Leading Truck Accident Lawyers in Indianapolis

What Are Some Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Indiana?

With the large number of trucks on Indiana roadways, accidents are a fairly common occurrence. A multitude of factors must be considered when attempting to determine why an accident happened and who was at fault. Some of the most common sense are:

• Driver Fatigue

  Truck drivers have to cover long distances and meet delivery schedules. They rarely afford to enjoy rest time. Many of them fall asleep at the wheel. Those who do not have a low attention span and reaction speed, which make accidents difficult to avoid.

• Highway Hypnosis

  Drivers who see the same landscape for hours in a row enter a trance-like state. They can no longer focus on the road and they have a hard time noticing dangers and reacting to them.

• Rollovers

  Trucks height, length, and weight make them unstable and difficult to handle or when taking a turn. A sudden turn or a few extra miles-per-hour are enough to cause a rollover and crush cars and people in the immediate vicinity.

• Tire Blowouts

  Truck tires see a lot of wear and tear. They are rarely replaced in due time, so they often blow out. When it happens, many drivers lose control of their truck and crash into nearby obstacles or vehicles.

• Jackknifing

  Speed, improper braking, slippery roads, dangerous turns, and equipment failures can cause trucks to fold at the connection between the cab and the trailer. Many drivers lose control of the truck, which ends up swiping everything in its path.

• Rear-end and Underride Collisions

  Sometimes, when truck drivers hit the brakes suddenly, the small vehicles behind them are unable to stop in due time. If the truck does not have a safety guard, some end up sliding underneath the trailer of the truck.

• Lost Load Crashes

  These accidents occur due to truck overloading and improperly secured cargo. Parts of the cargo detaches and falls on the carriageway, turning into obstacles for the other vehicles.

• T-bone Crashes

  They usually occur at intersections, due to failure to yield right of way. When trucks are involved, the smaller vehicles may be pushed into the nearby lane or thrown off the road.

• No-Zone Accidents

  This term refers to the rear area of 18-wheelers that is not covered by mirrors and, therefore, is invisible to truck drivers. A sudden brake or change of direction can be enough to cause an accident with a vehicle in that area.

Professional Truck Accident Lawyer: Expert Legal Advice & Consultation

Filing a claim after a car/truck wreck isn’t easy to do alone. Our Indiana car crash lawyers are here to guide you. From making sure you meet the requirements of the statute of limitations to helping you understand Indiana's insurance requirements, you can count on StewartWood to be there for you every step of the way.

Our commitment doesn’t stop at handling your case—we want to help make your recovery as stress-free as possible.  We want your life to be as great as it can be!

Not only will we help arrange your vehicle repairs and medical care, but if you can’t make it to our office, we’ll also visit you in your home or the hospital.

• How We Handle a Case

  Our car crash attorneys will assist individuals who have been physically injured due to thе negligent actions оf another in a car wreck. A personal injury attorney can help you receive full compensation from the insurance company and determine whether you can file a claim for additional damages against the party at fault for the crash. If you have suffered a serious injury because of the car wreck, we can help you file a lawsuit to claim compensation beyond that which is provided through insurance claims.

  Our attorneys can begin preparing your claim by:

  • Collecting police and accident scene reports
  • Questioning witnesses
  • Reconstructing the car accident scene
  • Taking photographs of the scene, damage, vehicles, and injuries
  • Analyzing medical reports
  • Contacting expert witnesses to review evidence
  • Speaking with the insurance providers on your behalf
  • Your attorney can collect and organize evidence on your behalf to rebut the defendant’s claims.
• Your Trusted Personal Injury Attorneys

  Our mission as personal injury attorneys is to represent injured people, but we don’t want you to think of us as just that: personal injury attorneys. Our team members are part of the community.

  We live and work here, and it’s the place we call home. We live in the same neighborhoods as you, and we want to make sure that our neighbors and friends are well taken care of as well.

  Our experienced attorneys have obtained successful outcomes for their clients in a variety of practice areas, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, brain injuries, Social Security and Veteran Disability, defective products, fire and burn injuries, drug injuries, nursing home abuse, big truck wrecks, and wrongful deaths, among others.

• Big Truck Wrecks

  Whether it's a delivery, moving, dump, construction, or city maintenance truck, the substantial size disparity between a tractor-trailer and regular vehicles can lead to catastrophic accidents. Tractor trailers often weigh over thirty times more than typical vehicles, resulting in longer stopping distances. In critical situations where you need to brake suddenly in front of a tractor-trailer, even with the quickest reflexes, the truck may not have enough space to stop in time, increasing the risk of a collision. Shockingly, in 2014, 73% of fatalities involving tractor-trailers affected occupants of regular vehicles.

