When pedestrians are struck by car, the consequences are usually serious and can be fatal. This recent story from the Courier-Journal reveals that pedestrian deaths in Jefferson County are on the rise. Although the driver of the car’s insurance will provide no-fault benefits to cover medicals and lost wages for injuries received regardless of fault, that is poor compensation when the driver of the car is at fault for causing the injury or the fatality. Liability insurance in Kentucky is required on all cars with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 accident. This might be enough insurance to cover a sore back or other minor injury but clearly not enough to cover a death or broken bone of the main bread-winner of a family. That is why it is advisable to protect you and your family from the negligence and harm caused by others by obtaining underinsured motorist benefits in case the driver has inadequate insurance or uninsured motorist benefits should the driver have no car insurance whatsoever. Uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits that you have purchased for your car will cover you even when you are not in your car should you get hit by a car while a pedestrian or even when you are a passenger in another’s car.
Here is the Courier-Journal story.
Pedestrian fatalities on rise in Louisville
The number of pedestrian fatalities in Louisville this year is on pace to be one of the highest since merger in 2003 — despite a city campaign stressing road safety.
Through Wednesday, 15 pedestrians have been killed this year, compared to 10 in all of 2009. The numbers include bicyclists and people struck while standing outside broken-down vehicles along the road.
The highest number of pedestrian deaths since merger came in 2008, when there were 27 deaths — 24 pedestrians and three bicyclists.
Police and safety officials say they’ve not identified any single reason for the increased number of deaths this year over last.
The increased number of deaths by pedestrians continues in spite of a city wide program to help prevent them.
See the following story this summer from WLKY.com: City Pushes For Safety After 3 Pedestrian Deaths, Mayor, Police Chief Share Personal Stories Of Safety Issues
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Three recent pedestrian deaths on Louisville streets are eye opening reality checks on what can happen when motorists, cyclists and pedestrians don’t follow the rules of the road.The city unveiled a new phase of an ongoing marketing campaign to reduce the deadly numbers on Friday. The city launched the Street Sense campaign last summer and the new phase unveiled Friday morning has new ads and new messages targeting unsafe behavior. City officials said the drivers are not always at fault.
As a retired Army officer, I can sympathize with the family of the Fort Knox wife who was killed in a fatal car accident in the Dixie Highway on Monday, June 14, 2010.
According to the Courier-Journal story, 39 year-old Tina Christie of Fort Knox was struck and killed Monday night after she pulled her van off the highway and got out of her van. Although it is reported that the other driver did not see her and that no charges are expected to be filed, the family should still take the police report to the Fort Knox Legal Assistance Office for a JAG review to discuss their options or contact a personal injury attorney. Just because there are no criminal charges does not mean there is no civil liability since Kentucky has comparative negligence. If for no other reason, a legal review of options should assist survivors in reaching some form of closure and answer lingering questions.
Here is the Courier Journal story:
A woman who was killed Monday night after being struck by a van in the 12000 block of Dixie Highway in southwest Jefferson County has been identified as 39-year-old Tina R. Christie of Fort Knox.
Christie was struck after she pulled her southbound van off the road and then exited the vehicle for an unknown reason.
The driver of another southbound van apparently did not see her and struck her, said Dwight Mitchell, a Louisville Metro Police spokesman.
Christie was pronounced dead at the scene about 10:40 p.m. and died from multiple blunt force injuries, said Sam Weakley, a Jefferson County deputy coroner.
Weakley said Christie and her husband had just relocated to Fort Knox from Greenville, S.C.
There were three children inside Christie’s van and no charges are expected to be filed against the driver of the other van, police said.
Kentucky State Police say a driver didn’t see a pedestrian until it was too late. Police say a female driver from Morehead was driving east on U.S. 60 in Bath County when her car hit a man walking in the road late Sunday night. The victim, who has been identified as Todd Wages, 38, of Salt Lick, died from his injuries.
Though police are investigating the collision, it is imperative to hire an attorney quickly who can have an experienced accident reconstructionist secure critical evidence which may become invaluable in the future.
The south bound lanes of the Gene Snyder Freeway near Preston Highway have re-opened tonight. The freeway was closed for about an hour after a teenager was hit by a vehicle. The teenager and two other people were walking on the freeway. Investigators say her injuries are not life threatening. Part of the freeway was closed for more than an hour.
When a pedestrian is struck by a motor vehicle, the car’s auto insurance pays the medical expenses, up to $10,000 due to injuries sustained by the pedestrian.
Two pedestrians were struck and killed yesterday by a semi tractor trailer in Mouthcard in Pike County. Police have reported the semi had a mechanical problem when the truck driver lost control of the vehicle. Attempting to avoid striking a building, the semi struck two pedestrians, killing them.
Tags: attorney, Car Accident, fatal, injured, killed, lawyer, lost control, motor vehicle collision, Pedestrian, Personal Injury, Semi Tractor Trailer
A tech student from Bethel Park was struck and killed by at least one vehicle early today in Indiana County, the coroner’s office said. Andrew Ausefski, 21, a student at WyoTech in Homer City, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:50 a.m. on Route 119 near the Indiana County Recycling Center, the coroner said. Emergency personnel had been dispatched to the scene after a number of motorists called 911 to report they believed they might have struck a pedestrian in the roadway. Coroner Michael Baker said the victim, who resided in Homer City, might first have been struck at 12:38 a.m.
Emergency personnel found Mr. Ausefski’s vehicle parked along the berm with its flashers blinking and the engine running. Investigators said it appeared the victim had gotten out of his vehicle for unknown reasons, and he already may have been down on the road before he first was struck, the coroner said. None of the drivers’ names has been released, and no charges have been filed. An autopsy will be conducted today to determine the cause of death. Toxicology tests also will be done as part of the investigation. State police also are investigating.
Though the Indiana State Police are investigating the cause of this collision, it is often times difficult to determine early on who is at fault. It is important to hire an attorney early says Finis Price, an attorney with Kentucky Lawyers. All too often police investigators officially say the cause of a crash is unknown yet our accident reconstructionist will tell us otherwise, says attorney Finis Price with Kentucky Lawyers. “Quick response is the key to ensuring all witnesses’ statements are recorded and an accurate picture of the events which took place are captured,” he says.
Louisville Metro Police are reporting that Mary Marie Perry died after she was run over by a vehicle. Perry was trying to escape from being assaulted by Kenneth A. Jones when she was struck and run over by a car. Jones has been charged with intimidating a witness and murder.
Witnesses have reported Jones kicked Perry a number of times and as she was attempting to crawl away from her attacker was run over by a car.
Louisville police say a woman who was trying to escape an assault was struck and run over by a car, killing her. The Courier-Journal reported 48-year-old Mary Marie Perry died on the city street where the incident occurred early Sunday. Police charged 54-year-old Kenneth A. Jones with murder and intimidating a witness. Jones and Perry had been living together at the time of the murder and though police found the vehicle which killed Perry, the driver of the vehicle is still unknown.
Tags: Assault, attorney, Car Accident, fatal, hit and run, injured, killed, lawyer, motor vehicle collision, Pedestrian, Personal Injury
Two workers placing road signs along a state route in eastern Kentucky were killed when they were hit by a tractor-trailer, and the truck driver’s been charged. The incident occurred in Mouthcard in Pike County near the Virginia border. The victims have been identified as Kevin Jones, 32, and Paul Williamson, 20, both from eastern Kentucky.The truck driver, Arthur Davis, 44, of South Carolina, was arrested and charged with having no operators license or commercial operators license. Police are currently investigating the incident though no causes have been cited thus far.
Finis Price, an attorney with Kentucky Lawyers, wrote recently of the Indiana construction worker struck and killed by a negligent driver. “We see a lot of workers injured while on the work site due to drivers driving recklessly in the area where they are working,” he says. Unfortunately, it happens all too often according to Price. Though police are investigating this particular incident as they do all accidents, it is imperative to have a third party accident reconstructionist examine the scene as soon as possible after the collision.
Police say a pickup truck hit two teens riding a double bicycle in the middle of the night; one was killed and the other is critically injured. It happened around 2:00 Sunday morning in the southbound lane of U.S. 31, a few miles from Seymour. 17-year-old Todd Schurman was pronounced dead at the scene and 17-year-old Zach Grubb suffered severe head trauma. Seymour High School principal says the boys were good friends and both juniors at the school.
