Evansville Legal Issues Blog

Traffic signals and signs play important roles on today's roads. They regulate the flow of traffic, manage traffic at busy intersections, limit speeds and prevent collisions. Unhappily, drivers occasionally ignore these signs, and the result is often an accident with multiple injuries or deaths. A recent car accident near Elnora, Indiana appears to have been the result of one driver's failure to yield the right-of-way to another vehicle, and four people, including two children, died as the result.

A car heading southbound on County Highway 425E failed to obey a yield right-of-way sign for Highway 58 and was struck by a west bound vehicle. The southbound vehicle was carrying a driver and three passengers. All four were pronounced dead at the scene. Two of the victims were children under the age of eight. One of the deceased children was the daughter of the driver who died. The other two victims were a woman aged 24 and another young girl, aged seven. The driver of the westbound vehicle suffered a head injury and was transported to Daviess Community Hospital.

When we discuss motorcycle accidents on this blog, ordinarily we stick to accidents here in Indiana. Certainly, our state has more than enough motorcycle accidents of its own, without having to look elsewhere for stories. However, a recent incident in another state was so outrageous and tragic that it is worth serious consideration.

Seven people were killed and another three were injured when a pickup truck crashed into a group of motorcyclists in New Hampshire, police said. News reports described a chaotic scene after the crash, with bodies and motorcycles littered across the roadway and the grass alongside it. Bystanders rushed to the scene to try to help the victims. Witnesses said the pickup truck was in flames.

When you have been injured in a car accident caused by another driver's negligence, the effects can touch almost every part of your life. You face the enormous costs of your medical care, and you will likely lose income from the time you are unable to return to work. Beyond those costs, you will also face pain and suffering and other symptoms of your injury. It's relatively straightforward to assign a dollar figure to the cost of your medical bills and lost wages, but harder to figure out how to place a monetary value on your pain.

Indiana recognizes two kinds of damages in personal injury claims: economic (also known as "special") and non-economic (also known as "general") damages. Objectively verifiable expenses such as medical bills and lost wages are considered economic damages. Non-economic damages can include pain, physical suffering and effects such as depression or insomnia that result from the injury.

Every good motorcyclist understands the risks they face, and exercises caution when on the road. They watch the road ahead of them, signal their turns, wear helmets and take other actions to protect themselves. Unfortunately, there's only so much a motorcyclist can do to protect against other vehicles on the road.

Recently in Indiana, an 18-year-old man died in a motorcycle-car collision. According to police, the man was riding eastbound through an intersection in Anderson, Indiana, when a car driver traveling westbound unexpectedly made a left turn, driving directly into the motorcyclist's path. Police said the car driver did not see the motorcyclist.