• No Zones

  You may often see “BACK OFF” printed on the mud flaps of a semi-tractor trailer, and they’re telling you to “BACK OFF MY RIDE®” for a reason. Tractor trailers have blind spots on all four sides of their vehicle. You should never tailgate a tractor-trailer and always try to pass them promptly. If you are unable to see a driver in their mirror, they are unable to see you. Stay safe and reduce the possibility of an accident by staying out of their blind spots.

• Federal Regulation

  Unlike regular drivers, tractor-trailer drivers are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations that dictate how long they can drive in one session. There are also regulations regarding how much time off for rest the driver must take between trips. Tractor-trailer drivers are also required to meticulously and regularly check their trailer to make sure that it is up to code and does not have any problems.

  If any of these regulations are not complied with before or at the time of your accident, then you may have a strong case against the driver of the tractor-trailer. Our personal injury lawyers will perform an in-depth investigation of your accident to determine your likelihood of success.

• LET US FIGHT FOR YOU—CONTACT US TODAY

  If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident involving a tractor-trailer, then you have enough on your plate already. Personal injury cases involving tractor-trailers can be especially hard to fight on your own. An experienced attorney will be familiar with the many regulations governing drivers of tractor-trailers and will be able to see where these regulations were violated. Don’t try to fight your case alone during this emotional time. The experienced personal injury team at StewartWood is ready to fight your case for you so you don’t have to. Give us a call or fill out a case evaluation form today.

  Slip and fall accidents are the direct cause of 1 million emergency room visits every year in the U.S. Although various health problems can cause a person to fall down, only an external hazard can cause a slip-and-fall accident. Too often, these hazards should have been dealt with well before a person suffered an injury from them.

  Such hazards include:

  • Unsalted ice
  • Standing water
  • Loose or uneven floorboards
  • Poorly constructed stairs
  • Dim lighting
  • Any unmarked object or substance on the ground

  At StewartWood, our goal is to help clients who have suffered from serious slip and fall accidents caused by these dangerous hazards. Whether you slipped on icy steps at your apartment complex, on spilled water at a restaurant, on a flimsy rug at the bank, or on some steps with a loose railing, an Indiana personal injury lawyer at StewartWood can help.

  Everyone has fallen at some point in their lives. Falling in public can often result in feelings of embarrassment or shame. Many try to laugh it off as no big deal.

  But being involved in a slip-and-fall accident is nothing to be ashamed of, and it’s certainly nothing to laugh at.

  Unlike the universal experience of tripping over your own feet, being involved in a slip-and-fall accident can result in serious injuries. Instead of feeling ashamed or embarrassed, victims often feel angry that they’ve been saddled with medical bills and other expenses due to someone else’s negligence.

  Negligence simply means that someone neglected to remove or mark the hazardous condition that caused you to slip and fall. Unlike a mistake, negligence implies that the person responsible knew or should have known that the hazard existed and was likely to injure someone. An Indiana personal injury attorney can listen to the details of your case and help you determine whether or not you’re the victim of someone else’s negligence.

  Most truck drivers take the necessary precautions to keep themselves and others safe on the road. But that isn’t the case for all.

  If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, you have first-hand experience of the far-reaching effects. When someone else’s actions cause your injuries, you need justice and to recover compensation for your losses.

  You deserve a caring law firm with the strength to make a difference in your case. At StewartWood Injury Lawyers, we are committed to our clients and see them as family, not dollar signs.

  Contact one of our Indiana truck accident lawyers today at (317) 969-6558 to learn more about your legal options.

• What Makes Truck Accidents Different From Car Accidents?

  Every car accident is unique. Truck accidents tend to be especially different from collisions involving passenger cars in various ways.

  Extent of damage

  First, there is the question of injuries and damage. Of course, a semi-truck, delivery truck, or any other large vehicle can do a lot more damage than a passenger car.

  In many trucking accidents, the car is so damaged that it is “written off” instead of being repaired. You may need to replace your vehicle entirely.

  A truck accident can also cause a number of injuries, which would be included in your personal injury claim.

  Some collision injuries may be relatively minor, not requiring extensive medical treatment. But truck accidents tend to result in more serious injuries for the vehicles involved.

  A trucking accident can cause serious injury such as:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Fractures and broken bones
  • Internal bleeding
  • Loss of limb
  • Paralysis
  • Sprains and strains

  Both a property damage claim and a personal injury claim can be filed after an accident. Your property damage claim would handle the damages to your vehicle or any other property involved in the accident.

  Type of insurance

  Another thing that makes a difference with truck accidents is that nearly every large truck is a commercial vehicle. Commercial vehicles and semi-trucks must follow specific regulations.

  For example, the insurance limits are different for passenger vehicles and large trucks.

  In Indiana, for-hire carriers with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 lbs or more that transport non-hazardous property must carry a minimum of $750,000 insurance. This insurance minimum increases to $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 when transporting hazardous material.

