Car Accidents

Paducah Car Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been seriously injured in a car crash in Kentucky that wasn’t your fault, you deserve peace of mind. You deserve to recover without the stress and hassle of stacked bulls and aggressive insurance agents. If peace of mind isn’t coming as easily as you hoped, you need the help of a legal team you can trust. At Daryl T. Dixon Law, we have your back. A Paducah car accident lawyer can help you get the peace of mind and financial assistance you need to move forward.

First, let’s go over some facts about car accidents in Kentucky, how often they occur, and what causes most deadly accidents:

Kentucky Car Accident Statistics and Facts

By examining car accident statistics in Kentucky, we can begin to examine the commonalities between crashes, how they occur, and how they can potentially be avoided. This is the first step to making our roadways safe.

According to data from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 35,542 people in Kentucky were injured in car accidents on public roads during 2015. In that same year, 761 individuals died in fatal car accidents. The fatality statistic is 13.2% higher than the previous year and means that out of every 6,800 Kentucky residents, approximately one died as a result of a fatal car crash on a public road.

So far, from the period between January 1st, 2017 and July 9th, 2017, 359 individuals died in Kentucky car crashes. In 2016 during that same time frame, 404 individuals died. In 2015, that number was 353. As you can see from these figures, we are doing better than we did in 2015 regarding avoiding fatal car wrecks, but there is still room for improvement. As our vehicles become more technologically advanced and safer overall, we should steadily see a decline of fatal accidents.

In examining the rate at which Kentucky car accident fatalities occur compared to U.S. averages, we can also distinguish that more individuals were killed in car accidents in Kentucky than in many other states. In 2015, there were approximately 1.56 people killed in wrecks per every 100 million miles traveled in our state. The U.S. average for that same year is 1.22. This is another figure we can all work to improve upon.

The Most Common Types of Kentucky Car Accidents

These are the 11 most common types of collisions that occurred in Kentucky during the year 2015 as well as the total number of crashes and the resulting fatalities that occurred due to that type:

  1. Collision with moving vehicle: 88,808 accidents total, resulting in 328 fatalities
  2. Collision with fixed object: 24,911 accidents total, resulting in 261 fatalities
  3. Collision with parked vehicle: 8,716 accidents total, resulting in 8 fatalities
  4. Collision with other animal: 3,477 accidents total, resulting in 1 fatality
  5. Collision with deer: 3,260 accidents total, resulting in 3 fatalities
  6. Other non-collision: 2,662 accidents total, resulting in 28 fatalities
  7. Collision with other object: 1,573 accidents total, resulting in 6 fatalities
  8. Overturned vehicle (non-collision): 1,382 accidents total, resulting in 43 fatalities
  9. Collision with pedestrian: 1,097 accidents total, resulting in 71 fatalities
  10. Collision with bicyclist/cyclist: 405 accidents total, resulting in 7 fatalities
  11. Collision with train: 47 accidents total, resulting in 5 fatalities

Collisions with other moving vehicles are overwhelmingly the most common type of car accident we see in Kentucky. This fact shouldn’t come as a surprise given the high speeds at which cars travel at. High speeds give drivers less time to react and make decisions that could potentially avoid dangerous crashes.

Common Causes of Kentucky Car Wrecks

Accidents between one or more moving vehicles in Kentucky occur due to a wide variety of causes. Many are related to drivers who make poor decisions behind the wheel or drive recklessly or negligently. Here are some of the most common causes of car crashes in our state during 2015 as well as some facts about those causes:

  • Head-On Collisions – 2% of all car crashes in 2015 were head-on wrecks. These are commonly caused by failing to give a driver the proper right-of-way or failing to look out for oncoming traffic. 30% of all of Kentucky’s fatality-causing accidents were head-on collisions.
  • Rear-End Collisions – 39% of all crashes in 2015 were rear-end wrecks. 13% of all fatal accidents during that same year were these types of accidents. Rear-end accidents are often caused by driving too quickly.
  • Sideswipes – 19% of 2015’s car wrecks in Kentucky were sideswipe accidents. These types of wrecks occur when a driver turns without properly judging how much distance they will need or when making turns too quickly.
  • Angled Collisions – 28% of all Kentucky car crashes in 2015 occurred due to an angled collision. These often result after trying to avoid a head-on or rear-end accident.
  • Backed Into – 4% of all accidents in 2015 occurred when one car backed right into another. These types of accidents tend to be minor, but still can cause injuries.
  • Other – 11% of all Kentucky wrecks in 2015 occurred due to other types of collisions not listed above.

