.
The South Bend personal injury lawyers of Vaughan & Vaughan have been helping injury victims recover the maximum compensation possible for over 100 years, and we are ready to help you. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
What to Do After a Truck Accident
You need to take time to rest and recover from a truck crash. These accidents can stay with you forever, sometimes in the form of physical disabilities and often in the form of traumatic memories. You deserve time to develop some distance from your accident.
At the same time, you deserve the right to use certain tools, like insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits, to get your life back on track. How do you strike the balance between your fight to recover and your personal recuperation? When in doubt, call on a truck accident attorney in South Bend. Our team can help you:
Discuss Your Right to an Insurance Claim
Most truck drivers and trucking companies have insurance protecting them on the road. If you get into an accident with a driver, you may have the right to bring your concerns to the attention of the driver’s insurance provider.
However, insurance claims adjusters may attempt to deny your truck accident claim if you don’t have the evidence you need to prove liability. Some insurance companies opt to act in bad faith, too, in an effort to save themselves money.
You don’t have to stand for these bad-faith tactics. You can work with a skilled attorney to fight back and demand the financial support you deserve.
Decide Whether or Not You Want to Take Legal Action
There are no laws in Indiana requiring truck accident victims to take legal action against the parties liable for their accidents. The state may assume criminal action against a negligent driver, but you can spend your time recovering.
Personal injury claims do tend to benefit the people who file them, though. If you take a truck accident case to court and win, you can walk away with the settlement you need to pay your accident-related bills. With that in mind, you should consider sitting down with our lawyers to discuss what the process of filing a claim looks like.
Note that if you do want to file a lawsuit against a negligent truck driver, you need to do so before Indiana’s personal injury statute of limitations expires. Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4 allows you to take up to two years to investigate your losses. Our South Bend commercial truck accident lawyers can help ensure your claim is handled within the legal time frame.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
Filing a Truck Accident Claim doesn’t Force You to Go to Court
If you do decide to bring a commercial truck accident claim forward in civil court, you can rest easy. A claim does not obligate you to pursue a trial. You may instead merit the right to negotiate for the semi- truck accident settlement you deserve.
Most trucking companies are eager to avoid a jury or bench trial and will meet with you to discuss your terms. Make sure you go into these conversations with a sound understanding of your case’s value.
Don’t let trucking agencies or independent drivers talk you out of the damages you deserve. Our truck accident lawyers in South Bend can be in the room with you for these conversations to prevent malevolent manipulation attempts.
There is no fee
unless you win
How to Hold Someone Accountable For a Truck Accident
You must meet Indiana’s burden of proof if you want to demand fair compensation for your truck accident losses. This means that you need to bring forward proof that a negligent party owed you a duty of care and violated that duty.
You must also prove the value of the losses you sustained in your accident. Our firm can return to an accident scene to bring forward the data needed to start building your case.
We can also call on professional resources, like expert witnesses and accident reconstruction specialists, to elaborate on the nature of your crash.
You can count on our team to use a range of key evidence to build a strong claim, including:
- Accident reports
- Black box data
- Driver logs
- Evidence from the accident scene
- Inspection reports
- Maintenance records
- Disciplinary records and medical records of the truck drivers
Assigning Responsibility While Considering Contracts
A negligent driver’s operating contract can have an impact on the party name responsible for your accident losses. You can sue an independent contractor, but not their clients, for your losses. Comparatively, you can sue an employee’s employer for your losses but not the acting individual.
An experienced truck accident attorney can break these terms and their applications down in your case before you move your claim forward. Our efforts can make it easier for you to hold the right party accountable for the losses you wrongfully sustained.
Recoverable Damages in An Indiana Commercial Trucking Accident Claim
In Indiana, victims of commercial trucking accidents may be entitled to recover various types of financial damages, depending on the specific circumstances of their case. The types of damages recoverable in an Indiana commercial trucking accident claim can include:
Economic Damages
- Medical expenses (past, present, and future)
- Lost wages and future earning potential
- Property damage (vehicle repair or replacement costs)
- Household or vehicular modifications required due to injuries
- Costs for ongoing medical treatment, rehabilitation, or assistive devices
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium (companionship, affection, and intimacy for married couples)
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
It’s advisable to seek legal advice after any commercial vehicle accident. Consulting with an experienced lawyer as soon as possible can help protect your rights and ensure that your claim is properly prepared and filed within the applicable time frames.
Our experienced personal injury attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case, gather evidence of negligence, and work closely with experts to accurately calculate the full extent of your damages.
Injuries We Commonly Claim
Truck accidents often result in catastrophic injuries due to the sheer size and weight of the commercial vehicles involved. Some of the most common severe injuries sustained in truck accident claims include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Burn injuries
- Amputations
- Soft tissue injuries
- Nerve damage
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
Our experienced attorneys understand the long term and sometimes permanent impacts these injuries can have. We fight to ensure that all medical bills are compensated for your past, current, and future care.
Contact A South Bend Truck Accident Law Firm For A Free Consultation
Truck accidents don’t have to leave you and your loved ones struggling to make ends meet. Let’s work together to hold negligent parties responsible for their dangerous behavior. You can book a FREE case evaluation with an experienced truck accident lawyer in South Bend to learn how we can help you maximize your financial compensation.
The personal injury lawyers with Vaughan & Vaughan operate on contingency for your convenience. You don’t have to let concerns about the cost of legal representation get in the way of your right to recover. We don’t get paid unless we win your case.
Contact us to learn how we can help make your life easier during this challenging time.
