The Law Offices of David W. Holub represents people hurt in car accidents in East Chicago, Indiana. Attorneys David W. Holub and Katelyn Holub handle crash claims across Northwest Indiana from their office in nearby Merrillville. The consultation is free. You can reach the firm at (219) 736-9700.
Car Accidents in East Chicago
East Chicago sits between Lake Michigan and some of the heaviest industrial ground in the Midwest. The steel mills along the Indiana Harbor and the refineries next door in Whiting keep large trucks moving through the city at all hours. That mix of semis, shift-change traffic, and tight local streets shapes the crashes that happen here.
Cline Avenue, also known as State Road 912, is the road people ask about most. The old elevated span over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal closed in 2009 after inspectors found serious corrosion. The state later tore it down. A new Cline Avenue Bridge opened in December 2020. It is a toll bridge. A private company, United Bridge Partners, built it and runs it, not the state. Some drivers skip the toll and cut through the city on Indianapolis Boulevard or Columbus Drive instead. That reroute pushes extra cars and trucks onto surface streets that already carry plenty of both.
Where Crashes Happen in East Chicago
Indianapolis Boulevard carries US 12 and US 20 through the heart of the city. It mixes commuters, mill traffic, and local drivers at a long string of signal lights. Rear-end and left-turn crashes are common at those lights. Columbus Drive links the harbor area with the rest of the city and sees steady truck traffic to and from the mills. The ramps that tie Cline Avenue into the Indiana Toll Road and the Borman Expressway add merging conflicts at highway speed.
Industrial traffic also changes what a claim looks like. A crash with a steel hauler or a tanker often involves several parties at once. The driver, the trucking company, its insurer, and sometimes a contractor may all play a role. Commercial policies are larger, and the companies behind them move fast to protect themselves after a wreck. Evidence like dash-camera footage, driver logs, and maintenance records can disappear if no one asks for it early. Our East Chicago truck accident page covers these cases in more depth.
Indiana Law That Governs Your East Chicago Claim
Indiana gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit. The rule is Indiana Code 34-11-2-4. Two years can sound like a long time, but building a case takes months, so it helps to start early.
For most car crashes, Indiana uses a comparative fault system. You can recover as long as you were not more than half at fault. However, the court then reduces your award by your share of the blame. The rule is Indiana Code 34-51-2-6. Insurance adjusters know this, and they often try to shift blame onto the injured person to shrink a claim.
Different, stricter fault rules apply when a crash involves a government vehicle, and the deadlines run shorter. It helps to talk to a lawyer quickly in these cases. The Comparative Fault Act does not apply to governmental defendants. That exception is Indiana Code 34-51-2-2. Those claims fall under the older contributory negligence rule. Even a small share of fault on your part can block recovery completely.
The notice deadlines in government cases are strict. A claim against a city, county, or other political subdivision requires written notice in as short as 180 days. That requirement is Indiana Code 34-13-3-8. You must notice a claim against the state within 270 days. That rule is Indiana Code 34-13-3-6, and it can apply to crashes on state routes like US 12 and US 20. If the notice deadline passes, you can lose the claim before it ever starts.
Where Your East Chicago Case Is Filed
Most injury lawsuits from East Chicago crashes go to the Lake Superior Court, Civil Division. One of that division’s courtrooms, Room 2, sits in East Chicago itself. As a result, many cases from the city stay close to home. Other civil courtrooms sit in Hammond and Gary. The Lake Circuit Court in Crown Point also hears injury cases.
East Chicago has its own City Court, but it handles traffic infractions and ordinance matters only. You cannot file an injury lawsuit there. If you received a ticket after your crash, the ticket may go through City Court. The injury claim moves separately in Superior or Circuit Court.
What To Do After an East Chicago Crash
Get medical care first. St. Catherine Hospital on Fife Street treats many crash victims from the city. Prompt care also creates a record that ties your injuries to the crash.
If you can do it safely, photograph the vehicles, the road, and details like skid marks or debris. On a busy stretch such as Indianapolis Boulevard, crews clear crash scenes quickly. If a commercial truck was involved, note the company name and trailer number. A crash on the Cline Avenue Bridge may be caught on toll cameras. Toll operators do not keep that footage forever.
Report the crash to the police and get the report number. Be careful with insurance adjusters who call early. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer. Our Merrillville car accident guides explain each of these steps in more detail.
About the Law Offices of David W. Holub
David W. Holub and Katelyn Holub are Indiana attorneys who focus on personal injury law. The firm has served injured people across Northwest Indiana for decades. Many clients come from East Chicago and other lakefront towns in Lake County.
The office is located at 8403 Merrillville Road, Merrillville, IN 46410, roughly a 25-minute drive south of East Chicago. The firm does not have an East Chicago office. We serve clients from the city out of Merrillville, and we handle much of the work by phone. The firm has obtained recoveries for crash victims in Lake County courts. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its facts.
East Chicago Car Accident Questions
What if an industrial or steel-mill truck caused my crash?
Crashes with mill and refinery trucks usually involve the driver, the company, and a commercial insurance policy. These cases move differently from ordinary car claims. Therefore, your lawyer should request driver logs and maintenance records quickly. Our East Chicago truck accident lawyer page explains what makes these cases different.
What happens if I crash on the Cline Avenue toll bridge or its ramps?
A private toll company runs the bridge itself. A claim tied to the bridge is handled differently from a claim against the state. The connecting ramps and nearby routes involve public agencies. Claims against a government agency have notice deadlines as short as 180 days. A lawyer can help sort out who controls the exact stretch of road where your crash happened.
What if the driver who hit me lives in Illinois?
This comes up often in East Chicago because the state line is minutes away. A crash that happens in Indiana can usually be handled in an Indiana court, under Indiana law. That is true even when the other driver lives in Illinois. Their insurance still applies. The main difference is extra paperwork to bring them into the case.
How much does it cost to hire a car accident lawyer in East Chicago?
The consultation is free. We handle most injury cases on a contingency fee. The fee comes out of any recovery, not out of your pocket up front. If there is no recovery, there is typically no fee.
Talk With Our Office
If you have questions about your situation, you can contact our office to discuss it. You can call (219) 736-9700 or use the contact form on this site. The consultation is free.