We most often think about insurance claims when we think of personal injury claims, which is the most common manner with which victims seek compensation for their injuries. However, the insurance claim is not the final option, and there are many ways that an experienced Lexington, KY personal injury lawyer can help you get the compensation that you truly deserve, not just the compensation an insurer hopes to pay.
Contact Us To Schedule a Free Consultation Today
In order to learn more about how working with a personal injury attorney can help you get the money you deserve out of the insurance companies, contact our personal injury law firm as soon as possible for a free consultation and case evaluation. Trying to make sense of your situation can be overwhelming, and as you try to fight through the pain and suffering of your injuries, it may seem impossible to do anything except go along with the offers from the insurance company. Not so when you are being represented by a team of Lexington personal injury lawyers.
Read more below to get a general sense of how personal injury attorneys help their clients get the money they deserve, and contact our Lexington, Kentucky law firm now to schedule your first conversation with our team.
The Importance of Hiring a Lexington, KY Personal Injury Attorney
Depending on the steps you have already taken after a Lexington, Kentucky accident, you may already be well aware of how complicated personal injury cases can be. However, take a look at some of the most notable benefits of working with a Kentucky personal injury attorney as you fight to get the money you deserve:
Fight Back With Knowledge and Experience
When insurance companies are contacted by Lexington personal injury lawyers instead of the victims, they know from the start that this claim will not be settled as easily as others. This is because insurance companies take advantage of a victim’s inexperience by trying to push for a low settlement as quickly as possible. Being contacted by a lawyer on day one sends a clear signal that the victim is going to fight for everything they deserve under Kentucky personal injury laws.
Prioritize Your Recovery
Stress and anxiety both have a measurable impact on the recovery process from physical injuries, and personal injury cases are highly stressful for someone who is not familiar with the process — especially when it is their own financial wellbeing in the line. Instead of internalizing all of the anxiety and fear, you can rely on your personal injury lawyers to handle the details of your case and relay the specifics back to you. Many people prematurely settle their personal injury cases just to get the added stress out of their lives — often at the cost of their future financial stability.
Focus On Your Future
While your personal injury attorney is handling your case, you will be able to prioritize your recovery without fear or uncertainty about what the future may hold. Many people suffer from anxiety about their finances, especially as their medical expenses increase, and they continue to experience lost wages while they go through surgeries, physical therapy, and ongoing pain management. Knowing that there is a Lexington, KY personal injury attorney who can answer any of your questions about the direction your case is heading can be a major relief.
Avoid Confusing and Time-Consuming Administrative Work
Tort law is a complex legal field, and even professionals work with a team in order to make sure that they are not missing any important details. Trying to go through this process alone, especially without a legal background, means that you will need to educate yourself as you go, not only about tort law but also about the specifics of these laws as they relate to the type of accident you were involved in. Injury attorneys have the experience, education, and support team necessary to handle this process from a position of power and leverage.
Get the Money You Deserve
Once the claims investigation is completed, the insurance company will offer you a one-time settlement payment. The sum is typically far less than what a victim is actually owed, but starting with such a low offer can instill additional self-doubt in a victim and simply makes the negotiation process feel impossible with such a wide gap to close. Luckily, your Lexington, KY personal injury attorney will have what it takes to enter these negotiations aggressively and stay focused until a fair settlement agreement is reached. If negotiations fail, your attorney will be ready to file a lawsuit in the Kentucky courts.
Our Common Practice Areas
The following are just a few examples of the many cases involving personal injury that we handle. Whether or not you see your own situation mentioned below, contact us as soon as possible to schedule a case evaluation and to discuss your circumstances with a Lexington, KY personal injury attorney.
Car Accidents
After a car accident that someone else caused, you will file a claim with their insurance company and have a claims adjuster assigned to your case. Remember that this adjuster is either an employee or contractor working on behalf of the insurance firm, meaning that their goal will be to save as much money as possible for their employer while avoiding any future legal action regarding the car accident.
