Tag Archives: Indianapolis Accident Lawyers

How Long Does a Personal Injury Lawsuit Take?

Posted on by

Many questions arise after being negligently injured in an accident. One of the more common inquiries involves time; that is, many accident victims want to know how long a personal injury lawsuit can take. If you are a recent accident victim, you may be wondering the same thing.

Continue reading to learn more about personal injury lawsuits, including the possible standard events of the average legal process.

Personal Injury Law Firm 317-881-2700

Personal Injury Law Firm
317-881-2700

Immediately After the Accident

As soon as you are involved in an accident, you must get medical treatment immediately. Even if you look and feel fine because of adrenaline, there could be underlying bodily injury such as whiplash, back injuries, spine injuries, orthopedic fractures, burns and more. Always get checked out by a medical professional right after an accident. Once you have received your medical treatment, continue with any physician’s orders and show up for all scheduled doctors’ appointments.

Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

After you get home from the hospital, it is wise to start looking for a lawyer to represent your personal injury claim. Choose a seasoned Indianapolis accident lawyer who has experience in your type of accident and provides free initial consultations to discuss your case. It is also helpful to choose a law firm that works on a contingency fee basis, meaning they do not collect lawyer fees unless the recover a settlement for you.

Case Investigation and Development

Upon hiring a lawyer, the next step of the process mainly rests in their hands. From here, your lawyer will document your case through an investigation, while also utilizing all types of sources and evidence, such as witness statements, 911 tapes, photographs, videos, professional testimonies, medical records and more. They will also negotiate with the opposing insurance company to obtain the full and fair compensation you deserve for your damages and losses as an accident victim.

Negotiations

The negotiating part of the process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, or even years, depending on many factors, including how cooperative the opposing insurance company is and how long it takes for you to recover. Sometimes, lawyers will not make a demand until a victim has reached maximum medical improvement (MMI), and they have mostly recovered from their injuries. No accident victim should want to even make a settlement demand until a doctor tells them there is no further treatments which can improve their situation.

Filing a Lawsuit

Not all personal injury claims go to trial and in fact the majority of cases do not, but if they do, the process starts as soon as the lawsuit is filed. From there, it can take up to 1 to 2 years for the case to make it to court, however, every state has different pretrial procedures, so it is hard to really predict how long it will take.

Discovery Process

Once the lawsuit is filed, both sides begin the discovery process to investigate and research the legal claims and defenses, which involves interrogatories, document requests, and more. The discovery process generally takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months, but this can vary depending on various factors such as case complexity and court deadlines.

Mediations

Once the discovery process closes, both sides enter into the mediation and negotiation phase of the process. Basically, they begin to discuss the possible settlement. If the lawyers representing each side cannot agree on a settlement among themselves, obviously with the consent of their clients, they will go to mediation. If mediation does not work, the case will go to trial. However, most personal injury lawsuits settle out of court using mediation.

Trial

If a personal injury lawsuit goes to trial, it is very difficult to predict how long it will take. There are several factors that influence the legal timeline of such cases. Hearings can also be pushed back and rescheduled. This means a trial can take anywhere from one day to several months, or longer, depending on the case.

Where to Get the Best Legal Advice Regarding Your Claim

Personal Injury Law Firm 317-881-2700

Personal Injury Law Firm
317-881-2700

Call The Law office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to make a personal injury claim in Indiana. Our seasoned Indianapolis accident lawyers are ready and able to recover the full and fair compensation you deserve. Not only does our law firm offer free consultations, we never collect lawyer fees unless we prevail for you!

How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Accident Lawyer?

Posted on by

It is always best to hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you or your family in an accident case, however, many people are hesitant to do so out of fear that they charge too much for their services. If you want to know how much an accident lawyer charges for their services, continue reading and review the several types of pay rates and price tiers that are common among law firms and independent attorneys.

Personal Injury Law Firm 317-881-2700

Personal Injury Law Firm
317-881-2700

Understanding Lawyer Fees

Law firms collect their fees in a variety of ways. It can depend on the type of case, the lawyer’s experience and more. Common payment arrangements used by law firms and lawyers include hourly rates, flat rates, retainers, and contingent fees. Flat rate fees are generally arranged for basic and simple legal services, like divorces and wills. Hourly fees are the most common payment arrangement for lawyers, and vary in price depending on the lawyer’s experience. Hourly attorney rates can be anywhere from $50 to $1,000 per hour! However, these rates vary from firm to firm.

