Most of the state’s 88 wrong-way wrecks over the last seven years have happened in Fayette and Jefferson Counties. $5.14 million from the federal government should be able to reduce that figure.
Kentucky’s Wrong Way and Integrated Safety Technology System, which this grant will fund, uses cameras and sensors on interstates to detect and deter wrong-way incidents by alerting the wrong-way driver, other drivers, and first responders. The grant will also improve existing safety systems, detecting other safety concerns related to pedestrians, debris and halted vehicles on the roadway.
“When we look at the opportunity to use technology like this, the goal is to prevent those types of actions and outcomes,”  KYTC Deputy State Highway Engineer Jason Siwula said.
Damages in Wrong-Way Wrecks
Government grants will hopefully make the roads safer. But they do nothing to compensate accident victims.
If Sally runs over her neighbor’s mailbox as she’s backing out of her driveway, she must pay to replace the mailbox. If Sally runs over her neighbor’s daughter as she’s backing out of her driveway, she must likewise pay damages. These damages will be much higher. A person is worth a lot more than a mailbox.
Economic Losses
Medical bills, property damage, and lost wages are the major economic, or out-of-pocket losses, in vehicle collision claims.
The average injury-related medical bill is over $55,000. If a medevac helicopter airlifted a victim to a hospital, the bill could be almost twice as high. Medical bills also include follow-up care, medical devices, prescription drugs, physical therapy, and perhaps most importantly, future medical costs. If the settlement doesn’t fully account for these costs, the victim could be financially responsible for them. 
Have you seen the price of new vehicles lately? Property damage could be almost as high, or even higher than, the medical expenses. The “repair or replace” question is usually quite vexing. Most mechanics can work wonders. So, even if a vehicle is seriously damaged, it’s usually possible to repair it. However, just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Seriously damaged vehicles usually never run right again, even after they leave Service KIng.
Lost wages, which is usually lost work productivity, is often harder to calculate. Many people have good days and bad days for weeks, months, or years following their discharge from a hospital. A Lexington personal injury lawyer typically uses the length of the hospital stay as a baseline. For example, seven days in a hospital might mean seven months of lost productivity. The victim must miss work for physical therapy. Additionally, because of the aforementioned good days and bad days, there’s lots of lost time.
Noneconomic Losses
Once again, a Lexington personal injury attorney typically uses a baseline to calculate noneconomic losses. Depending on the facts of the case and a few other factors, most lawyers multiply the economic losses by two, three, or four.
Pain and suffering is the largest component of noneconomic losses. This category includes not only physical pain and suffering, but also emotional pain and suffering. If medical bills include treatment notes that indicate the victim’s pain level at a particular time, that’s helpful.
Loss of enjoyment in life is probably the second-largest component. It’s impossible to put a price tag on activities like pushing a child in a swing or going on a morning walk with a spouse. Generally, the better jurors understand the extent of these losses, the more compensation they’re willing to award. Therefore, statements from friends, coworkers, and family, which simply relate the effects of an injury, are very important.
Other noneconomic damages categories include emotional distress, financial distress, and loss of consortium (companionship).
Punitive Damages
These additional damages may be available in extreme cases. In 2021, a Texas jury ordered a Corpus Christi bar to pay $300 billion in punitive damages. A customer, whose BAC level was .263, or about seven times the legal limit, ran a red light, crashed into another car, and killed two people.
Legal Issues in Wrong-Way Wrecks
Substantial compensation is available to wrong-way crash victims. However, these claims are complex, mostly because of the last clear chance rule. This rule often comes up when, as the above story mentioned, a driver mistakes an on-ramp for an off-ramp, or vice versa.
If Thelma is driving safely but on the wrong side of the road, and Lousie has a reasonable opportunity to avoid the wreck, perhaps by changing lanes suddenly, Louise is legally responsible for the wreck, even though she did nothing legally wrong.
Because of this and other complexities, a Lexington personal injury lawyer should always evaluate your case, even if an insurance adjuster or police investigator said you were at fault.
Injury victims are usually entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Lexington, contact the Goode Law Office, PLLC. We routinely handle matters in Fayette County and nearby jurisdictions. The post KY Officials Hope Federal Grant Money Reduces Head-on Wrecks first appeared on Goode Law Office, PLLC.