How We Help After a Distracted-Driving Crash in Evansville

At Christie Bell & Marshall, we’ve spent decades handling distracted-driving cases across Indiana, and we know exactly what disappears first. Cell tower pings. App usage logs. Dashboard camera files stored on 72-hour loops. The difference between a strong case and a weak one often comes down to whether someone preserved that evidence before it vanished.

We don’t wait for insurers to tell us what happened. We send legal preservation demands within hours, pull phone records directly from carriers, and work with reconstruction experts who can show, down to the second, when a driver’s attention left the road. We’ve seen too many cases where delay costs clients the proof they needed, and we won’t let that happen to you.

Here’s what we do the moment you call:

  • Preserve critical digital evidence. We send legal holds to protect phone records, navigation data, and in-car infotainment logs. These records often prove that a driver was texting, streaming, or using a hands-free device moments before impact.
  • Secure police and emergency documentation. Our attorneys obtain 911 audio, full EPD crash reports, and diagrams directly from investigators to reconstruct what happened. Official reports can be retrieved through the Evansville Police Department’s accident reporting portal.
  • Reconstruct the collision scene. We analyze lane markings, signal phases, and timing intervals at intersections to show where visibility, distraction, and driver error converged.
  • Control insurer interactions. We handle all recorded statements and communications with carriers, ensuring that your story is documented accurately from the start.
  • Quantify the full impact. Our firm works with treating physicians and economic experts to value medical expenses, time off work, and future care needs, building the financial proof required for a strong claim.

We invite you to explore our case results and learn how early investigation and precise documentation have helped clients secure substantial recoveries across Indiana. In a free initial consultation, we can also advise you on the best options to pursue compensation and secure justice for your injuries and losses.

Our Accident Attorneys

Tina M. Bell

Tina M. Bell

Partner
Meet Lee C. Christie

Meet Lee C. Christie

Partner
Laura J. Conyers, RN

Laura J. Conyers, RN

Associate
Meet Kevin P. Farrell

Meet Kevin P. Farrell

Of Counsel
Meet Kathy A. Lee

Meet Kathy A. Lee

Retired
Meet Kyle L. Christie

Meet Kyle L. Christie

Partner
Katherine M. Marshall

Katherine M. Marshall

Partner
Christopher D. Simpkins

Christopher D. Simpkins

Associate

Speak with a personal injury lawyer today. Call: 317-488-5500

The Phone Isn’t the Only Culprit

Most people think of texting when they hear “distracted driving,” but the reality in Evansville’s traffic corridors is broader and more complex. Distraction now includes anything that diverts a driver’s eyes, hands, or focus from the road.

Common Distractions Behind the Wheel

Visual distractions involve looking away from traffic, often to check a message or adjust a GPS. Manual distractions include eating, handling drinks, or operating touchscreens. Cognitive distractions are the most deceptive, pulling a driver’s focus from real-time road conditions even while their hands stay on the wheel.

Modern in-dash systems and phone integrations amplify these risks. Navigation apps, entertainment menus, and messaging notifications can delay reaction times by several seconds, a gap that can turn a minor lapse into a severe collision. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly one in ten fatal crashes in the United States involves some form of distraction.

Attorney Katherine M. Marshall, who has handled multiple serious-injury cases, notes:

“We’ve seen crashes where drivers claimed they were just checking directions for a moment. But at 45 miles per hour, a two-second glance means traveling half a football field without watching the road. Those are the seconds that change everything.”

When negligence is backed by phone logs and crash data, accountability is a matter of proof. If distraction turned your commute into a collision, we’re ready to build the case that holds the responsible party fully accountable.

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Building the Timeline That Wins the Case

Proving distraction requires more than a statement. Our attorneys reconstruct events to show exactly how a driver’s attention lapse caused the collision.

With our legal preservation letters, we prevent overwriting of critical files on cloud storage or surveillance servers. We then pair these findings with phone and telematics data to build a moment-by-moment sequence that leaves no room for doubt.

Our reconstruction experts often analyze:

  • Lane position and drift patterns
  • Signal phase and timing data from nearby intersections
  • Brake and throttle response intervals
  • Impact speed and visibility conditions at the time of collision

The result is a clear, evidence-based narrative that holds distracted drivers, and their insurers, fully accountable for the damage they caused.

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Injuries We Handle in Evansville Distracted-Driving Cases

The injuries we see most often are the ones that turn a routine drive into months of medical treatment, rehabilitation, and lost income.

