Car Accident Lawyer Lafayette, IN
If you were injured in a car accident, you should discuss your case with a car accident lawyer Lafayette, IN residents trust. A lawyer can help you recover losses you suffered due to the accident, such as medical bills and lost wages. Having someone knowledgeable on your side can make the situation easier.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can result in a wide range of injuries, ranging from mild to severe. Here are the most common injuries people suffer in vehicle collisions:
- Head Injuries: Car accidents can cause minor to severe head injuries. Concussions are one of the most common types of head injuries suffered in these accidents and can lead to nausea, dizziness, confusion and headaches. Coup-contrecoup head injuries are more serious and are more likely to occur in very violent accidents. Symptoms including bleeding in the brain, skull fractures, confusion and swelling in the brain.
- Whiplash: Whiplash is a common neck injury that occurs during car accidents when the head is jerked back and forth suddenly. Symptoms include neck pain and stiffness, dizziness and shoulder pain.
- Chest Injuries: Chest injuries can occur when a driver slams his or her chest against the steering wheel during a collision. These injuries can cause coughing, shortness of breath, bruising and rapid changes in heart rate. In severe cases, chest injuries can result in internal bleeding, broken ribs and collapsed lungs.
- Scrapes and Cuts: Scrapes and cuts can result during a car accident when broken glass, car parts and other objects hit your body. While scrapes and cuts might not seem as serious as other car accident injuries, they’re nothing to make light of. If they’re not treated properly, they can result in infection.
Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer
If you were hurt in a car accident, your next step is to consult a car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN. He or she can help you gather evidence, identify witnesses and negotiate with the defendant’s insurance company. During your initial meeting with a lawyer, you should ask the following questions:
- How familiar are you with Indiana car accident law in this area?
- Will you be doing the work on my case?
- Have you given presentations on car accident law to other Indiana attorneys many times?
- How long have you been in the area and are you familiar with the community that the jurors are part of?
- Have you taken leadership roles in the personal injury legal community and the local legal community?
- Where did you go to school?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses in my car accident case?
- What is your fee structure?
- Is there anything I can do to help my case?
How a Car Accident Lawyer can Help You
Investigate the Accident
When you work with a car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN, their first task is often investigating the accident. This investigation seeks to determine who or what caused the accident and gather evidence for a personal injury lawsuit, if necessary. These professionals review the accident scene, analyze police reports and gather eyewitness statements. They also legally procure video footage of the accident from surrounding businesses and traffic cameras. Finally, these individuals will review and organize your medical bills and reports.
As the investigation proceeds, a reputable attorney, such as those found at the Hall Justice Law Firm, will prepare and develop arguments for your case.
Calculate Your Future Financial Need
You may not know what kind of financial assistance you need now and in the future. However, a reputable car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN can help you calculate your medical costs, lost wages, property damage costs and any future care costs you will have.
Your attorneys will then compare these calculations with any settlement the insurance company offers you. If the settlement is not enough, a great law firm, e.g., Hall Justice Law Firm, will pursue negotiations or a lawsuit in court.
Do’s and Don’ts
If you sustained injuries in a car accident, you may not know what to do afterward. There are several things you should – and shouldn’t – do.
You Should:
Render Assistance
Even though you’re injured, try to give first aid to other accident victims. You may save a life, and you’ll also have detailed information to pass along to emergency services.
Call 911
Emergency personnel’s response time can be the difference between life and death. When you reach the 911 dispatcher, share important information first, such as how many people are hurt, if anyone appears to have life-threatening injuries, and the nature of those injuries. With that knowledge, enough medical personnel can be sent to the scene.
Gather Evidence
Crucial evidence can disappear after a car crash. Witnesses might leave the scene, rain may wash away spilled liquids in the roadway, and video recordings from surveillance equipment might be lost. Although police and other investigators will make a record of their findings, the pictures, videos and statements you record might contain things that their investigations miss.
Accept Medical Attention
This isn’t the time to be stoic. You were involved in an accident, and you need a medical evaluation immediately. Adrenaline may hide your pain, and some injuries get worse as time progresses. You may feel fine while you’re bleeding internally. Medical personnel can find hidden injuries that could be life-threatening.
