The Law Offices of David W. Holub represents people injured in car accidents across Starke County, Indiana, including Knox and North Judson. We serve the entire county from our office in Merrillville. Consultations are free. Call us at (219) 736-9700.
Car Accidents in Starke County
Starke County is crossed by a network of state and federal highways carrying both local traffic and drivers passing through. U.S. 30 runs along the county’s north edge, meeting State Road 23 near Grovertown, and carries heavy commuter and commercial traffic toward the South Bend area. U.S. 35 runs north and south through the heart of the county, connecting the Bass Lake area to Knox and on to the LaPorte County line.
State Road 8 crosses the county east to west, running through Knox from La Crosse toward Plymouth. State Road 10 also runs east to west, linking North Judson to the Bass Lake area, where it briefly runs with US-35. State Road 23 begins near Bass Lake and runs north to the US-30 junction at Grovertown. State Road 39 passes through North Judson, concurrent with SR-10 through the center of town.
Where Crashes Happen in Starke County
Bass Lake itself adds a seasonal layer to the county’s traffic. The lake draws boaters, anglers, and vacationers throughout the warmer months, and the roads feeding it, especially US-35 and SR-10, see more traffic on summer weekends than the rest of the year. Many of those drivers are visitors who do not know the roads, the speed limits, or where the sharp curves and intersections sit.
Away from the highways, Starke County is farm country, and county roads carry grain trucks, tractors, and other slow-moving equipment for much of the year. These roads are narrower than the state highways, often without shoulders, and a driver in a hurry can misjudge the space needed to pass safely.
The crashes we see across Starke County range from highway-speed collisions on US-30, US-35, and SR-8, to seasonal crashes tied to Bass Lake traffic, to crashes on narrow county roads involving farm equipment or drivers unfamiliar with the area. For town-specific detail, see our Knox car accident page and our North Judson car accident page.
Indiana Law That Governs Your Starke County Claim
Indiana gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit (Indiana Code 34-11-2-4). Evidence fades fast in a rural county, so it helps to start early.
Indiana uses a comparative fault system. You can recover as long as you were not more than half at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of the fault (Indiana Code 34-51-2-6).
Different, stricter fault rules apply when a government vehicle is involved. The Comparative Fault Act does not cover government defendants (Indiana Code 34-51-2-2), so contributory negligence applies instead, and any fault on your part can bar recovery.
Notice deadlines matter in a county with this many state and county roads. A claim against Starke County or a town requires written notice in as little as 180 days (Indiana Code 34-13-3-8). A claim tied to a state highway, such as a defect on US-30, US-35, or one of the state roads, requires notice to the state within 270 days (Indiana Code 34-13-3-6). Missing either deadline can end a claim before it starts.
Where Your Starke County Case Is Filed
Every injury lawsuit arising from a crash in Starke County is filed in the same place: the Starke Circuit Court on Courthouse Square in Knox. That includes crashes in Knox, North Judson, Bass Lake, Hamlet, San Pierre, and every other town in the county. Unlike Lake County, which splits civil filings across courtrooms in several cities, Starke County keeps its injury cases in one courthouse, whether the crash happened on US-30 near Grovertown or on a county road outside Bass Lake.
What To Do After a Crash in Starke County
Call the police and stay at the scene if you can safely do so. Wherever the crash happened, whether on US-35 near Knox, SR-10 near North Judson, or a county road near Bass Lake, the responding department’s crash report becomes important evidence later.
Get medical care right away, even if you feel fine. Rural response times can run longer than in a city, and some injuries do not show up for a day or two.
Photograph the vehicles, the road, and your injuries, and get witness names. Be careful with the other driver’s insurer, and skip the recorded statement.
Our Merrillville car accident page explains the claim process step by step.
About the Law Offices of David W. Holub
Attorney David W. Holub has practiced personal injury law in Northwest Indiana for decades. He and attorney Katelyn Holub are licensed in Indiana and handle car accident and other injury cases throughout the region. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its facts.
Our office is at 8403 Merrillville Road, Merrillville, IN 46410. Drive times across Starke County vary, roughly 45 to 70 minutes depending on where you live. We do not have an office in Starke County. Much of the early work on a claim can be handled by phone.
Starke County Car Accident FAQs
What should I know about a crash on a Starke County road, not a state highway?
County roads are often narrower than US-30, US-35, or the state routes, with no shoulders or clear lane markings. If a defect, like a missing sign or a washed-out shoulder, played a role, a claim against the county may involve a short notice deadline, so it helps to act quickly.
Are there more crashes around Bass Lake in the summer?
Traffic on the roads leading to Bass Lake, especially US-35 and SR-10, picks up in the warmer months as visitors head to the lake to boat, fish, and vacation. Many do not know the roads well, adding risk on top of the normal summer increase.
What if a bad state road or a missing sign caused my crash?
Claims involving a defect on a state road, like US-30, US-35, or one of the state routes, go through the Indiana Tort Claims Act and require notice to the state within 270 days, much shorter than the usual two-year filing deadline.
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.