Personal Injury Attorney Evansville, Indiana

Accidents can happen anytime or anyplace, possibly resulting in serious injury. If you or a loved one have been the victim of an accident due to another person’s negligence, you may be eligible to file a personal injury claim. The experienced personal injury lawyers at Wilson Kehoe Winingham are here in Evansville and can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Finding yourself injured through no fault of your own can be traumatizing. You may feel overwhelmed and concerned about mounting medical bills. You might not be able to work due to the injury, adding to an already stressful situation.

Personal injury claims result from a wide variety of accidents, including everything from car and boating accidents to dog bites or a slip and fall incident. All of which have the potential to result in life-altering injuries. Sadly, personal injury cases are not uncommon in Evansville, Indiana.

About Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is a city in and the county seat of Vanderburgh County, Indiana. With nearly 120,000 people calling Evansville home, it’s the third largest city in the state. Evansville is situated across the Ohio River from Kentucky, hugging the southern state line. It is also not far from the Illinois state boundary.

Evansville residents take pride in their community and love spending time downtown and walking along the Ohio River, taking in beautiful sunsets. It’s easy to get out in the great outdoors with wooded trails nearby along with many popular spelunking sites. The city is home to several sports franchises, including the Otters, an independent baseball league team who play at the stadium where the movie A League of Their Own was filmed.

What Are the Different Types of Personal Injury?

Accidents can happen anytime to anyone. In other words, nobody plans to be in an accident. Depending on the type of accident, resulting injuries can range from minimal to life-altering. As a victim, you may have medical bills piling up and find yourself unable to work. The stress can feel overwhelming.

The experienced personal injury attorneys at Wilson Kehoe Winingham have handled all types of cases, from car and truck accidents to workplace injuries to toxic mold. Personal injury lawsuits have been the primary focus of our law firm for more than 30 years.

Car Accidents

Whether it’s an in-town fender bender or a more potentially dangerous interstate accident, Evansville, Indiana has its share of auto accidents. If you’re the victim of another driver’s negligence, you don’t have to suffer in silence.

Looking at car accidents in the state of Indiana as a whole, in 2019, Indiana drivers experienced 217,396 collisions, 739 of which resulted in fatalities.

Auto accidents are one of the most common reasons for a personal injury claim to be filed. When drivers behave negligently, severe injury can be inflicted upon the victim, potentially leaving them impacted for life. The personal injury attorneys at Wilson Kehoe Winingham can help you get compensation for medical costs, ongoing treatments, property damage, and pain and suffering.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice suits happen when a doctor either failed to act or acted in a way that caused harm to a patient. These cases typically require extensive investigation of what happened to prove that the doctor or medical facility is at fault. Cases may include prescription error, surgical negligence, medical device failure, or improper treatment.

Additional Personal Injury Accidents

Personal injury cases have been a primary focus of Wilson Kehoe Winingham’s practice for more than 30 years. We have secured full and fair settlements for our clients and successfully taken cases to trial as needed. Other representative areas of personal injury cases we handle include:

• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Boating accidents
• Transportation accidents
• Aviation accidents
• Workplace accidents
• Golf Cart accidents
• Construction accidents
• Farming accidents
• Premises liability
• Mesothelioma
• Dog bite lawyers
• Slip and fall accidents
• Fire and explosions
• Insurance claim denials
• Product liability
• Drug injuries
• Brain injuries
• Wrongful death
• Nursing home abuse
• Spinal cord injury
• Birth injuries
• Toxic mold exposure

How Do I File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Evansville, Indiana?

The first step in filing a personal injury claim should be to hire an experienced attorney who will walk you through each step of the process, including establishing legal standing, identifying liable parties, filing a claim with the proper court, and serving a complaint. Trying to manage this process on your own will only lead to frustration and, almost assuredly, leaving money on the table. Our experienced WKW lawyers are here in Evansville, IN, and ready to help.

Can I Represent Myself in a Personal Injury Case?

Legally, there is nothing stopping you from representing yourself in the state of Indiana. This is known as “pro se” representation. However, most individuals who decide to go it alone end up frustrated and drained. Not to mention that they have likely settled for far less money than an experienced attorney would have secured.

Wilson Kehoe Winingham’s experienced Evansville personal injury lawyers have helped clients for decades to secure favorable outcomes in the face of unfortunate situations. Chances are, your injury would be the first time you’re encountering this process. Why go it alone when there’s an experienced and caring team here in Evansville to help you through this crisis?

