Hazard, KY

Gary C. Johnson

Gary C. Johnson has been representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases for over forty years. In 1993 he founded Gary C. Johnson, P.S.C. He is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and has been named a Kentucky Super Lawyer every year since its inception. In 2008, he was awarded the Kentucky Justice Association’s annual Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award. He has obtained numerous multimillion-dollar jury verdicts and settlements, including the largest personal injury jury verdict in Kentucky. He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Kyle Salyer

I grew up in Johnson County and eastern Kentucky, all the way through Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes. After law school at Valparaiso University in Indiana, I came straight back to Kentucky to practice personal injury law. All I wanted to do was help people from my home, my Kentucky neighbors when they’ve been hurt by others. Over the years, I learned how to win clients the compensation they deserve to get their lives back on track-even if it means going to trial. In fact, I dedicated myself to learning everything I could about trying cases in front of juries. It takes a lot of Kentucky Courage™ for everyday Kentuckians to go to court, and I’m proud to stay by their side in the fight. In 2018, I joined forces with Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. I added the Paintsville office to the firm’s six other offices around Kentucky-so I can help even more Kentucky families. I help people hurt from car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, defective products, medical malpractice, slips and falls and workplace accidents.

Roy Collins

The state motto of Kentucky is: “United we stand. Divided we fall.” That principle really guides the strength and Kentucky Courage™™ of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. When I graduated from law school, I started my legal career working for a law firm that defended insurance companies and lawsuits filed against a major retailer. I quickly grew tired of watching big companies keep injured Kentuckians from getting the help they needed after an injury. After four years, I quit. Since then, I’ve dedicated my career to helping people who have been hurt by others. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t make the change sooner to helping ordinary, hardworking Kentuckians. At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, I’m the managing partner. I’ve been with the firm since 2000. I focus on helping you if you were injured in a car accident, a truck accident or with a premises liability case. At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, we treat all of our Kentucky clients as family.

Dustin Robert Williams

Dustin Robert Williams joined the Gary C. Johnson team in 2002. He graduated with honors from Georgetown College in 1997 and the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2000. He served as a senior law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy E. Patterson. Dustin works exclusively as a personal injury lawyer in Pikeville, focusing on car and truck accidents. He has been named a rising star by Kentucky Super Lawyer and Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers on four occasions, and one of the Top 100 attorneys in Kentucky by the National Trial Lawyers. He holds a Distinguished rating from Martindale Hubbell.

Leslie Cronen

Leslie Cronen joined Gary C. Johnson, P.S.C. after over a decade practicing personal injury and mass torts. She previously defended doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases. She represents individuals injured by negligence, including wrongful death, medical malpractice, and defective drug/medical device claims. She graduated cum laude from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in 2002. She is licensed in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Massachusetts. She is an active member of the Kentucky Justice Association, American Association for Justice, and Women En Mass. She has been named a Super Lawyer for several years and is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. She co-chaired the first annual KY Women Trial Lawyers’ Retreat in June 2017.

Bruce Bentley

I’m Bruce Bentley, an attorney at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer. I believe in working hard and helping ordinary people who are going through a difficult ordeal and struggling to make ends meet. My law practice focuses on helping people who have been involved in personal injury accidents such as car accidents or truck accidents or other accidents caused by another driver. I recognize that most of my clients have found themselves in difficult situations through no fault of their own. Often, their injuries have caused them to miss work and lose their job and lose their insurance. Frequently, accident victims are having difficulty receiving the medical treatment they need because of insurance policy exclusions or an insurance provider’s refusal to approve the needed treatment. When insurance companies mistreat people, it doesn’t sit well with me. My priority is to determine how I’m going to help each person recover as much as possible and be treated fairly. That is where my negotiating skills and two decades of litigation experience are crucial. I am a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group composed of attorneys who have achieved settlements or jury awards of at least $1 million. When I first meet a client, I try to make a good impression that I’m going to work hard for them and answer their questions, even if it’s not the answer they want to hear. I’ve learned that if you work hard and tell them the truth, at the end of the day they will have respect and think well of you. Most people know when you are working hard for them. It’s best to be upfront and direct with folks. They respect that. There are times when people have life-changing injuries and I’ve been able to make a recovery to really change the life of a parent or child for the better. When you have made a real difference in how a person’s life is going to be led, that is special. That is the stuff that at the end of the career makes it worth doing.

Angela Pergrem Owens

Angela Pergrem Owens has been a member of the Gary C. Johnson team since 1998. She is a 1991 graduate of the University of Kentucky and a 1994 graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law. She works as a Pikeville personal injury lawyer, handling car accidents, nursing home abuse, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. She is an active member of the Kentucky Justice Association and the American Association of Justice. She holds an AV rating by Martindale Hubbell and was named Finest Lawyer of 2013. She is licensed in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia.