March 27, 2025 | Personal Injury
Lost River Cave is an underground cave in Bowling Green, KY. It offers underground boat tours, nature trails, gem mining, a butterfly habitat, and educational programs, among other fun activities. It’s easy to forget that you can get hurt there. But you can, and people sometimes do.
Most Common Injuries
Some of the most common injuries at Lost River Cave include:
- Slip and fall accidents due to uneven surfaces, poor lighting, and poorly maintained hiking trails;
- Head injuries due to low ceilings and stalagmites;
- Injuries caused by boat malfunctions, improperly trained staff, and
- Animal bites (bat bites, for example).
Many other types of injuries are possible.
What to Do If You Get Hurt
Take the following steps if you get hurt at Lost River Cave or if someone with you gets hurt you should:
- Move to a safe location if possible.
- Alert park staff.
- Render first aid. Park staff can help with this.
- Take photos of the accident scene and anything that might serve as evidence.
- Ask the park to prepare an accident report and provide you with a copy.
- Write down your own version of events while your memory is still sharp.
- Contact a personal injury lawyer.
These steps are just the beginning of the matters that you or your lawyer will have to take care of before you can win your personal injury claim.
Your Legal Options
Your compensation claim will probably be based on negligence. Below are some brief descriptions of some of your legal options.
Premises Liability Claim
Owners and operators of real property, such as Lost River Cave, are responsible for providing a safe environment for their guests. They must repair all known dangerous conditions, and they must warn of any unavoidable dangers. They must also inspect the property for non-obvious hazards and either repair or warn of them.
If they fail to do so and you suffer an injury as a consequence, you can probably assert a premises liability compensation claim against them.
Use Negligence Per Se
Building codes, OSHA regulations, regulations governing commercial and recreational activities, or Bowling Green local ordinances might apply to a Lost River Cave negligence claim. If you can prove that the defendant violated a safety regulation, the principle of negligence per se allows you to treat the violation as automatic negligence. You can use negligence per se in conjunction with a premises liability claim.
The Sovereign Immunity Obstacle
Friends of the Lost River, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 charity, operates Lost River Cave. Two parties jointly own it —Friends of Lost River and Western Kentucky University (WKU). This matters because it affects who you need to target to recover damages. Who you target matters because when you sue a Kentucky public entity, you must comply with sovereign immunity lawsuit limitations.
In most negligence cases, you will need to file your claim against Friends of Lost River, meaning that you will not need to comply with sovereign immunity limitations. However, this might not always be the case.
Do You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you were injured at Lost River Cave, you may have legal options for pursuing compensation, especially if unsafe conditions, staff negligence, or regulatory violations caused your injury. While Lost River Cave is a popular and family-friendly destination, accidents can and do happen. Understanding your rights—particularly regarding premises liability, negligence per se, and potential sovereign immunity issues—is crucial.
Because these claims can be complex and involve multiple parties, consulting a personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the legal process, protect your rights, and improve your chances of recovering fair compensation.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Kentucky Today To Get More Information
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Lexington or Bowling Green, please contact our personal injury lawyers at Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC for a free case evaluation.
Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC – Lexington, KY Office
325 W Main St #210, Lexington, KY 40507
(859) 550-2900
Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC -Bowling Green, KY Office
814 State St. suite 100, Bowling Green, KY, 42101
(270) 517-2014