Vehicular Accidents and Claims
William "Bill" Hurst is one of the best auto accident injury lawyers in Indiana with a proven track record. Whether it is a car accident, motorcycle accident, collision with a semi truck there are certain requirements that a personal injury attorney must do in any accident case to properly prepare it for settlement or litigation. Your lawyer will help you determine how much compensation you may receive and how the funds will be paid.
- The investigation to be "valuable" must be conducted at the earliest possible moment to preserve evidence. This investigation is to establish who is at fault and determine all parties who may be responsible. In many accidents more than one person may be at fault and their identity must be determined as well as their liability insurance companies. This investigation will involve talking to witnesses, police officers and any person who may have come upon the scene of the accident.
- Medical information, treatment, bills and reports will need to be obtained by your attorney. These documents will be evaluated by the lawyer and submitted to the various insurance companies for consideration and in some instances payment.
- All available insurance proceeds must be indentified to not only pay the bills immediately but also ultimately upon settlement or verdict.
- If the injuries are severe and disabling, the lifetime cost of medical care and rehabilitation needs to be determined as well as all of the financial losses relating to lost time from employment which sometimes refuse hiring experts in these fields.
William "Bill" Hurst has over 35 years of experience helping injured people throughout the nation recover financial compensation after a car accident, semi truck and tractor trailer crash collision, railroad crossing accident, dump truck collision, and motorcycle accidents. Contact our office in Indianapolis to schedule a free consultation and case evaluation.
How are motor vehicle accidents investigated?
After a motor vehicular accident occurs, particularly if it involves severe injuries or death, it will usually be investigated and sometimes reconstructed by experts. Generally the "first line" of investigation would be the police officers who investigated the accident. However the police investigation is initially done with the intention of determining if any criminal activity took place in the accident. The police look for speeding, hours of service violation, mechanical violations, alcohol use, drug use, etc.
The second type of investigation that may be done would be done with the help of investigators and accident reconstruction experts. Our law firm have several independent experts who we have worked with over the years. These independent investigators or experts are hired to analyze the cause of the accident so that liability and/or financial responsibility can be determined. These experts are often retired police officers or automotive engineers. Such an investigation usually starts with an inspection of the accident site, vehicle resting places, skid marks, gauge marks at the scene; and at times the use of a computer generated diagrams to reconstruct how the accident occurred. For in depth discussion of auto accident investigations see www.crashforensics.com.
While driver negligence generally is the contributing cause of an auto accident there are many other factors that must be considered such as among other things the design of roadways, municipal or road defects, line of sight, the age and experience of the drivers. Age is significant, unfortunately the rate of involvement in fatal crashes of teenagers has been found to be 5 times that of drivers ages 20 and older according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Indeed 16-year old drivers were the riskiest drivers of all.
Visit: www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-02-28-teen-drive-cover-usat_x.htm and www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Teen_Drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html
Currently the most common accident is rear end collisions which cause neck and cervical injuries. See our blog at www.Hurstinjurylaw.com. The acceleration caused by the accident throws the neck forward, causing sheer and bending forces on the spine which results in these injuries. Such injuries might not be serious or they may be such as herniations of the disc. These kinds of injuries are often called "whiplash" injuries. For a discussion of these types of injuries and causes see www.srisd.com/CervicalSpineInjuries.html.
How are medical records used?
It is important that your lawyer document and verify all of your injuries with medical reports from your treatment and care. These records will be submitted to the insurance to prove your claim of injury. We have worked with most of the local doctors in Central Indiana in obtaining medical information and reports from them. Often injuries can be catastrophic and will require lifetime care and support. In such an event we have access to a number of experts that can develop life care plans, do economic forecasts and determine future medical care and costs. As serious complications can develop well after an accident, it is in your best interest not to sign any documents until the full extent of the injuries is known. If you do sign it is unlikely that any personal injury lawyer, no matter his expertise, will be able to help you.
Our office has worked with thousands of injured people throughout the State and in fact in many other States throughout the nation. We have represented people who have every type of injury from a serious brain injury and paralysis to the less severe "whiplash" type injury. In any event, it is our goal to see to it that you receive what is the fair value of your case no matter the extent of injury. If you have suffered a serious personal injury in an auto accident contact the Indianapolis Law Office of William "Bill" Hurst to schedule a free consultation, or call us toll free at 800-636-0808.
