According to a recent Forbes Advisor study, Louisville ranked seventh among all US cities for having the worst drivers in America, with the fifth highest number of fatal car accidents involving a distracted driver and ninth for the highest total of fatal car accidents. In fact, Louisville reports 14.25 fatal car accidents per 100,000 residents.
While these statistics are quite telling of the dangerous nature of Louisville area roads, what it doesn’t account for are the damages – often times irreversible – that are rendered on car crash victims’ and their loved ones’ lives.
A car accident can be over in a matter of seconds and still have devastating lifelong consequences. Victims of motor vehicle collisions can suffer not only debilitating injuries, but also long-term psychological anguish. After a car crash, it is imperative to determine what or who caused the accident so the negligent party can be held accountable for their actions.
Schedule a consultation with a Louisville car accident lawyer if either you or a loved one has been injured by a negligent driver. While cases like this typically can be settled out of court through negotiation, you should seek out a personal injury attorney who is able to pursue the matter through litigation, if necessary, to help ensure you get the compensation you deserve for your damages and injuries.
For over 35 years, the experienced car crash attorneys of Becker Law Office have fought to reach a favorable verdict and secure the damages to which our clients are entitled. No case is too big or small for our team of attorneys to handle and fight for potential damages, which can range from thousands to millions of dollars.
The following are some of the settlements we helped award our clients in key cases:
$7.6 Million - Wrong-way drunk driver causing head-on collision killing family $3.9 Million – Car wreck resulting in incapacitating brain injury and full body physical impairment $1.8 Million – Man struck by vehicle while riding motor scooter $1.3 Million – Head-on collision with drunk driver resulting in multiple broken bones and spinal surgery $150,000 – Passenger in vehicle driven by drunk driver who hit pole resulting in injuries to lungs, back, neck and hand $6,000 - Rear-end collision causing back strain and hyperextension of the neck
Despite new technology making vehicles safer, car accidents continue to be a prevalent phenomena both on Louisville roadways and across the country. Investigating why a car accident occured is a critical step for determining who caused it, and ultimately who should be held legally liable.
New studies indicate distracted driving has surpassed drunk driving as the leading cause of automobile accident injuries. Drivers these days face numerous distractions, including cell phones, GPS devices, drinking or eating behind the wheel, and talking with passengers.
Consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel of a car is a recipe for disaster. Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs reduces your reaction time and impairs your decision-making abilities.
Traveling over the speed limit is risky behavior, especially in poor weather conditions that can limit visibility and increase vehicle stopping distances.
Defective auto parts such as malfunctioning brakes and faulty tires are to blame for many motor vehicle accidents. Injury victims involved in an accident due to a faulty auto part can potentially bring a product liability claim against the manufacturer of the part, the distributor of the part or another party involved in placing the part in the stream of commerce.
Any car accident can lead to serious or even fatal injury. These injuries can range from relatively minor cuts and bruises to more serious injuries like broken bones, internal organ damage, knee trauma, limb loss, traumatic brain injury – even post-traumatic stress disorder. A Louisville car accident lawyer is there to help the injured party receive compensation for damages, past and future medical expenses, lost income due to injury or disability, and pain and suffering.
With over 35 years of experience in personal injury law, including a multitude of different types of auto accident cases, our team of attorneys in Louisville have the knowledge base and experience to secure the damages to which you are entitled, regardless of the type of accident. Some of the common accident types in which Becker Law Office is well versed and prepared to litigate include:
Front-end auto collisions are one of the most dangerous and often deadliest types of accidents on the roadways. They can occur for a variety of reasons, but careless, or reckless, driving often plays a role. A front-end crash can occur when a motorist is driving drunk, under the influence of drugs, fails to yield the right of way at an intersection, or disobeys a traffic sign or signal. Aggressive driving, fatigued driving, and inattentive driving are also common causes of front-end auto accidents in Louisville.
When a driver fails to observe their legal duty to drive with reasonable care and causes a front-end crash, they can be held legally responsible if you are injured as a result of their negligence.
