Hit by a Car While Walking in Louisville?

Pedestrian accidents produce some of the most severe injuries in traffic crashes. When a 3,000-pound vehicle strikes an unprotected person, the results are devastating — traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, pelvic fractures, internal bleeding, and compound leg fractures are common.

Call 911 or have someone call for you. Do not try to move if you suspect a back or neck injury. The responding paramedics will stabilize you at the scene and transport you to the appropriate facility.

Louisville’s primary trauma center is UofL Health — UofL Hospital (530 S. Jackson Street), home to the J. David Richardson Trauma Center, the region’s only ACS-verified Level I adult trauma center treating over 4,200 trauma patients per year. Norton Children’s Hospital (231 E. Chestnut Street) is the Level I pediatric trauma center. For less severe injuries, Baptist Health Louisville, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, and urgent care facilities throughout the metro can provide evaluation and treatment.

Even if you feel okay at the scene, see a doctor within 24 hours. Adrenaline masks pain, and injuries like concussions, internal bleeding, and soft tissue damage often don’t produce symptoms for hours or days. The medical records created from this visit establish the direct link between the accident and your injuries — without them, the insurance company will argue your injuries came from something else.

If you are physically able, stay at the scene until police arrive. The officer’s accident report is one of the most important pieces of evidence in your case. It documents the location, time, weather conditions, the driver’s statements, witness information, and the officer’s assessment of what happened.

Kentucky law (KRS § 189.580) requires the driver to stop at the scene and render assistance. If the driver fled, try to remember as much as you can — the vehicle’s color, make, model, license plate (even a partial), and the direction they went. Hit-and-run pedestrian crashes are a persistent and deadly problem in Louisville — Jefferson County recorded 628 hit-and-run crashes involving pedestrians over a recent five-year period, with 67 fatalities.

To obtain a copy of the LMPD accident report, request one online through the Louisville Metro Police Department’s records portal. Reports cost $10 and are typically available within 24 to 72 hours. You can also request a report in person at LMPD Records Management, 701 W. Ormsby Avenue, Suite 001, Louisville, KY 40203, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you’re able, use your phone to photograph and record the scene before anything changes. Photograph the intersection or road, traffic signals and crosswalk markings (or the absence of them), the vehicle that hit you including its license plate and any damage, skid marks or debris on the road, your injuries, and the general lighting and weather conditions.

Get the driver’s name, phone number, insurance company and policy number, and driver’s license number. If there are witnesses, get their names and phone numbers — witness testimony is especially valuable in pedestrian cases where fault is disputed.

Write down what happened while it’s fresh. Where were you walking? Were you in a crosswalk? Was the walk signal green? Did the driver appear to be looking at their phone? Which direction were they coming from? These details matter more than you might think — they directly affect how fault is apportioned under Kentucky’s comparative negligence system.

This is critical for pedestrian cases because insurance companies almost always try to blame the pedestrian. They’ll argue you were jaywalking, wearing dark clothing, not paying attention, or crossing against the signal.

Kentucky follows pure comparative negligence (KRS § 411.182), which is one of the most favorable rules for injured pedestrians. Under this system, you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault — your compensation is simply reduced by your percentage of responsibility. There is no percentage cutoff that eliminates your claim entirely.

For example: if you were crossing outside a crosswalk and a speeding driver hit you, and a jury finds you 25% at fault and the driver 75% at fault, you recover 75% of your total damages. Even if you were found 60% at fault, you’d still recover 40%. In states with a 50% or 51% bar (like neighboring Ohio and Indiana), a finding of 50% or more fault would completely eliminate your claim.

This matters because pedestrians are almost never 100% at fault when struck by a vehicle. Drivers have a duty to watch for pedestrians, drive at safe speeds, and yield the right of way in crosswalks. Even if you made a mistake, the driver’s negligence likely played a significant role.

Kentucky’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is 1 year from the date of the accident (KRS § 413.140(1)(a)). This applies to pedestrian accident claims. If you miss this deadline, you permanently lose the right to file a lawsuit — no matter how strong your case is.

