2010 July | Indiana Personal Injury Attorneys & Lawyers

Tractor Trailer Driving Recklessly On Indiana Highway

Jul 252010

Numerous online sources reported that Indiana State Police received multiple calls about a blue Kenworth tractor trailer driving recklessly on i-70 in Hendricks County Indiana early Thursday am. Some of the complaints used the words; driving recklessly, swerving and forcing other vehicles out of their lanes.

If you have suffered from an accident with a tractor trailer, contact our Indiana truck accident lawyers now!

Information said Indiana State Trooper Dave Furnas located the vehicle and initiated a motor vehicle traffic stop on east bound 1-70. The driver was described in one report as so drunk he nearly fell out of the truck. The truck driver reported to be Johnny Dhillon, 34, of Bakersfield, California was found with more than one indication of being extremely intoxicated. Further investigation at the scene found that he also had a small vile of suspected cocaine in his pocket. Johnny Dhillon, 34, of Bakersfield, California was found to be extremely intoxicated and almost fell out of the cab while exiting. Further investigation at the scene found that Dhillon also had a small vile of suspected cocaine in his pocket.

The truck driver was arrested without incident and transported to the Hendricks County Jail where he is being held on a $15,000 commercial or $5,000 cash bond.

In cases like this the driver could be responsible for the injuries he caused to the other vehicles that he forced off the road or caused injury to anyone involved in his unsafe driving.

Indiana Truck Crash Lawyers

Personal Injuries, Truck Accidents No Responses »

Jul 162010

Types of Injuries from Trucking Accidents
Every year, some 60,000 people suffer injury due to collisions with large “big rig” trucks. 5,000 people are killed by these trucks annually. This happens for many reasons, including tailgating, speeding, driving while intoxicated, or driving while using a mechanical device like a cell phone. Furthermore, it takes a large semi-trucks more than 300 yards to come to a complete stop, and these trucks typically weight 20 times more than the average passenger car.

If you or a loved one suffered from a truck crash, contact our Indiana truck crash lawyers now!

For these reasons, injuries resulting from a collision with a large truck can be physically and emotionally devastating. That is why truck crash lawyers in Indiana urge accident victims to seek medical attention immediately. As will be seen, many symptoms from such a traumatic accident may not be readily apparent.

Neck Injuries
During impact, the victim’s head rapidly jerks forward, and then backward. This is a very common occurrence in accidents involving large trucks, and it can result in whiplash. The pain from whiplash can be extremely severe, and the victim may not feel it for a number of days. Car accident victims also can receive debilitating injuries to the neck and muscle joints. These also may not be immediately apparent, and can require medical attention for years. For these reasons, Indiana truck crash lawyers urge potential clients not to sign anything, or to answer negatively if approached at the scene of the accident.

Head Injuries
Injuries to the head may not be visible upon impact. That is especially the case with a concussion, or a blood clot. The latter may not be noticeable for a few days, and if untreated, could result in a stroke, which can be fatal. Brain swelling and skull fractures can also occur in an accident. These are potentially deadly, and depending upon the severity of the impact, may require emergency surgery.

Psychological Injuries
These type of injury is controversial and is prone to fraud and frivolous lawsuits. Nonetheless, truck crash lawyers in Indiana point out that psychological damage due to a major accident is real, and can be quite devastating for the victim. While circumstances vary, victims may not be able to continue with their lives as they had before. Some are unable to perform previous job functions, and thus need to seek new lines of work. Others are so traumatized; they are no longer able to drive a car. Sometimes, an Indiana truck crash lawyer may have to handle a case where an accident victim files for divorce, or otherwise suffers family disharmony. Such cases can be difficult to prove, however, but nonetheless exact a personal and financial toil on the victim.

Hiring a Indiana Truck Crash Lawyer
After seeking medical help, an accident victim should retain the services of a truck crash lawyer in Indiana. They are accessible via the Yellow Pages, the Internet, or by word of mouth. Truck crash lawyers in Indiana can provide valuable services for their clients. They can protect them from attorneys representing the truck industry who might otherwise pressure them into signing a settlement that is inadequate to their specific needs. Further, a truck crash lawyer in Indiana can provide them sound legal counsel, and ensure that their post-accident needs will be met with a fair settlement. Most Indiana truck crash lawyers do not receive payment until a settlement has been reached. When it is, they receive a percentage of the settlement—usually in the 20-30% range.

Who Can File an Injury Claim?

