Ryan Injury Attorneys represents injured people and grieving families throughout Lorain County, from the I-90 corridor through Avon, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville to Elyria, Lorain, Amherst, Oberlin and the lakeshore communities. We are a Cleveland trial firm, and Lorain County is part of our home market: its courts are 30 minutes from our office, and we meet clients at their homes, at the hospital, or anywhere in the county that is easier than a drive downtown.
Where Lorain County Injury Cases Are Filed
Two kinds of courts touch every Lorain County crash case, and they do different jobs.
Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, 225 Court Street, Elyria. This is the civil venue for personal injury and wrongful death claims that exceed $15,000, which is essentially every serious injury case. Suits against the at-fault driver, an employer, a property owner or an insurer are filed here, and jury trials are held here.
Lorain County Probate Court, sixth floor of the Justice Center at 225 Court Street, Elyria, (440) 329-5175. When a crash is fatal, the estate is opened here and a family member is appointed as administrator or executor before a wrongful death claim can be brought. The probate court also approves any wrongful death settlement and how it is divided among the family.
Municipal courts handle the traffic citations and misdemeanor charges that come out of a crash, and civil claims up to $15,000. The citation file and the officer's testimony become evidence in the civil case, so it matters which court has the file:
- Elyria Municipal Court, 601 Broad Street, Elyria, (440) 326-1800: the cities of Elyria and North Ridgeville, the villages of Grafton and LaGrange, and Carlisle, Columbia, Eaton, Elyria, Grafton and LaGrange townships
- Lorain Municipal Court, 200 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, (440) 204-2140: the cities of Lorain and Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Township
- Avon Lake Municipal Court, 32855 Walker Road, Avon Lake, (440) 930-4103: the cities of Avon and Avon Lake and Sheffield Village
- Oberlin Municipal Court, 85 South Main Street, Oberlin, (440) 775-1751: the cities of Amherst and Oberlin, the villages of Kipton, Rochester, South Amherst and Wellington, and the southern and western townships
- Vermilion Municipal Court: the city of Vermilion and Brownhelm Township, plus Vermilion and Florence townships in Erie County
Several communities, including Avon, North Ridgeville, Grafton, LaGrange, Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Village, also run mayor's courts that hear minor traffic matters first; a not-guilty plea transfers the case to the municipal court.
The Roads That Generate Lorain County Claims
- I-90, the county's spine: the SR-83 (Center Road) interchange at Exit 153 serving Avon and Avon Lake, the SR-254 (Detroit Road) interchange serving Sheffield Village, the point in North Ridgeville where I-480 ends and merges into I-90, the SR-57 interchange at Exit 145 for Elyria and Lorain, and the split west of Elyria where I-90, SR-2 and US-20 diverge near Amherst
- SR-2, the Lakeland Freeway through Sheffield, Lorain and Amherst, and the lakeshore connector to Avon Lake and Bay Village
- The Ohio Turnpike (I-80), with its interchange at SR-57 south of Elyria and heavy truck traffic
- US-20 (Center Ridge Road, Cleveland Avenue) and SR-10, the commuter arterials through North Ridgeville and Elyria
- SR-57 (Leavitt Road, Broadway) between Lorain, Elyria and the Turnpike
- SR-58 through Amherst and Oberlin, and US-6 (Lake Road) along the shoreline through Sheffield Lake, Lorain and Vermilion
- Detroit Road and the Avon commercial corridor around SR-83, where retail traffic and left turns produce a steady volume of intersection crashes
Highway crashes in the county are generally investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol; city street crashes by the local department. Crash reports are available through the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Where Lorain County Crash Victims Are Treated
- Mercy Health Lorain Hospital, 3700 Kolbe Road, Lorain
- University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center, 630 East River Street, Elyria
- Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital, 33300 Cleveland Clinic Boulevard, Avon
- UH Avon Health Center, 1997 Healthway Drive, Avon
- Mercy Health Allen Hospital, 200 West Lorain Street, Oberlin
- Level I trauma: MetroHealth Medical Center and UH Cleveland Medical Center, where the most seriously injured patients are transported from the I-90 corridor
Medical records and billing from these facilities are the foundation of the damages case, and Ohio's rules on medical bills and insurer reimbursement affect what the family keeps. We handle the records requests and the lien negotiations.
Wrongful Death Claims in Lorain County
When a Lorain County crash is fatal, the family's claim is a wrongful death action under R.C. 2125.02, brought by the estate's personal representative for the surviving spouse, children, parents and next of kin. The estate is opened in the Lorain County Probate Court, and the claim must be filed within two years of the death. In fatal highway crashes the at-fault driver's policy is rarely enough, so the family's own underinsured motorist coverage, the at-fault driver's estate, and any employer or bar that shares responsibility are reviewed at the outset. Our fatal car accident and wrong-way crash pages explain how those cases are investigated.
Lorain County Cases We Handle
- Car accidents, including head-on, rear-end, highway and drunk driving crashes
- Truck and commercial vehicle crashes on I-90, SR-2 and the Turnpike
- Motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian injuries
- Wrongful death
- Brain and spinal cord injuries
- Dog bites, premises liability and nursing home neglect
- Medical malpractice
Lorain County Communities We Serve
Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, Lorain, North Ridgeville, Amherst, Oberlin and Sheffield Lake, as well as Vermilion, Sheffield Village, Wellington, Grafton, LaGrange, Columbia Station and the townships in between. Each city page covers that community's roads, courts and hospitals in detail.
Why Lorain County Clients Choose Ryan Injury Attorneys
We try cases. Our team includes a civil trial attorney board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and our founding partner's background in chemistry and software is put to work on crash data, vehicle electronics and medical evidence. We take Lorain County cases on a contingency fee, with no attorney fee unless we recover, and we handle every part of the matter including the probate steps in a fatal case.
Talk to a Lorain County Personal Injury Lawyer
Call (216) 354-9777 or contact us online for a free consultation. We will come to you anywhere in Lorain County.