Indiana Rear Impact Accident Lawyers

Car accidents are an unfortunate fact of life in Indiana, where 3,307 motorists were injured and 949 were killed in 2022 alone. The most common types of crashes that year were rear-end or rear impact collisions, making up over 22.5 percent of accidents throughout the state.

While compensation may be available if you get rear-ended, full financial recovery can be elusive. To improve your chances of success, get in touch with the Indiana car accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, who have devoted their careers to advocating for honest Hoosiers just like you.

Please call or text us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form today to schedule a free consultation with one of our dedicated Indiana rear impact accident lawyers.

Driver-Related Causes of Rear Impact Accidents

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 94 percent of the “critical reasons” leading to crashes are attributable to drivers, and rear-end collisions are no exception. Driver-related causes of rear impact accidents may include:

• Following too closely – Often referred to as “tailgating,” following too closely is the top contributor to rear impact accidents. Drivers who do not maintain an adequate space cushion may not be able to respond to sudden developments on the road. To prevent this from happening, try observing the “three-second rule.” When the vehicle ahead of you passes a fixed object like a sign or a tree, begin counting until you pass that same object. If fewer than three seconds elapse, you are too close and should reduce your speed until there is a three-second gap between you and the other car. (If you are driving a large truck or semi-trailer, a “four-second rule” is considered preferable.)
• Speeding – Following too closely may also indicate that you are traveling too fast, an aggressive kind of driver misconduct that could make rear impact accidents more likely to occur and more damaging when they do. Whatever time you believe you may be saving by speeding is nothing compared to the time you will lose if you get into a rear impact accident.
• Distraction – The NHTSA has calculated that “some form or degree of driver distraction” is associated with 87 percent of rear-end crashes. Drivers who do not pay sufficient attention to the task at hand may not realize that traffic has ground to a halt until it is far too late.
• Intoxication – Even though law enforcement makes a DUI arrest every 11.98 hours in Indiana, it may not be enough to curb the destruction inflicted by automotive intoxication in the state, where it claimed 124 lives in 2020. Drunk drivers routinely engage in reckless behavior that could increase both the probability and the severity of a rear-end collision.
• Fatigue – Drowsy driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving, with one study finding that staying awake for more than 20 hours straight can induce the same impairment as a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent. Each year in the United States, driver fatigue plays a role in 50,000 injuries, 800 casualties, and 100,000 motor vehicle accidents of all sorts, including rear impact accidents.

External Factors Linked to Rear Impact Accidents

While driver error is generally to blame for a rear-end collision, certain external factors could be linked to rear impact accidents as well, such as:

· Mechanical malfunctions (tire blowouts, locked brakes)

· Road hazards (loose gravel, oil spills)

· Inclement weather (rain, snow)

Elements such as these could make it harder to stop a car, but they do not necessarily let the individual behind the wheel off the hook. Drivers are always expected to react appropriately to unforeseen issues so as not to harm others – and our Indiana rear impact accident attorneys will hold them accountable if they do not.

What to Do After a Rear Impact Accident

It can be tough to think clearly after you have been rear-ended, though there are key steps that you should take to protect any case you might have. Specifically, you should:

• Move to a safe place – To avoid further collisions, move yourself and your vehicle to a safe place before you do anything else.
• Notify the authorities – Dial 911 to notify the authorities if emergency personnel are not already present. Be sure to give the responding officers your version of events so that an inaccurate police report does not come back to haunt you.
• Take pictures – While you have your phone out, use it to take pictures and shoot videos of your surroundings, since a contemporary visual record of the crash could be invaluable in cataloging damages and assigning fault.
• Seek treatment – Nothing is more important than your health, and delays in medical care could hinder the healing process, not to mention cast doubt on the extent and relevance of your injuries. This is why you should seek treatment as soon as you can, ideally from paramedics on site or at the nearest emergency room.
• Exchange information – Do not leave the scene without exchanging essential information with the other driver, including:

o Name

o Address

o Phone number

o Email

o Insurance company and policy number

o Vehicle year, make, and model

o License plate

Be sure to ask for the names and numbers of any eyewitnesses too, as they could provide independent confirmation of the incident.

• Inform your insurance company – Your insurance company should be informed about the rear impact accident promptly so that you can remain in compliance with the terms of your policy and take advantage of any benefits.
• Stay away from the other insurers – However, you may want to stay away from the insurers for the other parties, since a savvy adjuster could use your own words against you. Instead, you should…
• Talk to a lawyer – An Indiana rear impact accident lawyer can analyze the circumstances and decide whether you have grounds to pursue a personal injury case.

What Our Rear Impact Accident Attorneys Can Do for You

A rear impact accident can turn your world upside down, burying you under a mountain of medical bills while robbing you of the ability to pay for them. Very quickly, you could have trouble merely making ends meet, much less meeting the new demands on your wallet.

You need attorneys with the compassion to support you during this challenging period and the wisdom to guide you through it. You need the Indiana rear impact accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, who have been standing up for the innocent victims of negligence for more than 25 years.

If you hire Hensley, we will conduct a thorough investigation into your accident and everyone responsible for it within the time allotted by law. If evidence of wrongdoing exists, our Indiana rear impact accident lawyers will work tirelessly to unearth it, acting swiftly to amass the materials to build your claim, such as:

• Police reports
• Citations and dispositions
• Witness statements
• Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance footage
• Black box data
• Phone records
• Driving histories
• Vehicle inspection logs
• Forensic analysis and accident reconstruction

After we put together a rock-solid case, we will strive to negotiate a settlement that reflects the entirety of your losses, including:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Mental and emotional trauma
• Diminished quality of living
• Mobility restrictions
• Loss of consortium
• Punitive and wrongful death damages (if applicable)

And if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your claim, we are not afraid to go to trial for a verdict that is, unlike many of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, venture into a courtroom.

You Won’t Pay Until We Win

Additional expenditures may be beyond your means at this moment, but you should know that our firm works on a contingency basis. This means you won’t have to pay us anything until our Indiana rear impact accident attorneys win your case.

Hensley is willing take on all of the risks involved in making you whole again.

Reach Out to Our Indiana Rear Impact Accident Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been fighting for the everyday people of Indiana since 1998. If you have been seriously hurt because of someone else’s thoughtlessness, reach out to our Indiana rear impact accident lawyers to explore your legal options.

You can arrange a complimentary case review with a seasoned Indiana rear impact accident attorney by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form now.