Traffic accidents can seriously impact your health, finances, job, and family. And injuries and property damage can be severe when the other vehicle was a large or commercial truck. Understanding how to pursue a truck accident claim in Indiana—and the kind of attorney best able to help you in the fight—can make all the difference in your financial recovery.

Where a Truck Accident Claim Might Arise

You can drive from the East Coast to the West Coast and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada on interstate highways that pass through Indiana. As a matter of fact, there are seven interstate highways that pass through the state of Indiana, along with countless other state routes and local roads. Several busy interstates converge in Indianapolis, and the 465 bypass around the city sees heavy traffic day and night.

In addition to passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles are a constant presence on those roads, including semis, tractor-trailers, or other commercial trucks. Accidents between passenger vehicles and large trucks occur in Indianapolis and across the state, and they can be very serious. In fact, in recent years, Indiana has ranked in the top ten states with truck accident fatalities.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with a truck, you may be entitled to compensation from the driver, the trucking company, and any number of other parties, such as the truck’s manufacturer or insurer. Having an experienced personal injury attorney on your side can help move your truck accident claim in the right direction.

What Compensation Is Available for Truck Accident Victims?

An experienced Indianapolis truck accident lawyer assists accident victims with their injury claims, ensuring that they receive the compensation to which they are entitled for their medical, financial, and emotional losses. Indiana law allows for recovery of at least a portion of the damages suffered if the claimant is less than 50 percent at fault for the accident.

Catastrophic Injuries Caused by Indiana Truck Accidents

When a passenger vehicle is involved in a crash with a large truck, the potential for catastrophic injuries to the occupants of the passenger vehicle is increased due to the massive difference in size and weight of the two vehicles involved. People on motorcycles, in cars, and in other small passenger vehicles can suffer life-altering injuries in a large truck accident.

Compensation for personal injuries sustained in a truck accident most often includes reimbursement of the medical bills sustained by the injured party—both for immediate treatment at the time of the accident and for subsequent rehabilitation, if needed. These costs can include ambulance transportation, hospital and doctor bills, prescription medication costs, physical therapy, and any assistive devices such as mobility aids that are required due to truck accident injuries.

Pecuniary Expenses Recoverable in a Truck Accident Claim

When a person is injured in a truck accident, the resulting costs aren’t limited to medical expenses. Property damage often results as well, and physical injuries can cause lost opportunities. Truck accidents almost always result in damage to any passenger vehicle involved. The sheer weight differential means that the passenger vehicle sustains the greater force from the collision and, therefore, the greater damage. The cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle involved in the collision, the costs for towing the vehicle from the accident scene, and the expense of renting another car while the damaged car is being repaired or replaced are examples of other items for which an accident victim can be compensated.

In addition to property damage, a person involved in a truck accident often has to spend time away from work, while recovering from or seeking treatment for injuries sustained in the accident. The accident victim may also be entitled to recover for lost income incurred during that time.

The Intangible Losses Suffered Due to a Truck Accident Injury in Indiana

In addition to medical expenses, vehicle damages, and lost income, there are numerous other intangible damages that a person involved in a truck accident may suffer. For drivers or passengers injured in the accident, there may be a great deal of physical pain and suffering caused by their injuries. The experience of being in the accident and the adjustment to a more pain-filled life afterward can often cause mental anguish. Indiana courts have allowed juries broad discretion in awarding a dollar amount for pain and suffering.

In addition, physical injuries may result in a lower quality of life due to permanent disability, such as head trauma causing mental impairment, or due to other injuries affecting a person’s ability to remain in the same job or participate in sports and other activities they used to enjoy before the truck accident.

In the most serious cases, the accident resulted in a fatality. For people who have lost a loved one due to a truck accident, they may be able to recover compensation for the loss of that loved one’s companionship or wrongful death.

Steps to Pursuing a Truck Accident Claim

If you have been injured in a truck accident in Indiana, your best bet is to contact an experienced Indianapolis truck accident lawyer with experience with truck accidents as soon as possible. The Indianapolis-area law firm of Camden & Meridew, P.C., has Indiana truck accident attorneys who can help you evaluate and preserve your truck accident claim. Contact David Allen at 317-770-0000 or complete the firm’s online contact form to discuss how you can get the compensation that you are entitled to for any truck accident injuries or other losses resulting from the accident.