Motor Vehicle Accidents

Of the 5,000,000 car crashes in the United States each year, more than half are caused by aggressive drivers, resulting in more than 40,000 fatalities and over 4,500,000 serious injuries. Accidents can involve not only automobiles, but also motorcycles and bicycles; many of those hurt or killed were pedestrians or occupants of vehicles hit by other cars and trucks. Because laws are in place to protect victims of motor vehicle collisions, the qualified and experienced attorneys at Ramey & Hailey are able to help many accident victims – or their surviving family members – recover for their losses.

Every driver in Indiana is required to carry automobile insurance. The State of Indiana, for example, requires minimum liability coverage of 25/50/10, with at least $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, at least $50,000 for all bodily injuries, and at least $10,000 for property damage. Every new policy must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, unless specifically rejected by the insured in writing. But, when insurance is not enough to compensate victims for their losses, our attorneys are there to see you get the recovery you deserve.

Indiana Code Title 9 lists things the operator of a motor vehicle must do after being involved in an accident, including immediately stopping, remaining at the scene, sharing name, address, vehicle registration number with any other person involved in the accident, and providing help to anyone hurt or trapped.  Notice must be given to 911, the local police department, sheriff, or state police post.

Should you call on a personal injury attorney for assistance? If the accident happened because of a mechanical failure or through the fault of the other driver, an insurance company is going to be offering you a settlement. But once you’ve accepted a settlement from an insurance company, you’ve given up your right to sue. Remember, as an injured party, you will have become the adversary of the insurance company (even of your own insurance company, certainly that of the other driver), and that company will be trying to give you an award that is as low as they can reasonably get you to accept.

As personal injury attorneys dealing in auto accident cases for more than forty years, we work extensively on accidents resulting in catastrophic or permanent loss involving driver and equipment error.