How to Find an Accident Lawyer in the Indianapolis Area

If you suffered injuries and other damages in an accident, your priorities should be looking after your health and protecting your legal rights. Ways in which you can achieve this include:

Seek Medical Help

Your first step after an accident should be seeking medical attention even if you generally feel fine or only notice minor symptoms. A medical report listing your injuries will be essential if you later intend to hold the liable party to account for your damages. 

Gather Crucial Evidence

If you are able to, gathering evidence at the accident scene and in the days following the accident can be an excellent way to protect your rights. Evidence can include:

• Photos and videos of the accident scene and injuries
• Contact information of eyewitnesses and other parties involved in the accident
• Proof of your damages such as receipts for out-of-pocket expenses
• Medical reports listing your injuries and treatments
• Police accident report

Contact an Accident Lawyer

If someone else caused your accident, consider contacting an accident lawyer promptly to learn about your legal rights, options, and next best steps. You could potentially recover damages from the liable party or their insurance company.

If you were involved in a motor vehicle accident or a slip and fall, you might get a call from the at-fault party’s insurance company. When this happens, you should be wary and careful as an insurance adjuster may be looking for ways to minimize or deny your claim. Anything you say to an adjuster can potentially be used against you. Under no circumstances should you agree to a recorded statement or sign any documents before seeking advice.

It is best not to discuss any facts of the accident with an insurance adjuster or, for that matter, anyone other than your attorney. Instead, you can inform the adjuster that you have an attorney who will be communicating with them directly in due course. If you do not have an attorney, you can contact your own insurance company for help and advice on dealing with the situation. 

An accident attorney can protect your best interests and represent you in any communication and negotiation with the other party’s insurance company.

The damages you can recover will largely depend on your specific accident and injuries and how these injuries could impact the rest of your life. While it can be impossible to determine potential compensation without assessing your case, you could be entitled to economic damages such as:

• Loss of income and loss of future income
• Medical bills and future healthcare expenses
• Property damage
• Transport expenses
• Out-of-pocket costs

You could also recover non-economic costs, particularly with significant or disabling injuries. Non-economic damages can include, among others:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Reduced life quality 

Occasionally, if a defendant acted in an especially reckless and egregious manner, victims can recover punitive damages in addition to compensation. Punitive damages, while relatively rare, could be substantial. 

Pre-existing conditions, while potentially complicating your case, should not present a hindrance for recovering damages. You are generally entitled to compensation for any injuries and expenses caused by another’s negligence. If, for example, your condition worsened due to accident injuries, you could also be entitled to damages in connection with the worsening or aggravation of your existing condition. 

Although victims are generally unable to claim damages for a pre-existing condition, the liable party must make them “whole,” no matter what the state of the victim’s health was before the accident. The party responsible for your accident must take you as they find you. 

For example, if a victim has osteoporosis and their bones break easily in an accident, the defendant will have to compensate them for the fractures. This holds true even if a healthy person may not have suffered any bone breaks in the same accident. However, having a lawyer on your side can be crucial in cases with pre-existing conditions, which can be more complex. 

Accident victims generally do not have to worry about paying attorney’s fees upfront. Most reputable personal injury lawyers work with a so-called contingency fee. They only get paid if and when they win your case, and you recover a settlement. With this arrangement, clients do not have to pay their lawyer a cent if they lose the case. 

If you win your case, your attorney’s fee does not come out of your own pocket but instead will be a percentage of the amount paid by the defendant to settle your case. Either way, you should not be out of pocket when you work with a personal injury lawyer. 

However, ensure to question your potential attorney about their fee structure to confirm that they work on a “no-win-no-fee” basis. Some accident attorneys charge hourly fees or retainers, which clients have to pay whether they win or lose the case. 

Morgan & Morgan believes that everyone is entitled to adequate legal representation, no matter what their financial circumstances are. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win. 

Our experienced legal teams and accident lawyers in Indianapolis can:

• Help you get adequate medical care
• Gather evidence to build and prove your case
• Calculate your present and future expected damages
• Communicate and negotiate with the relevant insurance companies
• Fight for a fair settlement in and out of court
• Represent your case in the strongest terms at trial

If you got hurt and now face sky-high medical bills and other costs, do not go it alone. Morgan & Morgan can be here for you. Our dedicated and compassionate attorneys can answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and help you get clear on your options. 

Do not wait too long to seek help. In Indiana, you generally only have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. 

We care about accident victims and want to help you put your life back together after a devastating injury. Contact us now to find out if you have a case and could recover compensation.