Connect with me for a free, confidential case evaluation. No fee until we win your case.
I will be as tough a lawyer as I need to be in resolving your case while remaining compassionate your situation.
I only practice personal injury law with experience helping thousands of victims. I am aggressive in pursuing clients' rights.
Connect with me for a free, confidential case evaluation. No fee until we win your case.
I will be as tough a lawyer as I need to be in resolving your case while remaining compassionate your situation.
I only practice personal injury law with experience helping thousands of victims. I am aggressive in pursuing clients' rights.
An injury can change your life forever. If you or a loved one were seriously injured in Indiana due to the negligence of another person, experienced Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain can help you seek justice and full compensation. At the Fountain Law Firm, P.C., we are dedicated to representing clients who have been injured due to the negligence or carelessness of another. We are personally invested in your personal injury case, ensuring that you receive the support you deserve in this time of need. Contact our Indianapolis personal injury attorneys today to see how we can help you and your family.
As a survivor of a serious car accident, injury attorney Merry Fountain understands the stress of dealing with the pain of serious injuries and the critical need for professional legal representation during a personal injury claim. She is a tough advocate for your needs, fighting for your fight to fair compensation after a devastating injury. Additionally, she understands the financial burdens a serious accident can cause, so you won’t pay anything until you receive your settlement.
We urge you to call our Indianapolis personal injury law firm today if you or a loved one has been seriously injured – our dedicated personal injury attorneys are dedicated, sincere, and experienced in representing accident victims. Call our office at (317) 917-7873 to schedule your free consultation, we are available 24/7.
Our experienced personal injury lawyers in Indianapolis believe that maintaining close communication and responsiveness is vital in the attorney/client relationship. Our law office return calls and emails promptly and will never put your case on the back burner, a common problem in many large law firms where you may not even get the chance to speak with your lead personal injury attorney. Merry Fountain operates differently – she takes on only a select number and types of cases so she can dedicate all of her time to achieve justice for the people she serves. We will help you get back what you spent on medical bills, medical treatment, and recover other non-economic losses.
At Fountain Law Firm, we take on serious injury cases and are fully dedicated to pursuing full financial compensation. Our areas of practice include:
We have a comprehensive understating of how insurance companies operate and how they employ strategies to limit the value of settlements, and how these actions can impact personal injury claims.
In cases of serious injury, it is critical that you have genuine support and experienced legal representation. The extent of your injuries may have left you in a condition where you are unable to work and earn a living and need long-term medical care and treatment. Our belief is that in these circumstances, you should recover the maximum compensation possible under the law.
In a case of serious injury, there are many actions that must be taken to protect your right to full financial compensation. These actions include gathering and preserving evidence, interviewing witnesses, having the extent of your injuries evaluated by medical experts, calling upon professional accident investigators to review the crash site if needed, and much more. We take on all of these tasks with confidence and the highest level of professionalism.
You have limited time in which to file a personal injury lawsuit in the state of Indiana under the statute of limitations. The clock starts running on the day of the accident, and the case must be filed within two years, or you lose your right to file. Some of the most important legal actions must occur in the early days following the accident, as this is the period in which all supporting evidence for your case must be gathered and preserved before it is lost or destroyed, or witness memories fade. We urge you to contact us immediately if you or a loved one has been seriously injured.
To be successful in recovering damages in a personal injury case, four elements must be proven to exist:
The lawsuit process is usually unfamiliar to people who suffer serious injuries caused by negligence. Taking legal action may seem intimidating if you don’t fully understand the process, but an experienced personal injury lawyer can provide all the legal guidance you need to pursue your claim. Here is an overview of the personal injury lawsuit process in Indiana.
The personal injury claims process is complex, so you should strongly consider hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you through the process. During this initial consultation, the attorney should ask you many questions about your case to determine if you have a valid claim. If you decide to move forward and file a claim, we will handle each step of the personal injury claim process on your behalf.
We offer free consultations at Fountain Law Firm, so our Indianapolis personal injury lawyers can help you understand your legal options at no cost. We also work on a contingency fee basis, so you only owe attorneys’ fees when you receive a settlement for your injuries.
At this stage, your personal injury attorney will begin in-depth research into your case. They will work to understand what caused your injuries, the severity of these injuries and the damages you have suffered.
Next, they will contact the negligent party’s insurance provider and notify them of your injuries and their representation. Your lawyer’s job is to handle the legal aspects of the case on your behalf, which allows you to focus on recovering from your injuries and getting back on your feet.
It is very important that you obtain medical treatment until you are either back to your pre-collision condition or as good as you are going to get (called “medical quiescence”.)
Once you are done treating, your attorney will obtain documentation from all the medical providers that you have treated with. When everything has been obtained, your Fountain Law Firm attorney will review all of your medical records and assess the valuation of your case.
