If you have been injured in a car accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your medical bills and other expenses stemming from the accident through a personal injury claim and lawsuit.
You may also recover money to repair your vehicle or purchase a replacement, to make up for lost wages (present and future), and for mental, emotional, and physical pain and suffering.
An experienced personal injury attorney who has handled a lot of injury cases like David Bryant can help guide you through the process. We’ll put together a case for you and fight for you to win the compensation that you deserve.
Kentucky's No Fault Law in Car Accidents
You may think that you’re not eligible for compensation when a negligent driver causes you to be seriously injured. That’s not quite correct.
Kentucky’s no-fault doctrine, also referred to as personal injury protection or “PIP,” means that the auto insurance companies will pay the following benefits on behalf of the insured, regardless of fault:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Other out-of-pocket expenses
Types of Car Accidents
Car crashes happen in many different ways and each one poses a different risk to you, your vehicle, and your passengers. In 2021, 806 people in Kentucky alone lost their lives in a fatal traffic collision. On a national level, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 42,915 people lost their lives in car accidents that same year. Here are some of the types of accidents that happen on our roads and highways:
Head-on Collisions: These types of accidents occur when the front of one vehicle impacts the front of another and can happen when a driver is traveling the wrong way down a road or taking the wrong exit ramp on a highway.
Head-on collisions are highly dangerous because the energy of the impact is increased by the forward motion of both vehicles. Although they make up a relatively small number of crashes per year, they account for a disproportionate number of fatalities.
Rear-end Collision: These happen when a driver crashes into the vehicle ahead of them. Rear-end collisions are commonly attributed to driver inattention (texting and driving, adjusting the radio volume, etc.), tailgating, panic stops, and poor weather conditions.
Although most rear-end accidents are considered minor, they can be fatal and accounted for the highest percentage of accidents in 2020 with over 1.4 million crashes in total.
Side-Impact Collisions or T-bone Collisions: Commonly occuring at intersections, a side-angle crash is particularly dangerous for passengers on the side of the vehicle where the impact occurred.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this type of auto accident accounted for the highest percentage of fatal crashes in 2017.
Sideswipe Collisions: A sideswipe is when the side of a vehicle impacts the side of another vehicle parallel to them. These commonly occur during improper lane changes, drifting or swerving through lanes, or when a driver does not stay in their lane.
Single Vehicle Accidents: This type of accident can happen when a driver collides with an obstacle other than another vehicle. The NHTSA classifies these into two categories: Collision with a Fixed Object and Collision with an Object Not Fixed and together, these two categories make up the majority of fatal accidents.
Fixed objects include things like guardrails, poles, trees, and ditches while unfixed objects include pedestrians, animals, and cyclists.
Vehicle Rollover: Complex and violent crashes that involve a vehicle flipping. Most vehicle rollovers are the result of a single vehicle crash and may be caused by the interaction of road and environmental conditions, the behavior of the driver, the type of vehicle, and other factors such as rate of speed and alcohol consumption.
Chain Reaction Crashes: These are crashes which involve more than one vehicle and on interstates can result in pileups of several cars. A rear-end impact can sometimes cause the lead vehicle to crash into a third vehicle in front of them.
Alternatively, a driver may be unable to stop in time to avoid a rear-end accident ahead of them, causing a chain reaction crash.
Causes of Car Accidents in Louisville, KY
There are many reasons why a car accident could happen. The weather may be poor, there may be an obstacle on the road that causes an accident or another driver may be driving drunk, recklessly, under the influence of drugs, or simply inattentive. Here are just a few common causes of car accidents:
Distracted Driving: Driving a vehicle is a task which requires a great deal of attention in order to perform safely, but the unfortunate truth is that people are easily distracted. A driver may be distracted by their cell phone, the radio, by eating or drinking in their car, a billboard that draws their eye, or by their own thoughts. They may be texting while driving, which takes their hands, eyes, and attention from the road. A moment of distraction is all it takes to collide with another vehicle.
Speeding: A driver who is speeding – whether driving over the speed limit or driving too fast for weather and road conditions – can cause an accident because their ability to react has been compromised. They may not be able to stop in time to avoid rear-ending someone or they may be unable to take a turn safely. Speeding drivers may endanger themselves and every other person on the road around them.
Drunk Driving: Drunk drivers accounted for 11,654 fatal crashes nationwide in 2020. In Kentucky, drunk driving was indicated as a factor in 181 fatal car crashes that same year. A person who is driving under the influence of alcohol can have difficulty concentrating, may lack coordination, and their judgement, control, and reasoning could be impaired, leading to an accident.
