Getting into a car accident is never a fun thing. Even a minor crash can result in significant damage to your vehicle, which can be inconvenient and expensive to repair. But the truth is that car accidents happen every day and they can happen in a number of ways.
There are two main things you need to know about car accident claims in Kentucky:
- There is a two-year deadline for filing car accident lawsuits in the state’s civil court system.
- Kentucky follows the “pure comparative fault” rule, which means a person can obtain financial recovery even if they are partly or mostly at fault for causing the car accident.
Once you understand these two rules, your next thought may be: how much will I get? Obviously, money is important in the context of a car accident because you want to be made whole again. It’s not fair that you would be forced to pay out of pocket for damages you suffered in a car accident, especially if you weren’t at fault.
However, it can be hard to calculate a car accident settlement, as there are many elements involved. They include:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
As mentioned above, Kentucky is a pure comparative fault state, so that also plays a role in the amount of compensation you can receive in a settlement. Your settlement amount is proportionally affected by fault. If your claim is worth $100,000, for example, and you were 20% at fault, then you will receive 20% less than that amount, or $80,000.
Plus, while a portion of your settlement relies on economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, it also includes non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, scarring, disfigurement, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life. These are all things that cannot be simply added up. Special formulas and multipliers are often used to determine just how much you should receive for these damages. The amount will depend on the severity of your pain and other damages.
In any case, you likely won’t have to go to court to get a settlement for your car accident damages. In fact, an overwhelming majority — as much as 98% — of claims are settled outside of court. This is good, as trials can be costly and time-consuming. Settling on a car accident claim often takes fewer than six months, so it’s a fairly quick process.
Contact Us Today
After a car accident that causes serious injury, you’ll want to make sure you are appropriately compensated. Every case is different. Will you get a large enough settlement to compensate you for all your bills, expenses, and pain and suffering?
Contact Noakes Law Group for help maximizing your claim. We know how expensive car accidents can be. Our goal is to obtain the maximum compensation to cover all losses you have suffered. To schedule a consultation, call us 24/7 at (502) 289-5398 or fill out the online form.