Toledo Car Accident Lawyer

Serious car accidents sometimes result in catastrophic injuries that leave accident victims suffering from their impacts for the rest of their lives. A Toledo car accident lawyer can make sure that those victims have access to the money they need to pay for ongoing medical care, make up for lost future earning potential, and compensate them for the pain and suffering they’ve endured.

Trust Spangenberg Shibley & Liber

Victims of serious car accidents deserve to work with legal teams that can give their cases the care and attention they deserve. That’s just what you’ll find at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber. We’re used to working with clients who have suffered catastrophic injuries and know exactly how devastating they can be to accident victims and their families. We’ll handle your case with compassion but provide aggressive representation in negotiations or in court.

Reasons to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer

The police in Lucas County, OH, investigated 278 crashes in 2025, 73 of which were fatal. Many others caused severe injuries that will require ongoing medical care. These car accidents took place on both surface streets, such as Summit Street, and highways, such as Interstate 80. Car accident victims who have suffered catastrophic injuries can trust our team to provide them with the help they need to get fair settlements. We can:

• Fill out the paperwork for your claim.
• Keep track of important deadlines.
• Analyze the evidence to determine liability.
• Negotiate with the liable driver’s insurance company.
• Take your case to court if that’s the most effective way to get you the compensation you need and deserve.

You have more important things to focus on in the aftermath of an accident than filling out paperwork and fielding unreasonably low offers from insurance companies. Let your car accident lawyer take care of all the details of your case so that you can focus on healing and moving on.

Understanding Ohio’s At-Fault Insurance System

Ohio is an at-fault state, which means that the driver who caused your accident is liable for all the losses and damages. To hold the driver accountable, you may need to file a car accident claim in civil court.

You can file a claim even if you were partially at fault, thanks to Ohio’s system of modified comparative negligence. This rule makes it possible to recover damages as long as you were found to be 50% at fault or less.

If you’re partially at fault, your final settlement amount will be decreased by the percentage of liability you are assigned. That means if you were to file a claim against another driver worth $500,000, but you were found to be 10% responsible for the crash, you’d receive a final settlement of $450,000.

Proving Fault After a Car Accident

Car accident claims are typically based on the legal principle of negligence. Proving negligence requires establishing four elements:

1. Duty of care. Drivers on Ohio’s roads have a legal obligation to operate their vehicles safely and in accordance with the rules of the road.
2. Breach of duty. When a driver takes illegal actions or drives negligently, they are in breach of their duty of care.
3. Causation. The other driver’s action or lack of action must have directly caused the accident and led to your injuries.
4. Damages. Your injuries must have led to actual compensable losses. These can include anything from medical bills or property damage to loss of enjoyment of life.

Types of Damages Recoverable in Car Accident Cases

There are three types of damages you may be able to recover in your car accident case:

1. Economic damages. Economic damages are easy to value because they involve monetary transactions. They include things like hospital bills, lost wages, and the cost of ongoing medical treatment. Ohio places no cap on economic damages under Ohio Revised Code 2315.18.
2. Non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are harder to value. They include things like pain and suffering and are usually determined based on the value of your economic damages. The cap for non-economic damages in Ohio is either $250,000 or three times your economic damages. However, there is no cap if you suffered a catastrophic injury.
3. Punitive damages. Punitive damages punish the liable driver for extreme recklessness or maliciousness. They are capped at twice your compensatory damages under Ohio Revised Code 2315.21.

Your car accident attorney can help you identify 100% of the damages to which you are entitled.

Steps to Take Immediately After a Car Accident

The steps you take in the immediate aftermath of a crash can have a significant impact on any subsequent claim you choose to file. Whether you’re positive the other driver caused the crash, or the liability is unclear, you should:

1. Prioritize safety. You should check yourself and everyone else for injuries immediately and help anyone who needs it get to a safe location away from the flow of traffic. Just don’t try to move anyone with a suspected head or neck injury.
2. Call 911. Call the police to file a report and request emergency medical services if they’re needed. The police report can act as valuable evidence to support your claim, and being evaluated by EMS if you believe you may have suffered serious injuries eliminates the possibility of insurance companies claiming that your injuries were not sustained during the crash.
3. Exchange information. You’ll need to get the other driver’s contact information and insurance details. You should also gather contact information from any passengers in the car or witnesses to the accident.
4. Document the scene. If you’re able, take pictures or videos of the accident scene. You should try to include photographs of the damage to the vehicles, the road conditions, any traffic signs or signals nearby, and any visible injuries you have.
5. Seek medical attention. If you didn’t get evaluated by EMS and taken to the hospital from the accident scene, you should either head to the hospital or visit your doctor right away to get a full exam. You should do this even if you aren’t sure whether you’ve sustained serious injuries because symptoms can be delayed.
6. Report the accident. Notify your insurance company as soon as you’re feeling up to it. Stick to the facts, and don’t admit fault. You shouldn’t even say things like, “I’m sorry.”
7. Hire a lawyer. The liable driver’s insurance company may try to contact you soon after the crash to offer a quick settlement. Don’t take it without consulting an attorney. Your lawyer can help you make sure you get a fair settlement instead of missing out on some of the money you are owed.

