Whether you’ve been living in Scott County, a student at Georgetown College, or in town for business, you know that traffic can be pretty intense during rush hours. In any busy city or college town, traffic collisions and accidents seem like part of the daily routine. While they’re common, they are also very devastating for the individuals and families involved.

If someone you know has been a victim of a car accident in Georgetown, KY, don’t hesitate to file a claim. Auto accident injury costs add up quickly, and you shouldn’t have to deal with these unfortunate events alone.

If you’ve been involved in an auto accident, you need an experienced injury attorney in Georgetown, KY to help you win the case and recover from your injuries. Contact our skilled legal team today to learn more about filing a personal injury claim and receive compensation for the damages suffered.

Get the Legal Help You Need Following an Injury

If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Georgetown, don’t wait to file a claim. This is a time-sensitive matter, and seeking an attorney’s help immediately will increase your chances of obtaining the best possible outcome of getting compensated for injuries and property damage.

Even if you get the full injury claim from your insurance, you and your loved ones may still carry the trauma and pain with them. Any passengers involved in the collision could be entitled to compensation to help ease the financial burden and offer some breathing room to recover.

What Damages Can I Recover After a Car Wreck?

Our lawyers are dedicated to helping you recover any damage expenses that you might have incurred after the accident, including:

  • Current and future medical bills
  • Ambulance and emergency room fees
  • Property damage and loss
  • Pain and suffering (both mental and physical)
  • Physical therapy and the costs of rehabilitation
  • Lost wages
  • Loss of career or earning capabilities
  • If you lost a loved one, wrongful death damages

Every case is unique, and in some cases, we might be able to recover damages that are not listed above, such as rental car fees, renting a taxi, or taking public transportation.

Contact us for free to discuss the specifics of your situation further.

What Evidence Should I Collect After a Car Crash?

If you’re looking for a car accident lawyer in Georgetown KY, look no further. For years, we have been working in this city, helping clients get compensated for both property and health damages.

Our team is dedicated to building a solid case that results in the financial compensation you and your loved ones deserve. Due to our years of experience, we have compiled a list of evidence that gives you the best chance of winning your case. For instance:

  • Witness testimony
  • Police reports
  • Insurance company reports
  • Photos of the scene
  • Medical bills
  • Video evidence
  • Accident reconstruction

Send our legal professionals any evidence that you’ve collected, and we’ll work on building you a strong case.

Statute of Limitations

Every state has a different timeline for dealing with personal injury accidents. Try to file your insurance claim as soon as possible after your accident.

In Kentucky, the statute of limitations is unique compared to other states. Most personal injury lawsuits will fall under a specific civil law. That law states that injured parties have two years to file an insurance claim and take the case to court if the injury was a result of a motor-vehicle injury accident.

The two-year deadline applies to negligence and intentional tort situations regarding car wrecks. In almost all cases, the two-year timeline starts on the date of the accident. If you are underage when you get into a crash and are injured, this clock does not start to run until after you turn 18.

Moreover, if the accused party leaves Kentucky before you can file a claim; their absence does not mean that you cannot still file a claim against their insurance.

Should I Seek Legal Help After Suffering a Serious Injury?

Though you pay them to help you when you get injured in a wreck, most insurance companies are not so willing to help. The representatives will look out for their best interests, meaning that they’ll try to offer you a lower settlement or deny your claim altogether.

Don’t let the insurance companies bully you out of receiving your full compensation. Allow our personal injury attorneys in Georgetown KY to help you get the money you deserve. If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident, contact our legal team today.

Getting Paid After Winning a Civil Claim

What is a Contingency Fee? No money out of your pocket.

The primary contingency fee definition is a fee arrangement that allows you to avoid out-of-pocket costs entirely. It is a percentage of the settlement that you receive if you win your case.

That’s right; your lawyer only gets paid if you win. It might seem unusual or risky for the attorney, but that is the confidence we have when we take your case.

This gives us an incentive to ensure we devote full effort to your case and get the settlement that you deserve.

Georgetown College Student Hurt in a Wreck

If you attend school at Georgetown, you know how busy the college semester can be on campus and in town.  Traffic picks up and many people who are unfamiliar with Scott County are driving through campus and in the town.  Unfortunately, students driving to class and even pedestrians walking across the street are at an increased risk of being involved in an accident.  If you are a student at Georgetown and have been injured at College, please do not hesitate to call or text us for help.  Our advice is free and we only get paid if we successfully recover compensation for you.

Georgetown has many claims to fame that set it apart from many other cities and towns throughout the country. For starters, it is rumored to be the birthplace of bourbon. It is also one of the most important cities for Kentucky’s horse country.  It is the county seat for Scott County, and with an estimated population of nearly 35,000 in 2019, it is the seventh-largest city in Kentucky. One thing all of those distinguishing features of Georgetown cannot give the city is immunity from personal injuries. Accidents happen in Georgetown just as they do anywhere else, and they are caused by a wide variety of factors. When those injuries occur, victims should consult with Georgetown personal injury lawyers at Maze Law Offices to learn what their options are and receive a free case evaluation.

