Monday, May 18, 2020

Attorneys McKinnley Morgan and Roy Collins Mark 20 Years of Kentucky Courage

It’s time for a celebration. Lawyers Roy Collins and McKinnley Morgan are celebrating a milestone— 20 years of practicing law together. The two partners at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer recently reminisced about their longstanding partnership that has provided Kentucky Courage to so many people struggling to overcome serious injuries.

Before Roy Joined McKinnley

Today, the law firm has eight offices in cities and towns across Kentucky. Back in the early days, McKinnley and his then-law partner, Rickey Bailey, practiced law in the eastern Kentucky counties of Clay and Leslie.

Roy entered the picture when he graduated from law school and took a job with a Laurel County insurance defense law firm. Roy was on the opposite side in several car wreck cases where McKinnley and Bailey represented the accident victims. Asked who won those cases, Roy replied: “It wasn’t a matter of winning. It was a matter of not losing as much as they wanted.” No matter which side won or lost, Roy made a strong, positive impression on McKinnley.

“My deal always was to try to grow a practice by learning who was on the other side of cases,” McKinnley said. “Roy was there working hard for less than I thought Rickey and I could afford to pay him. He was doing a good enough job that we decided to steal him.”

Roy Joins McKinnley’s Law Firm

Roy joined McKinnley’s law firm as an associate in April 2000. His role in the firm changed dramatically when fate intervened. Roy recalled, “I’d been there about three months when we got a telephone call, late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, that Rickey Bailey, McKinnley’s partner, had been killed in an ATV crash.” The tragic accident occurred on July 16, 2000.

“Three or four days later, McKinnley and I had dinner, walked down his driveway and shook hands on a deal,” Roy said. “And that has been our deal ever since.”

McKinnley now focuses on workers’ compensation and Social Security cases, while Roy handles personal injury matters. However, in the early days, the two handled cases together. Their first case together was a medical malpractice case – and a memorable one at that.

McKinnley and Roy’s First Case as Partners

The two lawyers went to visit a client who was injured during a gallbladder operation. “The lady was hallucinating,” said McKinnley. “She was seeing folks that weren’t there. “Her sister’s name was Elizabeth,” recalled McKinnley. “I asked her, ‘Have you seen Elizabeth recently?’ She said, ‘I sure have. The night before last. She was standing at the foot of my bed.’ Roy and McKinnley both knew that Elizabeth had been dead for 10-15 years.

“The woman had developed an infection that had caused her to hallucinate,” Roy said. “The infection was caused by a gallbladder operation where the surgeon nicked her bowel but failed to recognize it. She became septic and had all sorts of issues.” Roy and McKinnley took the woman’s case to trial and won a seven-figure verdict.

Thus began the legal bond that has lasted for 20 years — and counting. In today’s legal world, where lawyers often come and go, the length of time Roy and McKinnley have been together is nothing short of a true accomplishment. “I don’t know of another plaintiffs’ group that has made it for 20 years,” Roy said. “I don’t either,” McKinnley said.

How have they done it? The two partners say they have learned how to settle their own differences.

“When any situation arose that we needed to talk about, we could lock the door, cook dinner, resolve it and move on,” McKinnley said. “That’s happened several times. There’s nobody that will be a partner in business for 20 years and not have a disagreement.”

Roy also gives credit to the strength and tenure of the firm’s support team. “We’ve got some key staff that were here when I came,” Roy said. “We’ve got a core group of folks, and a couple of them have been here more than 25 years. They have helped us immensely. “We can’t be too bad of folks if we can keep people around for 25 years,” Roy added.

Roy and McKinnley said they sometimes differ on their legal philosophies. “In the workers’ comp arena, the rules are more relaxed and not as rigid as the civil world,” McKinnley said. “Roy thinks I let the defense get away with murder in many cases.” Said Roy, “I guess it’s not as much a legal philosophy as it is a business philosophy. We both agree that if you take care of the client, they’ll take care of you. If you take the time to talk to these folks and treat them like human beings – and not like a number – that will pay dividends greatly.”

Shared Goals and Success

The two lawyers say they share simple goals. “The first common goal we have is to try to get people as well as they can get medically,” McKinnley said. “Our second simple goal is to get as much damn money as we can for our clients.” Not surprisingly, the law firm has earned a stellar reputation. “We have represented four or five generations of families,” Roy said. “We’ve been with them so long that now they invite us to the family reunion.”

With success, the firm has expanded and added more attorneys and partners, allowing it to serve more clients. Asked what the gift is for the 20-year anniversary, McKinnley quipped: “It’s a bottle of Old Pogue.” Old Pogue is a premium brand of Kentucky bourbon whiskey.

Now that the lawyers have been together 20 years, what will the next 20 years look like?

“I’m going to be fishing,” McKinnley said.

“I hope to be right there with him fishing, too,” Roy said.