How Can an Evansville Personal Injury Attorney Help Me?

If you have been injured in an accident in Evansville and it was someone else’s fault, you may be able to file a personal injury claim. An experienced personal injury attorney from Wilson Kehoe Winingham can help you to receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other potential losses. Our lawyers know that insurance companies will work against you to avoid any payout or to offer the lowest amount possible to just make the case go away. To these insurance companies, you’re just an annoyance and a file number, but if you work with WKW, you’re a client we care about and we’ll fight to get you a full and fair settlement.

Insurance Company Disputes

This is likely the top area where an experienced personal injury attorney from WKW can have the most impact. While you are able to represent yourself in a personal injury suit, you will likely end up frustrated and walking away with a percentage of what a lawyer may have been able to procure. Our attorneys have dealt with insurance companies for decades and are not intimidated by their tactics. Personal injury attorneys at WKW will know all the potential claims that can be sought and what a reasonable settlement number is for your long-term care and recovery.

Deciding Case Damages

There are two main types of damages recoverable from personal injury lawsuits: special damages and general damages.

Special damages are economic. They’re objective, quantifiable, out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of the accident, such as loss of wages, medical expenses, or mobility equipment, like a wheelchair.

General damages are non-economic. They boil down to putting a price tag on an otherwise subjective injury, such as loss of enjoyment or a lower quality of life, pain and suffering, or emotional distress.

Managing Your Case

The personal injury attorneys at WKW will work with you each step of the way, from investigating the accident, to developing a case strategy with the goal of ensuring a favorable payout, to taking your case to trial if need be. There’s no need to blindly charge ahead alone when you could have an experienced team member beside you at every turn.

What Happens If the Insurance Company Denies My Claim?

Following a personal injury accident, you are likely already feeling overwhelmed and stressed. The last thing you need is to be trying to deal with insurance companies for compensation. This is where you really see the benefits of working with an experience personal injury lawyer. Following your personal injury accident, it’s likely the first time you are experiencing this scenario. But for the personal injury lawyers at WKW, it’s what we’ve been doing for decades.

Insurance company employees are trained to protect corporate profits. This means that they will try to downplay your injuries or infer that they’re due to pre-existing conditions. This will result in a lowball offer or even an outright denial of your claim. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be very familiar with these tactics and know-how to counter their claims. Don’t make the mistake of going it alone without a lawyer by your side.

Victim Rights in Evansville, Indiana

In the state of Indiana, personal injury law recognizes that people can be found negligent or otherwise responsible for harm or injury sustained in an accident. If you are the victim of another party’s negligence, working with a personal injury lawyer at Wilson Kehoe Winingham in Evansville can help you get your rightful compensation.

Accidents can happen in an instant, but they can have long-term or even lifelong repercussions. You may find yourself unable to work, or even walk. Spending time doing the things you love may now come with constant pain. You should not suffer in silence if the responsible party did not take the necessary care to prevent your injury from happening and possibly changing your life.

Statute of Limitations in Indiana

Each state has its own set of laws dictating when you may file lawsuits in court. These deadlines are called statutes of limitation, and they are strictly enforced. According to Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4, Indiana’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases is set at two years, meaning you have two years from the day of your accident to file the initial court documentation.

Injuries Sustained From Personal Injury Accidents

Just as accidents can take all forms, so too can the resulting injuries. But no matter the severity of the injury, you may be entitled to compensation. Some of the more common injuries we see in Evansville, IN personal injury cases include:

• Whiplash: Most commonly resulting from a car or truck accident, whiplash occurs following a rapid back-to-forth forced movement of the head, resulting in neck tissue strain.
• Bone fractures: This includes damage to ribs, with severity depending on whether the break is a simple or compound fracture.
• Sprains and tissue or ligament strain: Any joint may be affected by the sudden tug or pull from an accident.
• Brain injury: Depending on the severity of the blow to the head or the force of impact, these can range from a concussion to traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Cuts, abrasions, and bruises: These may be serious in and of themselves, or could lead to an infection or other related difficulties down the road.
• Internal bleeding: This can result from a severe impact or a fractured bone.
• Disfigurement: These injuries may require surgery and/or have long-term or even lifelong implications.

Potential Compensation From an Evansville Personal Injury Case

There’s no simple answer when our clients ask us what their case is worth, as each injury and set of circumstances is unique. Many factors determine the worth of a case, including how much blame is apportioned to each party, the severity of damages or injury, and the amount of insurance involved. Generally speaking, an attorney will need to dig a bit and learn more about your personal circumstances before offering even a ballpark figure for a potential settlement amount.