Motorcycle Collisions

It does not take a great deal of intelligence to figure out that motorcycle accidents involving another vehicle generally end up with the motorcyclist on the losing end compared to the occupants of any other vehicles involved. People in a passenger vehicle are surrounded by an envelope of steel – or metal, at least – while the motorcyclist is surrounded by air and the clothes on their back. In accidents between motorcycles and any other vehicle, more than 80% of the time the motorcycle rider is killed or injured. Motorcycle accident deaths are down in recent years, but even with the decline there still were nearly 5,000 motorcyclists killed in traffic accidents in 2018, in addition to about 89,000 injuries among motorcycle riders. Further, motorcycle riders still suffer an outsized proportion of traffic deaths per miles driven, with motorcyclist riders approximately 28 times more likely to die in a traffic accident each year than people in passenger vehicles.

Most motorcycle accidents involve a collision with another vehicle, and federal statistics indicate that the top cause of fatal two-vehicle motorcycle crashes has been the same for decades —  collisions at intersections involving a passenger vehicle turned left in front of a motorcyclist who was going straight. An industry site that put out a list of the top 10 causes of motorcycle accidents causes largely agreed with federal statistics and included:

  • Vehicles turning left in front of motorcycles
  • Vehicles changing lanes into a motorcycle, primarily because of a lack of attention or failure to check to look by the car’s driver as a top reason
  • Cars striking motorcycles from behind
  • Motorcyclists running into an opening car door.

When a negligent driver hurts you while you are riding on your motorcycle in Georgetown, call a capable lawyer.

Truck Accidents

When it comes to traffic accidents, size matters, and federal statistics demonstrate that when large commercial trucks collide with passenger vehicles, the people in the passenger vehicles almost always lose. In 2018, there were 531,000 traffic accidents involving large commercial trucks, including 18-wheeler tractor-trailer rigs. Of the nearly 5,000 people killed and 151,000 people injured in those accidents, occupants of passenger vehicles involved in the accidents made up 70% of the deaths and 72% of those injured. The statistics make clear that the overwhelming majority of people paying the price of car-truck collisions are not the occupants of the trucks.

The problem is not limited to 18-wheelers on the highways. Large trucks common on the streets in residential neighborhoods throughout the country play a role, too. Delivery vehicles and refuse trucks also pose a hazard to people in passenger vehicles. The vans and box trucks that make up the bulk of delivery vehicles are significantly larger than passenger vehicles, and trucks that pick up residential garbage and recycling are even larger. All of these vehicles spend most of their time on neighborhood roads and streets, and they are not making those streets safer. Federal statistics for 2017 show that there were 107 traffic deaths resulting from accidents involving garbage and recycling trucks, as well as more than 1,400 injuries. As with accidents involving 18-wheelers and other large commercial trucks, most of the fatalities and injuries were suffered by occupants of the passenger vehicles in those accidents. The numbers for 2017 are no better regarding crashes involving passenger vehicles and delivery vehicles. Delivery vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds were involved in 1,885 fatal accidents as well as 22,000 crashes resulting in injuries. As with other truck accidents, most of the injuries and deaths were among the occupants of the passenger vehicles.

The reason is not a mystery. Garbage trucks and recycling trucks are dramatically larger than passenger vehicles and weigh at least 10 times as much, clocking in at between 40,000 and 64,000 pounds. Compare that to the average passenger vehicle, which weighs about 4,000 pounds, or the smallest of passenger cars which can tip the scales at as little as 2,400 pounds. In-vehicle collisions, bet on the heavier vehicle to have a better outcome. It is not much different with delivery vans, which have been ubiquitous in neighborhoods in recent years as online shopping has exploded, but especially during the pandemic, which turned the shopping trend into a phenomenon. While smaller than garbage trucks and 18-wheelers, the vehicles making deliveries still are much larger than passenger vehicles. One of the most popular delivery vehicles is the 11,000-pound Mercedes Sprinter, seen daily on the roads of your neighborhood bearing the logos and colors of Amazon, UPS, Federal Express, Purolator, and other delivery services. The Sprinter weighs nearly three times what the average passenger vehicle does.

Dog Bite Injuries

America certainly loves its pets, and dogs are as popular as any. American keep dogs as pets to the tune of more than 78 million dogs. Most of those dogs cause no trouble and do not bite the mailman – or anyone else – but it would appear that a pretty hefty number of them do. Each year, there are about 4.7 million people bitten by dogs. About 800,000 of those victims of dog bites wind up needing professional medical treatment. Few people die from dog bites in this country, but 59 people died from dog bites nationwide in 2019, with two of those fatalities occurring in Kentucky. Dog bites can turn out to be serious injuries, and prove quite costly, as well. Insurance claims related to dog bites totaled about $797 million nationwide in 2019, with an average cost per claim of nearly $45,000.

