The Law Offices of David W. Holub represents people injured in car accidents in Burns Harbor, Indiana. We serve Burns Harbor and the rest of Porter County from our office in Merrillville. Consultations are free. Call us at (219) 736-9700.
Car Accidents in Burns Harbor
Burns Harbor is a small town in Westchester Township, Porter County, founded in 1966 along the Lake Michigan shoreline. What sets its traffic apart from other lakefront Porter County towns is industry. The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, an international shipping port, and the Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor steel mill, a fully integrated steelmaking facility with two blast furnaces, both operate here. Together they draw an average of roughly 350,000 truck trips a year, according to the port’s own published traffic figures, plus regular rail and barge traffic on the same corridors drivers use every day.
Where Crashes Happen in Burns Harbor
That truck traffic concentrates at a few key points. Interstate 94 has an interchange at Exit 22A, signed for US-20 West and Burns Harbor, the main route trucks use to reach the port and the mill. State Road 149 is the other major connector. It runs north from Valparaiso, crosses over I-94, widens to four lanes, meets US-20 at a signalized intersection, and curves northwest to join US-12 near Burns Harbor. Loaded trucks merging on and off at Exit 22A, and traffic mixing at the SR-149/US-20 signal, are two of the more demanding points in town.
Where Crashes Happen in Burns Harbor
US-12 and US-20 carry a steady mix of commuter traffic, port and mill trucks, and rail-served freight moving to and from the port’s shortline railroad, which connects to every major Class I carrier serving the region. A car sharing a lane with a loaded semi is at a real disadvantage if something goes wrong, since braking distances are longer and blind spots are bigger.
Burns Harbor’s year-round population is small, a little over 2,000 people, but the industrial and shipping traffic gives the town a different traffic profile than its size suggests. Crashes connected to Burns Harbor typically involve a passenger vehicle and a semi or commercial truck near the I-94/SR-149 interchange or the SR-149/US-20 intersection, or a rear-end or lane-change crash on US-12 or US-20 where truck and commuter traffic mix.
Indiana Law That Governs Your Burns Harbor Claim
You generally have two years from the date of a crash to file a lawsuit for your injuries under Indiana law. This comes from Indiana Code 34-11-2-4.
Indiana follows a comparative fault system for most crashes. You can still recover damages as long as you were not more than half at fault, though your award is reduced by that amount (Indiana Code 34-51-2-6).
Trucking crashes near the port or the mill sometimes involve a government-owned or government-contracted vehicle, and the rules change when that happens. The Comparative Fault Act does not apply to government defendants (Indiana Code 34-51-2-2), so the older contributory negligence rule controls instead, and any fault on your part can bar recovery entirely.
Claims against a government entity also carry short notice deadlines: 180 days for a city, town, or county defendant (Indiana Code 34-13-3-8), or 270 days for the State of Indiana (Indiana Code 34-13-3-6). Talk to a lawyer soon after a crash involving any government or municipal vehicle.
Where Your Burns Harbor Case Is Filed
Burns Harbor has no local court that hears injury lawsuits, including claims against trucking companies or their insurers. Civil suits, including truck and car accident claims, are filed in the Porter Superior Court, Superior Division, at the Porter County Courthouse, 16 East Lincolnway, Valparaiso. Superior Court 1, 2, and 5 handle civil plenary and personal injury cases through random, rotating assignment. The Porter Circuit Court, also at the Valparaiso courthouse, has general civil jurisdiction too. Even cases naming out-of-state corporate defendants are filed at the Valparaiso courthouse, and your lawyer handles that filing.
What To Do After a Crash in Burns Harbor
Call 911 right away, particularly for a crash involving a semi near the I-94 interchange or the SR-149/US-20 intersection, where a stopped vehicle can create a serious hazard. Local and state police respond to crashes in Burns Harbor, and their report becomes important evidence.
Get medical attention even if you feel fine at first. Injuries from a crash with a loaded truck are often more severe than they first appear. Northwest Health – Porter in Valparaiso is the nearest full-service hospital.
Photograph the scene, including any commercial vehicle, its markings, and license plate. Truck crashes often involve a trucking company’s insurer, and those insurers move quickly to protect their position, so avoid a recorded statement before talking with a lawyer.
Our Merrillville car accident page walks through the claim process in more detail.
About the Law Offices of David W. Holub
Attorney David W. Holub has represented injured people across Northwest Indiana for decades, including cases involving commercial and industrial vehicle crashes. Attorney Katelyn Holub is also licensed in Indiana and handles car accident and injury claims. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its own facts.
Our office is at 8403 Merrillville Road, Merrillville, IN 46410, about a 30 to 35 minute drive from Burns Harbor. We do not have an office in Burns Harbor. Clients meet with us at the Merrillville office, and many matters can also be handled by phone.
Burns Harbor Car Accident FAQs
What if I was hit by a semi truck near the port or the steel mill?
Crashes involving commercial trucks are often more complicated, because a trucking company, its insurer, and sometimes a separate cargo owner may all have a role. It helps to preserve evidence quickly, since trucking companies often send their own investigators to the scene fast.
Who handles a multi-vehicle pileup on I-94 near Burns Harbor?
Fault can be split among several drivers, and Indiana’s comparative fault rules apply to each one individually. Police reports, dashcam footage, and witness statements help sort out how much each driver contributed.
Does it matter if a government or port-related vehicle was involved in my crash?
Yes. Different rules apply to crashes involving a government-owned vehicle, and the notice deadlines are much shorter than the normal two-year window. Speak with a lawyer quickly if a municipal, county, or port authority vehicle was involved.
What does a car accident lawyer cost?
Consultations are free. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee, so the fee comes out of any recovery. No recovery means no fee.
Talk With Our Office
If you have questions about your situation, you can contact our office to discuss it. Call (219) 736-9700 or send a message through our contact page.