Personal Injuries No Responses »

Jul 102010

Torts, or personal injury cases, have increased exponentially in recent years. In addition, while courts are becoming more diligent at eliminating illegitimate cases early, that does not mean that legitimate injury claims cannot have their day in court. In Indiana, that may mean that someone injured in a traffic accident at a dangerous intersection or those injured in a slip and fall accident in a shopping mall, can consult one of our Indiana injury attorneys to determine if they do have an injury claim that will stand up in court.

If you or a loved one is considering an injury claim, contact one of our Indiana personal injury attorneys now!

Injury Claim Causes

There are a number of accidents that can result personal injury claims:

• Medical malpractice claims
• Product liability claims
• Workplace injury claims
• Slip and fall accident claims
• Auto accident claims

Victims of such accidents should contact one of our injury attorneys in Indiana to begin their claim as soon as possible, before the state statute of limitations runs out. Our Indiana injury attorneys will then focus on determining if the defendant showed negligence in one of three areas. For example, in a slip and fall, or premises liability case, that may mean:
• The owner or manager of the premises must have caused a dangerous condition that led to the injury accident
• The owner or manager must have known of the dangerous condition, but ignored or failed to correct it
• The owner or manager should have known of the dangerous condition under reasonable oversight and maintenance and corrected it, but failed to do so

An Indiana injury attorney can use similar guidelines for health care professional’s manufacturers of defective products, and reckless drivers.
Injury Claim Plaintiffs

Anyone who has suffered an injury due to the negligence of another can retain an injury attorney in Indiana and file an injury claim. That includes both the injured individual and the family of an individual who dies a result of an injury accident. Their injury attorneys in Indiana will then estimate the compensation the victim or the victim’s family should seek, based on a number of expenses:
• Lost wages
• Medical expenses
• Funeral costs
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of support
• Legal expenses

Obtaining Effective Help

It is important to realize that these cases can be complex, and require legal experts who can investigate the facts, negotiate a settlement, and/or argue effectively in court. It can be well worth a victim’s effort to contact one of our skilled Indiana attorneys who can fulfill all those roles and produce a winning case for their client.

Injuries from Indiana Trucking Crashes

Truck Accidents No Responses »

Jul 012010

Every year, there are roughly 140,000 accidents involving large “big rig” semi-trucks. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the unsafe actions of truck drivers contribute to automobile Crashes. Indiana truck crash lawyers cite many factors, including speeding, fatigue, drunk driving, or aggressive driving. Another common factor is that many truck drivers consume legal prescription or over-the-counter drugs, which can hinder their performance behind the wheel. About 5,000 times a year, there are fatalities as a result of truck Crash. Even if this does not happen, there are many types of injuries from trucking Crashes.

If you or your loved one has been injured from a truck crash, contact our Indiana truck crash lawyer now!

Neck Injuries
Neck injuries are a very common malady resulting from a truck crash. Truck crash lawyers in Indiana say that depending upon the severity of the accident, the injury could mean permanent paralysis. Less severe symptoms of a neck injury are arm or leg weakness, difficulty breathing, numbness, or abnormal bladder problems. These injuries may or may not be readily apparent. That is why it is crucial to hire a quality Indiana truck crash lawyer if you have been involved in an accident with a semi-truck.

Crushed Body Parts
Most “big rigs” are 80,000 pounds or more and most cars weigh less than 5,000 pounds. Therefore, when a truck hits a car precisely, this can crush the accident victim. If he manages to survive, some of his body parts could suffer irreparable damage. This can be among the most difficult cases for an Indiana truck crash lawyer to handle, since the victim’s compensation must take into account medical needs, as well as the victim’s potential loss of a job skill.

Whiplash
While far less severe than other types of injuries, whiplash can also be debilitating. Whiplash occurs in rapid rear-end collisions. When a car is hit hard from behind, the force of the impact causes the victim’s head to rapidly jerk forwards and backwards. Because of the adrenaline rush of having just been in an accident, Indiana truck crash lawyers say that whiplash victims will not feel pain right away; in fact, some will not feel it until up to three days later.

For this reason, truck crash lawyers in Indiana warn their clients not to answer negatively if a police officer or someone else at the accident scene asks them if they are hurt. If they do, defense attorneys could use their statement against them, which could negatively affect the outcome of the case for the Indiana truck crash lawyer and his client.

Truck Drivers at Risk
While all motorists are at risk in semi-truck accidents, so are the drivers of these large trucks. In fact, the trucking industry has the highest on-the-job death rate of all vocations: roughly one of every eight job-related deaths is a truck driver. When this occurs, the family of the deceased truck driver should contact a truck crash lawyer in Indiana. The right Indiana lawyer can help the grieving family through this difficult time, and ensure that they are duly compensated for their loss. Depending upon the situation, the attorney may seek to discover whether the truck driver’s employer was negligent in protecting his safety.