Traffic Collisions

Traffic accidents happen every day in cities and towns large and small throughout Kentucky, and that includes Georgetown. Many traffic accidents are relatively minor – just “fender benders,” with no injuries – but many accidents are the cause of serious injuries or deaths. Human error is to blame for most traffic accidents, according to the federal government, with most coming about because of distracted driving, insufficient attention to traffic and conditions, or driver inattention. While those causes sound almost like the same thing, other sources identify different top accident causes. These causes also seem to be human error, but other lists are more specific regarding the nature of the errors, such as:

  • Speeding
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Distracted driving, including (among many other things) using cell phones behind the wheel
  • Running red lights, which in 2018 caused almost 900 fatalities and more than 139,000 injuries
  • Fatigued driving

Government and media like to focus on cell phone use, especially texting behind the wheel, as the leading cause of distracted driving. Most states have at least some laws dealing with texting or cell phone use specifically, though. In Kentucky, the law prohibits texting while driving for all drivers, as well as any cell phone use while driving for drivers younger than 18, even with hands-free devices. Further, cell phone use is by no means the only cause of distracted driving and is not even the leading cause of distracted driving accidents. Eating, drinking, adjusting audio system controls, changing stations on your car radio, changing CDs, switching playlists on your phone, messing with the vehicle’s climate controls, and anything else you do in your vehicle that takes your attention away from the road is distracted driving.

Other Personal Injuries

Personal injuries can occur for as many reasons as you can imagine. The fact is, personal injuries can happen anywhere, for myriad reasons, and liability for injuries always will depend upon the circumstances of the event leading to the injury. Among the primary causes of personal injuries aside from those mentioned above are:

Premises Liability Accidents

Premises liability is commonly referred to in government statistics as “property liability.” This simply refers to the fact that premises liability arises from accidents caused by the owner’s failure to keep the property in a safe condition. A premises liability accident can include pretty much any accident that can happen on any kind of property, including slips and falls, dog bites, negligent or inadequate security, swimming pool injuries, or dangerous property conditions at retail locations or restaurants. Such accidents are among the top causes of accidental injuries each year. Premises liability in Kentucky can arise in circumstances where you were invited onto the property or were hired to be there, including when you patronize a business open to the public, even though you were not personally invited onto the property; the owner of the property knew or should have known about an unsafe condition on the property and failed to correct that condition, or corrected the condition in such a way that did not correct the danger, and failing to remedy the dangerous condition caused your injury.

Importantly, most, if not all injuries that occur at a family member’s home or friend’s house are covered by their home owner’s insurance company.  The property owner rarely has any involvement in the claim’s process and is certainly not responsible for paying for medical costs and hospital bills if they have liability insurance.

Boating Accidents

Many residents of Georgetown and students at Georgetown College are fond of visiting nearby lakes such as Herrington Lake, Cave Run Lake, and Lake Cumberland.  If you have ever piloted a boat, or even been on one while it was underway, one of the first things you will notice is that boats do not have brakes. This simply makes it more important for boat operators to pay attention, as stopping quickly is generally not an option when boating. Thousands of boating accidents happen every year, with the Coast Guard recording 4,168 recreational boating accidents in 2019. Those accidents led to 613 deaths, 2,559 injuries, and about $55 million in property damage. There was one recorded boat accident in Kentucky in 2019, with a single fatality, but many types of boating accidents are not reported to the Coast Guard. Reporting is required only for certain accidents, meaning that federal statistics on recreational boating accidents are nowhere near comprehensive. Still, the federal statistics indicate that the leading causes of recreational boating accidents are operator inattention, not keeping a proper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, and alcohol use. Despite the potential for serious injuries and deaths from boating accidents, most states do not require adults to have a license to operate a boat. This includes Kentucky, which requires a safety course certification only for unaccompanied boat operators from 12 to 17 years old, and even then only for motorized vessels. The safety education certification can be obtained by taking an online course and is necessary only if the teenager does not have an adult in the boat.

Workplace Injuries

Most people work, and many accidental injuries take place at work. The large majority of these injuries are covered by workers’ compensation, a state-run system that provides compensation for medical treatment and lost wages for injuries suffered while you are on the job. The tradeoff is that you generally cannot sue your employer for compensation for your damages. Workers’ comp is not restricted to “dangerous” occupations; office workers are entitled to the same benefits for on-the-job injuries as construction workers. While construction workers account for a large percentage of workplace injuries – especially fatal injuries, a number of injuries common to office workers are on the list of the top 10 most common workplace injuries. In fact, federal studies have found that repetitive motion injuries – often suffered by people who type a great deal at work and among the 10 most common injuries at work – result in the greatest average length of absence from work, topping all other workplace injuries. Also, the leading cause of workplace injuries is overexertion injuries, resulting from pushing, pulling, lifting, or carrying objects – including, for example, lifting boxes of printer paper, a common activity for many office workers.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Georgetown When You Are Hurt in an Accident

If you have suffered a personal injury in Scott County and believe another person might have been at fault, you should seek advice from a local attorney to help find out what options you may have. It is possible there are provisions within a liability insurance policy that may be able to pay for your injuries and other damages, depending upon the circumstances of how you were hurt. The Georgetown personal injury lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other damages. The attorneys of Maze Law Offices can help you. Unlike many larger attorney offices you may see on TV, we live here and know this area, its people, and its laws. Contact us today to schedule a free, no obligation consultation.

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