Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, represents victims hurt in accidents at the Kentucky State Fair. When venue owners and operators get careless with guest safety, we take on insurance adjusters and event organizers to secure the maximum in compensation available for victims and their families. Contact our Kentucky lawyers to schedule a free, confidential consultation. It’s a no-risk way to find out about every benefit available to you and how to secure the money you need to rebuild your life.
Should I Call a Lawyer After an Accident at an Exposition or Fair?
If you were attending the Kentucky State Fair and someone’s negligence left you with serious injuries, you should speak with a Louisville Event Venues Accident Lawyer. A lawyer may be able to secure much more for your recovery than you could alone. Representation is especially beneficial when insurance companies try to blame you for your accident or attempt to classify your serious injury as “minor.”
Your Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, representative stands up to the State of Kentucky and their corporate lawyers to guard you against their unfair tactics. Our lawyers fully investigate your accident and go over your medical diagnosis with doctors. Then we use this evidence to force insurance companies to provide every benefit available for you and your family.
Accident Risks at the Kentucky State Fair
The Kentucky State Fair goes up at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville each year in August. The event delivers wild thrills, entertainment, and delicious food.
Unfortunately, a venue packed with so many people, so many fast-moving rides, and livestock can present plenty of hazards for families. Sadly, many accidents occur when fair operators and organizers don’t take responsibility for keeping fairways, rides, and even parking lots safe for all visitors.
But mistakes are made, and every year, people get hurt. A child can spill a drink and that puddle can sit there until a concertgoer comes along to slip and fall to suffer head trauma. A glitch on a roller coaster might trap and injure riders.
These are just a few of the dangers at the fair that could leave anyone hurt:
- Slip-And-Fall Hazards – Victims can take a dangerous fall on a puddle while filing in to see a concert or a rodeo show. Wet floors in bathrooms must be mopped and “wet floor” signs placed out. Cables and cords left in the path of visitors may cause someone to trip and fall. Fairground management is also responsible for your safety in parking lots and must repair potholes and broken cement on sidewalks so someone can’t trip and fracture a kneecap.
- Pedestrian Hazards – Guests forced to cross busy streets to enter the fair must be protected by crosswalks and crossing guards. They must be protected from fair vehicles.
- Ride Hazards – Fairgoers must be able to trust that rides have been inspected and certified as safe. They must be able to count on having trained employees at the controls who know what to do when a malfunction occurs.
- Crowd Control Dangers – Dangerous accidents allowed to occur due to overcrowding. People can be trampled, crushed, or suffocated when fair staff let crowds get out of control.
- Parking Lot and Parking Decks Risks: Attendees must be protected while they are parking in lots and parking decks. They must not be exposed to crime or personal injury hazards. The City of Louisville may be liable for some of these incidents.
- Exposure to Germs: An especially common hazard at fairs when exhibits put people in contact with products, food, and livestock. This exposure can cause life-threatening illnesses if salmonella or E.coli are contracted. Food poisoning is also something state inspectors and the fair are responsible for preventing.
- Overhead and Building Hazards – A light fixture or a chuck of building material could fall on a concert ticketholder while at a concert or the rodeo. A piece from a ride could break away and strike someone. People can come in contact with exposed electrical wiring or with a piece of machinery that can deliver a burn. Victims might be exposed to hazardous chemicals to suffer skin damage or inhalation injuries.
Crime and reckless behavior are another threat to anyone attending the fair. The Kentucky State Police are supposed to remove anyone who poses a threat to other fairgoers. You can see a list of the items that ticketholders are prohibited from bringing into the Kentucky State Fair here.
Fair operators are guilty of “negligent security” when they allow people to fall prey to assault due to providing too little security or not providing enough lighting. The fair is liable for these threats, but they’ll have lawyers and insurance adjusters working to get them off the hook if you suffer an injury. You may need the full protection of a Kentucky State Fair Accident Lawyer to fight for your rights as a victim and secure the support you need to get the best medical care available.
Who Can I Sue If I’m Injured at The Kentucky State Fair?
Victims should hold fair owners and organizers liable for accidents caused by negligence. That will usually include claims filed against departments in Kentucky state government. The owners and operators of booths and events might also be liable.
Under Kentucky premises liability laws, venue owners and operators and fairground operators must show every ticketholder, visitor, and guest a “duty of care.” They are responsible for the safety of guests from their journey from parking lots into the event and back out to their vehicles when they leave.
Event organizers and facility owners must make sure concert aisles, exhibit halls, rides, and restaurants are free of defects that could cause injury. They are also fully liable for the dangerous actions of other ticketholders. Managers and employees must monitor for the spills and damage guests cause and clean the hazards up or repair them before another guest can come along and get hurt.
At the fair, there may be more than one party responsible for your accident. Your Louisville Kentucky State Fair Accident Attorney would be filing an accident claim with any individual, business, or government entity that played a role in your injury. The more insurance policies you can draw from, the better chance you have to secure full compensation for every medical bill you receive.
These are just a few of the at-fault parties that might have to contribute an injury settlement check:
- The Kentucky State Fair Board and the State’s Commerce Cabinet
- Organizers and promoters of Concerts, Rodeos, and other livestock shows.
