A current highway reconfiguration trend in Kentucky is to restripe a four-lane street that has two lanes in each direction to create a three-lane street with one travel lane in each direction and a center left-turn lane. This change may lead to fewer rear-end collisions and left-turn crashes due to the dedicated left-turn lane and fewer right-angle crashes as motorists from side streets cross three lanes versus four, authorities say.
However, auto accidents such as rear-end collisions and left-turn accidents continue to happen as cars converge at intersections and attempt left turns out of the center lanes of Kentucky highways.
If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident that another driver caused, you may be eligible to pursue financial compensation for your medical expenses and other accident-related losses. Contact a Kentucky car accident lawyer at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer to review your specific case and understand your legal options. Let us put our Kentucky Courage to work for you, starting with a free case evaluation.
Who Is At Fault In A Middle Lane Accident In Kentucky?
Determining who is at fault depends on reviewing the specific facts of the accident. More than one motorist may be at fault or have contributed to the collision.
Suppose you have been injured in a center lane accident and you share fault with another driver. In that case, any compensation a court awards must be divided according to each driver’s proportionate share of fault.
For example, you may have been hit and injured by a driver as they attempted a left turn from the middle lane of the highway. Their failure to see you coming and to estimate correctly your approaching speed may make them liable for the accident. But let’s say the evidence shows that you were speeding. The other driver’s lawyer would likely argue that your speeding contributed to the collision and compounded the severity of the crash. If you had not been speeding, you would not have been hit or as badly injured.
If the jury hearing the case decided to award damages for injuries in the accident, it would then be required to determine the proportion of fault to assign to each driver in the case. If the jury awarded $100,000 in damages and found that you were 25% at fault, then the amount of compensation you would receive would be $75,000.
The driver in the middle lane may have been guilty of:
- Improper lane changes (without checking blind spots or yielding right of way).
- Following too closely.
- Making unsafe lane changes near intersections.
The driver in the adjacent lane may have been guilty of:
- Speeding.
- Reckless driving.
- Sudden lane changes.
In some cases, weather conditions or vehicle malfunctions contribute to car accidents. A jury would have to consider these factors when determining who was at fault.
Steps To Take After A Middle Lane Accident In Kentucky
In case you do have a claim after a middle-lane car accident, there are steps to take to protect your legal rights and your chances of recovering compensation. You should:
- Call 911. The police accident report documents the crash and the investigator’s first impression of who was at fault.
- Exchange vehicle registration and insurance information with the other driver.
- Document the scene. Take photos of the vehicles and their damage, your injuries, and anything that might depict the accident and how it occurred.
- Seek medical attention, even for minor injuries. In addition to ensuring you get the care you need, a doctor’s exam documents your injuries and how they occurred.
- Contact a Kentucky car accident lawyer to discuss your rights to pursue compensation. The sooner you put a Kentucky Courage car accident attorney on the case, the better.
Why Should I Consult A Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer?
An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you understand the appropriate steps to take and whether you have a right to demand compensation from other drivers involved in the accident.
As your car accident attorneys, we’ll investigate the middle lane accident you were in to gather evidence that shows what happened to you and why. In addition to investigating how the wreck happened, we’ll calculate all of your costs and losses and review all relevant insurance policies for coverage details.
You should speak to a car accident attorney as soon as possible. The person who hit you may become hard to find. If the person moves and becomes hard to track down, their insurance company may use the opportunity to dispute fault in the accident and deny your claim.
Our attorneys can promptly file suit for you and have the other driver served by the proper authorities.
We will demand full compensation from insurers obligated to you after a traffic accident and negotiate aggressively to recover damages for you. This may include compensation for:
- All medical bills related to your injuries
- Lost wages
- Vehicle repair or payment of its fair market value
- Costs of permanent disabilities, including reduced earnings
- Pain and suffering.
Start Your Free Consultation Now
The Kentucky injury lawyers of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer represent Kentuckians struggling to recover from serious injuries — real people like you. We don’t represent insurance companies or businesses. Attorneys Roy Collins and Dan Yeast worked for insurance companies for years and understand how they approach claims.
If you were injured in a center-lane car crash in Kentucky, do not hesitate to reach out to the car accident lawyers at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. We’ll start with a free legal consultation. If we pursue your claim, we will do so on a contingency fee basis. We’ll only charge a legal fee if we have recovered compensation for you. Call us now at (877) 809-5352 or contact a Kentucky Courage lawyer online.
