The Law Offices of David W. Holub represents people injured in car accidents in Whiting, Indiana. The firm is based in Merrillville and serves Whiting and all of Lake County. Attorneys David W. Holub and Katelyn Holub offer free consultations to crash victims. You can reach the office at (219) 736-9700.
Car Accidents in Whiting
Whiting sits on the far northwest corner of Lake County, pressed between Lake Michigan and the Illinois state line. The city covers less than two square miles, yet some of the busiest pavement in Northwest Indiana runs through it. Drivers moving between Chicago and Indiana funnel through Whiting every day. Crashes here often involve people who live on both sides of the border.
Indianapolis Boulevard carries the heaviest load. Three federal routes, US-12, US-20, and US-41, share this one stretch of road as it passes through town. Commuters, delivery vans, and tanker trucks mix with local drivers making left turns into businesses and side streets. Rear-end collisions at signals and left-turn crashes at cross streets are the patterns we see most on this corridor.
Where Crashes Happen in Whiting
119th Street is Whiting’s downtown street. It is lined with storefronts, on-street parking, and crosswalks. It leads toward the lakefront. Traffic moves slower here, but slow traffic still produces real injuries. Drivers backing out of angled spots or rolling through crosswalks can hurt pedestrians and cyclists along with other drivers. Large summer events bring heavy traffic to 119th Street. Visiting drivers who do not know the street add to the risk.
The BP refinery shapes Whiting traffic more than any other single site. BP describes Whiting as its largest refinery in the United States. The plant draws thousands of workers, contractors, and heavy trucks. Shift changes send waves of vehicles onto Indianapolis Boulevard and nearby streets at set times of day. Tanker trucks and contractor rigs move in and out of the plant gates. A collision with one of them can cause serious harm even at modest speed.
Whiting also borders Hammond and East Chicago and sits minutes from Illinois. Many crashes here involve an Illinois driver and an Illinois insurance company, which adds a few extra steps to an otherwise ordinary claim.
Indiana Law That Governs Your Whiting Claim
Indiana gives you two years from the date of a crash to file a lawsuit. The rule is Indiana Code 34-11-2-4. Two years can pass quickly when you are focused on treatment and car repairs, so it helps to start early.
Indiana also uses a comparative fault system. You can recover as long as you were not more than half at fault for the crash, and your award is reduced by your share of the fault. The rule is Indiana Code 34-51-2-6. Insurance adjusters know this rule well, and they often try to push extra blame onto the injured person to shrink a claim.
Different, stricter fault rules apply when a government vehicle is involved, and the deadlines are shorter. It helps to talk to a lawyer quickly in these cases. The Comparative Fault Act does not apply to claims against government bodies (Indiana Code 34-51-2-2). Under the older rule that still controls those claims, any fault on your part can block recovery completely.
A claim against a city, town, or other local government body also requires written notice within 180 days (Indiana Code 34-13-3-8). A claim against the state allows 270 days (Indiana Code 34-13-3-6). The federal routes through Whiting run on state-maintained pavement, so these notice rules come up more often than people expect. A deadline as short as 180 days leaves little room for delay.
Where Your Whiting Case Is Filed
Whiting has its own city court, but that court handles matters like traffic tickets and city ordinance violations. Personal injury lawsuits are not filed there.
Injury suits from Whiting crashes go to the Lake County courts. The Lake Superior Court Civil Division hears these cases. Its civil courtrooms sit in Hammond, Gary, and East Chicago. For a Whiting case, the closest civil courtrooms are in Hammond and East Chicago, each a short drive from town. The Lake Circuit Court in Crown Point can also hear injury cases. Your lawyer handles the filing details, so you do not need to sort that out on your own.
What To Do After a Whiting Crash
Get medical care first, even if you feel mostly fine. The nearest emergency rooms are in East Chicago and Hammond. Urgent care clinics sit along Indianapolis Boulevard. Some injuries, especially neck and back injuries, take a day or two to show themselves.
Call the police and make sure a report is filed. Photograph the vehicles, the road, and anything that tells the story, such as the signal at an Indianapolis Boulevard intersection.
Get names and insurance information from every driver, and contact information from anyone who saw the crash on 119th Street or wherever it happened.
Be careful with the other driver’s insurance company. You are not required to give a recorded statement before you speak with a lawyer. Our Merrillville car accident page links to detailed guides on evidence, medical bills, and insurer tactics.
About the Law Offices of David W. Holub
David W. Holub and Katelyn Holub are Indiana attorneys who have represented injured people across Northwest Indiana for decades. The firm handles car and truck accident claims, along with other personal injury matters, for clients throughout the communities it serves.
The office is located at 8403 Merrillville Road, Merrillville, IN 46410. The firm does not have an office in Whiting. Merrillville is roughly a half hour from Whiting by way of Indianapolis Boulevard or Interstate 90 and Interstate 65. Many clients handle most communication by phone and email. The first consultation is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was hit by a truck near the BP refinery. Is my case different from a normal car crash?
It often is. A crash with a tanker truck or contractor vehicle usually involves a commercial insurance policy. Sometimes more than one company shares responsibility. Commercial carriers also keep records that private drivers do not, such as driver logs and maintenance files, and those records need to be requested before they disappear. Our truck accident pages explain these cases in more detail.
The driver who hit me lives in Illinois. What happens now?
If the crash happened in Whiting, Indiana law generally applies, and the case can usually be filed in the Lake County courts. The main difference is dealing with an Illinois insurance company and its adjusters. Border-town claims like this are routine in East Chicago, Hammond, and Whiting, and our office handles them regularly.
I was only going about 25 miles per hour. Can a crash that slow really injure me?
Yes. Speeds on 119th Street and Whiting’s side streets are low, but neck, back, and shoulder injuries happen at low speeds. The insurance company may point to the minor damage on your bumper and argue you cannot really be hurt. Your medical records matter more than the photos of your car, so get examined and follow through with treatment.
What does it cost to talk to your office?
The consultation is free. Injury cases are handled on a contingency fee, which means the fee comes out of any recovery at the end of the case. If there is no recovery, there is no attorney fee. You will not get a bill just for asking questions.
Talk With Our Office
A crash can leave you with pain, bills, and phone calls from adjusters all at once. If you have questions about your situation, you can contact our office to discuss it. Call the Law Offices of David W. Holub at (219) 736-9700 or use the contact form on this page.