Indianapolis Brain Injury Lawyer

Trusted Indianapolis brain injury lawyers with over 50 years of combined experience.

At Pavlack Law, LLC, our Indianapolis, IN brain injury lawyer has been representing injured Hoosiers and their families for decades, and we take these cases on contingency, which means no fee unless we recover compensation. Call us today to schedule your consultation.

Brain Injury Lawyer Indianapolis, IN

Our Indianapolis brain injury lawyer represents people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, concussions, or other head trauma due to someone else’s negligence. These cases involve complicated medical evidence, long recovery timelines, and damages that can extend for the rest of a person’s life.

Brain injuries are often invisible on the outside, which is why insurance carriers regularly try to minimize them. Symptoms can take days or even weeks to appear, and cognitive deficits are easy to dismiss without proper neuropsychological testing. Our lawyers who handle these cases know how to work with neurologists, neuropsychologists, and life care planners to document the full extent of an injury and what it will cost over a lifetime.

Types of Brain Injury Cases We Handle in Indianapolis

We have represented clients with brain injuries arising from a wide range of accidents and negligent conduct. The cause matters less than the consequence, but the cause does dictate how we investigate and prove the case. Below are the kinds of brain injury matters we see most often.

• Car accidents. Even moderate-speed collisions can cause concussions, contusions, and diffuse axonal injuries when the brain strikes the inside of the skull. We work with treating neurologists to connect symptoms to the crash.
• Truck accidents. The size and weight differential in commercial vehicle wrecks often produces severe head trauma, and we move quickly to preserve federal trucking records that may show driver fatigue or other contributing factors.
• Motorcycle accidents. Riders face higher risks of serious brain trauma, and Indiana’s helmet law nuances can affect how a case is presented to a jury.
• Bicycle accidents. Cyclists and walkers struck by motor vehicles often suffer head injuries, sometimes with delayed symptoms that complicate the early stages of treatment.
• Slip and fall accidents. Falls on poorly maintained property are a leading cause of TBIs in Indiana, particularly for older adults and young children.
• Construction site injuries. Falls from height, struck-by incidents, and equipment accidents on job sites frequently result in severe head trauma.
• Medical malpractice. Hypoxic injuries during delivery, missed diagnoses, and surgical errors can produce permanent neurological damage. We handle these as medical malpractice claims under Indiana’s specific procedural rules.
• Anoxic and hypoxic brain injuries. When the brain is deprived of oxygen due to medication errors, surgical complications, or near-drowning incidents, the results are often catastrophic and permanent.
• Sports-related and second impact syndrome cases. A second blow to the head before a first concussion has healed can be devastating, and the science around second impact syndrome continues to develop.
• Wrongful death. When a brain injury proves fatal, the family may have a wrongful death claim under Indiana law.

We also handle cases where the location of the brain injury within the brain itself drives the medical and legal strategy, since different regions control different functions and produce different long-term effects.

Why Choose Pavlack Law, LLC for Brain Injury Cases in Indianapolis, IN?

Local Knowledge and Federal Court Experience

Founder Eric Pavlack has practiced law in Indiana since 1999. He earned his B.S. in Biology and his J.D. from Indiana University, and he is admitted in Indiana state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Indiana, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The biology background matters in brain injury work, where understanding medical records and imaging is part of the job. Eric has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year from 2015 through 2025, and previously as a Super Lawyers Rising Star.

Colin Flora and Lance Ladendorf also handle brain injury cases for our firm, and together our Indianapolis brain injury lawyers bring over 50 years of combined experience.

Proven Results

We have recovered millions of dollars for injured clients across Indiana, including settlements in cases involving traumatic brain injuries, school negligence resulting in head trauma, and serious motor vehicle collisions producing cognitive deficits. Our Indianapolis personal injury lawyer focuses on the people we represent rather than on volume. Eric is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice. We work on contingency, which means there is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.

Indianapolis Brain Injury Infographic

Understanding Brain Injury Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation in Brain Injury Cases

Indiana follows a modified comparative fault rule. If you are 50 percent or less at fault, you can still recover compensation, although your award is reduced by your share of fault. If your fault crosses 51 percent, recovery is barred entirely. Insurance adjusters know this, and they often work hard to assign blame to the injured person.

Damages in a brain injury case typically include the following categories:

• Past and future medical expenses, including neurological care and rehabilitation
• Lost wages and lost earning capacity, which can be substantial in TBI cases
• Cost of future care, attendant services, and assistive technology
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent impairment, cognitive deficits, and personality changes
• Loss of consortium for a spouse or family member
• Punitive damages, in cases involving particularly egregious conduct

Liability can extend beyond the obvious defendant. Property owners, employers, manufacturers of defective equipment, and healthcare providers may all share responsibility depending on what caused the injury.

Important Aspects of Your Brain Injury Case

Brain injury cases turn on medical evidence more than almost any other type of personal injury matter, and the documentation gathered in the first weeks often shapes the entire case.

• Imaging studies, including CT scans, MRIs, and DTI when available
• Glasgow Coma Scale scores from the emergency department, which help establish severity
• Neuropsychological testing to document cognitive deficits
• Treating physician opinions on causation and prognosis
• Statements from family, coworkers, and friends about behavioral and personality changes

The Glasgow Coma Scale is one of the most important early measurements in any TBI claim, and our Indianapolis brain injury lawyer works to obtain those records as quickly as possible.

Brain Injury Case Timeline

These cases generally take longer to resolve than other injury matters because the full extent of a brain injury often is not known for many months. A rough timeline looks like this:

• Investigation and medical record gathering during the first several weeks
• Ongoing treatment and neuropsychological evaluation, often lasting six months to two years
• Demand and pre-suit negotiation once the medical picture stabilizes
• Filing the lawsuit, if needed, and conducting written and deposition discovery
• Mediation or further settlement discussions
• Trial, if the case does not resolve through negotiation

Some matters settle within a year, while others take two or three years to reach maximum medical improvement and a fair value.

What to Bring to Your Brain Injury Consultation

Bring whatever you have available, and we will help you collect the rest.

• The accident report or incident documentation, if one exists
• Hospital and emergency department records from the date of injury
• Imaging reports, neurology notes, and any neuropsychological testing
• A list of current symptoms, medications, and treating providers
• Insurance information and any correspondence from adjusters

The consultation typically lasts 30 to 45 minutes. We will walk through what happened, explain how we would build the case, and answer your questions, with no obligation to hire us afterward.

Indiana Legal Resources for Brain Injury Cases

The references below are starting points if you would like to look up Indiana law on your own. They are general resources rather than legal advice on your specific situation.

• The Indiana statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is two years, set forth at Indiana Code 34-11-2-4.
• Indiana’s modified comparative fault statute, which governs how fault affects recovery, appears in the Indiana Comparative Fault Act.
• The Indiana Wrongful Death Act governs damages when a brain injury proves fatal.
• Brain injury statistics and prevention information are available from the CDC traumatic brain injury page.
• Federal research on TBI outcomes is published by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Reach Out to Pavlack Law, LLC to Schedule a Consultation

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, talk to our attorneys about your options. The consultation is free, and we do not collect a fee unless we recover compensation for you. We will explain where you stand legally, what we would do to investigate, and what your claim is realistically worth. Contact our team today to schedule a consultation with our Indianapolis brain injury lawyer.