We rely on commercial trucks to transport food, clothing, and other consumer and commercial goods across the Bluegrass State. For this reason, sharing the road with a large tractor-trailer is a fairly common experience for drivers in Lexington, KY. However, just because something is normal does not mean that it is safe. If you’ve been involved in an accident with a semi-truck, there is no time to wait—a Lexington truck accident lawyer from Thomas Law Offices is standing by to help.
We put our decades of combined legal experience to work for our clients, holding large truck drivers and their employers liable for the roles they play in trucking accidents. Our attorneys have the requisite skills and knowledge necessary to prove that the driver of a tractor-trailer was at fault for your trucking accident. To learn more about our unrivaled legal services and your options for filing a truck accident claim, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Kentucky Truck Accident Statistics
The trucking industry is a major employer in Kentucky, with more than 10,000 trucking companies employing over 113,000 people, accounting for 1 out of every 14 jobs. This includes 28,000 truck drivers who operate both intra and interstate. Data from the Kentucky Trucking Association shows that commercial truck driving is the top job category in the state.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), there are over 78,000 miles of roadway in our state’s highway system, which includes nine interstates, nine state parkways, and public streets and roads. Centrally located in the Southeastern region of the United States and within just a single day’s drive of 66% of the U.S. population, Kentucky is a major hub of national commerce. Tractor-trailers moved 80 million tons of freight through our state in 2015 alone.
With all these semi-trucks crisscrossing throughout the state, it comes as no surprise that truck accidents are far from uncommon. Data from KYTC shows that in 2021, large trucks were involved in:
- 10,105 accidents (approximately 5% of all vehicle collisions)
- 129 fatal accidents (approximately 10% of all fatal collisions)
Accidents involving large trucks are almost always an emergency. If you were involved in a semi-truck accident, Thomas Law Offices is prepared to hold the at-fault parties liable for their actions.
Where Truck Accidents Happen Most Often in Kentucky
Considering our state’s vital role in the U.S. economy and the movement of consumer goods, it is virtually impossible to avoid commercial vehicles when traveling through the state of Kentucky. While a truck accident can happen anywhere, most serious collisions and fatal crashes occur on state routes, U.S. routes, and interstates. In particular, the following interstates have the highest number of fatal and nonfatal injury crashes:
- I-75 – 3,893 collisions
- I-65 – 2,248 collisions
- I-64 – 1,575 collisions
Parkways with the highest number of fatal and nonfatal accidents are the Wendell H. Ford, Martha L. Collins, and Julian M. Carroll Parkways. Annually, over 12,000 accidents occur on Kentucky interstates, and approximately 1,600 more happen on our parkways.
If you were involved in a trucking accident while traveling through the Bluegrass State, you need the backing of a competent attorney. Contact Thomas Law Offices today for an opportunity to speak one-on-one with a personal injury attorney at no cost to you.
Why Work With Our Lexington Truck Accident Lawyers?
Filing a truck accident claim is the most effective way to recover full and fair compensation for your physical, financial, and emotional damages. However, in the vast majority of cases, you will not be filing your claim against the truck driver, but rather their employer—the trucking company. The trucking company will not only have the backing of its insurer, but will also have a team of lawyers who are prepared to discredit your version of events.
At Thomas Law Offices, we don’t let that happen. Our Lexington truck accident attorneys have the knowledge, experience, and know-how required to take on the big insurance companies and win. At our law office, we take the following actions when conducting accident investigations:
- Collect evidence from the truck black box, dash cam footage, and eyewitness statements.
- Request phone records to determine if the driver was distracted at the time of the accident.
- Review maintenance and employment records for evidence of negligent maintenance or lax hiring practices.
- Determine the cause of your accident.
- Review your damages, such as lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, and more, to correctly value the worth of your claim.
- Maintain open lines of communication and answer any questions you have about your case.
- Take over communications and negotiations with the insurance company so that you can focus on your recovery.
- Pursue an out-of-court settlement so that you can access your award in a timely manner.
- Prepare for the possibility of a trial should the insurance company refuse to pay out a full and fair settlement.
Our Lexington truck accident lawyers are here to protect your legal rights after a car accident.
Steps To Take After Commercial Truck Accidents
Commercial truck collisions are traumatizing, disorienting events. Those who have been involved in trucking accidents can attest to how confusing the period of time after a crash can be, which can make it difficult to know what to do next.
The exact steps you take after a semi-truck accident will vary depending on the nature of your crash and the severity of your injuries, but in general, our personal injury law firm recommends taking the following steps:
- Call 911. Ask that an ambulance and Kentucky state police be sent to the scene where the accident occurred. Never move anyone who appears to be suffering from a head or back injury while you wait for help to arrive.
- Take pictures and videos of the accident scene. Evidence disappears quickly after trucking accidents. Use your phone’s camera to capture pictures of things like debris, vehicle damage, injuries, time of day, weather, driving conditions, and more. Show these images and videos to your personal injury lawyer.
- Seek medical care. Go to the emergency room if you are suffering from severe or life-threatening injuries. If you do not require emergency care, schedule an appointment with your regular doctor. Do not let medical costs get in the way of seeking treatment—these costs are recoverable in a tractor-trailer accident claim.
- Meet with a truck accident lawyer. A lawyer will help you determine the cause of your accident, whether you have a case, and how much compensation you are entitled to. At Thomas Law Offices, we offer a free consultation to injury victims who need guidance on their legal rights.
Common Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents in Lexington
In our years serving injury victims in Kentucky, we have become familiar with some of the most common causes of truck accidents in Lexington and the surrounding areas. Although no two collisions are alike, most causes of truck crashes can be broken down into three categories: driver error, vehicle failures, and trucking company negligence.
Driver Error
The term “driver error” is an umbrella phrase that may apply to any number of poor behind-the-wheel behaviors or decisions that a truck driver makes. Some of the most common driver errors that cause truck accidents in Lexington, KY include:
- Hours of service (HOS) violations
- Driver fatigue
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Texting, replying to emails, or scrolling through social media
- Taking pictures or videos
- Talking on the phone (even with a hands-free device)
- Failing to check or secure cargo
- Aggressive driving
- Speeding or driving too fast for road conditions
- Tailgating (driving too close to the rear of another vehicle)
- Failing to account for other vehicles in blind spots
Large trucks have the potential to cause serious injuries, costly property damage, and even death. A truck driver who fails to take the responsibility of driving this type of vehicle seriously can be held legally responsible if their actions led to an accident.
Vehicle Failures
The majority of vehicle failures can be prevented with proper maintenance. Truck drivers who fail to perform pre-trip inspections and trucking companies that do not conduct regular maintenance are complicit in the presence of unsafe tractor-trailers on our roads.
According to collision report damage from the KYTC, the following vehicular failures are the most commonly noted by investigating police officers:
- Improper load securement
- Tire failures
- Defective brakes
- Tow hitch failure
- Oversized load
- Steering failure
- Defective headlights
- Defective auto parts
If a responding officer noted a truck vehicular defect on the report for an accident that you had in Lexington, KY, you may have legal grounds to recover compensation for the damages you’ve incurred. Speak with a truck accident lawyer immediately to determine whether filing an insurance claim is appropriate for your situation.
Trucking Company Negligence
Sadly, it is not uncommon to see businesses that prioritize profits over the health and safety of their workers and the general public. As truck accident attorneys, we often see this type of behavior from both trucking companies and their insurers.
In a truck accident claim, trucking company negligence may take the form of:
- Inadequate maintenance
- Negligent hiring practices
- Insufficient driver training
- Creating unreasonable delivery schedules
- Putting pressure on drivers to violate HOS regulations
- Negligent loading practices
Evidence of negligence by trucking companies can often be found in company records, or extrapolated through a lack of documentation. Discovering the location of this evidence can be challenging, though, especially if you are unsure of exactly what you are looking for. If you believe that a truck company’s negligence was a major factor in your crash, schedule a free consultation with our law firm to discuss your concerns with one of our experienced truck accident attorneys.
Truck Accident Injuries
A fully-loaded tractor-trailer weighs as much as 80,000 pounds, nearly 20 times more than the average passenger vehicle. Because of the significant size and weight difference between these two types of vehicles, most truck accident injuries and fatalities occur among passenger vehicle occupants. Injuries caused by large truck accidents also tend to be much more severe than those in car accidents between two smaller vehicles.
Those who do survive vehicle accidents with large semi-trucks rarely walk away unscathed. Some of the most common severe injuries that occur in truck accidents include:
- Head and brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Neck and back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Chest injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Broken bones and fractures
- Crushed or lost limbs
- Deep cuts and lacerations
- Burns
- Paralysis
You have the right to be compensated for medical bills related to truck accident injuries. If you were injured in a truck crash in or near the Lexington, KY area, Thomas Law Offices can help you file a personal injury claim to recover compensation.
Wrongful Death
Not everyone is fortunate enough to survive a crash with a large tractor-trailer. Large commercial trucks are disproportionately represented in fatal collisions in our state, and the majority of deaths in large truck accidents occur among passenger vehicle occupants, not truck drivers.
If your family member was killed in a preventable commercial truck accident, we’re here to help. One of our compassionate truck accident attorneys will walk you through your family’s legal options for securing compensation, and a sense of justice on behalf of your lost loved one.
Potential Liable Parties in Truck Accident Cases
Those who are determined to be at fault for a truck accident are typically responsible for providing compensation to the victim. Determining all liable parties for your case is an important step to ensure that you receive maximum compensation for your losses. A Lexington truck accident attorney from Thomas Law Offices will work with you to investigate the crash and identify all liable parties in your case.
Potential liable parties in truck accident cases may include:
- The truck driver
- The truck driver’s employer (the trucking company)
- The owner of the truck (if different than the driver or their employer)
- A truck part manufacturer
- Mechanics who worked on the truck
- Freight or shipping company employees who loaded the cargo
- Drivers of other vehicles
Navigating civil claims that involve more than one defendant can be particularly complicated. Thomas Law Offices does not recommend trying to hold multiple at-fault parties responsible for their actions without the support of a truck accident lawyer.
Compensation Available in Trucking Accident Claims
The personal injury lawyers at our law firm value the attorney-client relationship above all else. Our focus on this relationship allows us to get to know our clients as more than just accident victims. By getting to know you as a person, our truck accident lawyers will develop a deeper understanding of the physical, emotional, and financial burden you have suffered as a result of being hurt in a serious accident involving a commercial truck.
Compensation for a semi-truck accident in Lexington, KY is typically broken down into economic damages:
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning potential
- Medical expenses
- Auto repairs and property damage
And non-economic damages:
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment in life
- Disfigurement or scarring
Do not leave your settlement award up to chance. If you suffered serious injuries that required extensive medical treatment, were unable to work, or had to pay for repairs to your vehicle, missing out on compensation you are owed will make the recovery process much more difficult.
Trust the Lexington Truck Accident Attorneys at Thomas Law Offices
If you’ve been involved in a trucking accident, you cannot rely on trucking companies to do the right thing. Filing a personal injury claim is one of the most effective ways to prove that you mean business, and that you are prepared to fight for what you are rightfully owed. This doesn’t have to be a journey you take on your own, though—the tractor-trailer attorneys at Thomas Law Offices are here to help.
Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. A Lexington truck accident lawyer is standing by to speak with you about your case.
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