Contingent Fees and Retainers

Retainers are used for certain cases and charged upfront before services are rendered. As clients are billed, the amount is deducted from the retainer as the case proceeds. Contingent fees are only collected if a lawyer wins a settlement for their client. This means they work on a contingent fee basis. This is most common for personal injury lawyers and law firms like ours.

Most personal injury law firms, including ours, offer free initial consultations to discuss your accident and assess whether or not it’s a valid claim. If it is valid, they will accept the case and move forward with the legal process upon your request, without ever collecting lawyer fees unless they win your settlement. So most often, no upfront fees are necessary, but this is not the case for all firms.

Recovering a Settlement

Once a settlement is recovered, there are different methods and price tiers of payment collected by lawyers. How they choose to collect or charge their fees all depends on the firm or the lawyer themselves. A certain percentage is deducted from the settlement amount and paid to the personal injury attorney for their services. But if the client does not win their case, the lawyer collects nothing. Generally, accident lawyers collect one third of the settlement recovered; however, these percentages vary among firms.

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Call The Law Office of Craven, Hoover, Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free initial consultation with a licensed personal injury lawyer in Indianapolis, Indiana. They never collect attorney fees unless we win your settlement. They specialize in various accident cases, including motor vehicle accidents, slip trip and fall accidents, dog bites, workers compensation, and much more. Call 317-881-2700 to file a personal injury claim, today.

Are You a Bicycle Accident Victim That Was Injured By a Negligent Driver?

Posted on by

Indianapolis Bicycle Accidents

Bicycle Accident Lawyer Indianapolis Indiana

Bicycle Accident Lawyer 317-881-2700

Unfortunately, bicycle accidents are moderately common throughout the United States; and a large percentage of these accidents are caused by motor vehicles and negligent drivers. In fact, according to a 2008 data log from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), nearly 53,000 bicyclists were injured in traffic accidents since the year 1932. From this number, more than 700 of these bicyclists were killed; and even more disturbing, 13 percent of those killed were children. 25% were injured
children on bikes.

Negligent Drivers

When a person is injured while riding a bike, and the injury was caused by negligent driver, this rider may be entitled to compensation for their injuries and damages. Bicycle accident victims that were injured as a result of another person’s negligence can pursue a lawsuit and most likely win the case. This is because cyclists have rights on biker-friendly roads. Drivers on these roads need to be respectful of bikers and drive cautiously around them. A bicycle accident lawsuit largely depends whether or not this person seeks professional legal counsel to properly file claim against the negligent party. It is always highly recommended to consult a highly accomplished and experienced bicycle accident injury attorney for accurate information about filing personal injury claims and lawsuits. Accomplished and reputable law firms never charge attorney fees unless they prevail in a settlement or trial, and first consultations should always be free.

Bicycle Accident Claims

Bicycle Accident Lawyer 317-881-2700

Bicycle Accident Lawyer 317-881-2700

There are a few scenarios in circumstances that can set back a bicycle accident personal injury claim in negotiations or trial. For example, if a person decides to ride the bicycle at night without proper reflective lights or attire, they can be liable for their own damages if injured by a motorist. Also, if a person riding a bike sales to obey the rules of the road and then suffers injuries in a bicycle accident, they can also be liable for their own damages.

On the other hand, if the driver fails to obey the rules of the road and hits a bicyclist, the bicyclist may be eligible and entitled to legal compensation. No matter if the driver was under the influence of a certain substance, texting and driving, disobeying traffic signs are lights, or simply not paying attention, they can still be held responsible in a court of law for hitting and harming a cyclist on the road.

Indianapolis Accident Lawyers

Call the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to file a bicycle accident injury claim in Indianapolis, Indiana. Remember, if you are loved one were hit by motorist and injured, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages and losses. Act fast so that Indiana’s statutes of limitations doesn’t pass you by! The majority of accidents caused by negligent drivers are taken to court and won successfully. If you are bicycle accident victim, schedule a free initial consultation with one of our experienced Indianapolis accident attorneys to assess whether or not you have a case. And we never collect lawyer fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Experience You Can TRUST

Personal Injury Lawyers Indiana

Personal Injury Lawyers Indiana 317-881-2700

Seasoned accident attorneys, Daniel Craven, Ralph Hoover, and Keith Blazek have extensive litigation and trial experience for various personal injury practice areas, and we can pursue remuneration for numerous damages, such as medical expenses, hospital bills, lost wages, wrongful death, mental anguish, pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement, loss of love and companionship, loss of ability to work, and much more.

Contact us today at 317-881-2700 to schedule your free initial consultation and determine whether or not you are eligible for compensation from suffering damages from a bicycle accident in Indiana.