One of the most crucial elements of filing a lawsuit for compensatory damages after a rear-end wreck is determining the party or parties at fault. Liability for a crash is determined based on the legal theory of negligence. Under this theory, if one party owes another a duty, violates that duty, and this violation injures the other person, the wrongdoer can be held legally liable for the victim’s damages.
Another important legal theory that sometimes arises in Louisville rear-end auto accident claims is the doctrine of comparative liability. This doctrine states that a plaintiff can be partially to blame for their own accident injuries and still be entitled to compensation.
If the court determines that the injured party contributed to their injuries, they will diminish the injured party’s compensation by the amount equal to their percentage of liability. Kentucky is one of a few pure comparative liability states, which means that a plaintiff can be as much as 99 percent liable for their accident and still be eligible to recover compensation for damages.
Hit-and-run car accidents are common throughout Kentucky, especially in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Oftentimes, hit-and-run motor vehicle crashes occur on winding, rural roads. They also occur frequently on busy highways. Unfortunately, pedestrians sometimes become victims of hit-and-run accidents.
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. Injuries in these types of accidents can be severe and, unfortunately, all too often fatal.
Intersections often feature resources designed to maximize pedestrian and motorist safety including stop lights, stop signs, cross walks, crossing signals, light poles and more. For this reason, intersection accidents typically occur as a result of individuals failing to adhere to the rules of the road.
Sideswipe accidents 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. These collisions can be extremely dangerous with dire consequences as they often happen on highways at high speeds. If you are a victim in a sideswipe collision, it is important to understand the causes, fault and your rights as a victim.
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.
Crashes involving trucks are more likely to cause serious injury or death for many reasons, including the size and weight of tractor-trailers as compared to smaller passenger cars. If you have been injured in a collision with a semi-truck or tractor trailer—or if your loved one lost his or her life—you should consult with a compassionate attorney to understand your legal rights during this difficult time.
Unfortunately, car wrecks continue to happen at an alarming rate in and around Louisville and across the United States. Recklessness, carelessness and outright negligent conduct of drivers, businesses and government entities continue to result in unnecessary harm and in some cases deaths to innocent victims involved in auto accidents.
To maximize your potential outcome, some important steps to take if you’ve been involved in a car wreck include:
Kentucky’s Motor Vehicle Reparations Act, also referred to as the ‘No-Fault Law’, features two primary components – personal injury protection (PIP) and tort rights, or an individual’s right to sue or be sued. This state legislation, which was enacted in 1975, is designed to provide medical and financial protection for individuals involved in auto accidents regardless of who may be at fault. However, the “No-Fault Law” applies only for purposes of your own insurance. Fault still matters for purposes of a bodily injury claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance policy. If you have been injured because of another driver’s negligence, call a skilled and experienced Kentucky attorney to evaluate your case.
Vehicle owners in Kentucky are also permitted to opt out of the no-fault car insurance system, hence the term “choice no fault.” While a policyholder who opts out of PIP benefits preserves the right to bring a lawsuit against an at-fault driver, they lose the right to receive mandatory PIP benefits from their own insurance in the event of an accident.
A driver with PIP protection should be able to obtain compensation for the following after an accident:
In Kentucky, the Motor Vehicle Reparations Act extends the normal one-year statute of limitations to two years. A claim against the operator of a motor vehicle must be brought within two years of the date of the wreck or the date of the last PIP payment, whichever is later. The statute of limitations applicable to car accident lawsuits is not the same as the one applicable to most other personal injury claims. Kentucky Revised Statutes § 304.39-230 provides that any driver, passenger, motorcycle rider, pedestrian, or bicyclist who is injured in a crash involving an automobile or truck has two years to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party in the state’s civil court system. The statute of limitations starts running on the date of the accident (or the date of the last PIP payment), while the deadline for a claim involving wrongful death may begin running as early as the date the individual passes away.
No. Many insurance adjusters want to close a car accident case and move on as fast as possible. By accepting a quick settlement you agree not to seek further compensation, though you may not even know the full extent of your losses.
