Car Accident Attorneys

After you’ve been in a motor vehi­cle acci­dent in Indiana, you’ve got a lot to han­dle. There’s your insurance company to talk with, and perhaps another driver’s. Indiana rail­road accidents could bring busi­nesses and other groups into the mix. What­ever your unique circumstances, the stress related to an injury caused by a motor vehi­cle acci­dent is a large bur­den to bear.

Our team of car accident plaintiff’s attorneys has decades of exper­tise representing clients across Indi­ana in a vari­ety of dif­fer­ent motor vehicle acci­dent cases. Each one is different, but we know the basics of the process and what important details can make or break a case. From insur­ance claims to law­suits and all the way to court (if nec­es­sary), our team of attorneys for car accident cases has helped our clients fight for what’s fair.

Car Accident Lawyers Seek Justice

Every year, more than 50,000 peo­ple die in auto­mo­bile acci­dents.  Hun­dreds of thou­sands are injured as the result of care­less and dan­ger­ous dri­vers. Car acci­dents can have dev­as­tat­ing effects on your phys­i­cal and men­tal health. The injuries sus­tained may leave you unable to work, or even func­tion nor­mally on a daily basis.

When you are involved in an acci­dent, it’s dif­fi­cult to know what to do first and how to han­dle it. What is the right car accident procedure?  How do you nav­i­gate your insur­ance pol­icy? What do I say to the insur­ance com­pany? How much time do I have to file a claim or law­suit? There are many con­fus­ing stages in a car acci­dent law­suit. That’s why we will be with you every step of the way and help you understand all the rules of the road Indiana has.

Railroad Accidents

As of 2003, there were nearly 550 rail­roads in the United States, and in 2004, it was esti­mated that there were more than 890 rail­road fatal­i­ties and nearly 8,500 injuries in the United States, accord­ing to the Bureau of Trans­porta­tion Sta­tis­tics. In 2005, the Fed­eral Rail­road Admin­is­tra­tion esti­mated that there were more than 11,000 railway-crossing acci­dents nationwide.

The most com­mon types of train acci­dents are col­li­sions with other trains, col­li­sions with pas­sen­ger vehi­cles and pedes­tri­ans, and sin­gle train acci­dents. These types of acci­dents may be caused by improp­erly main­tained cross­ings that are not prop­erly marked, lit and/or fail to have proper warn­ing signs, con­duc­tor inat­ten­tion and error, or mechan­i­cal fail­ure. Absent, inad­e­quate, or mal­func­tion­ing warn­ings at rail­road cross­ings cause and con­tribute to col­li­sions.  Accord­ing to the Fed­eral Rail­road Admin­is­tra­tion, more than half of all rail­road acci­dents occur at unpro­tected cross­ings and over 80 per­cent of rail­road cross­ings don’t have ade­quate warn­ing devices.

Train and rail­road acci­dent law can be com­pli­cated and, as a result, it is impor­tant to con­tact a lawyer pre­pared to to help you through the process of deter­min­ing what hap­pened, who is respon­si­ble, and what your legal options are.

ATV Accidents

All Ter­rain Vehi­cles (ATV’s) are 3 or 4 wheeled motor­ized vehi­cles used for off-road rid­ing. ATV’s are equipped with gaso­line pow­ered engines and are designed for one dri­ver only. ATV’s were designed in the late 1960’s and first sold in the United States in the early 1970’s.  This type of vehi­cle is very pop­u­lar and is com­monly used for recre­ation, res­cue efforts in emer­gency sit­u­a­tions, and agri­cul­tural main­te­nance. Every year, many peo­ple, includ­ing chil­dren, are sev­erely injured due to ATV acci­dents. Seri­ous phys­i­cal injury, prop­erty dam­age, brain dam­age, paral­y­sis, and death may result from an ATV acci­dent. If you have been in an ATV-related acci­dent, you may be enti­tled to com­pen­sa­tion for med­ical costs, wage loss, pain and suf­fer­ing, and more.

• The sta­tis­tics con­cern­ing ATV’s in the United States show that:
• In 1998, there were over 60,000 reported ATV-related accidents.
• In 1997, over 30,000 chil­dren under the age of 16 were injured in ATV-related accidents.
• It has been esti­mated that ATV-related injuries have dou­bled in the past 5 years in the United States.
• In a recent 5 year peri­od, ATV-related injuries requir­ing emer­gency room assis­tance increased over 100 percent.

There are many dif­fer­ent fac­tors that may cause acci­dents while oper­at­ing an ATV. Some causes of acci­dents are related to the design or man­u­fac­tur­ing of the vehi­cle. Other times, acci­dents are caused because there was a fail­ure to prop­erly instruct regard­ing the safe use and oper­a­tion of the vehi­cle, or there was a fail­ure to warn regard­ing a vehicle’s dan­gers. Still other acci­dents are caused because ATVs are operated on land that is unsafe for motor vehicles, which means that a property owner and not the ATV manufacturer may be liable for any injuries sustained.

