Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Car accidents can involve a wide range of causes, from distracted driving to inclement weather. If a person chooses to bring a lawsuit after an Indiana car accident, they should be aware of the role fault can play in an ultimate damages award. Additionally, it is important to understand the types of damages available when bringing a negligence lawsuit in Indiana. Speaking with an Indiana personal injury attorney can help accident victims learn more about the types of damages Indiana law recognizes.

As a recent news article reported, a car accident in Columbus, Indiana, left one person dead and another injured. A driver was traveling southbound on the highway when he veered toward the left and struck a vehicle traveling northbound in the opposite lane. The driver, who was not wearing his seatbelt, died at the scene. The other driver was transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries.

Can You Recover Damages if You Were at Fault in a Car Accident in Indiana?

Indiana allows plaintiffs to recover damages even if they were at fault for the accident. The state follows a system of fault known as modified comparative negligence. Under this scheme, plaintiffs can recover damages as long as they were less than 51% at fault for the accident. If a plaintiff’s proportion of fault is higher than the defendant, the plaintiff cannot recover any damages. Finally, Indiana reduces a plaintiff’s damages award by their proportion of fault for the accident. For example, if a plaintiff is 10% at fault for the accident, a court will reduce their award by 10%.

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Vehicle accidents can happen in a split second. One minute you may be driving down the road, and the next minute, you may find yourself at the scene of the crash. Accidents happen so quickly that it can be difficult to determine who caused the accident and if there may be more than one party responsible for the accident. In accidents involving multiple vehicles, it can be tricky to determine who is the at-fault driver responsible for the crash. Drivers have a duty of care to ensure that all road users remain safe on the roadways. When this duty of care is not met, it can lead to serious and devastating injuries, or even death, for the parties involved. Multiple vehicles involved in a car accident could be the result of a chain reaction, where one driver hits the vehicle of another driver, which then subsequently causes another accident between another vehicle. These accidents can be scary because they can be beyond the driver’s control after their vehicle is hit, causing one or more subsequent crashes.

According to a recent news report, a 41-year-old woman died following a three-vehicle crash in Cass County, Indiana. Four other victims were injured and taken to local hospitals. The 41-year-old woman stopped in the roadway of M-60 to turn onto Anderson Road when a 34-year-old who was riding with three passengers and traveling southwest crashed into the back of her vehicle. The vehicle of the 34-year-old continued off the roadway and rolled onto its side. The 41-year-old’s vehicle was pushed into the northeast lane of traffic. Unfortunately, a 72-year-old who was driving a semi-truck crashed into the woman’s vehicle. The 41-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 34-year-old driver and three passengers were taken to local hospitals for their injuries.

Determining Fault in Multi-Vehicle Crashes

It is not every day that you see a car going in the wrong direction, and when such is the case, it can lead to dangerous circumstances for all those nearby. Head-on collisions are considered the most harmful events in approximately 14 percent of all U.S. traffic fatalities each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration.

According to a recent news report, a fatal accident occurred in Northwest Indiana on I-65 about one mile from the exit ramp at U.S. 231. A driver was killed when he was heading northbound in a southbound lane and crashed head-on with another vehicle as he attempted to flee a crash at a convenience store in Crown Point, Indiana, The other driver involved in the head-on collision also was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of a third vehicle that was hit as a result of the crash suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

It is important to follow roadway signs and markers, as well as local laws, including speed limits, in order to ensure the safety of all drivers and pedestrians. If you are on a road and approach a wrong-way sign, the DOT advises drivers to stop immediately, pull over to the side of the road, and turn around when it is safe to do so. If you are driving and encounter a wrong-way driver, the DOT advises you to use caution, reduce your speed, pull over and call 911 to report. If your loved one has been killed in a head-on collision or wrong-way collision, you may consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit to receive compensation for your loss.

In 2020, 29% of 808 fatal collisions in Indiana involved dangerous driving, a category that includes speeding. 72% of all dangerous driving collisions included speeding as at least one factor, and speeding was involved in 9% of all collisions regardless of the ultimate cause. While speeding instances have decreased from 2016 to 2020, they remain a significant cause for loss of life while driving—and the cause is almost entirely controllable. And preliminary data unfortunately shows that traffic fatalities in Indiana are up year over year.

According to recent reports, a young woman has died at the scene of a 6-car crash in Indiana. A Cadillac SUV was speeding when it rear-ended the GMC SUV driven by the woman, who was stopped at a red light. The GMC was pushed into the rear of a third vehicle and all three cars were shoved through the intersection. Three other cars were involved in secondary crashes stemming from the accident. The woman has been identified as a local middle school teacher and is mourned by her students and fellow faculty, as well as her husband of just four months.

Two others were taken to the hospital with injuries from the accident, and many others involved in the crash suffered pain but did not go to the hospital. One person sustained a minor head injury and is expected to recover. The second person taken to the hospital was trapped in their vehicle unconscious and was taken to the hospital via helicopter for severe head and internal injuries. An investigation is ongoing.

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While many road accidents can result in serious injury, head-on collisions are particularly dangerous. These collisions occur when a driver crosses a dividing line between lanes, veering into oncoming traffic. When the front of two vehicles strike one another, the force of the collision can often result in serious injury or even death.

For example, a recent news article reported that two drivers died following a head-on collision in Fortville, Indiana. According to the article, the driver of one vehicle traveled to the left, crossing the center dividing line between lanes. She then collided with a driver in the opposite lane head-on. Both drivers died from their injuries.