What to Do After a Personal Injury Accident

Immediately following your injury, you could be feeling under duress and/or it may be possible that you won’t yet realize the extent of your injuries, which could be masked by an adrenaline rush. While the specifics of the scene of your injury factor into what happens next, there are a few basic steps you should follow to ensure both your own wellbeing and your ability to build a successful personal injury claim.

1. Ensure your safety. Try to remain calm and think clearly. Unless you feel that physical movement could worsen your condition, move to safety. For example, if yo’ve been in a car crash, get yourself and your vehicle—depending on its condition—out of the flow of traffic where more damage could occur.
2. Call the police. It is important to get an official police report on file. The police can also dispatch medical assistance to the scene if needed.
3. Seek medical attention. Your safety and wellbeing should be your top priority. It is essential to seek medical care following an accident, as you may have internal or other injuries that are not immediately obvious. You will also want to have a medical assessment on file in case you move forward with a personal injury claim.
4. Gather information. You’ll want to collect names and contact information of any other parties involved, including insurance details where relevant. If there are any witnesses, try to gather their information as well. If you were injured while at work, ask for all details regarding your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance plan.
5. Take a deep breath. Now is not the time to go around town talking about what happened or your injury. Anything you say could be turned against you later.
6. Hire a lawyer. It’s best to engage with an experienced personal injury lawyer from the beginning, so no valuable time is lost in pursuing a personal injury claim. WKW offers a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the details of your case.

Seek Proper Medical Help

We want to reiterate that it is essential to seek medical care following an accident, as you may have injuries that you are not yet aware of. It’s also to your future benefit to have a medical assessment on file should you proceed with a personal injury claim or in case your condition worsens.

File a Personal Injury Claim

You’ll need to file an insurance claim to get compensation for damages resulting from your injury. We suggest you work with an attorney before contacting the insurance company on your own. They can coach you on what to say and what not to say. You’ll want to share the facts only.

What Separates WKW From Other Law Firms?

Our team of personal injury lawyers at Wilson Kehoe Winingham have decades of experience handling personal injury cases of all types. In fact, working with our clients to restore their lives during challenging times is at the core of our entire practice. We limit the number of cases we take on so that every client gets the personal attention they deserve and need during this trying process. We are with our Evansville clients every step of the way. And since we work on a contingency basis, there is no up-front cost to you, leaving you with one less thing to worry about from the start.

Reach Out to Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Evansville, Indiana for Legal Assistance

The personal injury lawyers at Wilson Kehoe Winingham are here in Evansville and ready to help. We fight for all our clients to get you the compensation you deserve. Our firm offers a free, no-obligation consultation, so you can feel comfortable learning more about our services. Call our office today at (317) 669-9983.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is my case worth?

Each personal injury case is unique, so there is no set answer to this question. The dollar amount sought will depend on a number of factors, including the severity of the situation/injury and any long-lasting impacts. It will also depend on the types and level of insurance involved. The experienced personal injury lawyers at WKW have served as counsel on all types of these lawsuits and will not leave money on the table.

There are typically two ways to determine a monetary value: settlement value or trial value. The majority of personal injury cases end in a settlement and avoid going to trial. A settlement value will typically be lower than a trial value because you are guaranteed payment once a settlement is reached. In a trial, you may walk away with nothing if you lose, so the stakes are higher.

How long does a personal injury case take?

This is not an easy question to answer, but one that is, understandably, always asked. It’s natural to want to know what you’re getting into. While it depends on the complexity of the case, they can typically take from one to three years from start to either settlement or trial. This is another reason to make sure you select an attorney you not only have confidence in, but also one you’re comfortable working with, as it will be a while.

How much does a personal injury lawyer cost?

If you are the victim of a personal injury due to someone’s negligence, the last thing you need to be worrying about is the cost of legal representation. Don’t let the fear of not being able to afford a personal injury lawyer stop you from getting the help and guidance you need—and the compensation you deserve.

Most reputable personal injury lawyers work on what’s known as a contingency basis. This means that there’s no up-front, out-of-pocket cost to you. Instead, when you are awarded your settlement, the lawyers receive a percentage of the money awarded. So not only does this help alleviate the financial burden on the victim, but it also aligns the interests of both client and lawyer to seek the maximum possible settlement.