One year is one of the shortest filing deadlines in the country. Ohio gives you 2 years, Indiana gives you 2 years, and Illinois gives you 2 years. In Kentucky, the clock starts ticking on the day of the accident, and it does not stop for any reason except in narrow circumstances (such as the injured person being a minor).

Serious pedestrian injuries often require months of treatment — surgeries, rehabilitation, follow-up procedures. It’s easy to be so focused on recovery that the legal deadline slips by. Contact an attorney within weeks of the accident, even if you’re still in treatment. They can begin building the case while you focus on healing.

Louisville has a well-documented pedestrian safety crisis. Approximately 40% of fatalities and suspected serious injuries on surface streets in Jefferson County involve vulnerable road users — pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.

Dixie Highway is the deadliest corridor for pedestrians in Louisville. One in five pedestrian deaths on surface streets occurs on Dixie Highway, with 13 pedestrian fatalities in recent years. The stretch between the Watterson Expressway and Gene Snyder Freeway is the deadliest, with six fatal collisions. The road widens to six traffic lanes plus a center turn lane but marked crosswalks can be thousands of feet apart, forcing pedestrians to cross at unmarked and dangerous locations.

Preston Highway is Louisville’s second most dangerous pedestrian corridor, averaging 715 crashes per year with 13 fatalities and 33 serious injuries since 2021. Broadway from 22nd Street to Baxter Avenue is the most dangerous stretch of road overall in Jefferson County, carrying heavy traffic through areas with significant pedestrian activity.

Darkness is a major factor — 51 of 72 recent fatal collisions in Jefferson County occurred when it was dark outside. Inadequate street lighting, high vehicle speeds, and roads designed for cars rather than pedestrians all contribute to Louisville’s pedestrian fatality numbers. An 11-mile safety improvement project on Dixie Highway is planned, with new medians, set-back sidewalks, and brighter lighting.

Hit-and-run crashes are a persistent and deadly problem for Louisville pedestrians. Kentucky State Police data shows 628 hit-and-run crashes involving pedestrians in Jefferson County over a recent five-year period, with 67 people killed. In the first four months of 2024 alone, Jefferson County had at least 38 hit-and-run crashes involving pedestrians, with 25 resulting in injuries and 4 being fatal.

If the driver who hit you fled the scene, you still have options. First, your own auto insurance policy’s uninsured motorist (UM) coverage may apply — this coverage is designed for exactly this situation. Kentucky requires UM coverage as part of all auto policies unless you specifically rejected it in writing.

Second, if the driver is later identified — through surveillance footage, witness descriptions, or license plate readers — you can pursue a claim against their insurance. Louisville’s expanding camera network and community tip lines have helped police identify hit-and-run drivers in many cases.

Report a hit-and-run to LMPD immediately. The sooner the investigation begins, the better the chances of identifying the driver. Time-sensitive evidence like surveillance footage may be overwritten within 24 to 72 hours.

Pedestrian accident cases in Louisville often involve complex questions — fault allocation, insurance coverage disputes, road design liability, and the full scope of long-term damages. An experienced attorney can investigate the crash, identify all liable parties (the driver, their employer if they were working, the city if road design was a factor), and negotiate with insurance companies.

Pedestrian injuries tend to be severe, which means the stakes are high. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and multiple fractures can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime medical costs, plus lost earning capacity and permanent disability. Insurance companies know this and will try to settle quickly and cheaply before you understand the full extent of your injuries.

Don’t accept a settlement offer before you reach maximum medical improvement — the point at which your doctors say your condition is as good as it’s going to get. That’s when you can accurately calculate your total damages.

Most personal injury attorneys in Louisville work on contingency — no upfront cost, and they only get paid if they recover money for you. A free consultation gives you a clear picture of what your case may be worth. Given Kentucky’s 1-year deadline, the sooner you call, the more time your attorney has to build the strongest possible case.