Yes - but if you wait too long or switch sloppily, evidence disappears, recall records get missed, and your old lawyer may claim part of the fee.

What should have happened first: after the crash, the vehicle should have been preserved without repairs, salvage, or destruction. In a defective-part case, that matters as much as the police report. If the wreck happened around Frankfort on I-64, U.S. 60, or near the Blue Grass Parkway, the key issue may be more than driver fault: a manufacturer, seller, or installer may all be in play under Kentucky product-liability law.

In Kentucky, a product case can involve strict liability, meaning you may not have to prove the company was careless if the part was defective and caused or worsened the injury. The trap is that a weak lawyer may chase only the driver's insurer and ignore the product side.

What to do now: hire new counsel before signing any settlement, release, or lien paperwork. Tell the new lawyer to immediately get:

• the full case file from prior counsel
• the vehicle preservation status
• any NHTSA recall information
• repair, purchase, and installation records
• the crash report from the responding agency, often Kentucky State Police or local Frankfort police

Also have the new lawyer check for Medicare, Medicaid, hospital, or health-insurance liens. Around tax season, people settle fast because of bills, then learn too late that lien claims eat the check.

What comes next: your new lawyer usually sends a substitution notice and requests the file. Your old lawyer cannot hold your case hostage, but may assert an attorney lien for work already done. That does not usually mean you pay two full contingency fees; the fee is often sorted out between lawyers.

Watch the clock: Kentucky injury claims are commonly tied to a one-year deadline under KRS 413.140, though crash-related timing can get complicated. If fog, chain-reaction impacts, or a failed part worsened the collision, the product evidence needs attention immediately.