How Brain Injuries Affect Daily Living Activities: Legal Rights After a Fort Wayne, Indiana Crash

 

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in a Fort Wayne, Indiana motor vehicle accident can devastate a person's ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), fundamentally altering their independence and daily routine. These essential tasks—from basic self-care activities like bathing, dressing, and eating to more complex instrumental activities such as managing medications, preparing meals, and handling finances—often become significant challenges for TBI survivors. The impact frequently extends beyond physical limitations to include cognitive difficulties with memory, concentration, and decision-making, particularly challenging in Fort Wayne's active community setting. When these impairments result from another driver's negligence on busy thoroughfares like Jefferson Boulevard or Lima Road, they become crucial factors in personal injury claims, affecting compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and diminished quality of life. The specialized trauma care available at facilities like Parkview Regional Medical Center plays a vital role in documenting these impairments for legal proceedings.

Legal Rights and Considerations

Indiana follows a modified comparative fault system with a 51% threshold, meaning victims can pursue compensation if they are found to be 50% or less at fault for the accident. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Indiana is two years from the date of the accident (IC 34-11-2-4). Insurance considerations typically involve both the at-fault driver's liability coverage (Indiana's minimum requirement is 25/50/25) and the victim's own insurance, including potential underinsured motorist coverage. In Fort Wayne's jurisdiction, compensation may cover medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. The Allen County courts have established precedents for considering long-term ADL impairments in damage calculations, making thorough medical documentation essential. A good Fort Wayne injury lawyer will handle all aspects of the brain injury claim.

Click the links below to learn how a good lawyer can help with your type of accident that caused the brain injury:

 

 

 

Related Resources

Local Courts

  • Allen County Superior Court
  • Allen County Circuit Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division

Support Services

  • Indiana Brain Injury Association - Northeast Chapter
  • Parkview Regional Medical Center Rehabilitation Services
  • Lutheran Hospital Rehabilitation Center
  • Fort Wayne Neurological Center
  • AWS Foundation (disability support services)
  • The League for the Blind & Disabled - Fort Wayne
  • Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities

Legal and Regulatory Resources

  • Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles - Fort Wayne Branch
  • Indiana Code Title 9 (Motor Vehicles)
  • Indiana Department of Insurance
  • Allen County Bar Association
  • Indiana Trial Lawyers Association
  • Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition
  • Fort Wayne Commission on Disability

Return to the Fort Wayne brain injury information page

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