The Law Offices of David W. Holub represents people hurt in car accidents at Lakes of the Four Seasons, the private, gated community straddling the Lake and Porter county line. We serve the community and the surrounding area from our office in Merrillville. Consultations are free. Call us at (219) 736-9700.
Car Accidents at Lakes of the Four Seasons
Lakes of the Four Seasons is different from every other community on this site. It is a private, gated community built around four small lakes and a golf course, roughly halfway between Crown Point and Valparaiso. The Porter and Lake county line runs directly through the middle of the community, so some homes and roads sit in Lake County and others sit in Porter County, even though the whole community shares a Crown Point mailing address. As of the 2020 census, about 7,100 people lived here across roughly 2,600 households.
The roads inside the gates are private, owned and maintained by the community’s property owners association rather than by either county. Visitors have to give a resident’s name and address at the entry gates before security lets them in. The community also runs its own 24-hour security department. The community owns the roads privately. So a crash inside the gates can raise different questions about who maintained that stretch of road than a crash on a public street would. Those questions can matter to a claim.
Where Crashes Happen at Lakes of the Four Seasons
Golf carts and low-speed vehicles share the roads here more than in most communities, since residents use them to get around the lakes and the golf course. Indiana law treats the two differently. Low-speed vehicles must be titled, registered, and insured, and state law lets them use public roads posted at 35 miles per hour or less. The state does not register golf carts at all. Local and community rules, rather than state highway law, decide where drivers can take them. A collision involving a golf cart or a low-speed vehicle can raise coverage questions that an ordinary car crash does not.
Randolph Street and 109th Avenue, the same corridors that serve neighboring Winfield, provide the main public-road access into the community from outside the gates, connecting residents toward Crown Point on the Lake County side and toward Valparaiso on the Porter County side.
Indiana Law That Governs Your Claim
Indiana law gives you two years from the date of a crash to file a lawsuit, no matter which county it happened in. That rule comes from Indiana Code 34-11-2-4. Evidence and memories fade, so it is best to start well before the deadline.
Indiana also uses a comparative fault system. You can still recover money for your injuries as long as you were not more than half at fault. However, the court then reduces your award by your own share of the fault. This comes from Indiana Code 34-51-2-6. On private roads, questions about who maintains a road or an intersection can shape how the court divides fault.
Different rules apply when a crash involves a government vehicle. Under Indiana Code 34-51-2-2, the comparative fault law does not apply to government defendants, so an older rule called contributory negligence controls instead, and any fault on your part can block your claim completely. Notice deadlines are shorter too.
A claim against a town, city, or county requires written notice within as little as 180 days, under Indiana Code 34-13-3-8. A claim against the State of Indiana requires notice within 270 days, under Indiana Code 34-13-3-6.
Where Your Case Is Filed
Because the county line runs through the middle of Lakes of the Four Seasons, where you file an injury claim depends on exactly where the crash happened, not on where you live or which gate you used.
If the crash happened on the Lake County side, the case generally goes to the Lake Superior Court, Civil Division. That court has civil courtrooms in Hammond, Gary, and East Chicago. The Lake Circuit Court in nearby Crown Point is the other option.
If the crash happened on the Porter County side, the case goes to the Porter County court system instead. That means the Porter Circuit Court or the Porter Superior Courts, both based in Valparaiso.
An attorney familiar with the community can help sort out which side of the line a crash occurred on and file in the right county from the start. Our Crown Point and Valparaiso car accident pages explain each county’s court system in more detail.
What To Do After a Crash at Lakes of the Four Seasons
Call 911 and stay at the scene if you can. Dispatchers may need the gate or street name to find you inside the community, so give as much detail as possible. The community’s security department may also respond and can help direct emergency crews to the right lake or street.
Get medical care right away, even if you feel fine at first. Some injuries do not show symptoms for a day or two.
Photograph the vehicles, the road, and your injuries, and get contact information from any witnesses, including neighbors or security staff. Note whether the crash happened on a community road or a public one, since that detail matters for a claim. Our Merrillville car accident page walks through the claim process in more detail.
About the Law Offices of David W. Holub
David W. Holub and Katelyn Holub are Indiana attorneys who have handled personal injury cases in Northwest Indiana for decades, including cases for clients from Lakes of the Four Seasons and the surrounding Crown Point and Valparaiso areas. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its facts.
We do not have an office at Lakes of the Four Seasons. Our office is at 8403 Merrillville Road, Merrillville, IN 46410, about a 25-minute drive by way of Randolph Street and 109th Avenue. Clients from the community meet with us in Merrillville.
Lakes of the Four Seasons Car Accident FAQs
Who is liable for a crash on a private community road?
It depends on the facts. The property owners association maintains the community’s private roads, so a crash caused by a poorly maintained road or an unsafe intersection can raise a claim against the association as well as any at-fault driver. We handle a crash caused only by another driver’s actions like any other car accident claim.
What if I was hit by a golf cart or a low-speed vehicle in the community?
It depends on the vehicle. Low-speed vehicles are titled, registered, and insured like regular cars, so a claim usually works the same way. The state does not register golf carts. Coverage can depend on the driver’s personal or homeowner’s insurance, so it helps to have a lawyer review the facts.
Which county court handles a Lakes of the Four Seasons crash?
It depends on where exactly the crash happened. A crash on the Lake County side goes to Lake County court. A crash on the Porter County side goes to Porter County court in Valparaiso.
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.