There’s also another reason to get a medical assessment. It will be used as a baseline for your medical condition in your personal injury case, showing your injuries and their severity.
Call a Car Accident Lawyer in Lafayette, IN
Although you can wait to consult an attorney, there’s no reason to. Hiring a car accident lawyer quickly means that they can get started on your case faster. Insurance companies won’t want to pay sufficient compensation, but your attorney will fight for your rights from day one.
You Shouldn’t:
Share Details of Your Accident on Social Media
“Anything you say can and will be used against you…” That includes posts you make on your social media accounts. Your actions will be scrutinized during your claim process, and insurance companies can use anything you post as evidence.
State That You Are Responsible for the Accident
The compensation you may receive is affected by your degree of liability in causing the accident. Let appropriate parties assign guilt; don’t admit to anything.
Refuse Continued Medical Treatment
Your health is important, and discontinuing medical treatments for any reason will likely hinder your recovery. In addition, insurance companies can imply that you weren’t severely injured if you refuse treatment.
Communicate and Negotiate With the Insurance Company
As for-profit entities, insurance companies have one primary goal, to make money. Therefore, they will do all they can to reduce your settlement amount. Sometimes, they will deny your claim entirely. Their hope is that you think your claim is only worth the amount they offer you and that you won’t pursue a lawsuit. If you sign any paperwork, you could actually waive your right to sue.
However, a great car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN will not only communicate with the insurance company to ensure that your claim is accepted, but this professional will also negotiate a settlement that will meet your current and future financial needs. If the negotiation doesn’t go anywhere, your attorney will pursue a lawsuit and sue for damages, including legal fees.
Protect Your Finances From Debt Collectors
If you are recovering from a car accident, the last thing you want to think about is how you will pay your bills. Your focus should be on recovering, not on financial matters. If you fall behind on your bills, including your medical bills, your debtholders can sell your debt to collections agencies. When this occurs, these agencies tend to harass you with daily phone calls, letters and other scare tactics. They may even threaten you.
This is where your lawyer comes in. A great lawyer will stop this harassment and defend you against these collection agencies. They work with these agencies so you can focus on healing.
4 Ways Road Rage Can Lead to Car Accidents
Sharing the road with other vehicles can leave you at the mercy of someone who is angry. This kind of driving, commonly known as road rage, can cause serious accidents for drivers. Knowing how this phenomenon influences crashes can help you determine what to do next if a crash occurs.
1. Driving Over the Speed Limit
Continually breaking the speed limit in order to catch up to another vehicle is not only illegal but can also put everyone around a driver in peril. Drivers with anger issues may tailgate a car that irritated them and try to catch up with them, even if there are multiple lanes of traffic surrounding them.
This kind of reckless driving can leave others at risk for a crash, since the person with road rage may not be able to stop in time if the car in front of him or her came to a stop. If you are in a car accident, talking to a car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN, like the Hall Justice Law Firm, may be your next step.
2. Distracting Others
Continual honks and flashing high beams can cause people on the road to turn around and stare. This can be dangerous when these distractions cause an accident. An angry driver who is trying to intimidate a car on the road can use these tactics to enrage or distract you. Contacting a car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN, after a crash may be one idea for how to handle this.
3. Erratic Turning or Braking
One way some angry drivers try to irritate others is by stopping short while they are driving in front of you on a highway or other road. You may not be able to stop in time, which could lead to an accident. Brake checking and swerving wildly around between lanes can leave you fearful of what this driver could do next.
A person weaving in and out of a lane may not allow anyone to pass him or her, which can cause another vehicle to accidentally ram into the side or the back of your car. Describe the scene to a car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN, if you visit one, like the Hall Justice Law Firm.
4. Physical Confrontations
In some extreme circumstances, a person with road rage may exit his or her car and approach yours. You could notice this driver holding a weapon or attempting to harm you in another way. These physical confrontations can leave you injured, which may lead to you seeking a car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN.
Schedule a consultation with Hall-Justice Law Firm car accident lawyer in Lafayette, IN today to discuss your case.