Drowsy Driving: A drowsy or fatigued driver becomes unfocused and inattentive behind the wheel and may cause an accident because their ability to react is lowered or by falling asleep while driving. If you find yourself nodding off while driving, you should find the nearest safe place to get off the road and rest before risking unsafe operation of a vehicle.
Lost and Confused Drivers: A lost or confused driver may become dangerous on the road and cause an accident through their actions. They may take a wrong turn down a one-way street or interrupt the flow of traffic by suddenly slowing down to figure out where they are.
Design Defects and Defective Car Parts: A design issue or defect on the part of a vehicle’s manufacturer or other auto part manufacturer may cause a vehicle to fail on the road and lead to an accident. Sometimes an inadequate part or vehicle makes it onto the market and compromises the safety of drivers. If the manufacturer does not ensure the safety of their customers, they may find themselves liable for personal injury or wrongful death.
Incorrectly Maintained Vehicles: An incorrectly maintained vehicle may lead to tire blowouts, brake or engine failures, or other outcomes that cause the driver to lose control of their vehicle. This, in turn, may cause them to crash into another person’s car.
Weather Conditions: Fog, ice, snow, and rain can make driving conditions very dangerous. A driver may slide on a patch of ice or hydroplane in the rain. Fog and snow can reduce visibility and make it harder to react appropriately to other drivers, obstacles, and turns in the road.
Reckless Driving: Improper lane changes, speeding, improper turns, racing, tailgating, running red lights, and road rage are all examples of reckless driving. A person who is driving recklessly opens themselves up to causing an accident and hurting themselves and others.
Inexperienced Drivers: Inexperienced drivers such as teenagers and other new drivers may not have developed all of the skills to react correctly to challenges and changes in their surroundings while driving. They may react incorrectly or carelessly and cause damage to their own cars or to someone else.
Night Driving: Like driving during bad weather conditions, driving at night significantly increases the chance of an accident. As visibility gets worse, a driver’s ability to see and react to obstacles ahead of them gets worse and may lead to a wreck.
Common Injuries Associated with Car Accidents in Louisville, KY
The results of a car accident can have serious ramifications on the quality of your life and the lives of your passengers. Not only could you suffer material damage to your vehicle, but every part of your body is at risk in a car accident. After a car wreck, you may experience:
Soft Tissue Injuries: After a car accident, you may experience injuries to your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. One serious risk is whiplash, which is a strain or sprain of the neck. Soft tissue injuries may result in chronic pain for years after your accident.
Internal Organ Injuries: Car accident victims may suffer injuries to their internal organs as a result of the deployment of an airbag or the tightening of seatbelts. Chest injuries such as punctured lungs or injuries to the stomach are common.
Broken Bones: The force of impact in the event of a crash may lead to broken bones, which could become a more serious issue even after the bone has been set. A broken bone may lead to chronic pain, long-term or lifetime impaired function of a limb, and internal damage to your organs. Broken bones also place a person at a greater risk for infection in cases of compound fractures where the bone pushes through skin.
Amputated Limbs: Some injuries may be so severe that medical professionals may decide the only course of action is to amputate and remove an injured party’s limb. In a car accident, limbs may be crushed, cut, or otherwise injured to a degree they cannot be repaired.
Burns: In the event of a car crash, a vehicle catching fire is a very dire possibility. Car accident victims with burns may have to undergo skin grafts and may have permanent scarring and disfigurements. They are also at a greater risk of infection during treatment and burns in and around the airway may make it difficult to breathe.
Spinal Cord Injuries: Injuries to the spinal cord are a major risk in a car accident and car accident victims who have experienced a spinal cord injury may suffer very serious and permanent life altering damages. Depending on how high up the spine the injury was sustained, it could result in paraplegia or tetraplegia (also known as quadriplegia) which is the loss of sensation and function in the lower body in the former and a loss of sensation and function in all 4 limbs in the latter.
Other Back Injuries: Sprains, strains, spinal stenosis, disc herniation, and other back injuries may happen as a result of the force of impact in a car accident.
Brain Injuries: A spectrum of brain injuries can result from a car accident depending on the severity and location in the brain of the injury. A person may lose control of a body function, their motor function, or may have permanent, life changing issues with their mood, memory, or communication ability.
Seek Help After a Car Crash by Calling a Louisville Car Accident Attorney
If you have been in a car accident, you owe it to yourself to call an accident lawyer in Louisville to get help. Some injuries and damages do not present themselves until some time after an accident and any injuries of which you are already aware may be costing you money you cannot afford.
A personal injury lawyer with years of experience in Louisville car accident cases can help you get compensation in order to pay for medical expenses you’ve already incurred or will take on as you deal with your injuries.
They can help you get the resources you need to repair your vehicle or get it replaced and they can help you recover lost wages from being unable to work after a crash.
If you’re confused and want to know what your options are, call us to find out.