Accidents and injuries happen in the Merrillville area each and every day. Many people who suffer injuries in accidents due to another person’s negligence don’t know where to turn. They may need to undergo medical treatment at a significant cost, take time off work, and become unable to perform daily living tasks due to their injuries.
If you suffered injuries in a recent car accident, slip and fall, bicycle accident, or dog bite incident, you have legal options available to you. In addition to seeking same-day medical treatment for your injuries, one of the most important steps you can take is to talk with a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible.
The injury lawyers at Blackburn Romey understand the suffering, pain, and inconvenience that many accident victims endure. Our legal team can meet with you right away to discuss the circumstances of your accident and whether you might be eligible to file a personal injury claim for monetary damages. If you are eligible to file a claim, we can assist you throughout the process and, if necessary, litigate your case to a conclusion in the court system.
With multiple locations across Indiana, Blackburn Romey handles different personal injury cases such as:
Car and truck accidents are, unfortunately, an all-too-common occurrence. Car and truck accidents can happen anywhere, and they are just as common on sparsely traveled rural roads as they are on busy highways throughout the area, including U.S. 30 and Interstate 65.
In most instances, car and truck accidents occur because of driver negligence. The at-fault driver might be speeding or violating some other rule of the road at the time of the collision. At other times, the at-fault driver might become distracted while they are behind the wheel, or they may be under the illegal influence of drugs or alcohol.
Truck accidents happen in much the same way as car crashes, but these collisions can also occur when truck drivers and trucking companies fail to follow state and federal motor carrier regulations. Trucking companies can also be responsible when they fail to hire and retain capable, responsible truck drivers to operate their vehicles. Finally, some truck accidents happen because of defective repair work or defective parts on the vehicles.
Since Indiana is a fault-based state, you can file a claim for damages against the insurance company of the at-fault party. When needed, you can pursue a lawsuit against the liable party. If you or a person you care about has suffered injuries in a car or truck accident, the lawyers at Blackburn Romey are here to help. We could help you file a claim with the appropriate insurance company and work to negotiate a favorable settlement on your behalf.
Motorcycle and bicycle riders are at a significant disadvantage. Unlike the occupants of trucks and cars, they do not have an outer metal shell surrounding them at the time of an accident. When a car or truck strikes a cyclist, the cyclist will oftentimes fall to the ground and sustain serious injuries that may require ongoing medical treatment. When a bicycle or motorcycle accident happens because of another driver’s negligence, the cyclist might be able to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit that seeks damages from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Slip and fall accidents in Merrillville usually happen when property owners do not take good care of their properties. A property owner has an affirmative duty to warn about or correct known dangerous hazards which exist on their properties — and to do so within a reasonable time. If the property owner fails to take action appropriately and a slip and fall accident occurs, then the accident victim could take legal action against the premises owner.
In Indiana, a dog owner can be responsible for paying damages if their dog bites someone else under certain circumstances. Many dog owners have coverage through their homeowner’s insurance policy. A dog owner can be responsible if they knew or should’ve known that their dog had vicious tendencies or was likely to bite or attack someone without provocation.
Victims of serious accidents in Merrillville, IN can suffer injuries that require extensive medical treatment, including surgeries, stitches, injections, and physical therapy. Common injuries that accident victims suffer include traumatic head and brain injuries, soft tissue contusions, cuts and abrasions, bruises, internal injuries, burns, spinal cord damage, and full or partial paralysis.
In some accident cases, the accident victim’s injuries are fatal. In that instance, the accident victim’s surviving family members could open an estate and pursue a wrongful death claim or lawsuit for damages. Compensation from a wrongful death claim or lawsuit can never take the place of a deceased loved one. However, it can bring about a sense of closure and justice for the unfortunate consequences.
Victims of accidents that result from negligence are eligible to recover various damages. Potential damages that accident victims might recover include compensation for:
The experienced attorneys at Blackburn Romey can help you maximize the compensation you recover in your case through settlement or litigation.
Another party may be named as liable in your lawsuit if he or she breached a duty of care to you. There are many different ways that these kinds of accidents can happen but they all revolve around the same concept of negligence. When another party is negligent due to inactions or actions taken that endangered you and put you at risk for severe injuries, your willingness to consult with a lawyer immediately may make the difference between whether or not you get the compensation you need. Lost wages because you can no longer go to work, medical expenses, and your pain and suffering can mount up quickly after an incident has occurred.
