As personal injury lawyers in Greenwood, Indiana, we see firsthand the devastation our clients face in the aftermath of a serious accident. These are life-changing incidents that create immense physical, emotional, and practical needs for the victims and their loved ones. If you’ve been injured, you may be struggling to recover while wondering how you’ll pay the medical bills.
Our commitment to seeing that justice is served on behalf of our clients is second to none. No one will fight harder to get you the fair compensation you are entitled to than the team at Yosha Law. You can trust us to protect your rights and act as your tireless advocates during this difficult time.
The Types of Personal Injury Compensation You May Qualify For
If you are injured due to another’s negligence in Indiana, some common types of monetary compensation you may qualify for include:
- Medical expenses – All past and ongoing costs for hospitalization, procedures, medication, devices etc. related to accident injuries. Your lawyer may bring in expert witnesses to help prove future medical costs.
- Lost income – Any current and future lost wages due to missing work during recovery and treatment. This may include lost bonuses or missed opportunities, such as a promotion that would have led to a raise if you hadn’t been incapacitated.
- Loss of potential earnings – Diminished lifetime earning capacity due to permanent disabilities or restrictions. This could also include the loss of income from the victim of a fatal accident in a wrongful death claim.
- Pain and suffering – Monetary damages accounting for any physical discomfort, disfigurement, and mental anguish. In general, the more serious your injuries, and the higher your damages, the more your pain and suffering award will be.
- Loss of enjoyment – The loss of enjoyment of the things you used to love can be one of the hardest blows after a serious injury. This is why you may get compensation for reduced participation in hobbies, activities, and quality of life due to injuries.
- Property losses – Repair or replacement costs for any property damaged, such as vehicles. This may include the cost of property that was in a vehicle at the time of a wreck, such as laptops or other personal property.
- Wrongful death damages – In fatality cases, compensation for loss of companionship, earnings, and services the deceased would have provided. This can also include funeral and burial expenses.
- Punitive damages – Additional amounts levied to punish gross negligence or intentional misconduct. In Indiana, you will receive 25% of any punitive damages awarded, and the other 75% will go to the state’s Violent Crimes Victim Compensation Fund.
An experienced personal injury attorney will thoroughly document all applicable damages resulting from an accident to build the strongest claim for full financial recovery under the law.
How Much You Can Get in a Personal Injury Settlement in Indiana
No one can predict the outcome of a Greenwood personal injury claim. However, after completing a review and investigation of your case, we can give you an estimate of the value of the damages you could recover. Here are some of the results we’ve achieved for our clients:
- After a near-fatal electrocution injury at a Fortune 500 company, the insurance company offered $50,000. We were able to get a $20.3 million verdict for our client.
- After an accident that resulted in a hip replacement, an insurance company offered $300,000. We were able to get a $7.5 million verdict for our client.
- After a child sustained a traumatic brain injury in a vehicle accident, the insurance company offered $300,000. We were able to get a $3.2 million settlement for our client.
- After a motorcycle accident caused by construction equipment, the insurance company offered $200,000. We were able to get a $3 million verdict for our client.
- After a plaintiff suffered spinal injuries due to a fall caused by a wet floor, the insurance company offered $0. We were able to get a $1.1 million settlement for our client.
How much will your claim be worth? This will depend on who caused the accident, how serious your injuries were, and the value of your total accident-related losses.
Indiana Personal Injury Laws: How They Can Affect Your Claim
The two main Indiana laws that will affect your personal injury claim in Greenwood are the state’s statute of limitations and their fault laws.
Indiana’s Statute of Limitations
According to IC § 34-11-2-4, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim in Indiana. There are certain exceptions, so even if this time frame has expired, it’s still worth asking a lawyer about your options.
In most cases, once the statute of limitations has passed, you will lose your chance to seek compensation for your damages. This is why it’s critical that you talk to a personal injury lawyer in Greenwood as soon as possible
Indiana’s Fault Laws
According to IC § 34-51-2-6, Indiana is a fault-based state. This means if you were primarily at fault in your accident, you will be barred from seeking compensation for your damages. The insurance company’s adjusters will try to blame you and increase your percentage of fault. Because of this, it is important to have a lawyer on your side fighting to protect you.
Greenwood, IN, Personal Injury Claim FAQs
How do I get paid if my personal injury claim is successful?
If your personal injury claim results in a settlement or court award in your favor, here is the typical process for getting paid:
- Settlement check is issued jointly – The at-fault insurer will issue the settlement check to both you and your attorney to deposit into a trust account.
- Attorney fees and expenses deducted – Your lawyer will deduct their agreed-upon contingency fee percentage and any case expenses advanced from the total amount.
- Net proceeds disbursed – The remaining settlement funds after deductions will be paid directly to you in an agreed upon manner (check, wire transfer, etc).
- Periodic payments – For very large settlements, payment may be structured into multiple disbursements over time rather than a lump sum.
- Wrongful death cases have special rules – Settlement funds may be apportioned between eligible heirs through a specialized process.
- Liens resolved before disbursement – Any outstanding medical or other liens are negotiated and paid before final disbursement.
- Timing depends on various factors – The settlement process can take weeks or months depending on negotiations, liens, court approval, etc.
Your attorney should clearly explain the payment process and timing expectations tailored to your specific case. They help expedite fair payment so you can move forward
How do I know if the insurance company’s offer will be enough to cover my damages?
The only way you can know if the offer will be enough to cover both your current damages and your future accident-related expenses is to have a personal injury lawyer review your case. We can give you an estimate of your case’s value and explain to you why the insurance company’s offer will or will not be enough to cover you.
We will use evidence to build a strong case to prove the value of your damages. When the insurance company tries to devalue your claim to offer you less, we will be able to prove that you are entitled to greater compensation than they have offered.
