Kokomo Car Accident Lawyer

Are you looking for a car accident lawyer in Kokomo, IN?

At Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers, we are Kokomo car accident lawyers whose practice spans more than 70 years and includes recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.

If another driver ran a light on US 31, rear-ended you on Markland Avenue, or pulled out in front of you on a county road near Kokomo, the other driver’s insurer will assign a share of the blame to you if it can. Under Indiana law, that percentage of fault decides whether you recover anything at all. Our Kokomo, IN car accident lawyer has represented injured Hoosiers since 1954, and we handle every car accident claim on a contingency fee. Contact our office for a free consultation.

Car Accident Lawyer Kokomo, IN

A car accident lawyer represents a driver, passenger, or pedestrian who was injured by another motorist’s negligence. The attorney establishes who was at fault, documents the injuries and their cost, and pursues the at-fault driver’s insurer and, when the coverage is inadequate, the client’s own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

Howard County recorded 2,098 collisions in 2022, including 7 fatal crashes and 287 crashes that injured someone, according to Indiana Crash Facts published by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. A car accident attorney in Kokomo, IN handles claims from those crashes, which occur on the US 31 freeway, on State Road 931 through the city, and at the signalized intersections along Sycamore Street and Markland Avenue.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Kokomo

Our Kokomo car accident attorneys represent people who were injured in collisions of every kind. The way the crash happened determines how fault is proven and which insurance policies respond.

• Rear-end collisions. A driver who follows too closely or looks at a phone strikes the car ahead at a light or in slowed traffic. The following driver is usually at fault, and we document the causes of rear-end crashes with the crash report, vehicle damage, and witness accounts.
• Intersection and T-bone crashes. A driver who runs a red light or turns left across traffic strikes the side of another vehicle, where the occupants have the least protection. We obtain signal timing records and any intersection camera video.
• Multi-vehicle crashes. A chain-reaction crash on US 31 can involve three or more drivers, each blaming another. Indiana assigns a percentage of fault to each driver in a multi-vehicle crash, and we build the record that places the fault where it belongs.
• Hit-and-run and uninsured driver crashes. When the driver flees or carries no insurance, the injured person’s own uninsured motorist coverage may pay the claim. We review the client’s policy at the first meeting.
• Drunk driving crashes. A crash caused by an impaired driver can support a claim for punitive damages in addition to compensation for the injuries. We obtain the criminal case records and the blood test results.
• LED headlight glare crashes. Modern headlights can blind an oncoming driver on a dark county road. We investigate whether a vehicle’s lighting was legal and whether glare contributed to the crash.
• Rideshare and commercial vehicle crashes. A crash with an Uber, Lyft, delivery, or company vehicle involves commercial insurance and the driver’s employer. We identify every policy that applies.
• Crashes that cause serious injuries. A brain or spinal injury changes the value of a claim, because future care and lost earning capacity must be included.
• Fatal crashes. When a crash takes a life, the personal representative of the estate brings a wrongful death claim for the family.

Why Choose Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers as my Car Accident Lawyer in Kokomo, IN?

Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers and Super Lawyers Since 2005

Charles P. Ward has been named to the Top 25 by the Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association, an invitation-only group limited to 25 attorneys in each state. He has been selected to Super Lawyers every year since 2005 and to Best Lawyers in America for plaintiff personal injury litigation. He earned his law degree from Indiana University in 1989. Donald W. Ward, a graduate of Hanover College, served as a Deputy Trial Prosecutor for Marion County and as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Indianapolis before building a plaintiff’s practice, and the Governor awarded him the Sagamore of the Wabash in 2005.

No Fee Unless We Recover and a Direct Line to Your Attorney

Our personal injury lawyer in Kokomo, IN takes car accident cases on a contingency fee, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation. The consultation is free.

Our firm has helped clients recover millions of dollars, and every client receives the cell phone number of the attorney who handles the case. We represent clients in Kokomo and Howard County from our Indianapolis office.

What Is Important To Understand About Car Accident Cases?

What Are Important Aspects of a Car Accident Case?

The other driver’s insurer begins building its fault argument on the day of the crash, and the injured person’s early decisions shape the claim.

