A truck accident in Evansville, Indiana can be a terrifying and unexpected experience. The sheer weight and mass of a commercial truck may cause you significant injury, even in a minor collision. In a split second, you may find your life permanently transformed.
Overwhelming expenses and a painful emotional and physical recovery process could lead to stress and confusion as to where you can turn for help. However, you don’t have to navigate the legal road to justice on your own.
An Evansville truck accident lawyer can walk alongside you, help you to explore your legal options, and fight for the just compensation you deserve.
What you need to know about Evansville truck accidents
In Evansville, a truck accident can occur at any time. Determining liability in your collision can prove difficult, especially if you proceed with your legal case without a lawyer. By consulting a truck accident lawyer before you even file your claim with the insurance company, you can understand the strength of your case and how to proceed.
If you’ve sustained injuries in a truck accident and wonder if you can recoup all that you’ve lost as a result, an Evansville attorney may be able to help.
Here’s what you need to know about truck accidents in Indiana and the laws surrounding them.
- How Yosha Law truck accident lawyers can help
- Truck accident and safety facts you should know
- Common causes of Evansville truck accidents
- Damages you might seek after an Evansville truck accident
- Contact Yosha Law
How Yosha Law truck accident lawyers can help
Truck accidents can involve multiple liable parties and a number of insurance companies. Even if you’re able to determine the insurers you need to file a claim against, you may face overwhelming obstacles to get your claim processed.
If an insurance company doesn’t automatically deny your claim, they may offer you a quick, reduced payment to quickly settle your case. At Yosha Law, we understand that mounting expenses can compel you to take less money than you’re owed. However, once you’ve accepted a settlement payment, you may not have further legal recourse.
It’s important to look at all past, present, and future losses when determining the validity of offered compensation. If you choose to move forward with a personal injury lawsuit, an Evansville truck accident lawyer can help you navigate the legal path.
Although 95% of personal injury claims are settled before they make it to trial, we will support you through the entirety of your case if a settlement cannot be reached. You should be able to concentrate on your healing, and need dedicated professionals in your corner.
If you choose to retain legal representation from Yosha Law, you can expect the following:
- Honest communication:
In your initial consultation, we’ll explore the legal merits of your case and honestly communicate whether or not we think you should move forward with your claim.
Should you choose to proceed with a lawsuit, we’ll remain dedicated to strengthening your legal claim and keep you up-to-date on all progress or setbacks.
- Collection of evidence:
We’ll visit the scene of your truck accident and use medical documentation to collect forensic evidence. This includes (but isn’t limited to) police reports, photos, videos, and debris left at the scene of the collision.
- Calculation and expectations of damages:
We can help you to determine what damages may prove worthy of inclusion in compensation. Damages are the different legal categories offered to cover your incurred losses in a personal injury case.
We’ll also help you to come up with a credible financial number for compensation. In other words, we can meticulously explore the damages you should include and help you calculate a monetary amount of your total damages.
- Legal documentation management:
Your claim may include time-sensitive filing of legal documentation. An Evansville truck accident lawyer will take care of ensuring this paperwork is filed in a timely manner, and will manage your documents for you.
We will guide you through and explain every piece of vital documentation, and ensure you understand any paperwork that you need to sign.
- Interview eyewitnesses:
We’ll interview and collect testimony from any party that may have witnessed your accident and can testify on your behalf. These interviews can also help to determine liability in your truck accident. We may also interview witnesses who can attest to how your collision has negatively impacted your life.
- Retain forensic experts:
We may hire forensic experts who can provide testimony that may help prove liability in your case, and can lend insight into the factors that caused your accident.
- Act as your representation for legal negotiations:
An Evansville truck accident lawyer can act on your behalf in any meetings with insurance companies or defendants in your case. We’ll ensure that you’re an active participant in any settlement agreements, too.
- Fight for you in court:
Should we fail to reach a settlement in your case, we will fight for your compensation in a trial.
Truck accident and safety facts you should know
Daily, commercial trucks pepper Indiana highways. These big rigs are responsible for transporting vital goods nationwide, and are a vital component in keeping our economy healthy.
Although most truck drivers are well-trained and take road safety extremely seriously, accidents can happen. It’s important to understand how these vehicles operate, the cargo they’re responsible for carrying, and why they can cause severe accidents.