One other very important statistic: 2,072 individuals were injured in drunk driving accidents in Kentucky during 2015. 175 more were killed. According to the CDC, 28 Americans die every single day in crashes caused by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol. Regardless of the type of accident that’s caused, drunk driving remains one of the top causes for car crashes in our state and can be avoided 100% of the time.

Other common negligence-related causes for car wrecks in our state include distracted driving and driving while drowsy. Getting behind the wheel while not fully focused on the task of driving led to almost 3,500 deaths nationwide in 2015.

If you or someone you love was involved in a serious wreck in Kentucky and you feel that the other driver was at fault or that alcohol, distracted behaviors, or negligence may have been possible causes, taking legal action can help your family recover from a tragedy that should not have occurred.

Why Would I Need to Consider Legal Action After a Car Wreck?

After a car accident, you may be faced with unfair circumstances. It’s possible that the other driver’s insurance company placed you wrongly at fault or is offering you a settlement amount that isn’t enough to cover the costs of your injuries. They may also be unfairly pushing you to settle before you’re ready. If any of these situations sound familiar, you may need to consider taking legal action.

By filing a Kentucky car accident lawsuit or claim, you can potentially recover financial compensation that can be used to pay for medical bills, loss of wage costs, and other associated recovery costs like pain and suffering costs, etc. Additionally, if the accident was not your fault and was caused by a reckless, careless, or otherwise negligent driver, a lawsuit sends a message that driver can’t ignore.

We all must do our part to drive safely, recognize and obey the laws of traffic, and protect our loved ones while behind the wheel. If another driver fails to do this and causes a devastating car crash, an accident claim sends a message loud and clear stating that the safety of Kentucky residents must be prioritized. There is never an exception.

Why Would I need a Paducah Car Accident Lawyer?

There’s no argument that the American civil justice system is the best in the world. But even the best systems of law are riddled with loopholes and caveats that can be used to further the interests of the powerful, while leaving ordinary people unprotected and exposed to the harsh terms of injustice. In cases of personal injury, the insurance industry vigorously exploits these legal loopholes.

In the Paducah, Kentucky area and throughout the entire state, Daryl T. Dixon is an attorney who believes that the injured deserve the same level of skilled and tenacious legal representation that insurance companies spend tens of millions on each year. Daryl has devoted his career to leveling the playing field for the injured and helping American justice reach the powerful potential it is intended to have for those who need it most.

Because car accidents are among the top causes of accidental injury and death, insurance companies focus much of their “damage control” efforts on this area of claims handling. In turn, Daryl fights hard to challenge insurers when they lose sight of their financial obligations to car accident injury victims, and ensure that the injured have a fighting chance at physical and emotional recuperation.

For Many Insurers, Claims Handling is a One-Way Street

Amidst the barrage of ads insurance companies serve up daily, the message is consistent: “Choose our insurance company, and you’ll save money.” What these ads often omit is that the money you hand over each month in premiums and deductions from your wages could very well be wasted. Each year, thousands of Kentucky residents who are injured in car accidents discover that while getting an affordable car insurance policy may be simple, counting on your insurer to be there in a crisis isn’t.

In any motor vehicle accident resulting in injury or death, an important role of an attorney is to help the plaintiff determine who was at fault in the accident. In the event of car accidents, it is crucial to have an attorney with a full understanding of a driver’s responsibility behind the wheel and who will use the evidence to make a compelling case for negligence when injury or death occurs. Here’s a simple fact: Insurance companies don’t have your back. Lawyers do. That’s why we’re in business—to help you.

Recover with the Help of a Paducah Car Accident Attorney

Attorneys with experience in car accident injury cases understand the broad impact that these types of injuries can have on their victims. Car accidents remain the leading cause of brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other violent injuries in the United States, and at a time when medical treatment for such injuries is at inflationary levels, a skilled attorney is essential to making sure those funds become available.

Daryl T. Dixon, Paducah car accident lawyer, can help those in Kentucky who are struggling to be heard by their insurance companies. If you’re being wrongfully cheated out of money you need to recover from an injury, Daryl will spell out your case loud and clear to your insurer and respond through effective legal channels if the insurer refuses to honor its obligations to you. To learn more, contact Daryl today.

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