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Life can change in a matter of seconds. When an accident, injury, or wrongful death occurs, it’s devastating to everyone harmed. The injuries can be painful and disrupt everyday activities, and can affect you for the rest of your life or prevent you from working and living the way you are used to. You’re the one left scrambling to get your life back on track.
Our Indiana personal injury lawyers have spent over 40 years fighting for people injured by the negligence of others. We’ve built a rapport and relationship with the people throughout Indiana as a leading personal injury firm. Fighting for our clients in Indiana personal injury cases isn’t just one thing we do, it’s all we do.
We recognize how confusing and difficult it can be to deal with insurance companies and medical providers after a personal injury, truck or car accident, or incident of medical malpractice. Christie Farrell Lee & Bell is dedicated to delivering client service with the utmost care. We take each case seriously, whether it is worth $20,000 or $50 million to our client.
Meet with our Indiana lawyers today and learn how we can help you. Contact us at 317-488-5500.
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The first step to building any injury or accident case is gathering information. Photos of any visible injuries or trauma, along with medical records, are the beginning of this process. It’s important for the plaintiff and their loved ones to keep photos of the injury as the healing process occurs. They can document experiences in a journal or make video diaries.
Outside capturing the short and long-term specifics of any injury or medical need that resulted from negligence, it’s also essential to collect evidence of negligence from the scene. Any police report from the incident will reveal the details documented by the first responders. In cases related to property or premises liability, an insurance claim may serve a similar role. In addition to these written accounts, it’s essential to have a representative visit the scene personally and take photos as soon as possible. This is especially true in cases like Indiana trucking accident injuries. Cleanup crews may remove evidence within mere hours after an incident. Eyewitness statements and video footage from security cameras can be other valuable sources of proof when building an injury case, especially a car accident case.
For more information about our team of personal injury attorneys in Indiana and our approach to legal representation, contact us today at 317-488-5500.
A statute of limitations is a law that gives a timeframe for how long a crime or accident can be reported and prosecuted. Indiana has a 2-year statute of limitations on all personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability cases. An Indiana city or county being sued for negligence must be given written notice, called a tort claims notice, within 180 days of the incident. The State of Indiana must be given notice of any claims it has been negligent within 270 days of the incident.
Many people don’t realize that social media posts may negatively impact a personal injury suit. These cases can be complicated, especially when it comes to how much damages should be awarded to a plaintiff. When a big life event happens, it’s common to post about it on social media. But if a victim’s posts contradict or are out of line with arguments being made in court, that might mean trouble for a personal injury attorney. For example, if a person is unable to walk due to an injury in a car accident and seeks damages for medical bills and lost wages, but then has photos of themselves running a marathon or dancing, that could be used against them.
Though it is your personal social media account, these sites are public and are admissible into a court of law. By sharing a photograph, video, or written opinion, you are essentially entering the document into the public domain. Because these sites are free, companies like Facebook or Twitter actually own the content you post on your page. In fact, even if your page is set to private it can still be used as evidence in the court of law, just as long as it wasn’t accessed in a deceitful way, such as creating a fake profile in order to view the posts. In a nutshell, it’s best not to post about legal matters online.
This is a great question to ask an attorney, as it gives a lot of insight into several areas of their practice. By asking them to reflect on your claim, it demonstrates the attorney’s level of understanding of your specific case. No one wants to feel like an important legal matter is just another file folder piled up on a desk. Great attorneys provide more than legal expertise; it’s also the peace of mind that comes from being taken care of on a personal level. Secondly, asking about their previous work helps establish a sense of history and experience. For example, if you need an Indianapolis truck accident lawyer, ask them about their verdicts and settlements they’ve won. Or if you need a car accident lawyer, ask them about relevant cases they’ve handled. Though personal injury cases are often different, the lawsuits should still follow some basic themes, particularly the focus on establishing negligence and damages. An attorney that’s able to produce several similar cases is much easier to trust.
Because personal injury lawsuits can take extensive time to resolve, it’s common for victims to worry about current medical bills. Though they may be entitled to compensation for their injuries, these are very real charges that need to be dealt with as quickly as possible. It’s not always reasonable to expect someone to run up a credit card or dip into their savings account.
Though your attorney can’t provide direct financial support, a sign of a seasoned injury lawyer is their ability to help provide solutions for your expenses and fees. Regarding immediate bills, they may be able to suggest trusted lenders for a short but reliable cash infusion. Additionally, their firm may also have ties or a working history with contingency-based medical billing vendors who can delay payment due dates. But most importantly, a good attorney should offer payment solutions and plans for their own fees, perhaps not accepting payment until your case has been won. Though there’s no set standard for managing your expenses, you can evaluate your attorney based on their willingness to work with you as a client.
A personal injury case occurs when an individual is injured or killed in an accident and another party may be at fault. When someone is found to be legally responsible for another person’s injury, that’s usually because the person being sued was negligent. The role of a personal injury attorney is to prove this negligence led to the accident that caused the victim physical and/or mental harm. Unlike criminal acts like robbery or murder that lead to jail time, personal injury attorneys prove the damages their clients suffered and get them compensation to pay medical bills and meet other needs.
Only around 4% of personal injury cases end up going to trial—the other 96% are settled in what is called “pretrial,” when legal teams agree about the damages and compensation without a jury or judge making a ruling. Personal injury attorneys like us work hard to build cases that represent a client’s best interests and the truth to earn fair and rightful compensation for our clients before or during a trial.
The state of Indiana allows two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. It’s important to speak with a personal injury lawyer within that time span to discuss your case and evaluate options. We’re here to help our Indiana residents, including the cities of Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Bloomington, Terre Haute, Gary, Lafayette, South Bend, Muncie, Kokomo, Richmond, Crown Point, and other surrounding cities.
Contact our team online or call 317-488-5500 for a free consultation with our attorneys.
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