Indianapolis, Indiana Truck and Auto Accident Attorneys - Verdicts and Settlements

The Hastings Law Firm has earned a reputation as one of the state's leading personal injury law firms. With over 50 years combined experience practicing law and trying personal injury cases, we have been able to help our clients obtain just and fair compensation. Our lawyers are hard-working and highly skilled, and can help victims obtain the compensation they need and deserve. Located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, our auto and truck accident attorneys have pursued many substantial cases covering a wide range of personal injury matters - read on to see just a few of them.

Fires, Explosions, and Burns

Gas Company Employee Killed in Explosion - Confidential Settlement. This lawsuit arose out of an incident wherein a cable worker punctured a gas line with a ground rod. When the client, who worked as a gas company serviceman, arrived at the scene, the house exploded, fatally injuring the client.

Client's House Burns to the Ground -$1,145,860 jury verdict and pre-judgment interest of $437,455.82. This lawsuit arose from the failure of an insurance company to pay the client's claim for personal property and property damage after her house catches fire and burns to the ground. The insurance company accused the client of arson and of making a fraudulent claim.

Client's husband killed in explosion - $6 million jury verdict. The accident arose out of a situation where the sewer backed up into the basement of a rental house and the sewage extinguished the pilot light of the water heater. Decedent rented a pump and pumped out the basement and attempted to light the water heater. When he did so, an explosion and flash fire occurred resulting in burns to approximately 80% of client's body. He died 18 days later from his injuries.

Client injured in electrical explosion - six figure settlement. Client was called to repair an elevator. When client opened the door to the distribution panel an explosion or electrical arc occurred resulting in severe electrical burns and other serious injuries.

Client injured in electrical explosion - confidential settlement. Client was attempting to hook up wiring to a switch gear when an explosion occurred. As a result of the explosion, client sustained third degree burns to his hand, second degree burns to his face, fractured shoulder, and a rotator cuff tear.

Client burned due to faulty design - confidential settlement. A chemical application booth with a faulty electrical design sparked igniting the flammable chemicals in the booth resulting in burns to the client's arms and face.

Infant burned in scalding water - confidential settlement. The apartment building owners negligently failed to "dial down" the setting of the water heater which historically produced water temperatures in excess of applicable standards and code and locked the access door to the water heater. The confidential settlement was structured for the child in order to provide for future medical care as well as compensation to him throughout his adult life.

Client's work truck makes contact with live electrical wire - confidential settlement. Client is severely injured when the boom to the bucket in which he was working came into contact with a live electrical wire. The current moved through the equipment and into the client, causing severe burns and subsequent amputation of both arms.

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Construction and Workplace Accidents

Client falls 30 feet through a hole - $4,500,000 settlement. Client was working on the third floor at a construction site when he fell through a hole which was not covered properly. As a result of the fall, the client is a paraplegic.

Client falls down a 64' shoot - OSHA violation - $805,000 settlement. This injury occurred when the client stepped on a piece of plywood and fell through a chute about 64 feet to the sub-basement of a building where he was working. Client suffered a burst fracture in his spine and spinal cord damage.

Client falls from scaffold - OSHA violation - $111,000 jury verdict. This injury occurred at a jobsite when the client fell from an unsafe scaffold that he built. Client fell approximately 8 to 9 feet to the concrete floor below. Client sustained a fractured face requiring plates, a herniated disc in his cervical spine, and a wrist fracture.

Client falls from scaffold - OSHA violation - $143,000 jury verdict. This injury occurred when the client fell from an unsafe scaffold to the concrete floor below. Client sustained a displaced fracture of his left wrist requiring hardware and two surgeries.

Wrongful death of a client's spouse - confidential settlement. The deceased was crushed when he inadvertently came into contact with a conveyor, causing the conveyor to extend and crush him. A faulty safety feature caused the conveyor to improperly extend when contacted.

Client falls from hoist bucket - confidential settlement. Client was working in a hoist bucket when the attachment pin that connected the bucket to the boom broke, causing the bucket and client to fall. Client sustained a burst fracture of the L1 vertebrae in his low back that required fusion surgery. After a lengthy recuperation period the worker was found to be permanently impaired.

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Auto and Semi Truck Accidents

Client Hit by Trash Truck - confidential settlement. Client's vehicle was struck by a trash truck that ran a stop sign. Client sustained a crush injury to her leg, degloving of her arm and leg, rib, collar bone, arm, hip and leg fractures, knee dislocation, internal injuries and a brain injury.

Client hit by drunk driver - $675,000 settlement. The client was a passenger in a vehicle when she was struck by a vehicle driven by a drunk driver who disregarded a stop sign. The client sustained serious wrist and hand injuries.

Client t-boned by truck pulling a trailer - $1,000,000 settlement. Client's vehicle was struck by a truck pulling a trailer that disregarded a stop light in an intersection. As a result of this collision, the client sustained serious life-threatening injuries which greatly diminished the quality of her life.

Wrongful death of a client's wife - $950,000 settlement. Client and his wife drove into the rear of a tractor pulling a chisel plow which had no lights or signs on it. Injuries to client's wife were fatal.

Crush injury - confidential settlement. Client was putting gasoline in his vehicle when he was struck by an oncoming motorist. Client's injuries included traumatic amputation of both legs above his knees. A substantial and confidential settlement was structured to provide life long medical care as well as future home and vehicle modifications for the disabled young man.

Traumatic brain injury of client after rear-end collision - confidential settlement. The insurer for the trucking company settled the case shortly after suit was filed.

