When you are seriously injured in a car accident, your whole life gets turned upside-down.
Medical expenses, doctor’s appointments, mountains of paperwork, and pain and suffering are all part of the long recovery from a motor vehicle accident, and it can be overwhelming.
The team at Yosha Law Firm has helped countless car accident survivors and their families navigate the aftermath of their accidents. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in an accident, or your loved one was killed in a wreck, a car accident lawyer in Bloomington can protect your rights and help you get compensation for your losses.
Yosha Law Firm offers these services with compassion, knowledge, and experience. We know what kind of support you need so that you can focus on your recovery.
Instead of struggling on your own, your attorney will seek justice on your behalf. Let’s put you back on the path toward living your best life.
Getting compensation after a car accident in Bloomington, IN
Car accidents are far too common, and the effects of your injuries can last your entire life. Each year, more than 2.3 million Americans are injured while driving or riding in a car. In recent years, Monroe County was #17 out of 92 Indiana counties for the total number of accidents. We know that in the days, weeks, and months after your accident, there is a lot on your mind.
Perhaps you were injured so seriously that you have needed a long hospital stay. You may have needed physical or occupational therapy, multiple trips to the doctor, mobility devices, and more. It is likely that you lost wages due to missed work, and you may have even lost the ability to work.
Some of the common monetary expenses after a car accident include:
- Medical bills (doctor’s appointments, hospital stays, urgent care, ambulance rides, etc.)
- Medication costs
- Mobility devices (crutches, wheelchairs, scooters, etc.)
- Physical and occupational therapy bills
- Lost wages
- Lost capacity to work
- Property damage
There are also many non-monetary losses, including pain, suffering, and even permanent disability.
It is no wonder that so many car accident survivors struggle to return to their normal lives after an accident.
You may have a lot of questions about how to get compensation for these damages. Questions like these:
- How am I going to pay for these medical bills?
- How will I pay for continued therapies and treatments?
- Will I be able to afford my medications?
- What am I going to do about the work that I’ve missed?
- Will I be able to find a new job?
- How will I manage to live with all these new changes in my life, especially if I am disabled from the accident?
- How am I supposed to heal and recover when I have so much stress?
Our car accident attorneys in Bloomington hear you, and we know how overwhelming these feelings can be! Seeing our clients struggle with these questions is why we do what we do at Yosha Law Firm. We know the importance of getting compensation so that you can have peace instead of anxiety and stress.
When your injuries were caused by someone else’s careless or negligent behavior, the at-fault party or parties need to be held accountable – and you deserve to be compensated.
Indiana’s car accident laws & how they affect you
Without a legal background, it can be a challenge to understand how to interpret Indiana’s car accident laws and personal injury laws.
Here are some of the most important things to know about Indiana’s car accident laws.
Indiana is an “fault state”
This means that whenever an accident occurs, the person(s) or entities who bear the most responsibility for the accident are also responsible for paying the most damages.
In a two-vehicle collision, it is possible for one driver to be completely at fault or for both drivers to be at fault. However, sometimes the at-fault party is not one of the drivers. For example, if a municipality failed to install proper signage about dangerous road conditions and doing so would have prevented the accident, the municipality may be held responsible.
More than one party may be responsible for an accident
Multiple drivers or entities can be found liable for an accident in Indiana.
“Comparative negligence” is a rule that means that if someone’s responsibility for an accident is found to be 51% or more, then that person will be held liable for damages. If someone was less than 50% responsible, they can sue for damages.
Compensation amounts may be reduced based on each party’s responsibility. For example, if the injured party is found to bear 20% of the responsibility for the accident, they can sue for damages because the other party is 80% responsible. However, their compensation will likely be reduced by 20% to reflect their own liability in the accident.
Indiana’s statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits
The statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit in Indiana is two years from the date of the accident.
We always recommend starting the process as early as possible. The longer you wait, the more challenging it can be to collect evidence that proves who was at fault. Additionally, waiting longer to file your claim means a longer wait for compensation.
Personal injury lawsuits in Indiana can take months to years, from start to finish. That’s why you will hear attorneys explain that the earlier you start, the better.
Types of car accidents our lawyers represent in Indiana
There are many different factors on the road that can cause an accident, from reckless driving and bad weather to poor road conditions and mechanical failure. Our personal injury lawyers in Bloomington have seen many ways negligent drivers can cause injuries, including:
Distracted driving
Distracted drivers cause many of Bloomington’s accidents. Even though it is illegal for drivers in Indiana to use a handheld device such as a mobile phone while on the road, there are still drivers who break this law every day.
When they do, they run major risks, including:
- Injuring or killing themselves
- Injuring or killing another driver or pedestrian
- Causing major property damage
Distracted driving includes using a phone to text, email, make a call, or look up information, but it also includes eating, paying attention to something other than driving, adjusting the controls on your car, or even just getting distracted by the passengers in your car.
In 2020 alone, Indiana saw 39 fatalities in motor vehicle collisions that were caused by distracted driving. In the US at large, there are more than 3,000 fatalities from distracted driving every year.
DUIs/OWIs
Impaired driving is a serious problem. In Indiana, driving under the influence is referred to as “Operating While Intoxicated.” In 2020, there were 124 Hoosiers killed in accidents that involved an intoxicated driver.
