Bellefontaine Car Accident Lawyer
Not every car accident makes the news. Most of them happen quietly — a two-car collision on US-33 near the SR-274 interchange, a rear-ender on Columbus Avenue during evening rush hour, a rollover on a wet county road in the middle of the night. The aftermath, though, can last for years. Medical debt. A vehicle that’s totaled. Paychecks that stop coming while the physical therapy appointments keep piling up.
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in Bellefontaine or anywhere in Logan County, we want to hear from you. Our attorneys at Kruger & Hodges Hometown Injury Lawyers ™ represent injured drivers and passengers throughout central Ohio, and we’ve seen firsthand how quickly the aftermath of a crash can overwhelm a family that wasn’t prepared for it.
For a free legal consultation, call 937-530-4286
Bellefontaine, Ohio’s Numbers On The Road
Here’s some context that might surprise you. Despite real progress in recent years, the Ohio State Highway Patrol‘s own data makes clear that this state’s roadways remain genuinely dangerous.
According to the OSHP’s 2024 fatal crash recap, there were 1,076 fatal crashes on Ohio roads last year, resulting in 1,156 fatalities, and over the five years from 2020 through 2024, the state recorded 5,804 fatal crashes and 6,259 deaths. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a sustained, years-long toll on Ohio families.
The good news is that Ohio has made measurable improvements. The 2024 numbers represent a 6.4% decrease in crashes and a 6.9% reduction in fatalities compared to 2023, marking the third consecutive year of declining traffic deaths. Governor DeWine called it encouraging, while also noting that the total remains far too high. That tension captures the situation well: progress is real, but thousands of Ohio families are still dealing with catastrophic losses every single year.
One reason for the improvement is Ohio’s strengthened distracted driving law, which took effect in April 2023. Preliminary OSHP data shows that from October 2023 to October 2024, there were nearly 15,400 fewer motor vehicle crashes compared to the 12 months before the law was enforced, and 138 fewer people were killed. Fatal crashes attributed to distracted driving dropped 19.4% in that same period.
Impaired driving remains a persistent problem too. OSHP data shows that since 2019, alcohol and/or drugs have played a role in 53% of fatal crashes across Ohio, and OVI-related crashes have resulted in more than 3,920 deaths. And then there’s the road departure problem. According to Patrol statistics, 26% of all fatal crashes over the last five years were the result of driving off the roadway. That particular factor is especially relevant for Logan County, where US-33, SR-117, and the area’s rural roads carry significant traffic at highway speeds with limited lighting and few physical barriers.
Bellefontaine Car Accident Lawyer Near Me 937-530-4286
Why Local Road Conditions Matter to Your Car Accident Case
Bellefontaine sits at the junction of several heavily traveled state routes. US-33 connects the area to Columbus and draws commercial truck traffic alongside commuters and local drivers. SR-68 cuts through town. SR-117 runs east-west through the county’s smaller townships and villages. These are roads where speed limits change abruptly, intersections are poorly lit, and heavy trucks share lanes with passenger vehicles that are half their size.
Rural crashes tend to produce more severe injuries than urban ones. The combination of higher speeds, greater distances from trauma centers, and longer emergency response times all contribute to worse outcomes. If you were hurt on a county road or a state highway outside the city limits, that context matters when building your case and calculating what your injuries are actually worth.
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What Happens After a Car Accident In Bellefontaine
Once the immediate emergency passes, the legal and financial complications begin. Insurance adjusters reach out quickly, often before you’ve had a chance to fully understand your injuries, and the offers they make rarely reflect what your case is actually worth.
Ohio uses a fault-based system, meaning the driver who caused the crash is responsible for the damages. In practice, that means going up against the at-fault driver’s insurance company, which has its own team of adjusters and attorneys.
Our attorneys at Kruger & Hodges Hometown Injury Lawyers ™ handle car accident claims involving:
- Distracted driving
- OVI and drunk driving crashes
- Speeding and reckless driving
- Failure to yield or running stop signs — cited by OSHP as a consistent top contributor to fatal crashes statewide
- Rear-end collisions and multi-vehicle pileups
- Semi-truck and commercial vehicle accidents
We work on a contingency fee basis, so there’s nothing to pay unless we recover compensation for you. And under Ohio law, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury claim, a window that sounds generous until you’re deep in treatment and suddenly realize how fast time has moved.
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Reach Out To Our Bellefontaine Car Accident Lawyers
You don’t need to figure this out alone. If you or someone in your family was hurt in a car accident in Bellefontaine, Lakeview, Huntsville, or anywhere else in Logan County, contact Kruger & Hodges Hometown Injury Lawyers ™ for a free, no-pressure conversation. We’ll tell you honestly what your options look like — and if we think we can help, we’ll get to work.
Call or text 937-530-4286 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form