Kentucky Personal Injury Attorney

How a Personal Injury Lawyer in Kentucky Can Help You

Attorney Bob Goldwater and his legal partners have built the Gold Standard of Injury Law. Our mission is to help as many people as possible by connecting them with the compassionate and knowledgeable legal aid they deserve.

A Kentucky personal injury attorney can help your case by:

• Ensuring your paperwork is accurate and complete
• Communicating and negotiating with insurers
• Gathering evidence to support your claim and prove liability
• Consulting with The Goldwater Law Firm’s extensive network of specialists and industry experts, such as accident reconstructionists and physicians
• Filing any necessary appeals on your behalf
• Advising you during the settlement process
• Representing your case in court, if needed

Injury victims and their loved ones deserve respect throughout the legal process. The Goldwater Law Firm will treat you with the empathy and dignity you deserve.

Types of Cases a Kentucky Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help With

When an injury is due to someone else’s negligence, a Kentucky injury lawyer may be able to help you recover financial compensation. Some examples include:

• Car accidents are among the most common causes of personal injuries. In 2022, Kentucky had 711 fatal accidents and 19,572 non-fatal accidents.  A Kentucky car accident attorney can help you pursue a claim against the at-fault driver.
• Truck accidents may have multiple liable parties, including the truck driver and the trucking company. Determining blame is essential to pursuing a personal injury claim. A Kentucky truck accident lawyer can help.
• Catastrophic injuries from motorcycle accidents can devastate your life. Your Kentucky motorcycle accident attorney holds drivers accountable for causing accidents with motorcyclists.

If someone else’s negligent actions caused your injuries, contact The Goldwater Law Firm today for a free review of your case.

Recoverable Compensation After a Personal Injury in Kentucky

Your injuries will depend on how they were caused, but some common types of severe injuries include:

• Broken bones
• Burns
• Lacerations
• Soft tissue damage
• Internal organ damage
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)

Injuries like these can mean expensive medical procedures, mobility changes that affect your ability to work, or even the need for long-term care to assist with your activities of daily living (ADLs). A Kentucky personal injury lawyer will listen to your story so they can understand the full scope of your losses when pursuing maximum compensation.

Fair compensation should account for your current needs and those you can expect in the future because of your injuries. Recoverable compensation may be available for:

Economic Losses in Personal Injury Cases

Economic losses are directly financial, such as a bill for medical procedures. These losses include:

• Medical bills, both current and future
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Home modifications
• Long-term care needs
• Other expenses related to your injuries

Non-Economic Losses in Personal Injury Cases

Non-economic losses are those that are not directly financial but still significantly affect your life, such as emotional distress due to your injuries. These losses include:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of quality of life
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium

Who Is At Fault in Your Kentucky Personal Injury Case?

Establishing fault is crucial when seeking compensation for your injuries. By establishing fault, your personal injury attorney can prove the defendant is responsible for your injuries and, thus, should be liable for paying you damages. Below, we’ll explore a few examples of how accidents happen and who may be at fault.

Car Accidents: In car accidents, another driver is often the liable party. Some scenarios which can lead to a car accident include:

• A driver operates their vehicle while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol
• Another driver chooses to text behind the wheel
• A driver speeds and drives recklessly, endangering everybody on the road

Truck Accidents: Truck accidents can occur for many reasons, from a trucking company with lax standards in place to a truck driver who disobeys safety guidelines. Some scenarios include:

• A trucking company doesn’t follow industry safety standards when loading their trucks, leading to an accident
• A truck driver doesn’t abide by hours-of-service regulations and falls asleep at the wheel

Motorcycle Accidents: Many motorists fail to drive safely when sharing the road with motorcyclists. Some scenarios that can lead to accidents include:

• A driver fails to leave enough room when passing a motorcyclist
• A driver does not yield when entering an intersection

How Do Kentucky Personal Injury Attorneys Investigate an Accident?

Your lawyer will carefully gather and analyze evidence from your accident to determine the blame. They may do so by:

• Talking to witnesses about the drivers’ actions before and during the collision
• Reviewing essential documents related to the accident, such as police reports or driving records
• Obtaining visual evidence, such as security camera footage of the accident or photographs of skid marks at the accident scene
• Consulting with third-party experts, who may be able to offer an analysis of how the accident was likely to have occurred

It’s vital to note that evidence may not last forever. Contact a Kentucky personal injury law firm to begin investigating your case as soon as possible.

Kentucky Personal Injury Laws Which May Affect Your Case

In Kentucky, there are two important laws to be aware of when filing a personal injury case.

Pure Comparative Negligence in Kentucky Personal Injury Cases

Under pure comparative negligence, injury victims can still recover compensation if they are not entirely at fault for their injuries.

However, the compensation you receive is reduced based on your level of fault. For example, if your total award is $200,000 but you are 50% at fault, you would only collect $100,000.

Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Lawsuits

In Kentucky, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit is typically one year. This deadline usually starts from the date of the accident or the event that caused your injuries.

If you are seeking a wrongful death lawsuit for a loved one, you generally have one year from the date of their passing to take legal action.

Affording a Kentucky Personal Injury Lawyer

One of the biggest reasons injury victims hesitate to seek fair compensation is concern over legal costs. Some choose to handle their claims alone, only to face aggressive insurance tactics that prevent them from securing the full compensation they deserve.

However, many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay nothing upfront. Instead, clients pay legal fees only if the attorney successfully recovers compensation. If the client recovers compensation, the lawyer’s fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict.

Contact The Goldwater Law Firm to get started on your case with a free review.

What Should You Do After a Personal Injury in Kentucky?

The days after an injury can feel chaotic and overwhelming. If you’re unsure of what steps to take, here are some helpful actions to take and some to avoid.

• Seek Medical Attention: If you did not receive emergency medical services, schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. They can properly diagnose and begin treatment for the injuries you suffered.
• Report the Accident: Report your accident to the police. In Kentucky, you must report any accident that resulted in fatalities, injuries, or more than $500 worth of property damage.
• Document Your Injuries: Take photographs of your visible injuries. Photos are unbiased and time-stamped evidence that can help support a personal injury claim.
• Don’t Speak to Police or Insurance Adjusters on Your Own: Contacting a personal injury attorney after an accident means having an advocate during any official conversations. Insurance adjusters may try to question you while you are in the hospital or still in recovery. Your lawyer can handle any official communication on your behalf.
• Avoid Posting on Social Media: The insurance company may use your social media posts against you during your personal injury case. Avoid any mention of the accident when posting to social media platforms.
• Don’t Stop Medical Treatment: If you’re undergoing medical treatment, follow through. Ending treatment too soon may not only delay your recovery, but the insurance company could use that as evidence to argue your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim.