Man o’ War Boulevard, the only major thoroughfare in the nation named after a racehorse, functions as a four-lane southern beltway for the Lexington area, with a speed limit of 45 mph for most of its length and relatively infrequent traffic lights. Accidents typically occur when vehicles traveling on Man o’ War are required to stop at one of its intersections.

Alumni Drive is a major thoroughfare that gets a lot of traffic from the University of Kentucky, while Easthills Drive leads into the suburbs near Lexington Reservoir No. 4. The stretch of Man o’ War between these two roads saw 37 car accidents in 2017. In November of that year, for example, a single-car accident occurred in which a driver crashed into a tree near the intersection of Alumni Drive and Man o’ War Boulevard.

Special Case: DUI Accidents

Two special legal considerations can kick in when one of the drivers was intoxicated at the time of the accident — the dram shop law and punitive damages.

Kentucky’s Dram Shop Law

Under Kentucky’s dram shop law, the victim of a car accident can sue the bar or nightclub that sold alcohol to the at-fault driver if (i) the establishment served alcohol to the driver while he was already obviously intoxicated and (ii) serving him alcohol substantially contributed to the accident. This law can add a second, “deep pockets” defendant when the offending driver is uninsured or underinsured.

Punitive Damages

In addition to awarding compensation to an injured car accident victim, a Kentucky court can award punitive damages. In practice, they are only awarded less than 10 percent of the time — but if they are awarded, you will get them on top of your compensatory damages. Punitive damages are only awarded when the offending driver’s conduct was outrageous. DUI and “road rage” accidents are two cases where punitive damages are a real possibility.

Contact a Lexington Car Accident Lawyer to Fight for Fair Compensation

If doesn’t matter whether your accident occurred on Man o’ War Boulevard, elsewhere in town, or elsewhere in Kentucky — we’ve got your back. Contact Kentucky car accident lawyer Glenn Martin Hammond ASAP for a free consultation by calling (606) 437-7777 or by filling out our online contact form. We serve clients in Woodhill, Chevy Chase, Alumni Drive, Tates Creek and elsewhere in Lexington, KY, as well as throughout the state of Kentucky.