Northwest Indiana Personal Injury Lawyer

Accidents happen in the blink of an eye, but the resulting injuries can have a lasting and sometimes permanent impact on your life.

About Us

At Worthley Law, we can’t turn back time or make your pain disappear. We can, however, connect you with a personal injury lawyer in Valparaiso, Indiana, who can help you seek compensation for your losses.

Tara Worthley, our in-house personal injury attorney, is an award-winning practitioner with many years of experience representing injury victims. She can review your case and explain your legal options. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means we won’t charge you until and unless we reach a settlement or a favorable verdict.

We serve Valparaiso, IN, and the surrounding areas. Call us or contact us online to schedule a case evaluation.

What Qualifies as a Personal Injury?

“Personal injury” is an umbrella term for a wide range of physical and mental injuries and property damage caused by another party’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional conduct. Examples include:

• Birth injuries
• Burn injuries
• Internal injuries
• Bone and muscle injuries
• Joint and limb injuries
• Head and brain injuries
• Neck and spinal cord injuries
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Wrongful Death

When negligence or recklessness results in the death of another person, specific individuals may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the deceased person. These cases are often complex, involving many factors, and require experienced legal representation.

Medical Malpractice

If a medical professional causes harm to a patient through negligence, improper care, or the use of treatments that do not meet accepted standards, the injured patient or their family members may have grounds for a claim of medical malpractice.

How Are Personal Injuries Caused?

You can sustain personal injuries in various accidents or scenarios. Some of the most common personal injury cases we handle result from:

• Traffic accidents
• Construction accidents
• Slip and fall accidents
• Premises liability

If you think you have a personal injury case, contact us immediately. You usually have just two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. After that, you may lose your right to seek compensation.

Indiana Personal Injury Statistics

The Division of Trauma Injury Prevention with the Indiana Department of Health reports that accidents are the fourth leading cause of death in the state after heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Unintentional injury is the number one cause of death for people aged 1-44.

In recent years, there has been a positive trend in nonfatal car accident injuries, but fatalities remain high. According to the Indiana Crash Facts 2020 report by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, 896 individuals died in traffic accidents, and 38,913 suffered nonfatal injuries in 2020, down from 46,337 in 2019.

How Much Is Your Claim Worth?

Every case is different. The type and amount of compensation you may be eligible for depend on several factors, including:

Many other factors can impact the worth of your claim. Seeking competent legal advice early on is critical for the outcome of your case. At Worthley Law, our experienced personal injury team can evaluate your claim and support you as you pursue compensation. Contact us today to start the process.

Why Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Valparaiso, Indiana

Personal injury cases are complex. In addition to navigating Indiana’s legal system, you often have to face a team of insurance adjusters and their lawyers who will do everything they can to lower your recovery.

If you’ve suffered a serious injury, you shouldn’t go through this process alone. At Worthley Law, we can use our knowledge, experience, and professional resources to build and defend your case while you focus on your recovery. Our team can support you in all aspects of your claim, including:

• Preparing and filing all required paperwork
• Gathering evidence to support your case
• Tracking down witnesses
• Obtaining expert testimony from medical professionals, accident reconstruction specialists, and other experts
• Handling all communications with other stakeholders, including the party responsible for your injuries, the insurance company, and their lawyers
• Working with economists to evaluate your claim, including future loss due to continuing medical treatment or reduced earning potential
• Providing legal advice and guidance
• Representing you in court

What Compensation Is Available in Personal Injury Cases?

The following types of compensation are generally available in Indiana personal injury cases. However, the type and amount of damages you can seek will depend on the facts of your case.

Compensatory Damages

Economic damages, also known as special damages, compensate you for monetary losses resulting from your injuries. Examples include:

• Medical Bills: These include a wide array of medical expenses such as emergency room visits, surgeries, hospital stays, physical therapy, mental health therapy, prescriptions, and travel costs to and from medical facilities.
• Lost income: This includes lost past and future wages, as well as other job-related perks such as paid time off, vacation time, bonuses, and more.
• Property damage: If your property was damaged in the accident, you can claim reimbursement for the cost of repair or replacement.

Noneconomic Damages

Noneconomic damages provide compensation for non-financial harm, such as:

• Physical pain and suffering: Physical pain is subjective, but Indiana law uses various factors to determine the value of your pain and suffering, including the type and severity of your injuries and the duration of recovery.
• Mental anguish: You can also seek compensation for the emotional distress you experienced due to your injuries, such as anxiety, depression, nightmares, and more.
• Loss of consortium: If you’re married and suffered serious injuries, your spouse may be able to recover damages for loss of consortium as compensation for the loss of your companionship and support.

Punitive Damages

The goal of punitive damages isn’t to compensate you but to punish the party responsible for your injuries and deter similar conduct in the future. Punitive damages are generally only available in cases involving intentional, malicious, or particularly reckless conduct.

Damages Caps

Indiana law limits the damages you can recover.

There are limits on damages in four specific instances:

• Lawsuits against the government: In lawsuits against state, county, or local government bodies, you can recover a maximum of $700,000.
• Medical malpractice cases: Indiana law caps medical malpractice damages at $1.8 million if the malpractice occurred after June 30, 2019.
• Wrongful death lawsuits: If the victim was an unmarried adult aged 23 or older with no dependents, the estate may seek a maximum of $300,000 in wrongful death damages for loss of love, care, and companionship.
• Comparative fault: Indiana has a modified comparative fault system. That means you can’t recover damages if you were 51% at fault or more for the accident.

At Worthley Law, our personal injury attorney, Tara Worthley, has experience determining damages in complex cases. She can evaluate your claim and advise what compensation you can seek. Call us to schedule a case evaluation with our personal injury lawyer in Valparaiso, Indiana.