Our attorneys regularly represent clients suffering from:

We document every injury with medical records, diagnostic imaging, and expert testimony to make sure the full scope of harm is reflected in your claim. If your injury isn’t listed here but resulted from a distracted driver’s negligence, we can still help.

What You Can Recover After a Distracted-Driving Crash

Indiana law allows injured victims to pursue both economic and non-economic damages when another driver’s distraction causes harm. The goal is to restore what was lost and address the full scope of how the collision altered your life.

Economic Damages

These are the measurable financial losses tied directly to the crash:

  • Medical expenses: Emergency room treatment, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, prescription medications, and follow-up care with specialists.
  • Future medical costs: Ongoing rehabilitation, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and long-term care for injuries that require extended treatment.
  • Lost wages: Income you missed while recovering, including hourly pay, salary, commissions, bonuses, and self-employment earnings.
  • Reduced earning capacity: Compensation for diminished ability to work in your previous role or field due to permanent injuries.
  • Property damage: Repair or replacement costs for your vehicle and personal belongings damaged in the collision.

Non-Economic Damages

These address the intangible harm that doesn’t come with a receipt but profoundly affects your daily life:

  • Pain and suffering: Physical discomfort, chronic pain, and the mental toll of living with injuries that limit mobility, sleep, and independence.
  • Emotional distress: Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and the psychological impact of reliving the crash or fearing another collision.
  • Loss of enjoyment of life: The inability to participate in hobbies, sports, family activities, and social events that once brought fulfillment.
  • Loss of consortium: Damage to the relationship between spouses when injuries prevent intimacy, companionship, and shared experiences.

Our attorneys document every dimension of harm with medical records, expert testimony, and detailed accounts of how the crash disrupted your life. We don’t settle for cookie-cutter valuations—we build claims that reflect the real cost of what you’ve lost.

Contact Our Evansville Distracted-Driving Lawyers Today

If a distracted driver caused your crash, waiting won’t help your case—it only gives insurers more time to build their defense while you’re still recovering, gathering their own version of events before you’ve even had a chance to tell yours. We’ve seen it happen too many times, and we won’t let it happen to you.

At Christie Bell & Marshall, we act immediately because we know that the evidence that wins cases. We handle the entire legal process so you can focus on healing, and we don’t stop fighting until you get the full compensation you’re owed.

Contact us today for a free consultation where we’ll review your case, answer your questions, and map out a clear path forward—no upfront costs, no fees unless we win, just decades of experience, a proven track record of results, and a team that knows exactly how to hold distracted drivers accountable.

FAQs About Distracted-Driving Accidents in Evansville

What should I do right after a distracted-driving crash in Evansville?

Call 911 immediately and request medical assistance even if you think your injuries are minor. Then, ask the responding officer for your EPD case number so your attorney can retrieve the full report through Evansville Police Department’s accident portal. Take photos of both vehicles, road markings, and visible injuries, and note any nearby businesses with cameras. Most overwrite footage within 48 to 72 hours.

How can a lawyer prove the other driver was distracted?

Attorneys use several forms of evidence to establish distraction, including phone and app usage logs, vehicle infotainment data, and eyewitness statements. Footage from traffic or business cameras near high-volume corridors like Lloyd Expressway or Highway 41 often provides critical visual confirmation. Combining this digital trail with police narratives and reconstruction analysis allows us to pinpoint reaction times and confirm distraction at the moment of impact.

What if the driver claims they were using hands-free technology?

Hands-free devices don’t remove cognitive distraction. Even when a driver keeps their hands on the wheel, focus drifts. We analyze lane positioning, braking patterns, and timing to demonstrate that their divided attention caused a preventable collision.

Can I still recover compensation if I’m partially at fault?

Yes, as long as your share of fault is under 51%, you can recover damages under Indiana’s modified comparative fault rule in IC 34-51-2. If you’re assigned partial fault, for example, by not wearing a seat belt, your award is reduced proportionally.

How long do I have to file a distracted-driving injury claim in Indiana?

Most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years from the date of the crash under IC 34-11-2-4. However, early action is crucial because video and cell-data preservation windows are much shorter.

How much compensation can I expect for a distracted-driving claim?

Compensation depends on your medical costs, missed work, pain and suffering, and the strength of the evidence proving distraction. Our lawyers evaluate prior case results and rely on real financial documentation rather than industry averages to calculate full value for each client.