Personal injury lawyer help in Highland, IN

Personal injury claims in Highland, Indiana follow state law, but local details matter: cases from Lake County are filed in the Lake County Superior Court, local police and sheriff's reports document crashes, and the insurers that write policies in Indiana know its modified comparative negligence (51% bar) rule well. This guide gives residents of Highland and surrounding Lake County communities a clear picture of their rights after an accident.

Ask Legal Matters is a free claim-review request service, not a law firm. Requests from Highland may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in Indiana. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone; partner availability and case acceptance depend on the facts.

From 2020 through 2024, federal crash records list 3 fatal crashes inside Highland, in which 3 people died. The only road with more than one was US-41, with 2 fatal crashes.

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2023 Final File and 2024 Annual Report File (ARF), national data files downloaded from NHTSA on November 3, 2026. A crash counts for a road under the trafficway the reporting agency recorded; the same street with and without a route number is one row, and a route recorded without a street name keeps its own row; roads with fewer than two fatal crashes are not listed. The 2024 figures are NHTSA's first release for that year and may change in its Final File.

How to cite these figures: Ask Legal Matters, "Fatal crashes in Highland, IN, 2020-2024," compiled from NHTSA FARS (2020-2023 Final File and 2024 Annual Report File (ARF)), https://asklegalmatters.com/injury-guides/indiana/highland/, checked November 3, 2026. Downloads and method: https://asklegalmatters.com/injury-guides/data/.

The yearly count was 0 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 1 in 2022, 1 in 2023 and 0 in 2024; none happened after dark. 1 involved a pedestrian, cyclist or other person outside a vehicle, and 3 happened at or near an intersection.

Across Lake County, the same records show 258 fatal crashes and 282 people killed over those five years.

Fatal crashes are the most serious outcome on these roads; many more crashes cause injuries without a death. Whatever the severity, the police crash report, photos of the scene and prompt medical records are the starting evidence for a claim.

In Indiana, the driver in a crash that injures or kills another person must immediately notify the police by the quickest means: the local police in a city or town, otherwise the county sheriff or the nearest state police post, or a 911 operator (IC 9-26-1-1.1). If a crash damages an unattended vehicle or property and the owner cannot be found, the driver must contact law enforcement.

Who must report

The driver in a crash that injures or kills another person; and, if a crash damages an unattended vehicle or property whose owner cannot be found, the driver must contact law enforcement

Report to

The local police inside a municipality; otherwise the county sheriff's office or the nearest state police post; or a 911 operator

Deadline

Immediately, as soon as possible after the crash, by the quickest means of communication

Driver's form

None for drivers: police investigate crashes with injury, death or apparent property damage of at least $2,500 and send a report to the Indiana State Police within 24 hours

Copy of the crash report

Indiana State Police: crash reports

Sources: Indiana Code, Title 9 (2026); Indiana State Police: crash reports. Checked November 3, 2026. General information, not legal advice; local rules and police practice can add steps.

Different attorneys handle different claims, so identify the type of accident early. Highland shares its court and its Indiana rules with the rest of Lake County; the detailed guides below, apply equally to accidents in Highland.

• Car Accident claimsCar Accidents
• Truck Accident claimsTruck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accident claimsMotorcycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accident claimsPedestrian Accidents
• Slip and Fall claimsSlip & Fall
• Workplace Injury claimsWork Injuries & Workers' Comp
• Medical Malpractice claimsMedical Malpractice
• Wrongful Death claimsWrongful Death

Indiana generally gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4); medical malpractice is different (two years). Wrongful death claims follow their own deadline, which can differ from the one above. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency follow separate and often much shorter deadlines. Once the deadline passes, the Lake County Superior Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Highland is to get legal advice early.

Indiana follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). In plain terms, you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Lake County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a crash in Highland, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Indiana requires drivers to carry only 25/50/25 in coverage (thousands of dollars for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage), which serious injuries quickly exhaust. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy and claims against additional responsible parties often make the difference in Lake County cases.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Highland are typically filed in the Lake County Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Lake County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Lake County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Highland are generally covered by Indiana workers' compensation, administered through the Indiana Worker's Compensation Board. Report the injury to your employer immediately — a late report can delay or put the claim at risk, and the exceptions vary by state — then file the formal claim within two years. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

• Griffith, IN: injury claims and local court
• Munster, IN: injury claims and local court
• Hammond, IN: injury claims and local court
• Schererville, IN: injury claims and local court
• Lake County injury guide and every community in the county
• Indiana personal injury laws and local guides
• Browse all U.S. city injury guides