As time goes by, you should keep a daily journal of your pain and symptoms related to your injuries, as well. Save all receipts for things like doctor’s co-pays, over-the-counter drugs, and gas to appointments, and look for other evidence your lawyer may be able to use to support your claim.

Catastrophic Injuries From Car Accidents

The severity of your injuries will depend on factors such as whether you were wearing a seatbelt, how fast the cars were moving when they collided, and what type of safety features your vehicle has. If you suffered a catastrophic injury that could affect you for the rest of your life, you need to work with an attorney who is experienced in handling these types of claims. Our team focuses on catastrophic injury claims. Some of the most common of these include:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). High-speed motor vehicle accidents often lead to traumatic brain injuries if drivers or passengers hit their heads against steering wheels, dashboards, or windows. TBIs can cause lifelong cognitive issues, including memory loss, chronic headaches, and mood or behavioral changes. They can leave accident victims unable to work.
• Spinal cord injuries. Severe spinal cord damage can lead to paraplegia or quadriplegia, leaving accident victims unable to move some or all of their limbs. When this is the case, a large settlement may be awarded to make up for things like lost earning potential and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Traumatic and surgical amputations. People sometimes lose limbs in car accidents. More often, they suffer extreme trauma to their extremities, leading to surgical amputations if the limbs can’t be saved. Amputations of all kinds are typically considered catastrophic injuries.
• Severe burns. If the car catches on fire, you may suffer severe burns that cover much of your body. Serious burns can leave victims dealing with chronic pain, mobility issues, disfigurement, and persistent metabolic changes such as muscle wasting that impact the rest of their lives.
• Loss of vision or hearing. Some forms of head trauma cause a loss of vision or hearing, both of which can dramatically impact your life. If you’ve suffered permanent vision or hearing loss, reach out to our legal team to find out how we can hold the driver who caused the accident liable for your injuries.

These are only the most common types of catastrophic injuries. Any injury that causes significant, lasting damage to the body that results in a substantial loss of function and the need for ongoing medical care can be placed in this category.

Wrongful Death Claims

Car accidents can lead to wrongful death claims if people suffer fatalities. In Ohio, wrongful death claims must be brought by the personal representative of the deceased’s estate on behalf of the surviving family members. Beneficiaries can include spouses, parents, children, and other next of kin if these immediate family members are not available to pursue compensation. Damages can be sought for funeral expenses, loss of support, mental anguish, and more.

FAQs

Q: What Is the Biggest Mistake People Make When Dealing With an Insurance Claim?

A: The biggest mistake people make when dealing with an insurance claim is to take the first settlement offer made by the insurance company. These companies are known for offering unacceptably low settlements immediately after accidents in the hopes that accident victims will accept them without consulting a lawyer first. You should never accept a settlement until after you contact a Toledo car accident attorney.

Q: How Long Do I Have to Settle After a Car Accident in Ohio?

A: You have two years from the date of the accident to settle after a car accident in Ohio under Ohio Revised Code 2305.10. This time period is known as the statute of limitations. If you don’t file your claim within the two-year statute of limitations, you could lose your ability to seek compensation for any injuries you incurred during the accident.

Q: What Should You Not Say to an Insurance Adjuster?

A: You should not admit fault to an insurance adjuster. That includes making seemingly innocuous statements such as “I’m sorry.” The insurance company could use any statements you make to that effect against you, using them as a justification for minimizing your settlement, or even denying your claim altogether. You should keep communications with insurance companies as brief as possible and allow your lawyer to handle them for you.

Q: How Do Insurance Companies Decide How Much to Pay Out?

A: Insurance companies decide how much to pay out by evaluating liability, reviewing evidence, and calculating economic damages. They then adjust the amount to account for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. Payouts are limited by the driver’s policy coverage cap. A Toledo car accident lawyer may be able to negotiate a better settlement for you if the one you’ve been offered is unreasonably low.

Your Toledo Car Accident Lawyer

Getting into a car crash is stressful enough without worrying about how you’ll pay for medical bills and make up for lost wages. Negotiating a settlement with an insurance company can feel like an impossible task from your hospital room. That’s where a Toledo car accident lawyer comes in.

You can work with the attorneys here at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber to seek compensation for your injuries. We have helped clients secure millions of dollars for car accident claims over the years we’ve been in practice, including one $4.8 million settlement for a quadriplegic accident victim. * However, past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own merits.

If you’ve sustained catastrophic injuries, we can help you, too. Contact us to schedule your initial consultation today.

*Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own merits.