They will discuss this treatment with you and the valuation of your case. A detailed demand letter is prepared for the insurance company outlying your medical treatment and damages and making a demand for settlement. This letter is sent to the insurance adjuster along with a brochure containing photographs and your medical records and bills.
Your attorney will advise you to keep a list of all the ways that your injuries have and continue to affect your life. Limitations on your activities and quality of life are part of your damages for pain and suffering in addition to your physical pain.
Personal injury claims are often resolved through settlements and without going to trial. Insurance companies often make settlement offers to avoid a lengthy and expensive court process.
It is normally 5-8 weeks after your documentation is forwarded to the insurance company before an initial settlement offer is made. The initial settlement offer is never the top offer and usually they will eventually significantly increase it. Your attorney knows the best arguments to make on your behalf to force them to continue negotiating. Additional negotiations can take another month or two before the insurance company makes their highest pre-suit offer. At this time your Fountain Law Firm lawyer will discuss the offer with you and how much you would receive out of it.
Your lawyer will give you their professional opinion of the settlement offer and discuss the pros and cons of accepting it compared with the next option, filing a lawsuit.
If you decide to accept the offer, you will usually receive your settlement within a month.
If the insurance company refuses to make a fair settlement offer, you may choose to reject it. At this stage, your personal injury attorney will officially file a personal injury lawsuit in court. The court process is time-consuming but may be worthwhile in order to recover the full financial compensation you deserve. Personal injury lawsuits typically go through the following stages.
The details of your injuries, allegations of negligence, and damages suffered are all compiled in a legal document called the complaint. Your lawyer will file your complaint in the county where the injury happened or the county where the negligent party lives.
After the complaint is filed, it is served to the defendant in person, and they are required to provide an “answer” to the complaint within a certain time frame – 20 days in the state of Indiana. The answer is also a legal document, and the defendant has the option to either admit to or deny the allegations of the complaint.
During the discovery phase, the attorneys of both the defendant and plaintiff gather evidence, documents, testimony, and other information related to the case from each other and from third parties. Discovery allows both parties to know what witnesses and evidence the other side will present when the case goes to trial.
Depositions are often used during the discovery process. During a deposition for a personal injury case, witnesses will answer oral questions during a recorded interview session. Both the plaintiff and defendant may be questioned, along with other witnesses and experts on matters related to the case.
Mediation provides an alternate path to resolving a case pre-trial if settlement negotiations are unsuccessful, and it may be requested at any stage of the claims process.
During mediation, both parties will meet with a neutral third-party mediator, whose job is to help both parties come to an agreement without going to trial. Both sides will have the opportunity to argue their case and negotiate a settlement amount with help from the mediator. Mediation is non-binding, so each party has the right to accept or reject a settlement offer.
If the case goes to trial, your personal injury attorney will argue their case in front of a judge or jury, and the defendant and their attorney will have the chance to argue their defense to the allegations of negligence. The court will make a decision on whether the defendant was negligent and the amount of damages that the defendant must pay if they were negligent.
Personal injury trials generally go through the following process:
If you or a loved one has recently suffered injuries due to the negligence of another party, you have legal rights. You could receive financial compensation for your medical bills, lost wages,
pain and suffering, and other damages by filing a personal injury claim against this negligent party. You can learn more about filing a personal injury lawsuit by contacting the experienced Indianapolis personal injury lawyers of the Fountain Law Firm.
We have a comprehensive understanding of how to handle personal injury claims and will develop a legal strategy to fight for the best possible outcome in your case. We invest the necessary time and effort to prove liability, and to understand what to expect in the defense strategies, and how to best prove causation and damages.
You can expect an extraordinary level of personal service – her dedication to you and your case will make a significant difference in the final outcome. You will never be treated like “just another client” when you are represented by Merry Fountain, who is widely regarded as being among the finest personal injury attorneys in Indianapolis.
At Fountain Law Firm, P.C., you will be represented by a personal injury lawyer who is focused on you, your case, and achieving the maximum in financial compensation possible. Indianapolis personal injury attorney Merry Fountain is unrelenting in the pursuit of justice, and in demanding her clients are treated fairly by insurance companies and large corporations. She will work with you directly, person to person, and will not turn your case over to an associate or member of her staff.
Under the care of Indianapolis injury attorney Merry Fountain, your case will be in the hands of a true legal professional with an uncommon level of dedication to the people she serves. Call today for a free case evaluation.
I was in a car accident and couldn’t really make decisions on my own the first weeks but somehow my family found Merry Fountain. She knew all the ins and outs. She kept me informed every step of the way. She visited me in the hospital and in the rehab center and then in my home 30 miles outside of town. I don’t know what else to say except that she is everything you could ask for in a personal injury lawyer. You won’t be sorry!
Kristy B.