Motorcycle Accidents

Motor­cy­cles are an inte­gral part of Amer­i­can cul­ture, exud­ing an image of free­dom, spirit and hit­ting the open road. How­ever, motor­cy­cles have also proven to be extremely dan­ger­ous, and motor­cy­cle acci­dents gen­er­ally cause severe and/or cat­a­strophic injuries and even death.  Sta­tis­tics show that between the years of 1975 and 1999, more than 38,000 peo­ple were killed as a result of motor­cy­cle acci­dents. Unfor­tu­nately, find­ings from the Fatal­ity Analy­sis Report­ing Sys­tem, or FARS, indi­cate that these sta­tis­tics are on the rise.

If you or some­one you love has been injured or killed in a motor­cy­cle acci­dent, you may be enti­tled to receive com­pen­sa­tion for the injuries, med­ical costs, lost wages, suf­fer­ing and more. 

Roadway Design Litigation

Car acci­dents bring with them no short­age of stress and headache. Even in the best-case sce­nario, insur­ance claims and police reports alone can be tough to deal with. Seri­ous injury and death add another layer of grief, pain, and finan­cial bur­den. But what hap­pens when it’s not just the neg­li­gence of a dri­ver on the road that caused an acci­dent, but the very design of the road­ways you trust to carry you safely on your way?

Every road­way has sev­eral ele­ments that must all be designed and main­tained prop­erly to work in har­mony to keep dri­vers safe. Acci­dents can occur with increased fre­quency when those ele­ments weren’t designed prop­erly, including:

• Bank­ing
• Bar­ri­ers and Guardrails
• Exit and Entry Free­way Ramps
• Lane and Edge Markings
• Road Signs
• Inter­sec­tions

If you sus­pect that poor road­way design may have played a role in the con­di­tions that led to your motor vehi­cle acci­dent, you need a legal part­ner that can help you get what’s fair from the par­ties account­able while you focus on mov­ing for­ward with your life. The Indi­ana lawyers at Christie Farrell Lee & Bell have decades of expe­ri­ence in road­way design lit­i­ga­tion, and are happy to advise you on your legal rights and options.

Distracted Driving in Indiana

 Drivers in Indiana are required to keep their eyes and attention on the road. However, there are many reasons that may cause an Indiana driver to lose focus and potentially cause an Indiana car accident. Though it’s not uncommon for these distractions to occur, doing so could result in liability for an accident. One of the biggest culprits for distracted driving comes from texting and cell phone usage.

The state of Indiana has laws on the books against texting or calling on phones while operating a motor vehicle. According to Indiana code, drivers are prohibited from composing, sending, or reading texts while behind the wheel. Phone calls may only be made if a hand free tool is used, or in case of a 911 emergency. If a car accident occurs due to the use of cell phones, the driver may be found at fault.

Road Rage Accidents in Indiana

It’s one thing to find yourself annoyed by traffic or another driver cutting you off. However, when Indiana drivers begin driving aggressively or dangerously, the situation becomes far more worrisome. Road rage in Indiana is a real problem, as a 2018 report found that the Hoosier state had more fatalities caused by road rage than anywhere else.

When Indiana road rage plays a part in a car accident, police take the matter seriously. Indiana driving laws define aggressive driving as:

• Passing in the right lane
• Excessive speeding
• ‘Dangerous stopping or slowing
• Unnecessary use of the car horn
• Excessive flashing of headlights
• Refusal to yield
• Not observing traffic signals
• “Tailgating” or following other cars too closely

If road rage causes an accident, the aggressive driver may be found accountable.

Driving Under the Influence of Prescribed Medication

DUIs are normally issued when a driver is intoxicated under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. However, it is still possible for a motorist to be arrested for a DUI even when taking medication prescribed legally by their doctor. If a medication might lead to impaired driving, the prescription bottle will have a warning for patients to avoid operating heavy machinery, including driving a car. Anyone taking medication should speak with their physician or pharmacist to find out whether they might be at risk when getting behind the wheel.

Indiana Teen Driving Accidents

Though many Indiana teens are excited to hit the open road and cruise around with friends once they receive their license, the fact is that inexperienced teen drivers may be more susceptible to crashes and accidents. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for 16-19 year olds in the US. With those frightening statistics in mind, Indiana has instituted the Graduated Driver Licensing Law (GDL). Intended to slowly introduce teen drivers to the road, the legislation prohibits those under the age of 16 from driving with any passengers for 180 days after receiving their license. The only exceptions are family members or driving instructors.

Contact Our Team of Indiana Car Accident Attorneys IND

You don’t have to bear the bur­den of your injuries alone. Have you wondered, “Are there car accident attorneys near me that can help? Con­tact us today to con­nect with a firm of Indianapolis personal injury lawyers pre­pared to see you through your case and help you move on. We’re happy to provide car accident attorney help and offer a free eval­u­a­tion of your poten­tial case and advise you on your legal rights and options.

Read more about Indiana Car Accidents:

• Motor Vehicle Safety: What Indiana Drivers Need to Know
• Work Zone Safety: The Basics for Indiana Drivers
• Car Insurance and Negligence Claims: Police Procedures After an Accident, Wrong-Way Drivers, and Driverless Cars
• Vehicle Mechanic Negligence and Indiana Law
• How Good Roadway Design Promotes Safety
• Chauffeur’s License and Requirements
• Vehicle Crash Safety Testing Overlooks Women