Losing a family member because of someone else’s carelessness leaves you with grief and a stack of decisions nobody prepared you for. You need to know who is actually allowed to step in and act for your family, how much time you truly have, and whether the number an insurance adjuster offers first comes anywhere close to what your loss is worth.
As a Union wrongful death lawyer, Scott Best has spent 25 years representing Kentucky and Ohio families after fatal crashes, workplace deaths, medical negligence, and other losses that never should have happened. He was also counsel of record in Robinson v. Bates, an Ohio Supreme Court decision that still shapes how courts weigh medical bills as evidence of damages.
That background means your family’s claim gets built the way a court would value it, not the way an insurance company hopes you will accept it. We handle the legal work so you can focus on your family, and we do not get paid unless we recover money for you.
| 25 Years Experience | Licensed in KY & OH | Super Lawyers Rising Star | Martindale-Hubbell 5.0 Rating |
Under KRS 411.130, a wrongful death claim exists whenever a person’s death results from someone else’s negligence or wrongful act. The statute lets the family recover damages from the person or company responsible, and if the conduct was reckless or intentional, a court can also award punitive damages on top of that.
Wrongful death claims in and around Union usually trace back to a handful of situations we see again and again:
None of these situations look identical, and the evidence that proves fault in a workplace death looks very different from the evidence in a car crash, which is why an early investigation with an experienced Union wrongful death attorney matters.
This overview reflects Kentucky wrongful death law as of September 2026.
Kentucky ties the filing deadline to a step most families do not expect: the appointment of a personal representative for the estate. Two Kentucky statutes work together to set this deadline.
KRS 413.180 gives your family one year to file, and KRS 413.140 ties that year to the date a personal representative is appointed. Kentucky courts have treated two years from the date of death as the outer limit when no representative is appointed sooner.
Only the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate can bring the claim, though the money recovered goes directly to the surviving spouse, children, or parents under the order Kentucky law sets out, not to the estate’s creditors or debts. Missing either part of this deadline can end your family’s right to recover, which is why getting a representative appointed quickly, through Boone County’s probate court, matters just as much as building the case itself.
Compensation in a Kentucky wrongful death claim generally falls into two categories. Economic damages cover costs your family can document, like medical bills from before death, funeral and burial expenses, lost income, and the future financial support your loved one would have provided. Non-economic damages cover losses that are harder to put a number on, like the loss of a parent’s guidance or a spouse’s companionship.
Depending on the facts, a claim can also include damages tied to a commercial vehicle crash or a workplace incident. If the death involved gross negligence, the claim can include punitive damages as well. Kentucky calculates these damages based on what your family actually lost, not a fixed formula, which is why documenting them accurately from the start changes the outcome.
Scott Best is licensed to practice in both Kentucky and Ohio, which matters in Northern Kentucky, where a crash can start on one side of the river and involve an insurer or defendant based on the other. That same appellate background from the Ohio Supreme Court carries into how we document and present the financial and personal losses in your claim, so the value is not left to guesswork.
We investigate the incident ourselves, gather the records that prove what your family actually lost, and negotiate from a position that assumes we are willing to take the case in front of a jury if a fair settlement is not on the table. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
“I would highly recommend Scott Best for you legal needs. He is very professional and you will never wonder if he is working for your best interest. He is excellent on returning calls and emails and always making sure you are updated with any and all new information.”
“Scott Best is a great lawyer who is ethically inclined to the bone. Scott is not only a scholar, but also a gentlemen. His team is so good, I appreciate them as well. Scott is a master at law, so I recommend Scott to the universe.”
“The law is often a slow process but Scott Best hung in there with me. I appreciate the way he provided information on the whole process and kept me up to date each step of the way. He knows the law and is able to explain it clearly. Deep appreciation for a job well done.”
“Scott has handled all of my attorney needs over the past 15 years or so. I can trust him to always have my best interest at hand.”
Mark A.
“Scott was very professional and guided my family and I through the entire process. He made it seem so easy and made my family feel at ease.”
Kristen Turner
The clock starts working against you sooner than most people expect. Kentucky ties your filing deadline to when a personal representative is appointed for the estate, and delays in getting that appointment do not pause the case. Reaching out early lets us start the probate step, preserve evidence like crash scene data or maintenance records, and protect your right to recover before anything is lost.
You can still file. Kentucky follows a comparative fault rule, the same one that applies in most personal injury claims, so the court assigns a percentage of responsibility to each party, and your compensation is reduced by your loved one’s share rather than eliminated entirely. We work to keep that percentage as low and as accurate as the facts allow.
Yes. The criminal case and your family’s civil wrongful death claim run on separate tracks, and one does not have to finish before the other starts. In many cases, moving forward with the civil claim early actually helps preserve the evidence both cases will need.
Scott Best is a highly regarded Personal Injury attorney with nearly 25 years of experience dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals in Florence and surrounding areas. With a career built on aggressive representation and strategic litigation, Scott ensures that victims of negligence receive the maximum compensation they deserve. Known for his hands-on approach and deep local roots, he combines elite legal expertise with an unwavering commitment to securing the best outcomes for every client.
No amount of compensation replaces the person you lost, but the right claim can stabilize your family’s finances while you grieve, and it can hold the responsible party accountable in a way nothing else does. Reach out to Scott Best Law to schedule a free consultation, and let us walk through what your family’s next step should be.
Call Scott Best, Attorney at Law today to schedule a free consultation or to request immediate help with a
case. We are here to make the process as stress free as possible and we look forward to helping you settle
your case to your satisfaction.
Copyright © – 2026 Scott Best Law• All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Site Map
*Images are obtained under license from Canva and other third-party stock image providers, with attribution included where required.
Privacy Policy. Digital Marketing By:
Fields marked with an * are required
"*" indicates required fields
