Kentucky Injury Law Blog

Kentucky State Police will be holding Motorcycle Awareness Day on Thursday, May 21. The day is intended to promote motorcycle safety throughout the state and will be marked by a full day of activities, including a "Cruise for Awareness" ride involving over 200 motorcycles escorted by Lexington Police and KSP through Frankfort. This event is just one of many activities taking place throughout the US this month, dubbed Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

Federal, state, and local transportation safety officials want to remind both motor vehicle drivers and motorcyclists that they share the roads with each other. This means motorcycle riders, car drivers, bus drivers, and truckers must all do their part to prevent US motorcycle accidents from happening.

According to Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rod Brewer, the KSP wants to decrease the number of Kentucky motorcycle fatalities that occur each year.

2008 Kentucky Motorcycle Accident Statistics:
• There were 2,109 Kentucky motorcycle crashes last year.
• 102 of these accidents resulted in fatalities.
• 64 of the Kentucky motorcyclists involved in these accidents were not using motorcycle helmets.
• 40 of last year's Kentucky motorcycle collisions involved passenger vehicles.
• 108,602 Kentucky motorcycles were registered in the state.

Motorcycle accidents can be catastrophic for a rider, who only has his or her protective clothing and gear to serve as a buffer from the impact of colliding with a car, a bus, a large truck, a wall, or another nonmoving object. Spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and internal injuries result all too often from motorcycle crashes.

Earlier this month, a rider died in a Kentucky motorcycle crash when his bike was in a traffic crash with a white box truck in Prospect. Police say that the motorcyclist was making a right turn onto Timber Ridge when the deadly collision happened. The rider ended up under the truck and was pronounced dead at the accident site.

If you or your loved one was seriously hurt in a Kentucky motorcycle accident that was caused by a careless driver or another negligent party, you may have grounds for filing a Kentucky personal injury lawsuit.

KSP Announces Motorcycle Awareness Day, WOWK, May 14, 2009

Man killed in motorcycle crash, WAVE, May 8, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Kentucky State Police

Motorcycle Safety Awareness, NHTSA

Continue reading "Kentucky Motorcycle Accident Attorney: State Police Mark Motorcycle Awareness Day on May 21" »

The Kentucky’s Office of Highway Safety says the number of highway motor vehicle deaths occurring in the state appears to be decreasing. According to early figures, there were 158 Kentucky traffic deaths in 2009 through March 31—21 less fatalities than for the same time period in 2008. Kentucky Transportation Secretary Joe Prather says that 81 of the 158 traffic victims that died this year were not using seat belts.

The state also experienced its lowest number of Kentucky motor vehicle deaths last year with 823 fatalities. This decline reflects the overall decrease in motor vehicle deaths on a national level.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 37,313 people died in US traffic accidents in 2008. This is the lowest number of US motor vehicle deaths to occur in a year since 1961. The report notes that states that have weaker seat belt laws tend to have higher death tolls.

Prather says that Kentucky will take aggressive action during next month’s “Click It or Ticket” Campaign. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that seat belts can decrease the number of front-seat occupant traffic deaths by 45% and by 50% for traffic deaths involving occupants of SUV’s, pickup trucks, and minivans.

Common Causes of Car Crashes:
• Driver negligence
• Distracted driving
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Driver exhaustion
• Defective auto or auto parts
• Cell phone use while driving
• Text messaging

If you have been injured in a Kentucky car collision, an experienced Louisville car crash lawyer can help you investigate your case and pursue your claim in a manner that allows you to obtain the maximum recovery possible.

Kentucky highway fatalities declining in 2009, Examiner.com, April 7, 2009

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Record Low Traffic Deaths, Improved State Seat Belt Use, NHTSA, April 6, 2009

Related Web Resources:

Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Fatalities in 2008 (PDF)

Seat Belt Use in 2008, NHTSA (PDF)

Kentucky Office of Highway Safety

Continue reading "Kentucky Motor Vehicle Crash Attorney: Number of Traffic Deaths Declining in 2009" »

The Kentucky State Police is reporting that through February 22, there had been 87 fatalities on state roads for 2009. 82 of these deaths occurred as a result of motor vehicle accidents. 46 of the victims that died were not using seat belts, while alcohol is suspected to have been a contributing factor in 23 of the fatalities.

The state police also said that on Kentucky roads last week, there were seven motor vehicle fatalities. Four of the people who died were not using seat belts and alcohol is a suspected contributing factor in three of these Kentucky auto accidents.

If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident accident, you may be entitled to file a Kentucky personal injury claim or lawsuit against all negligent parties. Whatever you do, do NOT settle with the negligent party’s insurer without contacting an experienced Louisville car accident lawyer first.