Kentucky Lawyers expresses their deepest sympathy to the families of Todd and Zach and though police are investigating the crash, it is imperative to retain at attorney in cases such as this. All too often police investigators officially say the cause of a crash is unknown yet our accident reconstructionist will tell us otherwise, says attorney Finis Price with Kentucky Lawyers. ”Quick response is the key to ensuring all witnesses’ statements are recorded and an accurate picture of the events which took place are captured,” he says.
A 14-year-old Elizabethtown boy was sent to University Hospital in Louisville after he was hit by a pick up truck Friday night on U.S. 31 near Kentucky Route 222 in Glendale. Police report a pickup truck driven by Adrian Maddox of Bonnieville, Kentucky hit the boy as he ran across the street. The teen was flown to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries though Maddox was not hurt.
Though police say they don’t expect any charges to be filed, it is imperative to retain at attorney in cases such as this. All too often police investigators will not charge an individual who strikes a pedestrian if it looks like the pedestrian was at fault, yet our accident reconstructionist will tell us otherwise, says attorney Finis Price with Kentucky Lawyers. ”Quick response is the key to ensuring all witnesses’ statements are recorded and an accurate picture of the events which took place are captured,” he says.
A 1989 Toyota pick up, operated by Adrian Maddox of Bonnieville, Kentucky was traveling south bound on US31W near KY222 in Glendale, Kentucky. A pedestrian 14 year old male of Elizabethtown, Kentucky was across US31W ran into the patch of the vehicle and was struck. The pedestrian was flown from the scene to the University of Louisville Hospital with life threatening injuries. The driver of the pick up was not injured. No charges are expected to be filed. The investigation is on going by Trooper B. Riley with the Kentucky State Police. Hardin County EMS, AirMethods, and Glendale Fire Department responded to the scene also.
In cases involving a pedestrian being struck, the owner of the vehicle involved’s Personal Injury Protection (or PIP) covers $10,000 in medical expenses or lost wages due to injuries to the pedestrian. In cases where the vehicle was uninsured, the pedestrian’s own automobile coverage provides the PIP of the pedestrian though he/she was not driving at the time. It is extremely important to hire an experienced attorney to handle pedestrian strikes by vehicle to ensure the victim is protected and receives the compensation they deserve.
A pedestrian was hospitalized in Lexington Monday morning after being hit by a car at Main Street and Broadway. Police were called at 6:48 a.m., when the man was hit by a navy blue Honda Civic. The pedestrian was taken to University of Kentucky hospital for his injuries however his name has not been released.
In cases involving a pedestrian being struck, the owner of the vehicle involved’s Personal Injury Protection (or PIP) covers $10,000 in medical expenses or lost wages due to injuries to the pedestrian. In cases where the vehicle was uninsured, the pedestrian’s own automobile coverage provides the PIP of the pedestrian though he/she was not driving at the time. It is extremely important to hire an experienced attorney to handle pedestrian strikes by vehicle to ensure the victim is protected and receives the compensation they deserve.
A man was killed after he was struck on the Kentucky side of the Combs Hehl Bridge. Police say the accident happened Saturday night. As a driver was traveling eastbound on 275 a male pedestrian in his 40’s was struck and died at the scene. The driver stopped at the scene.
Finis Price of law group Kentucky Lawyers says that “it is imperative for anyone who has a family member pedestrian struck by an automobile needs to seek legal representation as soon as possible”. Pedestrian’s medical expenses are covered under the Personal Injury Protection (or PIP) of the vehicle which struck them. Should the vehicle not stop or not have insurance, the pedestrian’s own policy, or the policy of another member of the pedestrian’s household can provide PIP coverage for the medical expenses.
WHAS 11 has reported a 14-year-old Elizabethtown boy was struck by a pick up truck tonight on U.S. 31 near Kentucky Route 222 in Glendale. He was taken to University Hospital in Louisville by helicopter for treatment but details were note available. Police say the pickup truck was driven by Adrian Maddox of Bonnieville, Kentucky as the boy ran across the street. The driver of the truck was not hurt.
Any time you or a pedestrian is struck, you should immediately seek legal representation says Finis Price even if you think it is the pedestrian’s fault. ”I have handled a number of cases involving what seemed to be the pedestrian’s fault in such cases and it turned out to actually be the driver of the vehicle’s fault,” explains Price.
