Prestonsburg, KY

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.

James Ryan Turner

A native of the coalfields of southeastern Kentucky, Ryan believes that to whom much is given, much is required. Ryan was taught by his father, a prosecutor and preacher, to practice humility, protect the vulnerable, and to have passion for justice. Ryan comes from a family of attorneys and, through his life experience, knows that juries are a uniquely powerful safeguard against greed, danger, and evil, and perhaps the last place in America where the truth still matters. Ryan chose to focus his legal practice in the civil justice system as a means of seeking justice. When you work with Ryan, you work with an idealist - someone who believes in the cause. In an effort to seek excellence, Ryan has always dedicated his law practice to representing everyday people who’ve been wronged through no fault of their own. Having trained in some of Kentucky’s preeminent personal injury law firms, Ryan has a deep understanding of what it takes to successfully win a jury trial. For that reason, he is able to bring a deeper level of insight to modern personal litigation and trial practice. Personal injury litigation is an ever-evolving field, as attitudes, perceptions, and defense tactics constantly change. By limiting his practice in this way, Ryan is able to stay ahead of insurance defense tricks that seek to obscure the truth and deny justice. Ryan’s practice focuses on personal injury and wrongful death and trial practice, including: motor vehicle wrecks; tractor trailer wrecks; motorcycle wrecks; pedestrian injuries; defective vehicles, including sudden acceleration and airbag defects; defective medical devices; premises liability; general negligence; uninsured and underinsured motorist claims; and, bad faith claims. Ryan handles cases in Ohio and Kentucky and is able to balance his practice in multiple jurisdictions by closely following the constant changes in the law and pending legislation in the state capitals. In addition, Ryan especially enjoys representing landowners who’ve had their property damaged or taken by government authorities under the power of eminent domain. In 2022, Ryan secured a $1,245,000.00 jury verdict when a road project severely damaged the value of his client’s land. Ryan continues to devote an increasingly large percentage of his trial practice to eminent domain litigation, handling cases throughout Ohio and Kentucky. Ryan has secured several seven-figure settlements for his clients who've had their land condemned. Having tried multiple cases to verdict, Ryan is able to bring years of trial experience into his evaluation of every case that comes into the office. Having clerked for the Supreme Court of Kentucky, Ryan is able to construct a trial strategy that will withstand the appeals process. With a reputation as an attorney who can and will try your case, Ryan is often able to reach successful settlements of his client's case without the necessity of a jury trial. Over the years, he has handled relatively small cases in addition to eight-figure settlements involving catastrophic injuries and death. Above all, Ryan enjoys working with families who genuinely need help and no case is too small or too big if the cause is just. In Kentucky, he was able to obtain one of the largest jury verdicts of its kind on record. In Ohio, he has one of the largest settlements of its kind on record. Ryan prides himself on constant client communication and the close relationships he forms in the litigation process.

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.

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.

John C. Kirk

John C. Kirk is an attorney at Kirk & Crum, PLLC, focusing on car accidents, truck accidents, premises liability, and product liability, as well as environmental law, including coal, oil, gas, and mineral leases. He is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Academy of Trial Attorneys, and Kentucky Justice Association.

Kentucky is my home. I love this state and its people and think it’s the best state in America. I started my career working for an insurance defense firm that defended doctors in medical malpractice litigation. However, I quickly realized I would rather help people instead of companies. It feels much better to help people in need get compensation than to help a company keep people from getting what they deserve. You never know when you or a member of your family may need help. If I were not able to help my family I would sure hope that someone in my position would help them. I sleep better at night knowing the work we do at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer helps keep Kentucky’s communities a little bit safer and better. I’ve been with Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer since 2009 and focus on Civil Trial Practice, Products Liability, Professional Negligence and Auto Injury Litigation.

John W. Kirk

John W. Kirk is the founder of Kirk & Crum, PLLC. He has experience as a public school teacher, state attorney, newspaper columnist, owner, and publisher, and a plaintiff's attorney. He handles cases including car accidents, insurance bad faith, premises liability, product liability, social security disability, workers' compensation, wrongful death, mining injuries, mineral rights, and fire and other types of insurance loss.