Evansville Car Accident Attorneys

Car accidents can happen to anyone, at any time. Victims must deal with uncooperative insurance companies while coping with physical injuries, growing medical bills, and lost income. If you were injured in an Evansville car accident, a personal injury attorney can help you recover financially while you focus on getting back on your feet.

If you or a loved one was injured in an Evansville car accident, Hensley Legal Group is here to help. Our award-winning trial lawyers work on contingency, meaning that if we don’t win your case, you don’t owe us a single cent. Plus, your first consultation with us is always free. Call our Evansville office at (812) 437-2000 or fill out our easy online form to get started.

Why Hire an Attorney After an Evansville Car Accident

Filing a claim after a motor vehicle collision should be easy. All you have to do is report the accident to the at-fault driver’s insurance, and they will pay for your medical bills, damaged vehicle, and pain and suffering.

But insurance companies want to avoid paying money at any cost. They may deny your claim or use your medical history to justify a lower settlement offer. This is where an Evansville personal injury attorney can help. They know how to deal with stubborn insurance companies and fight for a fair settlement on your behalf, so you can avoid stress and focus on healing.

What else can an auto accident attorney do for you?

Calculate what your claim is worth

Every single case is different, but every car accident settlement should at the very least cover your medical bills, including physical therapy. It should also include compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages. An Indiana car accident attorney will let you know what you can expect from your settlement.

Determine liability

Your car accident attorney will immediately begin gathering evidence and investigating the scene of your accident. Their investigations can protect you from counterclaims from other drivers who would benefit from you having more fault. Your attorney will track down the insurance information of the at-fault driver and all liable parties that played a role in your accident.

Negotiate with insurance

The first offer you get from the insurance company will be the bare minimum based on whatever medical bills and appraisals they can find. But that offer won’t account for continuing medical treatment, counseling, or pain and suffering. Our Evansville car accident lawyers have two decades of experience negotiating with greedy insurance companies and know which tactics will get you the settlement you deserve.

Take your case to court

Sometimes just the threat of a lawsuit is enough to make the insurance company cough up settlement money. But if you end up going to court, you want an experienced trial attorney on your side. At Hensley Legal Group, our injury attorneys don’t shy away from going to court if that’s what it takes to get you full and fair compensation.

Common Causes of Evansville Motor Vehicle Accidents

As a busy traffic hub for the Tri-State area, Evansville drivers must be on their guard against reckless drivers. In fact, most car accidents are preventable. Unsafe driving behaviors are responsible for 65 percent of Indiana car accidents and should be avoided at all costs.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of car accidents in the US. It’s tempting to pick up your phone or give your attention to your passengers instead of the road, but your sole focus should always be on driving. It is illegal in Indiana to use your phone while driving. If you were injured in a car wreck caused by someone who distracted on their phone, you can recover damages by filing a personal injury claim.

Speeding

Speed-related factors can lead to deadly accidents. In 2019, speeding caused 25 percent of all fatal collisions in Indiana. It may be tempting to push the speed limit if you’re in a hurry to get to the office or if you’re late for an appointment. But the faster you drive, the longer it will take to come to a complete stop if you need to slam on the brakes.

Speeding is especially unsafe in rough weather. If snow, rain, or sleet has made the road slick, or if fog reduces visibility, it is safer to reduce your speed. Over half of speed-related collisions are caused by driving too fast for weather conditions. Keep the road safe for yourself and others by sticking to the speed limit.

Reckless Driving

Sometimes you can see a reckless driver coming from a mile away as they swerve around traffic. Other times, you may just have the bad luck of driving beside someone who decides to enter your lane without checking their mirrors first.

Unsafe driving like tailgating, passing in the wrong lane, not using turn signals, failure to yield, ignoring stop signs, and speeding is dangerous and puts everyone on the road at risk. If someone’s recklessness caused your car accident, contact an Evansville car accident attorney as soon as possible.

Driving Under the Influence

When you hear “impaired driving” your first thought is probably driving under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol slows your reflexes, blurs your vision, and hinders basic motor skills. When someone decides to drive drunk, nobody wins.

Impaired driving includes drug use, both illegal substances and prescription drugs. Drivers impaired by drugs are more likely to get into a fatal car accident. If the warning label on the side of your prescription warns against operating heavy machinery, taking it may hinder your ability to drive safely.

Drowsy Driving

Do not underestimate the danger of drowsy driving. Driving while fatigued is nearly as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Exhausted drivers may have slowed reflexes or might not notice road debris or lane changes until it is too late.

How Much Does an Evansville Personal Injury Cost?

At Hensley Legal Group, we strive to treat our clients the way we would want to be treated if we were injured in a car accident. To us, that means being transparent: communicating often, going over all of your options, and answering all of your questions.

That also means being transparent about our fee process. There’s nothing worse than receiving an unexpected bill, especially after something as potentially traumatic and life-changing as an Evansville car accident.

