It only takes a moment for an accident to upend your life completely. If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, legal recourse may be available. Our Mt. Sterling personal injury lawyers can evaluate your case and help you determine how to proceed based on your unique situation.

Should you choose to file a personal injury claim, our hardworking attorneys can guide you through the process and help you seek the compensation you need to get your life back in order. To get started, contact us to schedule a free consultation.

About Our Mt. Sterling Office

Our Mount Sterling injury law firm is located right outside of historic downtown. With 7,278 full-time residents, Mount Sterling is an ever-growing, prideful Kentucky town located in Montgomery County, approximately thirty minutes east of Lexington. Whether you are coming from Winchester, Lexington, Paris, Flemingsburg, or right here in Montgomery County, our office gives you a convenient and comfortable space to meet with local Mt. Sterling personal injury lawyers.

As our first and primary location, our Mount Sterling law office is where we meet with most of our clients. However, if you cannot make it to us, our attorneys can meet clients at their hospital, their residence, or anywhere that is best for you or your family.

Mount Sterling, the county seat of Montgomery County, is home to about 7,000 people – more than 7,200 in the 2019 census estimate – and is rich in history. First settled in 1779, and officially founded in 1790, the town was named for a combination of a large Native American burial mound referred to by early European visitors to the area as Little Mountain and the town of Stirling in Scotland. That Stirling, of course, is most famous for being the site by Scottish rebel William Wallace’s stunning defeat of English forces in 1297.  This battle is, of course, sensationalized and depicted in the Mel Gibson movie “Braveheart.”  Ironically, when the Kentucky legislature established the town in 1792, it misspelled Stirling as “Sterling,” which stuck, and is how we get the town name Mount Sterling today.

The town, incorporated as a city in 1852, has been the county seat of Montgomery County since 1796, alongside the well-known towns of Jeffersonville and Camargo. European explorers first came to the area before the Revolutionary war. A Mount Sterling walking tour visits historical sites in town that date back to the earliest days of the town, some of them more than 200 years old. Living in a historic and relatively small town does not make Mount Sterling residents safe from personal injuries, however. If you are involved in an accident resulting in a personal injury, contact our lawyers at Maze Law Offices for a free consultation and case evaluation.

The following are some of the more common personal injury accidents that occur in Mount Sterling, Kentucky:

Motor Vehicle Collisions

Residents of Mount Sterling know full well that living in a small city is no protection from traffic accidents. They just happen, and traffic accidents do not care where you live. They happen every day, and they often result in serious injuries, wrongful death, or both. Where there are people, there are accidents, including traffic accidents, and the federal government reports that human error is the root cause of most car crashes, including such related errors as failing to consider weather and traffic conditions, distracted driving, and driver inattention.

There are other sources that list different top accident causes. Still, those causes also tend to be rooted in human error, including:

  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
  • Distracted driving, such as talking or texting on a cell phone, among many other things
  • Running red lights, which resulted in almost 900 deaths and more than 139,000 injuries in 2018
  • Driving while tired or fatigued

Texting while driving is a major focus for many lawmakers and probably gets the most attention from the public out of all types of distracted driving. This should be less of a problem in this state, as Kentucky law prohibits texting while driving for all drivers. Further, drivers below the age of 18 are not allowed to use cell phones in any way while driving. Cell phone use is a significant cause of distraction while driving, but distracted driving includes anything that diverts your attention from driving. This includes eating and drinking, changing stations on your radio, changing settings on your stereo, entertainment, climate control, or navigation system, or even just talking to the passengers in your vehicle.

Motorcycle Collisions

Roughly 80% of the time, collisions involving motorcycles and another vehicle end with the motorcyclist dead or injured. Occupants of the other vehicles involved in the accident often are not hurt or suffer only minor injuries. Even though motorcycle accident fatalities have been declining for several years, nearly 5,000 motorcyclists and their passengers were killed in traffic accidents in 2018. An additional 89,000 riders and passengers were injured. Each year, motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than are the occupants of passenger vehicles.