- Ride Manufacturers and Operators, Vendors, and Exhibitors at Fairs
- Contractors and Sponsors at Event Venues
- Concert Performers
Your Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, representative would hold each liable party fully responsible for your support for as long as your injury affected your life. Beware that any claim filed against the state could have unique and restrictive hurdles for you to clear before you could secure compensation.
Government entities usually have legal protections they can hide behind. You might need to seek permission simply to file an injury claim. They’ll also have shorter deadlines to file an injury claim. The usual statute of limitations for filing over a personal injury in Kentucky is one year, but filing a claim against city, county, or state government can have a much quicker deadline.
You may only have months to file your claim or forfeit your chance to earn support. You should allow a Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, attorney to handle these complex cases and make sure you don’t miss important deadlines. You may also need the help of a skilled lawyer to make sure fair officials don’t hide behind the protections of a waiver form.
Can I Seek Help with My Medical Bills After a Fair Accident If I Signed a Waiver Form?
In many cases, yes. Waiver forms protect owners and operators from the normal, expected hazards when you attend a large event with a lot of people. But any hazard that leaves you injured and could have been removed or prevented usually leaves owners and organizers open to liability.
You sign a waiver when attending almost any ticketed event, even if you don’t realize it. The waiver may be part of a terms and conditions box you check. It may be printed on the back of a ticket, saying something like your purchase means you agree to waive liability.
Despite a waiver form, your lawyer will use powerful evidence to show that a venue was still liable and that the hazard that caused you harm went above what should be considered a normal and anticipated risk.
What to Do After an Injury at the Fair
Your first priority will be to get yourself or a loved one medical attention if an injury is involved. Call 911 if you need help. Get fully checked out by ambulance paramedics or emergency personnel at the fair. Go to the emergency room if necessary.
If you remain on the scene and you are safe from further harm, you should try to secure as much evidence as possible. The obstacle that caused your injury will likely be repaired or removed as soon as you leave. This may be the only time to get proof of what happened and who was at fault for the hazard.
Try to collect these details and complete these steps after an incident:
- Take Photos – Use your cellphone to capture images of the hazard that sent you to the ground. Note any caution signs or the lack of signs.
- Alert a fair manager and emergency personnel — Alert a state fair employee. Fair organizers will likely create an incident report. Hopefully, they’ll work to prevent others from getting hurt like you did.
- Don’t state that you’re okay or that the fall wasn’t serious. The truth is, you may not know how serious your injuries are for a day or two after the incident when the shock of the fall wears off. You also shouldn’t say “my bad” or accept any fault in what happened. These statements can be twisted to hurt your case later. Let your lawyer determine exactly who was to blame and speak on your behalf.
- Talk to witnesses – Get contact information from all witnesses. Don’t forget, helpful fair staff can also be witnesses.
- See your doctor – Make an appointment with your personal physician. Get all pain that arises in the days after a fall checked out. Follow your doctor’s orders.
- Call a Louisville personal injury attorney – Contact a lawyer as soon as you are feeling okay. Our lawyers can help you decide if you need legal representation for your case. If the answer is yes, you’ll want to give your attorney a head start. Acting quickly gives your lawyer a better chance to collect fresh evidence before it disappears. This includes requesting surveillance video before it’s erased. It also helps to track down witnesses for testimony early before they become hard to locate.
Compensation for Victims Hurt at the Kentucky State Fair
Your lawyer will collect your evidence and continue the investigation. Once a case is backed with strong proof, it’s time to submit an injury claim. Your claim will include a full list of the hardships you’ve faced since your accident.
It’s critical to mention everything you’ve been through since the accident. Anything that isn’t documented in your claim becomes damage you and your family will have to pay out of your own savings.
These and other factors will all help increase the size of the fair accident settlement check you receive:
- Totals on hospital bills and estimates on medical care expected to be needed in the future.
- Estimates on lifelong costs associated with a permanent physical disability like medical equipment, additional surgeries, and physical therapy. Career training could also be covered if a victim can’t return to their former career.
- Estimates for the long-term costs of permanent disfigurement or a scar. The costs of restorative and plastic surgery.
- Awards for the physical pain endured
- Awards for the emotional trauma endured. This includes the loss of enjoyment of life victims may experience. The loss of intimacy with a spouse or domestic partner should also earn compensation.
- Damage or destruction of personal property.
- Paychecks and benefits forfeited while a victim can’t work.
- Wrongful death support. Families must file wrongful death claims if a fair accident claims a loved one’s life. Close relatives could seek help with burial costs and medical bills left behind. A Louisville wrongful death lawyer would also fight to get family members support for the future when they’ll have to do without the guidance and financial support a loved one would have provided.
Contact a Louisville State Fair Accident Lawyer
Contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC for an absolutely free consultation on your case. You’ll speak with a real lawyer the same day you call. It’s a confidential, no-stress opportunity to learn about every benefit available after you’ve been hurt at The Kentucky State Fair. We’ll go over what your case is worth before insurance companies try to convince you your case is worth nothing at all.
If you decide our Louisville Kentucky State Fair Accident Lawyers can help you get the most out of your injury, it won’t cost you anything to hire us. Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, charges no upfront fees to represent you. We only collect fees if we win your claim. Then, our attorney fees come out of the compensation insurance companies must pay you.
