Injured in an Auto Accident?
Better Call Becker
Trusted Kentucky Car Accident & Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car crash in Kentucky or Indiana you may have questions about how to pay the medical bills or how to relieve the financial stress your family is experiencing if you cannot work. You should not have to worry about paying the medical bills if the accident was caused by someone else. You may be entitled to seek compensation if another driver caused you personal injury.
The skilled Kentucky car accident lawyers at Becker Law Office have more than 30 years of experience helping families put their lives back together after serious auto accidents. The law makes the negligent driver who caused the crash responsible for your losses. A well-versed attorney could help you hold the at-fault driver or business accountable for your injuries and losses. With each personal injury case that our legal team handles, our goal is the same: to pursue maximum compensation for the client.
Our knowledgeable car wreck attorneys:
- Investigate the accident and identify all potentially liable parties
- Find all the insurance policies available to provide compensation
- Pursue full compensation for you to help you recover physically and financially.
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Common Types of Car Crashes
There were an estimated 7,277,000 police-reported traffic crashes in the United States in the most recent year on record, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). More than 37,461 people were killed and an estimated 3,144,000 people were injured. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children age 10 and young people 16 to 23 years old.
There are multiple causes of car crashes. More than a third (36 percent) of vehicles involved in crashes were turning or crossing at intersections just prior to a collision, the NHTSA reports. Also:
- About 22 percent of vehicles ran off the road
- About 11 percent of vehicles failed to stay in the proper lane
- About 12 percent of the vehicles were stopped when they were hit by another vehicle
- About 9 percent of vehicles had a driver who lost control prior to the crash.
Common Kinds of Car Wrecks:
- Intersection Accidents—Often occur when drivers fail to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic or make turns without looking out for cars, bicyclists or pedestrians
- Head-On Accidents—The momentum of two cars hitting directly head-on doubles the force and impact of the collision and causes more severe injuries. Head-on collisions may be caused by a drowsy or distracted driver drifting from a lane, a drunk driver driving the wrong way or a motorist turning into oncoming traffic.
- Read-End Crashes—If a driver is speeding or following too closely, the driver may be unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the vehicle in front. Rear-end collisions often occur as a result of a driver failing to notice that the vehicle ahead has braked or is driving at a slower speed. Tailgating is a common cause of rear-end crashes.
- Sideswipe Accident—These most often occur when a driver tries to change lanes without looking, when a driver turns too widely and crosses out of his or her lane, or when vehicles drift from their own lane.
- Side-Impact Collisions—Side-impact, or T-bone, crashes are widely recognized as extremely dangerous accidents because the side of the car provides limited protection for motorists from the force of the wreck. Side impact accidents typically occur when drivers fail to yield or don't pay attention and they hit a car crossing in front of them at an intersection.
Potential Injuries from Car Crashes
It's important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after a car accident, even if you don't think you're injured. Some injuries, such as head injuries and internal bleeding, may not be immediately apparent. Anyone injured in a motor vehicle wreck may face a long and expensive recovery, depending on the type and extent of injuries. Some car crash victims never fully recover. At Becker Law Office, our Kentucky car crash lawyers handle cases involving a range of injuries, including:
Broken Bones
Fractures are the most common impact injuries sustained in car accidents. Simple fractures will heal over several weeks for a younger person, but older adults' bones take longer to heal. A compound or complex fracture may require surgery and a lengthy recovery. Broken ribs or sternum can splinter and tear into internal organs.
Internal Organ Trauma
Crushing blows to the chest or abdomen in a car accident can damage the liver, heart, lungs, diaphragm, stomach and/or bowels. Internal organ injuries often require surgery. Bleeding from damaged organs can cause the victim to go into shock, which can be fatal.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
The impact of a car crash or being ejected from the car can cause a brain injury. A severe TBI is a serious and devastating personal injury that can have lifelong effects. A TBI may cause physical and cognitive consequences and be debilitating.
Whiplash
Rear-end collisions are the leading cause of whiplash, a neck injury caused by violently jerking a person's head back and forth and causing the neck to extend beyond the normal range of motion. While minor whiplash injuries generally heal in a matter of weeks, some whiplash victims suffer chronic pain and discomfort.
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
If a person's spinal cord is torn or severed in a car accident, he or she will suffer partial or complete paralysis. Depending on the point of injury, the victim may lose the use of his or her legs (paraplegia) or arms, legs and internal body functions (tetraplegia).
Amputation
A car accident victim can lose an arm, leg, hand or foot to a crushing injury caused by the vehicle falling onto them. A body part may be lost in an accident (a traumatic amputation) or removed during surgery if it is damaged beyond repair.
Burns
Serious (third- and fourth-degree) burns are extremely painful, and can be fatal. Burn victims may expect lengthy, specialized treatment for burn wounds. The treatment typically includes multiple rounds of reparative and cosmetic surgery. In a car accident, an accident victim may come into contact with open flames if a vehicle catches fire, scalding liquids or steam.
Psychological Injury
The emotional toll of a serious car accident should not be overlooked. Someone who suffers catastrophic injury or witnesses someone else's serious injury or death may suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is not uncommon to experience depression after a serious personal injury that changes a person's life or causes the loss of a loved one.
Kentucky Car Accidents Involving Tractor-Trailers and Heavy Trucks
Our knowledgeable attorneys can handle your Trucking accident claim.
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Few people need to be convinced of the high cost of medical care, particularly those who are already dealing with hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, or counseling. As your experienced personal injury attorneys after a car accident, we will work aggressively to help you seek compensation for all medical costs and your other crash-connected losses.
