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EQUESTRIAN ACCIDENTS


Personal Injury Lawyer Reviewing Cases for injured plaintiffs Nationwide
Nationwide Success

Both first-time and experienced riders can be victims of equestrian accidents at any given time. Horses can be unpredictable, and their size and strength make the animals quite dangerous to horseback riders. Because those riding horses sit a height and have their feet in stirrups, any fall can result in severe injury, often a head and spinal injury.

Horseback accidents can result in a kick, bite or trampling injury and lead to bone fracture, traumatic brain injury, hospitalization or even wrongful death. Common injuries occur when riders are trotting, galloping, or cantering when a horse suddenly stops and the rider falls forward off the horse. Many riders and bystanders are kicked by horses each year as well.

Joe Lyon is a sports injury lawyer and equine attorney reviewing equestrian accidents for injured plaintiffs nationwide.

Types of Equestrian Accidents

  • Stable Accidents
  • Trainer negligence
  • Unsafe environment & premises liability
  • Unsafe trails
  • Kick and fall injuries
  • Trample Injury
  • Brain Injury

Equine Accidents & Horseback Injury Prevention

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has published tips in order to help prevent horseback riding injuries, which includes the following:

  • All riders should wear horseback riding helmets
  • Riders should wear leather boots with a minimal heel.
  • Riding equipment should be inspected and undamaged.
  • Saddles and stirrups should be appropriate to a rider’s size and properly adjusted.
  • Children and novice riders should consider using safety stirrups.
  • Novice riders should be accompanied and supervised by experienced instructors.
  • Amateurs should ride on open, flat terrain.
  • Do not attempt jumps or stunts without supervision. Novice riders should avoid any jump.
  • Never ride a horse when taking medications, or under the influence of alcohol.
  • Know that horses are flight animals, and will run away from sudden noises and movements.
  • Stay alert for anything that might startle your horse.
  • When trail riding, do not go off trail.
  • Never walk behind a horse. Approach them at their shoulder.

Horse Accidents & Premises Liability Lawsuits

The owners and occupiers of a property have a duty to make the property safe for people invited to engage in horseback and equestrian activities. For example, horse riding trails should be well-cleared and safe. This law dictates that both the environment be suitable for riding and that the animals are domesticated enough and safe to ride and matched well with inexperienced riders.

Those managing a property used for horseback riding and equestrian activity have a responsibility to post warnings of any hazard on a property and fully explain the risks of riding horses in general. Inherent risks should be spelled out to customers and visitors to a property. If a property owner breaches the duty of care owed to a customer, they may be liable for injury, loss or damage suffered on the premises.

If a horse is loose, unbridled and “at large” and causes damage or injury, the horse owner may be legally liable. Contact an equine attorney following any equestrian accident to review the liability of an owner for escaped or wild livestock.

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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

photo of attorney Joe Lyon
A Voice for Those who have suffered

Why are these cases important?

Serious injuries and accidents often result through no fault of the injured party, yet the injured victim suffers from life altering physical, mental and financial losses. Such economic and human losses can have devastating financial consequences on individuals and families if not properly compensated. Tort law allows those individuals to seek just legal recourse through personal injury lawsuits.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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Questions about Equestrian Injury Cases

What is a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Any kind of negligence by an individual or company that causes injury or harm can lead to filing a personal injury lawsuit. The amount a plaintiff is entitled to depends on several factors, particularly how egregious the act and how serious the injury.

Personal injury attorneys generally only will take cases on a confidential and contingency fee basis, which means your lawyer will only get paid if he or she is able to reach a settlement or positive verdict. The Lyon Firm will review your case for free and assess what compensation any plaintiff can expect through litigation.

Personal Injury cases can range from minor auto accidents to complex lawsuits filed against large corporations. The Lyon Firm has handled both with equal care. Severe injury requires legal action on occasion, no matter if the injury is the result of a vehicle accident, a dog bite, a boating accident, workplace injury, defective consumer products, medical malpractice, or toxic exposure.

What is the Process?