Reckless or negligent driving can be grounds for a civil lawsuit against a liable party. Drunk driving is one form of reckless driving that can result in serious injuries and deaths.

Here are a couple 2007 facts provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about drunk driving:

• 12,998 people died in US drunk driving accidents.
• 1 drunk driving death occurs in the US every 40 minutes.

Drunk driving can impair the driver’s senses, perception, reflexes, and ability to process information, which can make it hard for the motorist to pay attention, stop the vehicle when necessary, notice that he or she is driving at excessively high or slow speeds, obey street and traffic signs, and assess how much distance there is between his or her car and other motor vehicles.

Too many lives are destroyed in Kentucky drunk driving accidents.

KSP Releases Accident Statistics From Last Week, WBKO, February 23, 2009

Alcohol-Impaired Driving, NHTSA

Related Web Resources:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Continue reading "Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer: State Police Reports at Least 87 Auto Accidents Deaths So Far for 2009" »

This year, the National Safety Council wants all US states and Washington DC to impose a total ban that would make it illegal for all drivers to use cell phones when operating their motor vehicles. The NSC says drivers who talk or text message on cell phones increase their chances of getting involved in a motor vehicle crash by four times. The NSC says cell phone use is a form of distracted driving, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports is the cause of 80% of US traffic accidents.

According to the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis:
• 636,000 US motor vehicle crashes a year involve a driver who was using a cell phone.
• These accidents make up 6% of all US auto crashes, resulting in 330,000 injuries and 2,600 fatalities.
• Over 100 million people drive and use cell phones at the same time.

A number of US states have a partial ban on certain kinds of cell phone use. For example, Kentucky completely bars school bus drivers from using cell phones while driving. The state also has legislation under consideration that would ban drivers from using handheld devices.

The NSC, however, wants all states to bar drivers from using even hands-free phones.
A study by University of Utah researchers shows that just because a driver isn’t using his or her hands to hold or operate a cell phone while driving doesn’t make it safer to operate a motor vehicle. Talking on any kind of cell phone while driving reportedly places a motorist’s concentration elsewhere rather than on the road.

Driver Inattention
Distracted driving is one of the reasons why so many US motor vehicle accidents happen. It can also be grounds for a Kentucky personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit if someone gets hurt or dies as a result. If you or someone you love was seriously hurt in a Kentucky motor vehicle crash, an experienced Louisville auto accident attorney can help you prove negligence so that you can recover the maximum compensation that you are owed.

National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving, NSC.org

Cell Phone Use While Driving Fact Sheet, NSC

Related Web Resources:
Cell Phone Driving Laws, Governors Highway Safety Association

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Continue reading "Kentucky Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney: Ban Motorists from Driving with Cell Phones, Says NSC" »

On US 27 close to the Jessamine-Garrard County Line, motorcyclist David Ballard died on Monday morning after being struck by a car. Kentucky State Police say that Danville resident Rita Pradhan, 24, lost control of her vehicle before striking the oncoming motorcyclist. Her car then spun around before striking the vehicle following her.

Ballard, a 52-year-old Danville resident, was declared dead at the accident scene. Prior to his death, there were 57 reported motorcycle fatalities in Kentucky so far this year.

Motorcyclists are prone to serious injuries whenever they are involved in traffic collisions. Even when a motorcyclist does wear a helmet and protective clothing, he or she does not have a great deal of protection to act as a buffer from the impact of colliding with a car, bus, or 18-wheeler truck.

Many motorcycle accidents can result in catastrophic if not fatal injuries that may include road burn injuries, broken bones, severed limbs, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. The medical and recovery costs can be very expensive.

Unfortunately, many people attribute motorcycle accidents to the “recklessness” of the motorcyclist. It is important, if you are a motorcyclist who was injured in a traffic accident caused by another driver’s negligence in Kentucky, that you speak with an experienced Louisville motorcycle crash law firm that can inform you of your legal rights and advocate for your right to financial recovery.

According to the “Hurt” Report:

• About 75% of motorcycle collisions involve another motor vehicle.
• 2/3rds of all motorcycle accidents involving multiple vehicles resulted in a driver violating the motorcyclist’s right of way.
• Defective roadways is the cause of about 2% of all motorcycle crashes.

Garrard Co. Accident Victim Identified, Action News 36, August 19, 2008

The "Hurt" Report (PDF)

Related Web Resources:

Motorcycle Safety, Kentucky Government (PDF)

Kentucky Motorcycle Laws, DMV.Org

Continue reading "Danville Motorcyclist Dies in Kentucky Motor Vehicle Crash Collision on US 27 Near the Jessamine-Garrard County Line" »