Wrongful death of 15-year-old - $500,000 jury verdict. The unlicensed victim was struck and killed while attempting to drive a 4-wheeler across a rural county road. The driver's insurance company denied fault, claiming the 4-wheeler pulled directly in front of the car, and the 15-year-old was not wearing a helmet. With no eyewitnesses to contradict the driver's version, liability was hotly contested. Jury found damages of $1 million dollars and fault at 50% for both the driver of the automobile and the 15-year-old victim.

Client injured while operating semi tractor - $350,000 settlement. The accident occurred as a result of another semi truck driver who was driving too fast and lost his load in the client's lane of travel causing the client's semi to strike the objects in the roadway and roll into the median. The client sustained a rotator cuff tear, annular tear at L4-5, L5-S1 disc herniation, and S1 radiculopathy requiring surgery and hardware.

Client's car sideswiped - $125,000 jury verdict. The oncoming driver crossed the centerline and side-swiped the client's car. The defendant claimed she was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver and that the rear-end collision caused her to cross the centerline.

Client injured in collision - $114,604 jury verdict. Client sustained injury to his back and shoulder pain when another driver turned in front of him and caused a collision. The defendant's insurance company hired a doctor to evaluate the client in order to vigorously dispute the extent and severity of the client's apparent soft tissue injuries. Our Indianapolis, Indiana auto and truck accident attorneys were able to help the victim obtain compensation, however.

Client involved in two separate collisions - $550,000 settlement. Client was in two separate automobile collisions 5 months apart. The collisions aggravated the client's pre-existing lumbar fusion and required her to have a cervical fusion. Due to chronic pain, the client received a spinal cord stimulator.

Child born prematurely after mother involved in collision - settlement for policy limits. A pregnant client was rear-ended by a motorist while 35 weeks pregnant. The client went into labor immediately and delivered a baby prematurely. The baby was in the NICU for 6 weeks. After retaining an OBGYN expert to explain to the insurance companies how the collision caused the premature birth, the insurance company offered their policy limits.

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Premises Liability

Client slips and falls on ice - $412,500 jury verdict. Client is a truck driver who slipped and fell on ice while searching for attendant of a fueling terminal to assist with a fueling problem. The driver slipped and injured his neck and back. The defense argued that the truck driver was not allowed to be in the area where he fell and therefore they owed no duty to keep the area maintained. The defendant's insurance company made no settlement offer before trial.

Client injured when she fell at apartment complex - $297,720 jury verdict. Client, an elderly woman, was injured when she fell while being escorted from an apartment rental office back to her apartment by an employee of the apartment complex. The employee was in a hurry and led the client down a grassy hill instead of taking the sidewalk steps. The client fell down the hill and injured her foot, leading to the partial amputation of that foot.

Client injured when he falls in a wet lobby - $200,000 settlement. The client slipped and fell in the lobby of an office building and broke his arm. Evidence showed that the lobby floor and all rugs were wet and saturated from people tracking in snow during a snowstorm. The building did nothing to keep the lobby dry and safe.

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Product Liability

Wrongful death of a client playing softball - confidential settlement. The decedent was the pitcher and the ball was batted back towards him so fast he could not react. The ball shot off the bat so hard that the ball fatally injured the pitcher upon impact. The softball bat in play had been aggressively advertised by the manufacturer as "the hardest hitting bat on the market." Though the bat was labeled to adhere to the technological limits required by the Amateur Softball Association of America, testing revealed that the technology of the bat actually exceeded the maximum limits and thus produced a batted ball speed much faster and harder than allowed by the Association.

Client's child injured by treadmill - confidential settlement. Clients bought a treadmill to use at home. While using the treadmill, the client's 3-year-old daughter got her hand stuck in the end of the treadmill while it was operating. Clients sued the manufacturer of the treadmill and obtained a settlement on behalf of their daughter arguing that the treadmill did not have adequate warnings, that it was defectively designed, and proved the company knew of many other similar injuries but failed to take any steps to change their product.

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Day Care Negligence

Infant dies at in-home Day care - Six figure settlement. A 5-month-old infant was in an in-home private Day care and was found unresponsive after an afternoon nap. A subsequent autopsy showed the infant died from blunt force trauma to the head. After the county prosecutor decided not to file criminal charges, clients sued the Day care provider and her husband in civil court. The case involved extensive medical evidence and multiple medical experts (forensic pathologists, pediatric neurosurgeon, neuropathologist, forensic pediatrician) on the issue of "shaken baby syndrome" and "abusive head trauma."

Two sisters abused - $300,000 settlement. The two little girls were being babysat by a neighbor while their parents were at work. The babysitter left the little girls alone in the home with her three teenaged sons while she ran errands. The babysitter's sons physically and sexually assaulted the 4-year-old girl while her 6-year-old sister was forced to watch. After the babysitter and her three sons pled guilty in criminal court, clients sued the babysitter under a negligent supervision theory.

Infant dies from asphyxiation - $470,000 settlement. Clients were the parents of an infant left in the care of an unlicensed home Day care. The Day care provider placed the baby face down in the crib for a nap and then failed to check on him for an extended period of time. When the provider finally checked on him after returning home from a physical therapy appointment, the baby was found dead in the crib.

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Contact the Hastings Law Firm

If you or a loved one has sustained an injury due to the negligence of another party, please contact The Hastings Law Firm. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, our personal injury and auto and truck accident attorneys have the experience necessary to help our clients obtain compensation. Our practice handles many kinds of personal injury cases, from wrongful death to construction accidents, and our lawyers can help protect our clients' rights.

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At The Hastings Law Firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, our auto and truck accident attorneys can help victims obtain compensation - email our office to find out more.

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The Hastings Law Firm
323 North Delaware Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Call us at (317) 686-1000
Toll Free at (866) 686-1101
Fax us at (317) 685-2330