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Thursday, May 7, 2020

Car Accidents and Auto Insurance in the Age of Coronavirus

Many people out of work because of the COVID-19 coronavirus shutdown are taking delivery driver jobs that could run afoul of auto insurance policies if they get into a car accident. You may need a commercial car insurance policy to cover an accident you get into while on the job working as a delivery driver.

If you start driving as a job and don’t inform your auto insurance company, a future car accident claim could be denied. On the other hand, some insurers are extending coverage to policyholders who use their personal vehicles for delivery jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bottom line is that you need to know what your auto insurance covers if you change how you use your vehicle. Unless you are a lawyer with insurance law experience and understand the details of your auto liability policy, you should contact your insurer to confirm your coverage. We suggest getting any approvals or guarantees in writing.

If you have been injured in a car accident while working as a delivery driver, you should speak to a lawyer experienced with car accidents, workers’ compensation, and insurers acting in bad faith. In Kentucky, that’s Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, experienced and dedicated injury attorneys backed by Kentucky Courage.

Does Auto Insurance Cover a Delivery Driver During COVID-19?

The COVID-19 virus does not change your auto insurance coverage, but your driving habits might change.

If you have begun a new job that requires you to use your own vehicle, such as work as a delivery driver, your auto insurance may not cover you while you are on the job. Auto insurers charge more for commercial driving policies than for personal use of a vehicle because commercial drivers spend more time on the road, which increases their risk of an accident.

You should contact your insurer and ask about obtaining a special business use endorsement on your car insurance policy if you have taken on part-time or full-time delivery driver work. This applies to any kind of commercial delivery, from pizza to packages to prescription drugs.

In light of COVID-19 restrictions and the uptick in delivery jobs, several insurance companies are extending coverage to customers who are using their personal vehicles to make deliveries of “essential items,” such as restaurant take-out meals, groceries, pharmacy products, and medical supplies. According to CarInsurance.com, participating insurance companies include:

  • AAA
  • Allstate
  • Farmers Insurance
  • Liberty Mutual
  • Met Life
  • Nationwide
  • Progressive
  • Safeco (a Liberty Mutual subsidiary)
  • Travelers
  • USAA

But don’t assume your insurer will cover you. Contact them to make sure.

In some cases, the business you work for may offer auto insurance that covers you while you’re making deliveries, which you can get in addition to your own coverage. Ask about it.

Does KY Workers’ Compensation Cover a Delivery Driver During COVID-19?

workers compensation claimWorkers’ compensation is state-mandated no-fault insurance coverage that most employers in Kentucky are required to provide for their full- and part-time employees. Workers’ comp provides benefits to workers who are injured or become ill because of their job duties, including payment of medical expenses and a portion of their lost salary.

If you are employed as a delivery driver and are injured in a car crash or other type of accident while making deliveries as part of your job, you should qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. This includes a car accident, a slip-and-fall accident while walking a delivery to the recipient’s door and a dog bite during a delivery. Your main task to obtain benefits is to demonstrate that you were on the job when injured.

Whether the treatment for COVID-19 contracted while on the job as a delivery driver is covered by workers’ compensation is an open question. Some in the insurance and legal fields are arguing that because COVID-19 is a pandemic, getting it cannot be shown to be a workplace injury.

Our workers’ compensation attorneys would argue that you do qualify for benefits as an employee of a life-sustaining retail business exempted from Kentucky’s emergency closure order. You had a greater risk of exposure to the coronavirus through your job duties than other Kentucky residents remaining at home under stay-at-home orders.

If you believe you have a case of COVID-19 coronavirus that you contracted while on the job and/or because of your assigned job duties, you should notify your employer as soon as you or someone assisting you can. It’s entirely possible to file a legitimate workers’ comp claim and have it denied or challenged by your employer or the employer’s workers’ comp insurance administrator. If that happens, you should contact an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. It takes Kentucky Courage to stand up for yourself and keep fighting when your claim has been turned down. Let us help.

Contact Our Kentucky Courage Legal Team

There is no excuse for insurance companies, employers, policymakers or anyone to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to deny benefits to individuals hurt in accidents during the lockdown or who have contracted the virus while working. The personal injury attorneys of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer will help you fight for benefits and other insurance compensation you are due.

Our team of attorneys pursues full compensation for clients like you through personal injury claims, workers’ compensation, third-party work injury lawsuits, and Social Security Disability benefits. That’s Kentucky Courage – when our neighbors stand up for what they deserve, and we join them in the fight for what’s right.

The law firm of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer has eight offices across Kentucky. During this time of crisis, we are serving you remotely as well. Contact us today at (877) 809-5352 or online for a free, no-obligation consultation if anyone is challenging your rights to compensation for an injury or illness suffered on the job or through no fault of your own.

The post Car Accidents and Auto Insurance in the Age of Coronavirus appeared first on Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer.



from Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer https://www.kentuckycourage.com/blog/car-accidents-and-auto-insurance-in-the-age-of-coronavirus/
via https://www.kentuckycourage.com