Car insurance companies save money by closing claims quickly, especially if they can do it before the accident victim retains an attorney. But a settlement made too soon cannot take into account whether your injuries will have a long-term effect on you.
Your injuries may prevent you from returning to work for many months or leave you unable to return to your former job. You may have to take a job that pays less if you are partially disabled. You may need assistive devices, like a walker or wheelchair, for a limited time or permanently. If you are totally disabled, you may not be able to return to work and may need in-home nursing care, assistive devices and even renovations to your home.
It is better to wait until you can calculate how much money you will need to cover all of your medical expenses and your income losses.
Becker Law Office wants you to receive the full amount of money you need now and in the future. Once your doctor(s) have determined the final prognosis for your recovery, we will gather all of the necessary data to begin negotiating a proper insurance payment to you.
Kentucky's No-Fault Law makes provisions for the immediate payment of car accident victims’ medical bills through mandatory personal injury protection coverage from auto insurers on all motor vehicles except motorcycles. If you have any problem obtaining this money, Becker Law Office can help you.
If you’re a Louisville-area driver, you likely have “no fault” coverage as part of your car insurance. This coverage could pay you as much as $10,000 to help with your medical expenses. It may also provide up to $200 each week for lost wages, as well as additional compensation for your pain and suffering.
These benefits should be paid to you by your insurance company no matter who caused your wreck. If another driver is at fault for the accident, your insurance company will seek reimbursement from the other driver’s insurance company. Even if you’re a passenger in a car accident, you may be entitled to no-fault benefits through the car owner’s insurance company or your insurance company, depending on your situation.
In the meantime, if you are getting letters from collection agencies or other creditors asking for payment, we can work with them for you. We can write to them to explain that you have a personal injury action in progress. We will ask them to give you more time or defer payment until you receive your settlement. In most cases, knowing that a law firm is handling your car accident claim puts creditors at ease.
Contact Becker Law Office today to set up a free meeting to review your car accident case and how we can work to help you obtain the compensation you are due.
If you’ve been in a car wreck caused by another driver, that driver’s insurance company may be responsible for your car repairs. You may decide to deal directly with the other driver’s insurance company, or you may work with your own insurer if you have collision insurance.
If you settle with your insurer, your company should make a claim against the responsible person’s insurance company and reimburse you for any deductible you paid. This is part of what you pay for when you buy collision coverage.
In addition to paying for repairs, an insurance settlement should also pay for a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired. It should also cover any towing or storage expenses you’ve incurred as well as any value that your car has lost as the result of the accident. This amount will be based on the Fair Market Value of your car before and after the accident.
If your vehicle was a total loss in the accident, the insurance settlement should cover the Fair Market Value of your vehicle.
To determine Fair Market Value yourself, you may consult such sources as local car dealers or ads for sales of vehicles that are the same year, make, and model as your vehicle, or the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) or the Kelley Blue Book.
Your fee for legal services provided by Becker Law Office will be based on an agreed-upon percentage of the final settlement or the court verdict we obtain for you. If we don’t obtain compensation for you, you won’t owe us anything.
Our legal services are provided on a contingency-fee basis, meaning our fee depends on the outcome of your case. This protects you, since you pay nothing up front and it provides us a financial incentive to maximize the compensation we obtain for you.
When you hire Becker Law Office to represent you, we will enter into an agreement that spells out the percentage of a final settlement or court award that we will retain as our legal fee. It also will delineate certain expenses that we will pay up front but be reimbursed for through the case’s proceeds. This may include fees for copies of police or medical records, filing fees, compensation for expert witnesses, and similar costs.
Because we are only paid if we are successful, our willingness to represent you tells you that we believe in your case. We won’t waSuite your time or fill you with false hopes.
Being involved in an auto accident can result in serious injuries requiring costly surgery, prolonged hospitalization and recovery. Fortunately, people who have been injured in an auto accident can seek compensation for all of their injuries. Let a Louisville car accident lawyer help. Call today to discuss your case.
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