From the fog over the Ohio River bridge to the constant road construction along I-24 to the confusing one-way streets in the downtown area, the city of Paducah has numerous hazards that can lead to serious car accidents. If you’ve been injured in an auto accident due to another driver’s inattention to safety, you may be entitled to seek significant compensation.
At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, our car accident attorneys understand the trauma and disruption that car crashes cause. Our experienced Paducah injury attorneys supply the Kentucky Courage to help hardworking Kentuckians stand up to big insurance companies and fight for justice and full compensation.
If you’re struggling with serious injuries after an accident caused by someone else, contact the Paducah car accident lawyers at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer right away. Our attorneys are committed to providing you with the personalized attention you deserve. We have eight offices across Kentucky to serve you. The lawyers you see on TV are the ones you’ll work with at our firm. Call us today at (270) 908-0097 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.
Benefits of Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer
At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, our knowledgeable car accident attorneys are ready to help you understand your legal options and pursue justice for you if you have a valid injury claim. Car accident victims who work with an experienced attorney often recover much more compensation for their injuries than victims who try to handle their case on their own. Some of the ways we can help you with your case include:
- Answer your questions, and help you understand your legal options
- Investigate your accident to help determine liability
- Gather evidence to develop your case and support your claim for compensation
- Negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf to try to reach a fair settlement
- Connect you with the services you need related to your case, including medical specialists to help evaluate and treat your injuries
- Fight for your rights in court if a lawsuit is needed to help you seek the full compensation you deserve
- Stand by your side and support you throughout your case
Do You Have a Claim?
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, then you may be eligible to claim compensation for your medical expenses and accident-related losses. However, you will have to prove that another party, such as a reckless driver or negligent auto manufacturer, caused the accident. You’ll also need to show that your injuries and other damages resulted from the other party’s recklessness or negligence.
A car accident victim may still be entitled to seek compensation even if he or she contributed to the car accident in Paducah. Kentucky civil law applies the comparative fault standard to personal injury cases and weighs the fault of each party involved in an accident. The amount of compensation you receive may be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if the total damages in a car accident are $100,000 and you are found to be 10 percent at fault for the accident, then you would be eligible to receive $90,000.
Under Kentucky’s statute of limitations, accident victims typically have one year from the date of a car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. It’s easy to miss this deadline because Kentucky’s timeline for filing a claim is much shorter than the time allowed in many other states. That makes it all the more important to contact a car accident lawyer right away to review your accident. Once the filing deadline passes, victims often can’t recover any money for their accident.
The experienced car accident attorneys at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can apply our knowledge of Kentucky’s personal injury law and filing requirements to help make sure your claim is filed properly and on time. We will carefully evaluate the accident and identify all the types of compensation that you are entitled to seek and the insurance policies available to provide compensation to you.
Car accident claims typically seek compensation for the following types of losses:
- Medical costs related to treatment of car accident injuries, including ambulance transportation, hospitalization, surgeries, anesthesia, medications, medical exams, diagnostic tests, and treatments
- Rehabilitation and therapies
- Medical devices and specialized equipment, such as prosthetics or wheelchairs
- Future medical expenses
- In-home care or long-term care expenses
- Wages lost during recovery from the accident
- Lost ability to return to work or earn income in the future
- Loss of ability to participate in activities you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, and other recreational activities
- Pain and suffering
- Disability accommodations
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Mental anguish
- Loss of companionship
- Property damage
- Other damages
If your loved one was killed in a Paducah car accident, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for losses related to the death. This type of compensation helps loved ones cover expenses, such as the loss of household services that the deceased provided, funeral and burial costs, and the loss of the deceased’s income.
Negligence of Other Driver
To win a car accident claim, victims must show proof that another driver or other party did something negligent, wrongful, or reckless to cause their injuries. Some of the types of evidence that car accident victims typically use to prove the cause of the accident and damages include:
- Official police accident reports
- Witness statements
- Photos of the account scene
- Medical records
- Videos of the accident scene
- Financial documents, such as medical bills and receipts
- Estimates of vehicle damage
Fault Determination
For victims of motor vehicle collisions to seek compensation for their injuries, they must initiate an insurance claim against the at-fault individual and the insurance company. The accident victim will need to produce evidence proving the other driver was at fault. It can be challenging for accident victims to pursue claims on their own, especially while recovering from serious injuries. The insurance company may deny liability or try to minimize the injuries caused by the crash.
An experienced Paducah car collision attorney at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can investigate your accident and help determine who is at fault and liable for your injuries. Some of the parties that may be liable include:
- The driver of another vehicle
- The at-fault driver’s employer if the accident happened while the driver was working
- The bar or restaurant that served alcohol to an obviously intoxicated driver who then caused a drunk driving accident
- A municipality or government agency responsible for maintaining a road
- The car’s manufacturer or company that made or designed defective auto parts
- The people or company that loaded a commercial truck if improperly loaded cargo contributed to the wreck
Types of Car Accidents
There are many types of car accidents, including:
- Head-on collisions
- T-bone crashes
- Rear-end accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Parking lot accidents
- Work zone accidents
- Collisions with pedestrians
- Car crashes with bicycles
- Car collisions with motorcycles
- Collisions involving cars and large trucks
- Collisions involving deer, cattle, or other animals in the road
- Cars colliding with buildings
Common Injuries
Victims of car accidents in Paducah experience a wide variety of injuries, such as:
- Whiplash and other serious neck and shoulder injuries
- Severe cuts, bruises, and lacerations
- Broken bones, including damage to legs, arms, and ribs
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Pelvic fractures
- Serious burns
- Severe back injuries, such as spinal cord damage
- Traumatic brain injuries, concussions, skull fractures, and other serious head and brain damage
- Paralysis
Causes of Car Accidents
Car accidents occur in a variety of ways. Many involve driver errors, inattention to the road and violations of a driver’s right of way. Some of the most common causes of Paducah car accidents include:
- Speeding
- Failure to obey traffic signals and signs
- Driving while talking on the phone, adjusting the radio, texting, eating, or talking to other passengers
- Speeding
- Tailgating and other aggressive driving behaviors
- Road rage
- Drowsy driving
- Drivers under the influence of alcohol, prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, illegal drugs, and other controlled substances
- Poorly maintained roads, including roads with broken lights, potholes, damaged guardrails, and uneven pavement
- Manufacturer defects and recalls on vehicles and automotive parts
- Hazardous weather conditions
- Poorly maintained vehicles
- Backing into or over something while in reverse
- Failure to slow down in work zones
- Pedestrians crossing highways at night
Get Help With Your Paducah Car Accident Claim Today
Contact a Paducah car accident lawyer at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer today to review your accident and discuss your legal options. To get started, set up a free consultation by calling us at (270) 908-0097 or contacting us online.
