Personal Injury Lawyer Indianapolis, IN

Most personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee. In plain terms, that means the attorney's fee comes out of the recovery, not out of your pocket up front. The percentage varies by firm and by case, but it’s commonly around one-third. The exact fee and how costs are handled should be spelled out clearly before you sign anything.

Most don’t charge hourly for injury cases. The standard setup is contingency, so the fee is tied to the result. Some cases require more work than others, and a case that goes into litigation can be priced differently from one that resolves early. The key is transparency. You should know the percentage, what “case costs” are, and when those costs are deducted.

The injuries that get challenged the most are the ones insurance companies can’t “see” on an X-ray. Soft-tissue injuries, chronic pain, concussions, and some back and neck injuries often fall into that category. They can be very real and very disruptive, but they require strong medical documentation, consistent treatment, and a clear connection to the accident.

In most situations, Indiana gives you two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. People hear “two years” and assume they have plenty of time, but waiting can hurt a case. Evidence disappears, witnesses move on, and medical records get harder to tie together cleanly. If you’re unsure about the deadline in your situation, it’s worth getting legal eyes on it early.

Small claims are generally for lower-dollar disputes. In injury-related cases, that usually means straightforward out-of-pocket losses, like medical bills you already paid, property damage, or limited lost wages, up to the court’s dollar limit. Serious injury cases usually don’t belong in small claims because the damages, medical proof, and legal issues tend to be bigger than that format is designed to handle.

There isn’t one universal legal chart, but in practice, injuries are commonly grouped like this:

• Minor: short-term injuries like bruises or strains that resolve quickly
• Moderate: injuries that require ongoing treatment, like fractures
• Severe: injuries with lasting limitations or long recovery time
• Catastrophic: life-altering harm like brain injury, spinal cord injury, or amputations