That year, 14% of traffic fatalities in Indiana involved alcohol impairment. OWIs also include other illegal substances and some prescription drugs.
Drowsy driving
Driving while drowsy is incredibly dangerous.
A drowsy driver on the road is just as dangerous as a driver who is drunk. Sleepy drivers have slower reflexes and are less capable of paying attention to road conditions and other drivers. They can veer off the road
Although it can be a challenge to prove that another driver caused an accident because of negligence, an experienced car accident lawyer who understands Indiana’s laws can interpret the evidence and build a case that will prove fault and that the at-fault party owes you compensation.
How a car accident attorney proves fault in a car accident
One of the most important roles that your attorney plays is proving who was at fault for an accident, whether that was because of negligent, careless, or reckless behavior. The success of your case hinges on proving who was responsible for the accident and, therefore, responsible for compensating you for damages.
Your Bloomington car accident attorney will review the evidence in the case to determine who was at fault, then prepare a legal
Proving negligence or fault is a complicated process, as accidents are rarely cut-and-dried. A lawyer who specializes in car accident claims in Indiana brings knowledge and experience to the process of proving fault so that you aren’t trying to make the argument on your own.
To prove negligence, your attorney will need to demonstrate that all of the following statements are true:
- The at-fault driver caused the accident
- The at-fault driver had a duty of care to drive safely and responsibly
- By failing to drive safely and responsibly, the driver breached their duty of care
The injured party (plaintiff) suffered injuries that required immediate, after-the-act, and/or ongoing medical treatment
Common injuries our Bloomington car accident lawyers represent
Injuries in a car accident may be minor, serious, or even fatal. You may be hospitalized for days, weeks, or even months. Survivors of serious car accidents will have months or years of recovery ahead of them, which includes medical treatments, medication, various physical therapies, mental health counseling, and more.
We have helped our clients cope with the following injuries and more:
- Skull and head injuries
- Brain injuries (including TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries (including paralysis)
- Lacerations
- Serious bruising
- Broken bones
- Seat belt injuries
- Whiplash and muscle injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Burns (from heat and road rash)
- Scars
- Amputation of limbs
- Torn ligaments
- Joint damage
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Penetrative injuries from flying debris
- Wrongful death
When to call a Bloomington car accident lawyer
In very minor accidents, such as a single-vehicle accident at a very low speed, you may not need a Bloomington car accident lawyer to work with you. However, it is always a good idea to seek legal advice when you are faced with any of the following:
- You were seriously injured in the accident
- You had to be transported to the hospital for medical care
- You stayed in the hospital for any amount of time
- You need long-term medical treatment to recover
- Any other motorist, pedestrian, or passenger was seriously injured
- Someone was killed in the accident
- You missed work because of the accident, or you had to quit working
- Your car was totaled or seriously damaged
- You are offered a settlement by one of the involved insurance companies
- You have been asked to sign a release by an insurance company
- You survived a hit-and-run accident
- There is a dispute over liability
Is my accident serious enough to contact a personal injury attorney?
Sometimes, our clients report to us that they initially hesitated to contact an attorney because they weren’t confident that their accident was “serious enough” to seek legal support.
It is always a better idea to contact a car accident lawyer and discuss your case rather than waiting until it is too late to get legal help!
At Yosha Law Firm, we offer free consultations to all of our potential clients. That’s because we want to help you determine your best course of action, including whether or not you should retain a lawyer.
We are always empathetic, never condescending, and always supportive of whatever you decide.
Yosha Law Firm can help you after an accident
We know that the legal reality after an accident is overwhelming, especially when you are trying to rest and heal.
If you try to manage all of this on your own, including the paperwork, negotiations, and compensation claims that follow the accident, you are just adding onto your responsibilities. Now is not the time to pile more work on top of yourself! Let us help.
Our job is to focus on getting you the compensation you need so that you can focus on your job: getting better.
At Yosha Law Firm, our Bloomington car accident attorneys use our experience, knowledge, and compassion to help you on your journey toward wholeness.
We are here to help set things right.
Remember this: At Yosha, we don’t get paid unless you do
When you retain an attorney from Yosha Law Firm, you can expect prompt communication, clear updates, answers to all of your questions, and a forthright approach to legal services.
Also, working with Yosha Law Firm poses absolutely no risk to you! We work on contingency, so we don’t accept any payment from our clients until they have received their compensation, either in the form of a settlement or a court-ordered award.
There are no upfront fees, and we start working on your case without any payment at all.
What kind of compensation can you get for your injuries?
When you work with a Yosha Law Firm attorney in Bloomington, we work to help you receive compensation for the following:
- Medical bills (including future bills for ongoing treatment)
- Medication costs
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Therapy services costs
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
Yosha’s Bloomington car accident attorneys are here to help
Our attorneys in Bloomington are ready when you are.
In Indiana, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a claim, but we hope that you will reach out sooner than that. The sooner we can start on your case, the sooner we will get you the compensation that you are owed.
Reach out to us to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation and case review. We are looking forward to speaking with you and learning about your case before we come up with a strategy that will reduce your stress and help you recover both monetary and non-monetary damages caused by an at-fault driver in Bloomington or the surrounding areas.