Pre-Suit Investigation and Negotiations: Personal injury lawsuits are unique and require a thorough investigation before a lawsuit is filed. An initial investigation involves gathering all relevant medical records, accident reports, and interviews with available witnesses.  Preservation letters are drafted to notify the defendant of the case. The duty to preserve electronic evidence is critical in most cases to prevent spoliation.

Filing a Lawsuit in Cincinnati: If pre-suit negotiations are unsuccessful, then a lawsuit must be filed to preserve the statute of limitations.  Filing a lawsuit early in the process is often necessary to begin gathering evidence while the witnesses memories are fresh and documents remain available.

Once suit is filed by your personal injury lawyer, the court will set a case management schedule and the parties will begin exchanging information in the formal process of discovery. Depositions will be taken to preserve testimony for trial and to understand what certain witnesses are likely to say at trial.

Proving Negligence, Causation and Damages: In addition to lay witness testimony and other documentary evidence, personal injury claims rely upon medical and scientific evidence to prove negligence, causation and damages. The chosen expert in a case must have a reliable and sound basis in science and in the facts of the case or his opinion may not be admissible under the rules of evidence.

In the areas of Toxic and Environmental Torts, the admission of expert testimony may be scrutinized harder than in other areas simply because the subject may not have been as widely tested and may rest on novel scientific theories.

Are there any limits to what I can recover?

Each state will vary. Under Ohio law, an injured party may recover damages related to medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, loss of enjoyment of life, past pain and suffering, future pain and suffering, and punitive damages. The numerical limits are as such:

  1. Non-Catastrophic Injury:   The non-economic award is limited to $250,000 per plaintiff, or three times the economic loss, up to $350,000 per plaintiff. A maximum of $500,000 for each “occurrence.”
  2. Catastrophic Injury: No limits.

The Lyon Firm may be able to file injury claims and recover rightful compensation for clients for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost earnings and long-term disability.

Why should I hire The Lyon Firm?

Our Firm will help you find the answers.  The Firm has the experience, resources and dedication to take on difficult and emotional cases and help our clients obtain the justice for the wrong they have suffered. 

Experience:  Joe Lyon is an experienced Cincinnati Personal Injury Lawyer. The Lyon Firm has 17 years of experience and success representing individuals and plaintiffs in all fifty states, and in a variety of complex civil litigation matters.   Personal Injury lawsuits can be complex and require industry experts to determine the root cause of an accident or injury.  Mr. Lyon has worked with experts nationwide to assist individuals understand why an injury occurred and what can be done to improve their lives in the future. Some cases may go to a jury trial, though many others can be settled out of court.

Resources/Dedication: Mr. Lyon has worked with experts in the fields of accident reconstruction, biomechanics, epidemiology, metallurgy, pharmacology, toxicology, human factors, workplace safety, life care planning, economics, and virtually every medical discipline in successfully representing Plaintiffs across numerous areas of law. The Lyon Firm is dedicated to building the strongest cases possible for clients and their critical interests.

Results:  Mr. Lyon has obtained numerous seven and six figure results in personal injury,  automotive product liability, medical Negligence, construction accidents, and auto dealership negligence casesThe cases have involved successfully litigating against some of  the largest companies in the world.

Our Victories

The Lyon Firm aggressively, professionally, and passionately advocates for injured individuals and families against negligent individuals or companies to obtain just compensation under the law. 

$1,000,000

WRONGFUL DEATH: DISTRACTED DRIVER

(Brown County, Kentucky):   The Lyon Firm was second chair a case involving a driver texting and driving when he crossed the median, killing a father of four. The case was resolved once discovery confirmed the cell phone records proved the texting-related incident. The settlement will pay for the surviving childrens’ education. The driver was likely facing additional criminal charges at the time of the settlement.

$495,000

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT

(Cincinnati, Ohio):  The Lyon Firm was lead counsel in a $495,000 settlement. This case involved a motorcycle operator who sustained fractures of the calcaneus, talus, medial cuneiform, tarsal bones, and tarsometatarsal when a car ignored its driving lane and crossed into his right-of-way. Settlement provided repayment of medical bills of $20,000 and funds for future education to re-enter the work force in a less physically-demanding job.