Crashes on I-469 near Fort Wayne, US 30 and around New Haven

Car Accident Lawyer Fort Wayne is a free referral service, not a law firm. The referral line takes calls from New Haven and anywhere else in Allen County.

Inside a town or out on the county roads

Where you report an injury crash depends on where it happened. Indiana law says: local police when the crash is inside a city or town, the county sheriff or nearest state police post when it is outside a city or town, or a 911 operator anywhere (Indiana Code 9-26-1-1.1). Whether a spot is inside a town or out in the county decides who answers. The Indiana State Police has a District 22 post for Fort Wayne (Indiana State Police).

Calling 911 is one of the ways the law lists, so you do not need to know the boundary. Note the agency and the officer’s name before you go.

Crashes on rural stretches

Outside town, help can take longer to arrive, there may be no witnesses, and a crash can involve a deer, a farm vehicle or a fence instead of another car. A few points apply:

• Property damage. If you hit a fence, mailbox or other property and no owner is there, Indiana law asks you to take reasonable steps to find the owner, and if you cannot, to contact a law enforcement officer or agency.
• Single-car crashes. Your own policy’s collision coverage, subject to a deductible, may be what pays for the car. Check your declarations page.
• Photos matter more when there are no witnesses: the road, the signs, the weather, the light and where each vehicle ended up.

Trucks on I-469 and US 30

Semis and delivery trucks use I-469 and the US highways too. A crash with a semi or a delivery truck can involve the driver’s employer and more than one insurer. See truck and semi crashes in Fort Wayne for what to note at the scene and what to ask an attorney.

County and town vehicles

Plows, road crews and other public vehicles work these roads too. If a city, town or county vehicle or employee was involved, Indiana law generally requires a written notice within 180 days; for the state, within 270 days. Different fault rules apply to claims against a government unit, and combined government liability is capped (Indiana Code title 34). Do not wait on this one: talk with an attorney soon.

Reports, insurance and deadlines

An officer must investigate a crash with injury or death, or apparent property damage of at least $2,500, and the report then goes to the Indiana State Police. You can usually buy a copy online through BuyCrash, the service the State Police uses; the Fort Wayne accident report guide explains how.

Indiana’s minimum liability coverage is 25/50/25 (Indiana BMV). Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is part of newly written Indiana policies unless the policyholder rejected it in writing (Indiana Department of Insurance). Indiana law generally gives two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, but the deadline can be shorter or different, as with government vehicles above.

Finding an attorney from New Haven or the east side

The free referral line on this page connects you with a participating independent attorney’s office that takes calls from across Allen County. If you would rather choose a firm yourself, the Fort Wayne car accident law firms directory lists firms by part of town; it found no firm offices in New Haven itself, so the listed offices are in Fort Wayne. For crashes on the west and north sides, see I-69 crashes around Fort Wayne.

Questions people ask