A car accident can be one of the most physically and emotionally traumatizing events you may ever go through in your lifetime. If you or a loved one was injured in a car wreck, you need strong legal representation to access the maximum compensation you deserve. A Louisville car accident lawyer from Thomas Law Offices will evaluate the facts of your car accident case to make sure that the other driver is held accountable for their negligent or reckless actions.
At our law firm, we know the importance of working with a lawyer you can trust and rely on. We believe that our track record of securing compensation for accident victims speaks for itself, and we e ready to get started on your auto accident case. You can also schedule a free consultation with one of our Louisville car crash attorneys to see if we are the right fit for you.
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Why Work With a Louisville Car Accident Attorney?
You have rights following a serious motor vehicle accident. However, if you are trying to recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage, the other driver’s insurance company might do everything in its power to suppress those rights. They rely on you not knowing what you are entitled to and have a track record of persuading and even bullying victims into accepting settlements that do not fully cover their damages. A Louisville car accident lawyer won’t let that happen. Here are the ways in which an experienced personal injury law firm can help if you’ve been severely injured in an auto accident.
Dealing With the Insurance Company
The insurance company is not your friend, so do not expect them to have your best interests at heart. In our experience, the at-fault driver’s insurer will actively try to minimize your injuries and overall damages, and may even try to shift the blame back onto you. When you work with an attorney, you’ll have someone on your side who will stand up to the insurance company.
An experienced car accident lawyer can also take over all forms of communication with the insurance company. Instead of negotiating your own settlement, you’ll have someone on your side who will refuse to let the insurer push you into accepting anything less than you are owed.
Determining Fault
No two motor vehicle accidents are alike, which makes determining fault complex. A Louisville car accident attorney will know what steps to take to prove liability in your accident case. If you try to prove that the other driver was at fault without any legal backup, it may come down to your word against theirs.
A knowledgeable auto accident lawyer will access information from the police report, eyewitnesses, and pictures or videos of the accident scene. In some situations, it is necessary to utilize the expertise of an accident reconstructionist.
Valuing Your Claim
You are entitled to financial compensation after a serious car crash. Despite this, many car accident victims are bullied out of receiving the fair compensation they are owed. This is because correctly valuing a claim is an enormous undertaking and involves more than just considering what you need in the present. To fully understand what you might be owed, your Louisville car accident lawyer will take the following into account:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Loss of income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Auto repairs
- Any court costs
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Moving costs if your home is no longer suited to your injuries or disabilities
- Loss of companionship or consortium
Why Thomas Law Offices?
Our Louisville car accident lawyers have dedicated their legal careers to helping auto accident victims. We have the experience, knowledge, and ability to hold the at-fault driver and their insurance company accountable for your injury claim.
We can also be of service if you were injured in a hit-and-run accident or if the other driver was uninsured. In this situation, you will need to recover compensation from your own insurance company. We’ll help you navigate your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage through your own insurance coverage, which will help you cover medical expenses and any other damages related to your vehicle collision.
We Prioritize Transparent Communication
This is your injury case, and you deserve to know what’s going on. The attorneys at our law firm will make sure that you feel included and up-to-date about every aspect of your claim. If you’re confused about a part of the process or are unsure of your next move, you’ll never feel like you have nowhere to go for help.
A great Louisville car accident lawyer believes that open communication is built on a foundation of trust and a strong attorney-client relationship. We are committed to making sure that each and every crash victim who chooses to work with our law firm knows that they can reach out with any question at any point, and we’ll be there to answer.
We Work on Contingency
It is not uncommon for a car accident victim to put off speaking with a lawyer because they are worried about legal fees. We don’t want you to be worried about anything but your own health and recovery, which is why we work on a contingency fee basis. This means we only get paid if you win your case. We also offer free consultations, during which you can ask us about our services, experience, and how the contingency fee works.
We Prioritize Your Future
When you are dealing with the immediate aftermath of a car accident, it can be difficult to think about anything else other than the present. You need an expert to help determine how your injuries will impact your future. Every Louisville car accident lawyer at Thomas Law Offices has the experience it takes to consider what type of effect your injuries will have in the long-term. We’ll answer the important questions like:
- Will you be able to work with this injury?
- Will you need to change jobs?
- Is your current home inaccessible due to your injuries?
- Will you need ongoing medical care and treatment?
How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit?
There are several important timelines to which you must adhere before you can successfully pursue a car accident claim. The auto accident injury attorneys from our law firm can advise you of these deadlines and provide invaluable assistance in ensuring that they are all met:
- Kentucky State Police requires you to file an accident report within 10 days of a car wreck.
- According to Kentucky state law, motor vehicle accident claims must be filed within one year of the date of the wreck.
- Kentucky law allows for up to two years to file a property damage claim that does not involve any injuries.
These deadlines are important for victims pursuing car accident cases. Your Louisville car accident lawyer will make sure that all documents are correctly filled out and submitted in time.
Games Insurance Companies Play
The insurance company exists to prioritize its bottom line, not to pay out settlements to injury victims. When you try to file a claim, the insurer will employ a number of tactics to lower your settlement and prevent you from filing a lawsuit. Watch out for the following:
- Any questions such as “How are you today?” or “Are you doing well?” While these might seem like innocent questions that we answer as a social nicety on a daily basis, your answer can be purposely misconstrued by an insurance adjuster who is trying to minimize your injuries.
- Requests for additional paperwork or documentation. While you’ll have to submit things to help support your claim, repeated requests for additional documentation can be a sign that the insurer is trying to run out the clock on the statute of limitations.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Most car accident claims are filed by victims who are suffering a mixture of minor and serious injuries. While your doctor is responsible for diagnosing and treating any injuries suffered as the result of an automobile accident, it is our job to get you compensation for related medical bills.
Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury is one that is considered especially severe. For car crash victims, catastrophic injuries tend to be those that have long-lasting impacts on their lives, limiting their physical or mental capabilities. At our law firm, a Louisville car accident lawyer can help recover compensation for the following severe injuries and more:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Severe burns
- Amputations
- Internal organ damage
Minor Injuries
Just because an injury is considered minor does not mean that it cannot have a significant impact on victims of car crashes. On their own, minor injuries can negatively impact your physical and emotional well being, and can further exacerbate any severe or catastrophic injuries you are already dealing with. Be wary of any car insurance company that tries to downplay the severity of any of the following:
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Scratches, cuts, and lacerations
- Minor burns
- Sprains and strains
No Injury Is Too Small
We routinely work with injury victims who are struggling to get the insurance company to take them and their injuries seriously. If you suffered injuries in a car crash that was not your fault, and you now need to seek medical treatment, we can help. Our law firm will make sure the insurer understands the severity of your situation. We use information pulled from the police report, your medical records, and other sources to paint a picture of your life post-auto accident.
What Causes Car Accidents?
Your Louisville car accident lawyer will help make sense of your accident, including its cause. Determining the cause of the crash is a crucial step in obtaining maximum compensation for your injuries. Your car accident attorney will look at different factors and sources when determining cause, whether the other driver was violating any traffic laws at the time.
It is helpful to work with car accident attorneys who are familiar with some of the most common causes of collisions. As of 2022, the following are the top reported contributing factors for auto accidents in Kentucky according to data from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety.
- Driver Inattention – 35.85%
- Vehicle Not Under Control – 13.54%
- Failure to Yield – 11.12%
- Misjudging Clearance – 8.51%
- Following Too Closely – 5.59%
- Distracted Driving – 4.07%
- Driving Too Fast for Conditions – 3.42%
- Disregarding Traffic Control – 3.42%
- Alcohol Involvement – 3%
- Overcorrecting – 1.88%
- Drug Involvement – 1.06%
Driver Error
Many car accidents are the result of driver error. When you file an insurance claim or lawsuit after a car accident that was caused by driver error, you are seeking to collect compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurer. Their insurer will likely do everything possible to limit their scope of responsibility, though. If you are unsure of how to definitively prove that driver error caused your accident, contact Thomas Law Offices to schedule a free consultation with one of our Louisville car accident attorneys.
Defective Auto Parts
A defective auto part can complicate liability, and you may be left wondering whether the other driver or the auto part manufacturer is responsible for the serious injuries you have suffered. When you choose to work with our law firm, we’ll explore all options for liability, including whether a driver’s failure to fix a defective auto part of which they knew about contributed to your accident.
If the auto manufacturer is also at fault, we’ll help you hold them accountable via a product liability lawsuit. Car crash victims can file both a product liability claim and a car accident claim if both the driver and manufacturer were partially responsible for the resulting accident.
Kentucky Car Accident Statistics
Data from the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety paints a grim picture of our roads. Consider the following:
- There were 130,042 accidents on Kentucky roads in 2022, with a total of 723 fatalities and 1,320 serious injuries.
While there were fewer total collisions in 2022 than in 2021, over 29,451 individuals were still injured in these crashes. Some of the most dangerous roadways that experienced the largest increase in traffic fatalities in Louisville, KY include:
- I-264
- I-65
- S. 31W
- S. 31E
- KY 61
What To Do After a Car Accident in Kentucky
Feelings of confusion and panic are common in the aftermath of a car accident. If you are involved in a collision in or near Louisville, KY, the following steps will serve as an invaluable guide.
- Call 911
- Contact the police
- Take pictures
- Exchange information
- Seek medical care
- Notify your own insurance company
- Contact a car accident lawyer in Louisville, KY
Negligence Under the Law
In car accident cases, negligence determines legal liability. Negligence refers to the failure to take reasonable care, resulting in harm to another person. For example, a driver can be negligent by:
- Performing an action they should not, such as running a red light or speeding.
- Failing to do something they should, like yielding the right of way or using turn signals.
When negligence leads to an accident, the negligent driver can be held financially responsible for the injuries and losses suffered by another party.
However, you will need to prove negligence by showing the defendant owed a duty of care, that this duty was breached, and that the breach directly caused the damages.
In these cases, the defendant was responsible for acting in a certain way to prevent harm. When they fail to fulfill that responsibility, it can lead to a wide range of damages, such as serious injuries, property damage, and even the loss of a loved one.
What if I Was Partially Responsible?
Liability is not always clear-cut. Indeed, there are some situations in which both drivers might be partially at-fault for an accident. If this was the case with your collision, you may still be able to recover partial compensation.
Kentucky operates on comparative fault rules. According to Kentucky Revised Statutes 411.82, you can recover damages for your injuries, but those damages will be reduced by the same percentage of your fault.
Take, for example, a car accident in which you suffered $10,000 in damages that you were also 20% at fault for. Your recoverable damages would be reduced by 20%, making you eligible for $8,000 in compensation.
A Louisville Car Accident Lawyer Is Ready To Fight for You
We are a proud advocate for car accident victims in and around Louisville, KY. When you choose to work with our law firm, you’ll have a constant proponent on your side who will stand up to the insurance company on your behalf. The personal injury protection we offer prioritizes you, the victim, rather than the big insurers and their bottom lines.
You deserve to work with a law firm that will treat you as more than just your injuries. Your Louisville car accident lawyer will take a whole-person approach to your claim, building the attorney-client relationship on a foundation of trust and respect.
To learn more about how we can help, contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.
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