Injury help for southwest Fort Wayne and Aboite

Personal Injury Attorney Fort Wayne is a free attorney referral service, not a law firm. Its referral line connects you with a participating independent attorney’s office, and its directory lists Fort Wayne injury firms from public sources.

Firm offices along West Jefferson Boulevard

Three firms in the A to Z directory of Fort Wayne injury law firms list offices on West Jefferson Boulevard in the 46804 ZIP code, on the southwest side. For a family on this side of town, that can mean a shorter drive to drop off records or sit down in person. Each listing shows the firm’s own address, phone and website; you can call any of them directly.

Jefferson Boulevard is also one of the Allen County streets that the Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council lists with recorded pedestrian crashes, 24 from 2009 to 2020. Anyone hurt while walking should get medical care first and keep every record.

When a child is hurt

Parents often worry they have already missed a deadline. For most injuries to a child, Indiana generally allows extra time: a person who was under 18 when hurt may bring a claim within two years after turning 18. There is an important exception. For medical malpractice, the two-year rule runs from the date of the care regardless of the child’s age, except that a child who was under six has until the eighth birthday. The medical malpractice guide explains that process.

Extra time is not a reason to wait. Photos get lost and witnesses forget. It helps to keep:

• Photos of the place and the injury as it heals.
• Names of the adults who were supervising and anyone who saw it.
• Medical records, bills and school days missed.
• Any messages with the other family or the property owner.

Deadlines can be shorter or different in some cases. A licensed Indiana attorney can say which one applies to your child.

Dog bites in the neighborhood

Indiana’s dog bite statute is narrower than many people think. It makes an owner liable for an unprovoked bite of a person acting peaceably in a place where that person may be required to be to perform a duty under state law, federal law or postal regulations, such as a mail carrier on a route. Bites in other situations depend on other rules and on the facts, which a licensed Indiana attorney can explain. The dog bite guide covers what to gather after a bite.

Hurt at someone else’s home

Falls on a friend’s icy steps or injuries at a neighbor’s party are awkward to talk about. Nobody wants to sue a friend. Many people ask first whether the homeowner has insurance that might apply, and a lawyer can explain how that works in Indiana and whether a claim makes sense at all.

Indiana generally follows modified comparative fault: if you are found 50 percent or less at fault, any recovery is generally reduced by your share, and at 51 percent or more it is generally barred. That rule often comes up in falls and bites, where an insurer may argue the injured person should have been more careful. The slip and fall guide has a checklist for the first days after a fall.

Choosing a lawyer as a family

When the injured person is a child or an older relative, more than one family member often joins the first conversation. Decide beforehand who will be the main contact, and write down questions together. In Indiana, a contingency fee agreement must be in writing and signed by the client, and it must explain how the fee and expenses are figured; ask the lawyer to walk you through it. If a case is filed, it would generally go to the Allen Circuit Court or the Allen Superior Court.

Our list of questions to ask an injury lawyer is a good place to start.

Other parts of the area

See downtown Fort Wayne, north Fort Wayne and New Haven, or the guides to workers’ comp and wrongful death.

Questions people ask