Are you the victim of a serious truck accident in Lexington, KY? Accidents involving semi-trucks often produce devastating injuries and thousands of dollars in medical bills. You shouldn’t have to pay for these expenses out of pocket if you weren’t responsible for the accident.
At Regard Law Group, we can help you pursue compensation for your damages. Our Lexington truck accident lawyers have extensive experience navigating truck accident claims and lawsuits and seeking the maximum compensation. Let us take your case off your shoulders while you focus on getting your life back together.
Contact us today at (859) 281-1318 to schedule an appointment.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Lexington
Unfortunately, truck accidents are prevalent in Kentucky, especially in major cities like Lexington. In 2022, over 10,000 trucks were involved in accidents across the state, and 102 of those accidents resulted in fatal injuries.
Truck accidents often happen because of the following reasons:
- Distraction: Truck drivers sometimes entertain themselves with distractions like phone calls, CB radio conversations, and texting. All of these can take their attention away from the road and lead to accidents.
- Lack of training: Some trucking companies are so desperate for workers that they neglect to properly train new drivers before sending them out on the road. Inexperienced drivers can easily make mistakes that cause accidents.
- Fatigue: Truck drivers who work long shifts without the necessary breaks can become fatigued, limiting their reaction time and decision-making abilities. Driving drowsy is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol in terms of how it impairs a person’s brain.
- Limited visibility: Large commercial vehicles like semi-trucks have many blind spots. Drivers need to know how to safely maneuver these vehicles with limited visibility.
- Improper loading: When truck drivers or companies load cargo improperly, the trucks can become unbalanced and jackknife while on the road, leading to accidents.
Investigating the cause of your accident is one of the many duties our Lexington truck accident lawyers can take off your shoulders to aid your compensation case.
Determining the Liable Party in a Truck Accident Case
If you can prove that another party was negligent in your accident, you can seek compensation from them through an insurance claim or lawsuit. Our Fayette County truck accident attorneys can help you collect evidence by pinpointing the negligent party.
Liability and negligence often become complicated in truck accident cases involving commercial vehicles. Any of the following parties may be partially or fully negligent:
- The truck driver: The truck driver may be responsible for the accident if they violated traffic laws, whether they were distracted, fatigued, or simply failing to pay close enough attention to the road.
- The truck company: Truck companies often assume vicarious liability for their drivers. You may still file insurance claims through the company’s liability policy if the driver was responsible. The company itself may be negligent if it failed to train the driver adequately, neglected to maintain the vehicle, or otherwise contributed to the accident.
- A manufacturer: Perhaps a manufacturer is partially liable for producing a truck part that malfunctioned, causing or contributing to the accident.
- Another driver: If any other drivers were involved in your accident besides the truck driver, our Lexington truck accident lawyers can investigate the crash to determine their role in it, if any.
Kentucky’s Pure Comparative Negligence Policy
If another party was negligent in your truck accident, you have the right to seek compensation through an insurance claim, lawsuit, or both. Kentucky follows a pure comparative negligence policy for accidents. Under this policy, you can seek compensation as long as you are not 100% at fault for the accident.
The insurance company will assign all parties involved in the accident a percentage of the blame, if applicable. For example, it may acknowledge that the truck driver was 80% responsible, but you were 20% negligent because you were not wearing a seatbelt, and therefore, your injuries were more severe than they would have otherwise been.
In this case, you’d be eligible to seek only 80% of your damages, and the truck driver could seek 20% of theirs. Our Lexington truck accident lawyers can help you prove that you were not even 1% liable for the accident to help maximize your compensation.
Damages You Can Seek After a Serious Truck Accident
If you are pursuing an insurance claim after a truck accident, you can seek compensation to cover the economic damages you experienced, such as:
- Medical bills
- Physical damage to your vehicle
- Time off work
- Loss of ability to work
- Future medical costs
Should you decide to take legal action instead, you can also pursue non-economic damages, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
You may also have the right to seek punitive damages if the liable party acted recklessly or egregiously. These aim to punish the negligent party for their wrongful behavior.
How Our Lexington Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help You
Hiring legal representation is a critical step after a serious Lexington truck accident. Our experienced personal injury attorneys can help you smoothly navigate your insurance claim or lawsuit while you reserve your energy for your physical recovery. We’d be happy to assist with all of the following:
- Gather evidence to support your case.
- Communicate with the truck company, the insurance company, and all other parties on your behalf.
- Track down the black box footage from the truck to support your case.
- Help you file all paperwork as part of your claim.
- Negotiate with the insurance company for a higher offer.
- Take legal action to increase your compensation amount.
- Represent you in court and during settlement negotiations.
We have helped countless Lexington victims navigate truck accident cases. We’d be happy to put our skills and experience to work to fight for your rights to compensation.
Contact Regard Law Group Today
Seeking compensation for your truck accident won’t turn back the clock, but it can provide some comfort as you move forward from this event. Our dedicated Lexington truck accident lawyers have the knowledge, passion, and drive to represent you while keeping your recovery front and center.
Contact us today at (859) 281-1318 or fill out our contact form to schedule your consultation. We look forward to speaking with you.
Truck Accidents FAQs
The average truck accident settlement can vary depending on the severity of the accident, the types of damages, and the cooperation of the negligent party.
An insurance company has approximately 30 days to pay out a claim in Kentucky. This process may take longer if you are going through settlement negotiations with the insurer.
The statute of limitations for truck accident cases in Kentucky is two years from the date of the accident. If you want to take legal action against the truck company or the insurance company, you’ll need to adhere to this deadline.