Some vital statistics about trucks and truck safety include:
- Commercial trucks weigh up to 25 times more than the average sedan weighs
- It takes a commercial truck 40% longer to come to a complete stop than it takes a typical vehicle to do the same
- A truck driver can lose control of their vehicle in high wind conditions
- Commercial trucks can carry hazardous or toxic materials that could cause catastrophic road conditions if they spill
- Rubber retread from a truck’s tires can fall into the road and cause significant collisions
- Commercial truck drivers cover over 300 billion road miles per year
- 12% of all truck accidents nationwide that result in life-threatening injuries occur in Indiana
- In 2021, 4,000 fatal collisions involved large trucks
- Indiana is considered one of the most dangerous states for truck drivers
Common causes of Evansville truck accidents
The cause of your Evansville truck accident plays a vital role in determining who is at fault for your collision. In order to determine the validity of your legal claim, an Evansville lawyer will first discern the main cause of your accident.
Another party may be liable for your collision if the accident was caused by the following:
- Cargo spill
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Failure to stop
- Following too closely
- Inexperienced or untrained driver
- Improper cargo storage
- Jack-knifed truck
- Malfunction of brakes or other truck parts
- Overworked or overtired trucker
Damages you might seek after an Evansville truck accident
Damages are the legal term for the categories of losses covered by compensation. There are three categories of damages that include monetary, emotional, and physical losses you may have suffered as a result of your truck accident.
A truck accident attorney in Evansville can guide you through the different types of damages you might seek in a legal personal injury claim.
Non-economic damages
Non-economic damages (also known as general damages) cover the trauma you’ve endured that doesn’t have a set monetary value. These damages can cause life-long physical or emotional pain. Although financial compensation cannot completely heal non-economic losses, a monetary award may help you to concentrate on your recovery.
Non-economic damages may include:
- Catastrophic injury
- Chronic pain
- Disfigurement
- Emotional trauma (including anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder)
- Hearing and vision loss
- Loss of quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Paralysis
- Permanent disability
- Scarring
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Wrongful death
Economic damages
Economic damages (also known as special damages) offer compensation for the losses you’ve suffered that have a set monetary value. Any past, present, and future costs you’ve incurred as a result of your truck accident are considered economic damages. Unexpected bills and lost income fall under this category.
Economic damages can include:
- Lost wages:
If you’ve had to take unanticipated time off of work due to your collision, you may have lost out on income including paid-time-off, bonuses, raises, and tips. You might claim this lost income under economic damages.
- Medical expenses:
Medical expenses covered under economic damages may include any doctor’s appointments, hospital stays, prescriptions, rehabilitation, surgeries, and treatments you’ve needed due to your truck accident.
- Repairs or replacements:
If you’ve had to repair or replace your vehicle or other personal property as the result of your truck accident, you may be entitled to economic damages.
- Transportation costs:
If you require a rental car, public transportation, ride shares, or other transportation services due to your truck accident, these costs may be covered under economic damages.
- Assisted living expenses:
You may find that the significance of the injuries you experienced as a result of your collision require you to receive at-home medical care, or you may need to move into an assisted living facility. These costs can be claimed as economic damages.
Punitive damages
Punitive damages (also known as exemplary damages) are handed down to defendants who’ve exhibited gross negligence. Typically, punitive damages are used as punishment and determined by a judge or jury. However, in rare instances, a plaintiff may seek punitive compensation in a personal injury case.
Punitive damages are awarded in addition to the compensation you might seek after your truck accident, and in Indiana, are allocated to be automatically divided. In a case where punitive damages are determined, 75% goes directly to the Indiana Violent Crimes Victim Compensation Fund and the remaining 25% is awarded to the plaintiff.
Contact Yosha Law
An Evansville truck accident lawyer can walk alongside you and support you through each step of the legal process. At Yosha Law, no one represents “just another case” — our clients become members of our extended family.
We care deeply about the trauma you’ve endured, and are dedicated to helping you find the justice you deserve. You should be able to focus on healing and getting back to some sense of normalcy in your life. You should be able to trust that your case is handled with compassion and sensitivity.
Let us take care of the legal intricacies of your truck accident claim so that you can concentrate on living. Connect with us for a consultation today.