As of publishing, the latest finalized data (2018) presented by Kentucky Traffic Data Services showed a decrease in total reported car accidents. While encouraging, this does not mean you are certain to avoid a crash.
Motorcycle Crashes
Due to the lack of structural protection and the near-certainty that the rider will be thrown to the ground for a secondary impact, a motorcycle poses an increased threat of catastrophic or life-threatening injuries to a rider than another type of passenger vehicle. As a result, medical bills are often higher, the victim must endure even more pain and suffering, and their lost wages can be extensive or even permanent. Working with a lawyer who understands how to calculate these long-term losses is important to ensure you get the money you deserve. Contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer. Lexington, KY is our primary practice region, but we cover cases in greater Fayette County and beyond.
Slip and Fall
A slip and fall is one example of a greater category of personal injury known as “premises liability.” In a slip and fall accident, a lawful visitor to someone else’s Fayette County property slips or trips and falls due to an avoidable hazard, and the owner or manager of said property is held accountable for the resulting damages. Sometimes a property owner might offer cash on the spot in exchange for signing a waiver, but be sure that you do not sign anything after this type of accident without speaking with a personal injury lawyer. Lexington, KY is home to a number of law firms, but if you want to work with a proven personal injury attorney, we encourage you to contact us for a free consultation as soon as possible.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is a tort that covers a wide range of situations, including things like an improper diagnosis, failure to diagnose, surgical errors, prescription mistakes, and much more. In some states, there are caps to the amount of compensatory damages a victim may seek after an accident, but in Kentucky, there is no cap to the amount of compensation for medical malpractice that may be awarded to a victim. If you or a loved one is the victim of medical malpractice, or if you are uncertain whether or not your experience would be considered medical malpractice, contact our firm today for a free consultation with our Lexington personal injury lawyers.
Bicycle Accidents
Riding a bike is a great way to reduce emissions, save money on gas, and get exercise at the same time, but if you are in an accident, you should immediately contact a personal injury lawyer. Lexington, KY has some bike lanes, but there are still significant risks when cycling around the city nonetheless. Working with an injury lawyer is an important way to ensure that your rights are upheld as you fight to get the compensation you deserve following this type of accident in Lexington or greater Fayette County. Bicycle laws can sometimes be confusing, and determining who had the right of way, and therefore who is liable for the accident, is best left to our personal injury lawyers while you focus on your health.
Pedestrian Injuries
Workers’ compensation in Lexington is a “no-fault” policy, meaning that it pays benefits to the victim regardless of who caused the accident or how it happened. However, it also protects employers from being sued for negligence by their employees following an accident in Lexington. In certain instances, permanent disability may require supplemental payments from social security. Whether or not we need to consider social security payments for your own accident, it is important to work with a Lexington, KY personal injury attorney that can help you navigate this complicated process.
Kentucky is slightly higher than the average United States rate when it comes to total injuries and illnesses per 100 workers, according to a 2019 report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lexington, KY Personal Injury Cases
Below are just a few questions and answers that may give you a general sense of your own situation after a Lexington personal injury. Keep in mind that no two accidents are alike, and the only way to get specific legal advice is by speaking directly with a Lexington, Kentucky personal injury attorney about your situation. Contact us as soon as possible to schedule your free consultation and to learn about the importance of partnering with a proven personal injury lawyer after an accident in Lexington, Kentucky.
Do I need to hire an attorney after an accident in Lexington?
There is no law stating that you are required to work with a personal injury lawyer in Kentucky, but partnering with experienced legal representation is one of the best ways to ensure that you recover fair compensation for the many damages you are likely to have suffered. Insurance companies have decades of experience settling Lexington personal injury claims for as little as possible, and their tactics are often geared towards leveraging the stress, anxiety, and inexperience of a victim who is not working with an attorney.
During our initial consultation, we will be able to provide you with examples of other Lexington personal injury victims we’ve helped through their personal injury cases, including the amount they received as either a settlement or a lawsuit award.
How much is my personal injury case worth?
