Why should you hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Indiana?
If you’re in a car accident, it can be hard to know if or when to hire a car accident attorney. You’re not obligated to, but doing so can relieve some of your burdens. Stein Law’s car accident attorneys will negotiate with your insurance company on your behalf. They will seek compensation even if that means filing your personal injury claim for the compensation you deserve.
Your day-to-day responsibilities compound after a car accident. Suddenly, you’re responsible for repairing your car, going to the doctor, and negotiating with your insurance company. That amount of responsibility on top of the demands of daily life is enough to make anyone give up.
Car accident attorneys in Indiana know how to deal with insurance companies following a car accident. Attorneys can investigate your accident, assign liability, and estimate the value of your case. You’re not required to hire a car accident attorney. But bringing an experienced lawyer onto your team can make dealing with the aftermath of an accident simpler. You can count on an Indiana car accident lawyer from Stein Law to help you communicate with an insurance provider and begin building a compensation case.
Dealing With Indiana's Insurance Companies
One of the first things you need to do after a car accident and after seeking any necessary medical attention is to contact your insurance provider. Most insurance providers expect you to contact them within 24 hours of an accident. During your first conversation, you’ll discuss the extent of your losses and what kind of support you may need.
But insurance providers operate like any other business. While they can honor the protection a client’s invested in, they may still focus on their bottom line over your recovery. If an insurance adjuster underestimates your damages and injuries, you could lack the financial support to recover adequately. The good news is that you can bring a car accident lawyer into those early conversations to curb the provider’s attempts to underestimate your losses.
An attorney can help you address your most obvious losses and the ones that develop over time. They can also help renegotiate coverage if new injuries develop in the days or weeks following your accident. In cases involving an uninsured or underinsured driver, a car accident lawyer can help you recover as much compensation as possible.
If you’ve invested in uninsured motorist coverage, that protection may help you recover some of your most immediate car accident losses. But uninsured motorist coverage may not account for all your losses. Similarly, the at-fault driver may not be able to provide you with full compensation. If the at-fault driver doesn’t have adequate car insurance, you can discuss your right to file a personal injury claim with a car accident lawyer.
Comparative Negligence's Role in Conversations With Indiana Car Insurance Providers
There is a chance that an at-fault driver may argue that you’re partially responsible for your car accident. If the driver does, don’t panic. You have the right to challenge accusations of fault made against you.
Indiana operates on a modified understanding of comparative fault. So long as your fault doesn’t outweigh another driver’s fault, you have the right to a civil case.
However, that accusation of fault can still affect the compensation you receive if a court awards you financial support. Indiana Code allows courts can reduce a survivor’s compensation by the percentage of fault they contributed to their accident.
For example, if you’re set to receive $50,000 after a car accident, but the defense argued that you’re responsible for 10 percent of the accident, if the court agrees, you’ll receive $45,000 instead of your original $50,000.
Recovering Damages Through a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Unfortunately, not every driver has the insurance that the State of Indiana requires them to carry. If the driver who hit you is underinsured or doesn’t have insurance at all, you might struggle to get the compensation you deserve from your insurance providers. Fortunately, you can pursue full compensation in civil court by filing a personal injury claim against the person responsible for your accident.
When you present a personal injury claim to an Indiana civil court, you name a party liable for your losses. You also present the court with an estimate of your accident’s total value. You can then demand that the liable party offer you a settlement equivalent to the total value of your car accident’s losses. Whether you try to resolve your case in negotiations or go to trial, you must defend every damage you present. These damages can cover your economic and noneconomic car accident losses, including:
- Medical expenses
- Restoration of damaged property
- Cost of replacing damaged property
- Wages lost while you were seeking essential medical care
- Cost of at-home assistance
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
Our team can help you estimate the value of your noneconomic losses, as these losses don’t come with a preassigned dollar value like your medical bills.
You have a limited amount of time to file a car accident claim. The statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits in Indiana gives accident survivors up to two years from the day of the accident to make a claim.
Within the two-year deadline is when you should hire an attorney after a car accident. The sooner you contact an attorney, the more you can do in the time allotted for your investigation.
Our Offices
Floyd County Office
Downtown New Albany
812-948-6000
810 E. Market St.
New Albany, IN 47150
Clark County Office
Bolt & Tie Building
812-948-6002
1400 Main St. Suite 154
Clarksville, IN 47129
Content Reviewed by:
Amy Wheatley
Attorney
Testimonials
Determining the At-Fault Party in a Car Accident
The driver responsible for your car accident may try to redirect blame for the accident toward you once police and first responders arrive on the scene. This is where having an attorney comes in handy. Car accident attorneys can use evidence to challenge accusations of fault made against you. That same evidence can help a professional team figure out who is liable for your losses in a personal injury claim. The evidence that you can use to name a liable party includes:
- Bystander statements
- Input from expert witnesses, including accident recreationists
- Video and photo footage of your accident
- Posts on social media describing your accident
- Police reports
- Statements from first responders about your injuries
Our personal injury team at Stein Law can return to the scene to gather evidence that’s essential to your case. You can also count on our staff to interview bystanders, connect with expert witnesses, and analyze the evidence relevant to your claim.
Stein Law’s Car Accident Lawyers Can Help
Whether you’re partially at fault for a car accident or not responsible at all, the car accident lawyers with Stein Law can guide you through the process of filing a personal injury claim. We want to help accident survivors hold at-fault parties responsible for injuries, property damage, and time lost at work. You deserve compensation for those losses. An experienced car accident attorney in Indiana can help you fight for justice.
Stein Law’s team of car accident attorneys has served Indiana for decades, offering legal services to car accident survivors as well as hundreds of other personal injury victims. Our team has three offices in and around Indiana, including New Albany, Clarksville, and Louisville, Kentucky. Contact an experienced Steins Law car accident lawyer to schedule your free personal injury case consultation