Most people in such a situation do not realize that they have a limited period of time in which they must take action to protect their rights. This is referred to as the statute of limitations. In Indiana, the statute of limitations only allows people to pursue injury claims a maximum of two years from the date of such an accident.
When the two-year time period has lapsed, you are no longer eligible to pursue a claim and will have to pay out of pocket for your own injury costs. Indiana personal injury law recognizes your right to hire a Merrillville personal injury lawyer immediately to help you navigate this complex case and to pursue the compensation to which you are owed as a victim. Charting a path forward might feel impossible if your doctor is now telling you that the injuries you have sustained are likely to affect you for months or even years.
Not every case will lead to a full recovery, and under Indiana personal injury law, you’re empowered to talk to a lawyer and file a claim when it appears as though things will never be normal again. The only way to prepare yourself for a life full of medical treatments and other invasions is to file a personal injury lawsuit with the help of a Merrillville personal injury attorney. Your lawyer will be able to help you with numerous different aspects of your case and many people are surprised to realize that an attorney plays an important role that extends far beyond just preparing your case for court. Your lawyer will initially sit down with you to discuss your eligibility to file a claim, identifying the cause of the accident, and the severity of the injuries you sustained. Your attorney may put together a demand letter for the insurance company or begin to consult with the other party or any insurance companies to talk about a settlement.
In many cases, the insurance company will be doing everything possible to minimize their own liability and this could mean denial of your claim even though you are well within your rights to file it. Because there are so many complicated issues going on and because there are many timelines you must follow for both the state as well as your insurance company, it is in your best interests for a Merrillville personal injury lawyer to begin looking at the specifics of your case as soon as possible.
Once a lawyer has identified how your life has been forever shaped by such an accident, he or she will fight for a settlement. If your Merrillville personal injury attorney, however, is not able to achieve a meaningful settlement resolution with the other party, he or she will move forward with a legal claim. A lawsuit is often the last resort for many people as most personal injury cases can be resolved in a settlement. However, because of the fact that not every case can be managed effectively with settlement negotiations or in mediation, you will want a Merrillville personal injury attorney who is ready to go to court.
A Merrillville personal injury lawyer who has a track record of taking on the insurance companies and liable parties is one of the most important assets you can have as you file an injury claim.
The best personal injury lawyer for you should be personally involved in the claim and prepared to do everything possible to protect your rights and fight for maximum compensation. It is not an easy process to go through this on your own, but when you have a Merrillville personal injury lawyer at your side to advise you about the value of a settlement and what you need to do to follow up with your medical appointments, you will feel more confident about your case going forward. In the wake of an accident, you have many different things to think about as a victim.
None of these should be your responsibility because the accident should never have happened in the first place; however, if you have already sustained injuries because another party broke the law or breached his or her duty of care to you, the right lawyer can assist you with getting the funds you need.
If you have suffered injuries in an accident that resulted from someone else’s recklessness or carelessness, the skilled legal team at Blackburn Romey is here to assist you. We stand up for the rights of our clients to total compensation for their injury-related losses. We do not back down against insurance companies.
For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a skilled member of our legal team, please contact us online today. We are ready to help.
While we know that other attorneys advertise their case results on their websites, the sharing of this information is prohibited under Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 7.1 [2] (2)). We are proud of our success and are happy to provide our past settlement and verdict results, the number of former clients we have represented, and the total amount of money we have recovered for our clients in person during your free consultation. Every case is different and depends on many different facts and circumstances. One case’s results cannot be used to predict the outcome of another case. Blackburn Romey is confident in our past success. However, you should not expect any specific outcome for your own case based on any attorney’s past performance.
What Our Clients Are Saying About Us
Blackburn & Romey has provided impeccable service for our family over the years. Attorney Frank Wolferd is attentive to the needs of his clients. He is extremely thorough and comes up with the best result that benefits the client. Would highly recommend.
Blackburn Romey founding partner Tom Blackburn graduated with honors receiving a degree from Indiana University at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Initiating his legal career in 1977, he has been active in practicing law and currently serves as a member of the Indiana State Bar Association on the Ethics and Advertising Committees, the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, as a board member at the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, and as an appointed member of the Executive Committee for the State of Indiana for the National Trial Lawyers Association.