But if you choose to partner with Hensley Legal Group, you won’t have to worry about making payments while you’re struggling with your recovery. We work on a contingency fee. That means that we don’t get paid unless and until you receive a settlement or award for your claim.

Let’s be clear: You won’t owe us a single penny unless and until you receive compensation for your injuries. If you don’t get paid, neither do we.

That’s why we can offer a risk-free guarantee for our clients. If we fail to secure compensation for you, there’s no risk to you: you won’t owe us anything. Meanwhile, if you choose to hire us, you can rest assured that experienced attorneys are on top of your claim while you’re focusing on what’s really important: getting back on your feet physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Evansville car accident claims can take months to resolve, even years. If you choose Hensley Legal Group, you can get years of experienced legal assistance for free unless and until we secure a settlement or award for you.

Our fee is simple: 33.3 percent, or one-third, of your settlement or award. If you choose to file a lawsuit and prepare for trial, that fee increases to 40 percent to cover court costs. If you have questions about our fee process, give us a call or contact us online.

How to choose the right Evansville car accident lawyer

Evansville is no small town and there are many car accident lawyers to choose from. There are some things you should look for when choosing an attorney, but the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with them taking your case.

Here are some of the ways our personal injury attorneys at Hensley Legal Group set themselves apart from the rest:

Communication. An auto accident attorney should never leave you in the dark about what’s going on with your case. At Hensley Legal Group, our lawyers return calls to clients promptly and regularly. And should an attorney be unavailable, our entire legal staff is on hand to answer clients’ questions.

Reputation. We let our reviews speak for themselves. We are always available to answer questions and are transparent about our fees, processes, and values.

Experience. You want a lawyer with experience investigating car accidents, negotiation settlements, and representing their clients in trial. The trial lawyers at Hensley Legal Group are members of the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers and America’s Top 100 Attorneys. We do not shy away from going to court if the insurance company refuses to give you a fair and deserved settlement.

Personality. You should be able to trust the person going to bat for you in the courtroom.You don’t have to be best friends with your Evansville car accident lawyer, but you do want to hire someone whose personality and ethics go along well with yours. You should feel comfortable with them. After all, they will need to know all the details of your accident, medical treatment, and insurance information. At Hensley Legal Group, we treat all of our clients like how we would want to be treated should we need legal help.

Avoid These Mistakes When Dealing With Evansville Car Insurance Companies

After an Indiana car accident, you should get a claim started with the insurance company as quickly as possible. They will send out an insurance adjuster to collect details about the car accident and to determine how much money they should pay for the accident.

As you speak with the insurance adjuster, you must remember that their most important job is to save the insurance company money. Say the wrong thing, and they could use your statement to justify a lower settlement amount.

Here are five things you should not do when talking to an insurance adjuster:

Apologize. Apologizing is a very Hoosier thing to do after an accident. Saying sorry is usually the kind and polite thing, but saying “I’m sorry” can be construed as an admission of guilt. If you didn’t cause the accident, do not apologize.

Lie about the accident. If the insurance adjuster finds out that you lied about the circumstances of your car accident, they will have an easy time casting doubt on your entire version of events. When you speak to the insurance company, stick to the facts and do not embellish or fill in details that you aren’t completely sure of.

Exaggerate your injuries. Your car accident settlement should cover your medical bills. There’s no use lying about your injuries to get a higher statement: when the insurance company receives your medical bills, they will know you are lying. It is fine to just say that you are seeking medical treatment, and leave it at that.

Give an official statement. The insurance adjuster will ask for your official statement. Do not give an official statement without legal representation present. Insurance companies know how to twist your words to justify a lower settlement offer. Your attorney, on the other hand, will know how to word your statement to avoid incrimination.

Not consult an attorney. It is completely possible to file a claim and reach a settlement on your own. But if you are in a multi-vehicle crash, or a collision with a semi-truck or commercial vehicle, it may be harder to get the appropriate insurance information to start your claim. An Evansville personal injury lawyer can find out who the liable parties are and make the process less stressful than if you had gone it alone.

What Damages Can You Recover After an Evansville Accident?

Evansville car accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group can help you recover damages after a car accident that wasn’t your fault. There are two types of damages you can recover: economic and non-economic.

Economic damages have a numerical value assigned to them, like:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earning potential
• Property damage

Non-economic damages do not have an obvious price tag. They include pain and suffering, loss of companionship, and mental distress.

Schedule Your Free Consultation With an Evansville Injury Lawyer Today

If you were injured in a car accident in Evansville, contact the personal injury attorneys at Hensley Legal Group today. An auto accident attorney can help file a claim, communicate with insurance, explain what compensation you could be eligible for, so you can focus on healing after the accident.

At Hensley Legal Group, we treat our clients like we would like our family to be treated. No one should have to muddle through the legal process on their own, especially if they are recovering from a serious injury. As our client, you will receive honest and assertive representation.

Our law firm has successfully represented car accident victims in Evansville and throughout the state of Indiana. Your consultation with us is always free. Fill out the online form or call our Evansville office at (812) 437-2000 to schedule a consultation.