An adjuster will call within days and ask for a recorded statement. Nothing in Indiana law requires an injured person to give one to the other driver’s insurer, and a statement given before the injuries are diagnosed is often used to dispute them later. Prompt medical treatment creates the record that connects the injuries to the crash, and a gap in treatment becomes an argument that the injuries came from somewhere else.

The police report prepared by the Kokomo Police Department, the Howard County Sheriff, or the Indiana State Police records the officer’s observations, but the officer’s fault opinion is not binding on an insurer or a jury. We gather the evidence of fault that the report does not contain, including vehicle data, phone records, and statements from witnesses who left before the officer arrived. An early settlement offer from the insurer is usually made before the full cost of the injuries is known.

What Should You Bring to Your Car Accident Consultation?

The items below let us evaluate fault, coverage, and damages at the first meeting.

• The crash report, or the agency and report number, identifies the drivers, the vehicles, and the officer’s findings.
• Your own auto insurance declarations page shows your uninsured and underinsured motorist limits and your medical payments coverage.
• Photographs of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries preserve what the insurer’s adjuster will later dispute.
• Medical records, discharge instructions, and bills document the injuries and their cost.
• Any letter or recorded message from an insurer shows what position it has already taken.

The consultation is free. A Kokomo car accident lawyer tells you whether the facts support a claim, which policies apply, and what the claim may be worth.

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Car Accident Cases

• Negligence. The injured person must prove that the other driver owed a duty of care, breached it, and caused the injuries. Running a red light, following too closely, and driving while impaired are breaches of that duty.
• Comparative fault. Indiana’s modified comparative fault rule reduces the award by the injured person’s percentage of fault. A person who is more than 50 percent at fault recovers nothing under Indiana Code 34-51-2-6. That rule shapes every case, because an insurer that cannot deny fault will try to raise the injured person’s share.
• Seat belt use. Not wearing a seat belt is not a fault under Indiana law. For crashes after June 30, 2024, however, a defendant may offer proof that a seat belt would have reduced the injuries in order to argue for lower damages.
• Compensation. Damages include medical expenses, lost wages, future care, and pain and suffering. The types of compensation available depend on the injuries and on the policy limits of every insurer involved. Punitive damages for reckless conduct are limited to three times the compensatory damages or $50,000, whichever is greater, under Indiana Code 34-51-3-4.
• Uninsured and underinsured coverage. Indiana requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and a policyholder who has not rejected it in writing has it. That coverage pays when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little.
• Deadlines. A lawsuit must be filed within two years of the crash under Indiana Code 34-11-2-4. A claim against a city, county, or state vehicle requires a written notice of claim within months of the crash, and the filing clock generally starts on the date of the crash.

What Is The Car Accident Case Timeline?

A car accident claim in Howard County moves through the steps below, and most claims settle before the last one.

1. We open claims with every insurer and send letters requiring the preservation of vehicles, video, and electronic data.
2. We obtain the crash report, photograph the scene, and interview witnesses.
3. You complete medical treatment, or your doctors describe your permanent limitations.
4. We send a demand package to the insurer that documents fault and every category of loss.
5. We file suit in the Howard Circuit or Superior Court if the insurer’s offer does not reflect the value of the claim.
6. The parties exchange records and take depositions, and the court may order mediation before trial.

Most Dangerous Locations for Car Accidents in Kokomo

The Indiana Department of Transportation opened the US 31 Kokomo freeway in 2013 in part because the old route through the city, now State Road 931, had 15 signalized intersections, three railroad crossings, and about 140 access points that contributed to crashes. State Road 931 still carries local traffic through those intersections. INDOT also proposed a traffic signal and turn lanes at State Road 26 and Park Road because of the frequency of collisions at that intersection.

• Injury lawsuits are filed with the Howard County Clerk at 104 North Buckeye Street and are heard in the Howard Circuit Court or one of the Superior Courts in the same building.
• Community Howard Regional Health on South Lafountain Street and Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo on West Sycamore Street provide 24-hour emergency care.

Reach Out to Ward & Ward Personal Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation

A car accident attorney in Kokomo, IN can review the crash report and your insurance policy and explain what the insurer owes you. The consultation is free, and you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation. Contact us to schedule a meeting. We return every inquiry promptly.