Unfortunately, there is no simple way to determine the amount of compensation a victim is owed after an accident in Lexington, Kentucky since each claim is highly specific to things like the victim’s lost wages, their medical bills, and even their future medical expenses. In addition to these obvious damages, there are many less-obvious impacts, some of which are financial, but many more that are emotional and physiological — each of which entitles the victim to repayment.
In some Lexington injury cases, a victim may be awarded punitive damages by a judge or jury that go beyond the compensatory damages a personal injury lawyer will seek through a settlement negotiation or lawsuit. These are awarded in addition to the actual damages and are intended to punish the liable party for particularly reckless or egregious behavior that led to the accident. Your personal injury lawyer will not be able to request these damages, though, and they are rare in lawsuits regardless.
How long will it take to reach a settlement agreement after my Lexington accident?
Just as with determining the sum of damages a Lexington victim is owed, it is extremely difficult to speculate about how long it will take to settle your personal injury case. In some instances, the case may be fairly straightforward and be concluded after a brief negotiation period; however, there are other instances where you may need to file a lawsuit with the Kentucky courts.
Your Lexington personal injury lawyer will be able to help you understand the situation as it evolves. Some lawsuits may be drawn out in court and can take years to reach a resolution, while other Lexington personal injury cases are settled in a matter of months. It depends on a number of things, including the complexity of the case, the number of damages, and the gap between your Lexington lawyer’s calculations and the insurance settlement offers.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit after a personal injury in Lexington, Kentucky?
The Kentucky statute of limitations gives Lexington victims one year from the date of their accident to file a lawsuit in the Kentucky courts. Before this date, your Lexington personal injury lawyer will likely want to attempt direct negotiations in the hopes of an out-of-court settlement, so it is important that you act as soon as possible to partner with a Lexington attorney.
There are exceptions to the one-year statute, such as when your injuries have a delayed onset period before you first recognize them. However, you will want to connect with a Lexington personal injury lawyer immediately to ensure that you do not miss any important dates or lose your right to seek compensation after a Kentucky injury.
Do I need to file a lawsuit after a medical malpractice injury?
A significant proportion of Kentucky personal injury claims are settled before going to court, although there is no way to collect meaningful data about this statistic since settlement agreements do not need to go on record. However, it is important to be mindful that the goal of your Lexington personal injury lawyer is often to reach a settlement in order to avoid a costly and time-consuming trial in the Kentucky court system.
In some medical malpractice cases, though, your personal injury lawyer may determine that it is most effective to move directly to a lawsuit without attempting a settlement if they believe that you may be entitled to punitive damages. Keep in mind that while trials for Kentucky personal injuries are rare, punitive damage awards are rarer still, and your personal injury lawyer will be able to explain their decisions in greater detail as they determine how best to move forward with your Lexington accident case.
How much does it cost to work with a personal injury attorney in Lexington, Kentucky?
When you partner with a Lexington personal injury lawyer at our firm, you won’t need to worry about paying any up-front costs or out-of-pocket expenses. This is because our Lexington firm operates on contingency fees, which are predetermined percentages taken from the final settlement or award once your Kentucky case is concluded. If your personal injury lawyer does not win your case, you will not need to pay for their services. We will be happy to go into greater detail about how these fees work during our free consultation.
Our fees are structured in adherence with the Kentucky bar’s guidelines on contingency fee arrangements, as are the fees charged by any other bar-certified personal injury lawyer in Lexington or elsewhere in Kentucky.
Contact Us Now To Request A Free Consultation With a Lexington Attorney Today
The sooner you contact our Lexington law firm for a consultation, the sooner you can move forward with your case confidently. No matter how you were injured or what the specific situation may be, you deserve to be treated fairly after a personal injury in Lexington, and we are here to help make sure that is the case. Whether you have been hurt in a medical malpractice case, car accident, or any other situation where someone else’s recklessness or negligence caused you harm in Lexington, we are ready to build a case for you.
Trying to find the right attorney for your case in Lexington can feel overwhelming, but we are confident that you will be ready to move forward with our law firm after our first conversation together.