Even though it was written in the early 1980s, The Hurt Report is regarded as the authoritative source on motorcycle accidents and their causes. The report stemmed from a detailed multi-year study of the top causes of motorcycle accidents, finding that roughly three out of four motorcycle accidents involved a collision with another vehicle, usually a passenger vehicle. Present-day federal data continue to support that conclusion, as well as the report’s finding that the top cause of fatal motorcycle accidents involving two vehicles still is collisions at intersections where a passenger vehicle makes a left turn into the path of a motorcycle traveling straight. An industry media site recently published its version of the 10 leading causes of motorcycle accidents, once again mirroring The Hurt Report. The site found that top causes included:

  • Vehicles turning left turn into the path of a motorcyclist
  • Vehicles changing lanes into a space occupied by a motorcycle
  • Vehicles striking motorcycles from behind
  • Occupants of parked vehicles opening doors into the path of an oncoming motorcycle

When you are hurt in a motorbike collision, an attorney at our firm in Mt. Sterling can help file an injury lawsuit.

Dog Attacks

The United States is almost certainly among the most pet-friendly nations, and dogs top the list of favorite pets. More than two-thirds of U.S. households have at least one dog living there, including nearly 50% of Kentucky households. Of the more than 78 million dogs kept as pets nationwide, most will never bite a human. Some do, though – a pretty fair number, apparently, with about 4.7 million people suffering reported dog bites every year in the U.S. Of those, about 800,000 require professional medical care. Not many people die from dog bites – there were 59 deaths from dog bites in the U.S. in 2019, with two of those happening in Kentucky – but dog bite injuries can be serious, as well as expensive. In 2019, insurance claims for dog bites averaged $44,000 per claim.

Truck Crashes

When large commercial trucks collide with passenger vehicles, the results tend to be just a little one-sided. There were 531,000 commercial trucks involved in traffic accidents nationwide in 2018, including tractor-trailers. Those accidents caused nearly 5,000 fatalities and an additional 151,000 injuries. A significant majority of those deaths and injuries occurred among the occupants of the passengers vehicles involved in the accidents – over 70% of those who died and 72% of those injured. Given the considerable size difference between large commercial trucks and passenger vehicles, the disparity in deaths and injuries makes sense. The maximum allowed weight for a loaded 18-wheeler is 80,000 pounds, including the weight of the truck and loaded trailer combined. Passenger vehicles, on the other hand weigh an average of 4,000 pounds, with the lightest weighing in at less than 2,500 pounds. Trucks hit with a lot of force because of how much they weigh and how large they are. Passenger cars – and the people in them – generally suffer more in collisions between the two as a result. Filing a personal injury claim following a truck wreck could be easier with help from a knowledgeable and experienced Mt. Sterling lawyer.

Other Causes of Personal Injuries

While these types of accidents account for a large number of accidental deaths and injuries, other accidental causes abound. If you can think of a situation in which one person’s negligence could lead to an injury to another person, then you have envisioned yet another potential cause of personal injuries. Among other common causes of personal injuries arising from someone’s negligence are:

  • Premises liability: Federal statistics refer to this as “property liability,” but whatever you call it, it involves accidents caused by the property owner’s failure to keep the property in a safe condition. Negligent maintenance of property is one of the top causes of accidental injuries every year. In Kentucky, premises liability can arise when a person is invited onto the property or was hired to work on the property, which includes patronizing a business or working there, the property owner either was or through normal diligence should have been aware of an dangerous condition somewhere on the property where the public could be expected to go, did not correct that hazard, or took steps to correct the condition that did not actually correct the danger; and the failure to correct the hazardous condition resulted in someone’s injury.
  • Hit and run accidents: These accidents are exactly what they sound like: A driver strikes you or your car and leaves the scene, or a driver hits your parked car and leaves without providing contact information. Unfortunately, it is difficult to recover from the at-fault driver in a hit-and-run because they fled the scene. Witnesses, traffic cameras, or nearby security cameras are the primary sources of information that can lead to the identification of the at-fault driver.
  • Bicycle accidents: In 2018, 857 bicyclists died in traffic accidents. Each year there about 450,000 more bicyclists are injured throughout the U.S. in traffic accidents. Whether they are riding to work, for exercise, or just seeking a little recreation time, bicyclists on the roadways have the same rights – as well as the same responsibilities – as the drivers of any other kind of vehicle. What bicyclists lack, though, is the physical protection occupants of motor vehicles enjoy. Bicyclists who get in traffic accidents with motor vehicles are far more likely to be killed or injured, often seriously, than are the people in the motor vehicles involved in the accident.
  • ATV accidents: ATVs, or all-terrain vehicles, are extremely popular in rural areas and are frequently involved in accidents that result in catastrophic injuries or death. Federal statistics indicate that from 1982 through 2018, ATV accidents resulted in almost 16,000 deaths. More than 260 of those deaths occurred in 2018, and at least 460 in 2017. In addition to fatalities, there were almost 82,000 injuries stemming from ATV accidents in 2018. Kentucky defines an ATV as including any motor-powered vehicle intended or used primarily for “recreational off-road use.” Such vehicles need to be titled, but do not need to be registered. Helmet use is required on public lands, but not when riding an ATV for work purposes or on private land.
  • Boating accidents: People generally realize that boats do not have brakes. While this usually is not a problem on rowboats, canoes, or sailboats, it can be a fatal problem on powerboats. The inability to stop quickly makes it that much more vital that people operating a boat pay attention to their surroundings, including other boats. There are thousands of boating accidents annually in the U.S. The Coast Guard recorded 4,168 recreational boating accidents in 2019, resulting in 613 deaths, 2,559 injuries, and roughly $55 million in property damage. This included one recorded boat accident in Kentucky in 2019, resulting in a single death. However, the official numbers likely are misleading because of recording methods and the fact that many boating accidents are not reported to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard lists the top causes of boating accidents as operator inattention, boating too fast, alcohol use, and operator inexperience. Even with the potential for serious injuries and deaths in boating accidents, most states, including Kentucky, do not require adults to get a license to operate a boat. Kentucky requires a safety course certification, but only for operators of motorized boats who are ages 12 to 17 years old who are not accompanied by an adult. The safety education can be completed through an online course. No safety course certificate is necessary if the teen has an adult in the boat.