What Are the Causes of a Head-On Collision?

There are many situations on the road that can lead to a head-on collision, but two contributing factors may be distracted driving and speeding. Drivers who do not keep their eyes on the road may veer into another lane and collide head-on with another vehicle. Distracted driving can often take the form of “multi-tasking,” such as talking on the phone, eating, or applying makeup while operating a vehicle. Unfortunately, multi-tasking can cause drivers to pay too little attention to the road in front of them, leading to a tragic and avoidable accident. To avoid a head-on collision, avoid performing activities that distract you from the road.

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From July 2020—July 2021, U.S. drivers reported 2.1 million animal collision insurance claims, according to the Insurance Information Institute. During deer season, which lasts from October through December, a significant increase occurs in the movement of the deer population. As they move to a new location, many deer end up on highways and local roads. Consequently, more car accidents involving deer occur during deer season than any other time of year. In addition to deer-vehicle collisions, multi-vehicle collisions can also result from deer crossing the road. When drivers see a deer approaching the road, their natural instinct may be to swerve out of the way. Unfortunately, swerving into another lane can lead to a collision with another vehicle, which may be fatal.

As a recent news article reported, a multi-vehicle accident involving a deer left three people dead and two injured in St. Joseph County, Indiana. As an SUV traveled westbound at nighttime, the driver struck a deer. To avoid the deer, the SUV driver crossed over the center median of the road. The SUV then collided with a pickup truck driving eastbound. Both the driver and passenger of the SUV died at the scene of the crash, along with the front seat passenger of the pickup truck. The pickup truck driver and back seat passenger suffered serious injuries and were transported to the hospital.

How Do I Avoid Collisions with a Deer or Another Vehicle?

If you see a deer ahead of you on the road, avoid the urge to swerve into the opposite lane. Otherwise, you may be at risk of colliding with another vehicle or losing control of your car. If there is a shoulder on the highway, try to pull over instead. This way, you can avoid hitting the deer without placing yourself and other drivers at risk of injury or death. Additionally, if you notice a deer on the road before you approach, you may have more time to stop and pull over. To spot deer on the road as early as possible, make sure to pay attention to the road and avoid distracted driving. If you are driving at night, use your headlights to ensure you can see the road in front of you.

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Children depend on their parents, caregivers, and other drivers and road users to ensure that they make it to their destinations safely. Whether that involves a quick trip to soccer practice or to school, it is essential that children are safely secured in vehicles. Seatbelts save lives. According to the CDC, 608 child passengers age 12 and under died in motor vehicle crashes in 2019. Of the children 12 and under who died in crashes for whom restraint use was known, 38 percent were not properly restrained.

In 2019, the CDC further reports that 67% of fatally injured children riding with unbelted drivers were also unrestrained. An estimated 46% of car seats and booster seats are misused, according to the CDC, and this misuse of car seats and booster seats can reduce their effectiveness. Taking the time to ensure that as the driver, you are properly restrained, and that other passengers and children are properly restrained before pulling off can be lifesaving, and parents and caregivers should be sure to do so with each drive.

A recent report made it apparent the importance of properly restraining children and other riders while in motor vehicles. Ten children survived a violent crash in Indiana after a 65-year-old driver of a pickup truck was traveling east on a road, failed to yield the right-of-way to a passenger van that was traveling north. As a result, the van crashed into the side of the truck, splitting the truck in half. There were 10 children in the van who were properly restrained and suffered minor injuries despite the severity of the crash. The children ranged from 6 months in age to 15 years old. Police believe that the driver that failed to yield may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Further investigations will be made.

When drivers are on the road late at night or early in the morning, additional factors may be present that make serious accidents or collisions more likely than during the daytime. Drivers are more likely to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol late at night, contributing to slow response times and poor decision-making. In addition, drivers may have been up late or driving through the night, and lack of sleep or increased levels of exhaustion can contribute to unsafe conditions on the road.

A recent article has reported that Indiana State Police responded to a car crash on I-80 in Indiana at the early morning hour of 2:22 am. Two people were severely injured when an SUV attempted to improperly pass a semi-truck and struck the crash attenuator and then the semi-truck. Three people in the crash, including the semi-truck driver, were unharmed, but two were transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries. An investigation is still underway and no charges have been brought, but police say they suspect drugs or alcohol may have been involved in the accident.

If someone has been injured in a car accident and a non-injured party was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the injured person or their families and loved ones may be able to more easily bring a personal injury claim and receive compensation.

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The National Center for Statistics and Analysis and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that head-on accidents are disproportionately represented in deadly crashes on two-lane highways. These two-lane roadways make up a substantial percentage of the highway network in the country; Indiana alone has nearly 30,000 miles of road. Thus, motorists must take steps to avoid highway crashes, especially since many of these crashes are head-on.

Many organizations and safety advocates have researched to help curtail head-on crashes. However, these accidents continue to occur. While the rate of head-on accidents is not as high as other types of accidents, these crashes tend to result in the most severe outcomes.

For instance, local news sources reported a fatal Knightstown, Indiana crash. According to the Sheriff’s Office, a driver was killed when he veered into the center line while heading south toward 1-70. He slammed into a northbound driver in an SUV and eventually came to a stop in a ditch. The driver was trapped in his vehicle and died from his injuries before an emergency helicopter arrived. The SUV’s driver’s vehicle ignited and came to a rest in another ditch. Emergency responders transported her to a regional hospital for treatment.