The Law Offices of David W. Holub represents people injured in car accidents in Wheatfield, Indiana. We serve Wheatfield and the rest of Jasper County from our office in Merrillville. Consultations are free. Call us at (219) 736-9700.
Car Accidents in Wheatfield
Wheatfield is a small Jasper County town where State Road 49 and State Road 10 meet. SR-49 runs north and south, connecting Wheatfield toward Kouts and the Valparaiso area, while SR-10 runs east and west across the county. That junction is the closest thing Wheatfield has to a main intersection, and it carries most of the through traffic that passes near town.
North of town, along SR-49, sits NIPSCO’s R.H. Schahfer Generating Station, a coal and natural gas power plant that has operated in Wheatfield Township for decades. Jasper County approved rezoning for a multi-billion-dollar expansion of the plant, according to nwitimes.com, and a construction project of that size typically brings extra truck and worker traffic to the surrounding roads for months or years, on top of the plant’s regular shift-change traffic.
Where Crashes Happen in Wheatfield
Away from the SR-49/SR-10 junction and the plant, Wheatfield is surrounded by open farmland, and most of the roads outside town are county roads with no shoulder, no streetlight, and long straightaways that end in a sharp turn or a stop sign a driver might not see coming. Farm equipment moves slowly on these roads during planting and harvest, and a driver coming up fast behind a tractor, or misjudging a gap at an unmarked intersection, can end up in a serious crash. Winter adds another risk, since open fields on either side of a county road let wind push drifting snow across the pavement with little warning.
Because Wheatfield is small, most drivers on its roads are either local or passing through on SR-49 or SR-10 to somewhere else. That mix of familiar local traffic and unfamiliar through traffic, on rural intersections that rely on stop signs instead of signals, shapes the crashes that happen here: T-bone collisions at the SR-49/SR-10 junction and other rural crossroads, rear-end crashes behind slow farm equipment, and single-vehicle crashes where a driver runs off a straight county road.
Indiana Law That Governs Your Wheatfield Claim
Indiana law sets a two-year deadline to file a lawsuit after a car accident, counted from the date of the crash. That deadline comes from Indiana Code 34-11-2-4, and Indiana courts enforce it strictly.
Fault is decided under Indiana’s comparative fault system. You can still recover damages as long as you were not more than half at fault, though your award is reduced by your own share of the fault (Indiana Code 34-51-2-6).
A different, stricter rule applies when a government vehicle causes the crash. The Comparative Fault Act does not reach government defendants (Indiana Code 34-51-2-2), so the older contributory negligence rule takes over, and even a small amount of fault on your part can block recovery entirely. SR-49 and SR-10 are state-maintained roads, so this rule can matter here.
Claims against a government body also come with short notice windows: as short as 180 days for a town, county, or subdivision (Indiana Code 34-13-3-8), and 270 days against the State (Indiana Code 34-13-3-6).
Where Your Wheatfield Case Is Filed
Like other Jasper County towns, Wheatfield has no court of its own for injury lawsuits. The Jasper County Circuit Court and Superior Court both sit in the same courthouse, at 115 W Washington Street in Rensselaer, about 20 miles southwest of Wheatfield. Most of the work happens through filings, negotiation, and phone calls, and most claims settle before trial. See our page on car accident cases in Jasper County for more on how these claims move through the system.
What To Do After a Crash in Wheatfield
Call 911 and get to a safe spot if you can. A crash at the SR-49/SR-10 junction or on a county road can block the only lane in either direction, so move to the shoulder when it is safe. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department typically responds outside town.
If farm equipment was involved, get the operator’s information and note where it was on the road, since fault often turns on visibility.
Get medical care right away, even for injuries that seem minor. Franciscan Health Rensselaer, about 20 miles away, is the closest hospital for most Wheatfield residents. Photograph the scene and your injuries, and collect witness contact information. Our Merrillville car accident page explains the claim process in more detail.
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 claims from Jasper County. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its facts.
The Law Offices of David W. Holub serves all of Northwest Indiana from our office at 8403 Merrillville Road, Merrillville, IN 46410, about 50 minutes northwest of Wheatfield via US-231. We do not have an office in Wheatfield. Your first consultation can happen by phone, with video or in-person meetings in Merrillville when ready.
Wheatfield Car Accident FAQs
Who is at fault in a crash at a rural intersection near Wheatfield?
Most rural crossroads near Wheatfield use stop signs instead of traffic signals, and fault often comes down to who had the right of way. Skid marks, the crash report, and any witnesses help establish what happened.
I was hit by farm equipment on a county road. Is that a normal car accident claim?
It is handled the same way as any other crash, but the details differ. Farm equipment moves slowly and can be hard to see at dusk, so these claims often focus on visibility and whether both drivers had a clear view of the road.
What if the driver who hit me near Wheatfield didn’t have insurance?
Indiana law requires drivers to carry insurance, but not everyone does, especially in rural areas. If your own policy includes uninsured motorist coverage, it can help pay for your injuries when the at-fault driver has none.
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.