How long does it take to get compensation after a personal injury accident?
How long it will take to get compensation after your personal injury accident will depend on many factors, which includes the value of your claim, the insurance policy’s limits, and the evidence we present. For example, if we have to call in expert witnesses to strengthen your case, this will make it take longer for you to get paid for a settlement or award.
It can be tempting to settle for the insurance company’s early offers, since you won’t have to wait as long for compensation. However, this is a mistake that can leave you responsible for covering your own costs if the settlement you agree to isn’t large enough.
Our Personal Injury Lawyers Understand How Overwhelming Accidents Can Be
After a wreck, our personal injury lawyers in Greenwood understand what you are facing. This list represents the most common needs of accident victims, but if you’re in this situation, you know there are many more than can be listed here:
- Medical care – The immediate need is access to emergency medical treatment and subsequent ongoing care to properly diagnose and treat all injuries sustained. This can include surgeries, therapy, rehabilitation services, and more based on the trauma caused.
- Emotional support – Coping with severe injuries causes immense stress and grief. Counseling and an empathetic support system are essential to process the trauma, both mentally and emotionally.
- Financial assistance – Major injuries frequently require extending time off work for recovery which can devastate family finances. Monetary help is needed to cover medical bills and daily living costs.
- Household help – Assistance with household duties, childcare, transportation, and daily tasks may be necessary if injuries restrict mobility and activities.
- Legal guidance – The confusing legal process requires experienced attorney guidance to protect the rights and interests of the injured and obtain fair compensation from responsible parties.
- Adaptive equipment – For permanent disabilities, modifying homes, vehicles, and investing in assistive devices creates accessibility needs.
By having these needs met with compassion, serious accident victims can move forward in the healing process with essential physical, mental and financial support. However, you may not be able to do this if you settle for less than the full value of your damages, which is exactly what the insurance companies want you to do.
How a Greenwood Personal Injury Lawyer Will Help You
At Yosha Law Firm, you will be treated with compassion by a team of dedicated legal experts who have your best interests at heart. These are some of the ways we will support you throughout your claim:
Explaining Your Legal Options
Your attorney will explain your options under Indiana Law and tell you whether you have a valid claim. We will also explain what you can expect if you decide to move forward with a lawsuit.
We want to hear your story. We understand that you are more than an accident or an injury; you are a person who had needs, obligations, needs, and a busy lifestyle before your accident, and now your life has become a lot more complicated.
By understanding who you are, we can better understand the impact the accident has had on your life. This will help us to build the strongest possible case for you.
Fighting for the Full Value of Your Compensation
In Indiana, the law protects the victims of accidents that were caused by another party’s negligence by allowing you to file a claim. It is your right to seek compensation if you were hurt through no fault of your own. In these cases, victims are entitled to recover all of your accident-related damages, but the insurance companies will try to pay less.
How will they do this? By trying to trick you into making statements that can lower or eliminate your compensation. By trying to offer you a fast payout when you are desperate for any financial help to get you to sign away your rights to future compensation.
We won’t let the insurance companies take advantage of you. Your personal injury lawyer will act as your advocate during every stage of the process, from building your claim through negotiations and beyond.
Working on a Contingency Fee Basis
Yosha Law Firm works on a contingency basis. With this type of fee arrangement, you can file a claim against the party whose negligence caused your injury, even if you don’t have any cash.
A contingency fee arrangement means our Greenwood personal injury lawyers only collect our fee if we successfully recover compensation for you. Here’s how it works:
- No upfront payment required – Personal injury attorneys front all costs, and the client pays nothing unless their case settles or wins.
- Lawyer fee is percentage of award – The lawyer’s fee is an agreed upon percentage (often 33%) of the total amount recovered for the client.
- Expenses reimbursed first – Any case expenses the attorney advanced are repaid to your lawyer out of the settlement or award. The remainder goes to the client.
- No attorney fee if no recovery – The attorney bears risk and gets paid nothing if no settlement or award is obtained for the client.
- Written fee agreement protects the client – All details like percentage and expenses capped are specified in a signed retainer agreement.
After an Accident in Greenwood, IN: Steps to Take to Protect Your Claim
Before you’ve even had a chance to fully process what happened to you, you could make mistakes that could negatively impact the value of your claim. By following this advice from our Greenwood personal injury attorneys, you can avoid the missteps that could come back to hurt you later:
- Call 911 or get checked out by a medical professional: Even if you aren’t sure of the severity of your injuries, it’s important to document your injuries and start a medical record that you’ll need later for evidence.
- Call the police and file an accident report: Like your medical record, an accident report is also a valuable piece of evidence that you will need later on to prove the circumstances of the wreck.
- Gather evidence to prove your claim: Before any vehicles have been moved or towed away, document the scene with photos and videos. Take witness statements and collect contact information from any witnesses. Write down the date, time, weather, location, and any other information that relates to the conditions at the time of the wreck.
- Stay off social media: Even if your account is private, talking about your accident on social media where the at-fault party’s lawyers can find it is a mistake that can cost you dearly when it’s time to negotiate a settlement.
- Hire a lawyer: Contact an experienced Greenwood car accident lawyer as soon as you can after an accident. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to collect the evidence that we’ll need to prove your claim.
Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer in Greenwood for Free
After your accident, you may be eager to file a personal injury claim. You also may not have reached that point yet, and you’re still weighing your options and wondering what your next move should be. Our personal injury lawyers in Greenwood are here to answer your questions during a no pressure, no obligation consultation.
Nothing is more important that taking care of your health and your loved ones, and that doesn’t change because you’ve been injured. Focus on what matters most: recovering from your accident. Leave the rest to our skilled team of legal professionals in Indiana.