What to Do After an Accident

The actions you take after an accident will significantly impact your ability to recover compensation for your injuries. No matter the situation, it is essential for your own well-being to remain calm and assess what has happened.

Depending on your injuries, you may need to request immediate medical attention. Even if your injuries do not warrant emergency responders, you will still want to ensure you see a doctor as soon as possible. Remember that not all injuries are visible. Additionally, you will benefit from having an official record of your injuries if you decide to file a claim.

If possible, swap contact and, if applicable, insurance information with the other party or parties involved. You should also attempt to take photos or videos of the accident scene so your attorney can help you determine what happened from start to finish.

Once you have tended to your injuries and have the documentation and evidence you were able to collect, it is time to consider getting in touch with a lawyer in Mt. Sterling to learn about pursuing a claim. Personal injury claims are subject to time restrictions in Kentucky. In order to ensure you have ample time to build a strong case to seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more, you will want to seek legal representation as soon as possible.

Why Do I Need an Attorney Following a Personal Injury?

If you’ve been involved in a recent accident, the last thing you want to worry about is arguing with an insurance company to ensure your medical bills are paid, and your damaged vehicle is fixed. You want to focus on following your doctor’s treatment recommendations and healing.

Notably, the number one reason you hire an injury lawyer is to help you recover compensation for damages, including pain and suffering awards. An experienced personal injury attorney in Mt. Sterling can make your life easier. We take all the phone calls from harassing bill collectors and insurance offices and deal with the necessary paperwork. We keep you informed about your case while you keep us informed about your healing.

How Much Does an Attorney Cost?

Some people do not contact a personal injury attorney because they do not believe they can afford an attorney. Our firm does not bill our clients a dime unless we win your case. We work on a contingency fee: meaning we do not get paid until we win your case. There is no charge to you, as our fee comes from the insurance’s pocket.

Why Choose Us?

The best lawyer to choose after an accident is one who has the experience needed to win your case – but also who will take the time to call you back and answer your questions. While commercial law firms have experience, they are often hard to reach when you need them.

We work to give accident victims and their families the best of both worlds – combining big law firm experience with the local touch you receive at a hometown office. We have recovered millions of dollars for auto accident victims. We promise you on day one to keep you informed about your case from start to finish. By choosing our law firm, you can always reach your attorney by calling or emailing.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Mt. Sterling Today for Help

We want you to find the best personal injury attorney to protect your rights, your family, and your future. When you speak directly with our lawyers, we will provide clear, transparent communication regarding your options and what you may be able to expect should you choose to move forward with a claim. While many claims resolve through negotiations in a settlement, there is a possibility you will need to pursue a lawsuit in court to obtain the compensation you deserve. No matter how your claim moves forward, we will be by you every step of the way.

At Maze Law Offices, our Mt. Sterling personal injury lawyers are well-versed in a variety of areas of personal injury law. No matter what type of accident you have been involved in, we can schedule a free, same-day consultation to review your situation and configure a personalized strategy for tackling your case. Contact us today to learn more.

Maze Law Offices N/a (859) 328-1908