  The specific details surrounding regulations for commercial vehicles can complicate the claims process. This is especially confusing and overwhelming if you try to pursue compensation on your own.

  When it comes to complex cases, like those involving commercial trucks, you need the help of a knowledgeable and experienced attorney backed by a strong law firm.

  Our Indiana truck accident lawyers at StewartWood Injury Lawyers have experience with trucking accident cases. When our legal team takes on your case, your lawyer can investigate thoroughly to accurately determine fault, working quickly to gather information and documents including the police report which evaluates the truck accident scene.

  Contact us today for a free case evaluation to learn how our truck accident attorneys can help after a commercial truck accident.

• How is Fault Determined in a Truck Accident?

  Before the question of recovering compensation can be considered, we must first determine who was at fault for the accident.

  Indiana follows a “modified comparative fault” system. This essentially means two things: (1) you are only able to recover damages if you are less than 51 percent at fault for the accident, and (2) the compensation you can receive is reduced depending on your percentage of fault.

  Let’s imagine you suffered $100,000 of damages from a truck accident where you were found to be 25 percent at fault. According to Indiana law, you would still be able to receive compensation, but your settlement would be reduced by 25 percent (your percentage of fault) – so you would recover $75,000.00 of damages.

• When the truck driver is at fault

  In 2019, unsafe driver actions were behind 65 percent of all collisions in Indiana. Although they are professional drivers, truck drivers may engage in a number of unsafe driving practices.

  Unsafe driving practices can include:

  • Distracted driving
  • Failure to yield
  • Driving under the influence
  • Tailgating
  • Speeding
  • Unsafe lane changes

  Sometimes, it is not always obvious what caused the crash. Or, even if you saw the truck driver engaged in one of these practices, it can be difficult to prove their actions without sufficient evidence.

  When you work with an experienced lawyer at StewartWood Injury lawyers, your truck accident case is in good hands. You can be confident that your Indiana truck accident lawyer will investigate and examine all the evidence to build you a strong case.

• When A Truck Accident Occurs Due To A Faulty Part

  Sometimes, it isn’t the truck driver, trucking company, or government agency who is at fault. Despite doing all the right things, an accident can still happen due to a faulty part.

  Malfunctioning parts that could contribute to a truck accident include:

  • Breaks
  • Lights
  • Tires

  • Engine
  • Airbag
  • Horn

  A defect in any of these parts makes a car or large truck less safe and more likely to cause an accident. Your lawyer can look into whether a mechanical or electrical failure played a role in your crash.

• Indiana Trucking Laws

  Indiana law has clearly set regulations in place for each trucking company to follow regarding semi-trucks and tractor-trailers, including:

  • Weight limits: Maximum weight of 127,400 lbs. Maximum axle weight of 22,400 lbs (single) or 36,000 lbs (tandem).
  • Maintenance requirements: Main components, such as the brakes, tires, horns, emergency equipment, and lights, must be spot-checked before each trip.
  • Worker hours: Federal regulations state that drivers can only drive for up to 11 hours following at least 10 hours off duty. Also, 30-minute driving breaks are required after 8 consecutive driving hours. There is also a limit of 60/70 on-duty hours for every 7/8 consecutive days, respectively.

  These regulations have been put in place for a reason. Various organizations have put forth considerable effort to reduce accidents on Indiana roads and keep Hoosiers safe.

  When a driver, trucking company, or someone else fails to follow these laws, lives are put at risk. Such negligence is unacceptable, and the at-fault party should be held responsible.

  Our lawyers have decades of experience with truck accident cases and know all relevant Indiana regulations inside and out. Our personal injury attorneys have been recognized time and again for their excellence, including being part of America’s Top 100 Attorneys and Indiana Super Lawyers for over 20 years.

  Contact our office today for a free consultation about your potential claim.

• Emotional Damages

  Of course, the damages you suffered can go beyond your pocketbook. A severe trucking accident, like a semi-truck accident, can be traumatic and leave deep emotional scars.

  You could suffer from PTSD after a trucking accident, which takes its own serious emotional toll. Permanent disabilities, scarring, or disfigurement can change your quality of life as well.

  The emotional toll a truck accident can have should not be ignored. Your lawyer can fight to ensure these damages are taken into account for your settlement.

• Our Legal Team is Here to Help After Your Truck Accident

  When you work with us, you will have an honest, assertive, and dependable attorney at your side to defend your legal rights and fight the insurance companies.

  Plus, since we only work on a contingency fee basis, you never need to worry about upfront costs. We only get paid when you do.

  You can feel confident leaving your commercial truck accident case in the hands of our local law firm. Contact us today for more information and to schedule a free consultation about your potential case.