Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyer

Being in a traumatic accident and suffering a personal injury can have lasting effects on your life. Need help getting compensation for what you’ve suffered? Contact an Indianapolis injury lawyer.

You’ve suffered a serious personal injury in an accident in Indy. You are concerned with your health, recovery, and how you’ll support yourself while out of work. You shouldn’t have to worry about money.

Fortunately, you can seek compensation for your losses. You do so by filing a civil lawsuit against the person or party responsible for your personal injury. Get in touch with a capable Indianapolis personal injury lawyer at Kooi Law. That’s the first step to getting the money you need to cover the costs of your injuries.

Your lawyer will investigate the cause of your accident. Then they’ll calculate the value of your damages so you can get the most from your claim.

Incidents That Warrant an Indianapolis Personal Injury Claim

Our firm routinely works on personal injury cases in Indianapolis. We know the ins and outs of personal injury law in Indiana. You may not know what accidents warrant an injury claim, but we do. Some of the accidents we handle include:

• Motor Vehicle Crashes – These accidents include those with cars, semis, motorcycles, and more.
• Premises Liability – These happen when a property owner doesn’t maintain safe conditions for guests on their property.
• Dog Bites – Attacks by dogs are handled under the “one-bite” rule. This means the dog owner must have had reason to believe the dog was aggressive and made reasonable efforts to secure the animal. Victims can seek compensation for their injuries from the dog’s owner.
• Defective Products – If a product malfunctions and causes harm, the victim can seek compensation from various parties in the product’s distribution chain.
• Work and Construction Accidents – In cases where you are injured on the job, you can collect workers compensation benefits or, in some cases, file a personal injury claim. An injury lawyer in Indianapolis can help with both endeavors.
• Medical Malpractice Claims – Did your medical professional make an irresponsible decision that caused you to suffer further harm? You’ll be able to file a medical malpractice claim against the negligent healthcare professional to recover your losses.

Have you been seriously injured in any of the above accidents or one like it? Not sure whether you can move forward with an Indianapolis personal injury claim? Reach out to an experienced lawyer to discuss your case.

Who’s to Blame for Your Personal Injury?

Determining fault is critical to the success of your Indianapolis personal injury claim. The person or entity that holds liability for your injuries will vary based on the type of accident you were involved in.

For example, in defective product claims, blame can be placed on anyone in the chain of distribution of the defective product. This could include, among others, the manufacturers, distributors, or the store that sold the product.

In a car accident, the driver of the other vehicle, Indianapolis road authorities, vehicle technicians, and parts manufacturers could all be named as defendants in your claim, depending on the circumstances.

In a dog bite case, the owner of the dog that attacked you might be held liable.

Your Indianapolis accident injury lawyer will investigate your case. This sees that any parties that contributed to your injuries can be brought to justice and made to compensate you.

When You Are Partially Responsible for Your Injuries

Indiana follows modified comparative negligence laws. This means that even if you are partially to blame for the accident you were involved in, you’ll be able to recover damages from the at-fault party. That’s as long as you aren’t found over 50 percent at fault.

For example, let’s say you are found 25 percent at fault for your injuries. The judge awards you $100,000. Your $100,000 award would be reduced by 25 percent. You would walk away with $75,000.

If you are found to be more than 50 percent liable, you can’t file a personal injury claim against the other involved party. You could even find yourself on the receiving end of an injury claim. Good news: Your personal injury lawyer in Indianapolis can help keep unfair blame from being placed on you.

We’ll Negotiate Your Personal Injury Claim with the Insurer

Dealing with the insurance company can often be much more stressful than it should be. Some insurers like to masquerade as companies that are on your side during this difficult time in your life. In reality, their number one priority is often protecting their financial interests. As a for-profit business, the insurance company will lose money every time it settles a personal injury claim like yours.

As you can imagine, this is something the insurance company may try hard to avoid. In fact, some insurance adjusters are notorious for their dishonest tactics meant to secure their own profits while ignoring their claimants’ needs.

Worse, the insurance company often will take advantage of modified comparative negligence laws. They may twist statements from Indianapolis injury victims. If they can imply that you hold more blame than the liable party, they can sometimes settle for less than you deserve.

Your injury lawyer will be well-versed in these dishonest strategies. They will negotiate with the insurer on your behalf so your award is safe.

What Comes after Personal Injury Negotiations?

Sometimes negotiations fail. The insurance company and negligent party refuse to give you a fair offer. When that happens, we can bring your case to court in Indianapolis. Sometimes just the threat of bringing your claim to court can change the insurance company’s mind regarding your settlement amount.

What if the insurer remains steadfast in denying your claim or providing you with too little? An injury lawyer in Indianapolis is at the ready to go to court. There an impartial judge or jury can decide on your claim.

If You Choose to File an Injury Claim, Act Fast

Once you’ve made the decision to pursue a civil lawsuit against the at-fault party, you’ll need to act fast. This is because the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Indiana is only two years from either the date the accident occurred or the date you are diagnosed with an injury that stemmed from the accident you were involved in.

What’s more, if the defendant in your case is a government agency, such as the Indiana Department of Transportation, you could have as few as 180 days to get your claim filed before the statute of limitations runs out.

Once the time limit has passed, you will be barred from filing a personal injury claim. You won’t be able to get justice for your injuries. Concerned about missing deadlines? An Indianapolis injury claim lawyer can make sure everything is on schedule.

Getting the Compensation You Deserve for Your Injury in Indianapolis

After we’ve established who we will hold accountable for your injuries, we will calculate your claim’s value. We do this by considering the severity of your personal injury and the extent of their impact on your life. Our goal is for you to be fully compensated for all your losses.

We include the value of your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that have a direct impact on your finances. Non-economic damages affect your emotional state and lifestyle. Some of the damages that might be included in your Indianapolis personal injury claim include:

• Lost wages
• Property damage
• Medical expenses
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Damage to potential future earnings
• Loss of companionship and love
• Mental anguish
• Loss of household services

Every medical cost should be taken into consideration when determining what your claim is worth. They could include:

• hospital bills
• prescription meds
• copays
• medical equipment
• adjustments to your home to accommodate medical equipment
• rehab services
• diagnostic imaging
• ambulance fees
• caretakers
• more

In addition to the above losses, a judge may order the defendant to pay you punitive damages. These are meant to punish and warn others that extremely negligent or malicious behavior will be dealt with. Punitive damages can significantly raise the amount of compensation you are awarded in your Indianapolis personal injury claim.