Personal Injury Lawyers for Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle Accidents

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), just over 5,000 people died as a result of motorcycle accidents in 2018. One year later, the number remained around the same. With this, it’s now a common problem around the country. The reason these statistics are so high is that motorcyclists are in considerably more danger after a road collision compared to other road users.

When traveling in a car, drivers are protected by a shell of metal. When on a motorbike, the rider is exposed. As well as hitting another vehicle, the rider’s body may endure a strong impact on landing while also colliding with lampposts, street signs, and other objects on the road. The NHTSA says that the likelihood of motorcyclists passing away after an accident is 29 TIMES higher than those in a car or similar vehicle.

If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident, you need a motorcycle accident lawyer to fight in your corner and start pushing for compensation. If the accident wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t be left trying to cope with the damages by yourself. You can make motorcycle personal injury claims against the guilty party, and this means recovering damages.

Contact The Injury Firm today for a free case evaluation; we’ll do everything we can to protect your legal rights and allow you to focus on nothing except recovery. If a loved one passed away after a motorcycle accident, we first send our condolences to both you and your family members. It’s not an easy time, and we appreciate that you need a professional legal service to serve your best interests. Reach out with a phone call to our professional and friendly team today! Click to call on mobile: 954-951-0000.

Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

With so many deaths on American roads, what are the most common causes? Unfortunately, we can sadly report that a large percentage of accidents are still avoidable. Just like with car accidents, negligence and recklessness cause issues time and time again. However, not all accidents involve negligence, as you’ll see with the list below!

Drunk Drivers - We’re in 2021, yet drivers all over the country still take risks with drunk driving. As well as driving after consuming alcohol, some people drink after consuming drugs. Both impact reaction times, concentration, and coordination. In other words, nobody should ever get behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming drugs or alcohol.

In 2019, The Zebra ran a survey in the United States on this topic, and the results made for interesting reading. For example, one-fifth of all those between 35 and 44 knew somebody who had been killed after a road accident involving alcohol. Meanwhile, over 37% of people of college-age believed that they could drive safely after up to four drinks.

Elsewhere, over one-quarter of female respondents admitted to driving while over the limit (aged between 18 and 24). Despite some improvements, attitudes towards drinking and driving are still a huge problem, and they’re the reason that a motorcycle accident lawyer is forced to represent thousands of people each year.

Road Conditions - We mentioned that not every accident is a result of negligence, and one of the biggest causes outside of this is road conditions. As well as adverse weather (such as ice and snow), this includes debris from roadworks and potholes. As motorcycle riders will attest, problems with road conditions are even more tricky for riders since they only have two wheels and their full weight to balance.

Door Accidents - Although it might sound like something from a comedy sketch, people opening doors on motorcycles is a real problem for the community. Often, people park on the road and then open their doors blindly. They don’t look in their mirrors and they don’t even listen for traffic. Motorbike riders either collide with the door or they’re forced to swerve (both are dangerous!).

Poor Blind Spot Etiquette - Sometimes, motorcycle riders themselves don’t use their mirrors and they don’t check their blind spots. This is a particular problem for inexperienced motorcycle riders because they don’t realize the dangers of not understanding the blind spot. As the name suggests, this is a space behind the motorcycle rider’s shoulder that isn’t visible in the mirrors.

Front Brake Issues - Once again, this is more common with inexperienced motorcycle riders but even those with decades of experience have a scare every so often with the front brake. Pull the front brake too hard and the front of the bike will stop quicker than the rear. From here, your momentum continues forward, and this forces you (if not the bike too) over the handlebars.

Lane Splitting - Many motorcycle riders love the fact that they can ride the white line and cut through traffic. Suddenly, a journey with lots of traffic turns into a dream ride. However, this is a dangerous practice and one discouraged by the many regulatory bodies and organizations. Due to the difference in speed, one lapse in judgment or poor decision leads to a serious motorcycle accident (and injuries for the motorcycle rider!).

Negligence - Finally, we mustn’t forget that negligence and recklessness are other common causes of motorcycle accidents. For example, this could be speeding, unpredictable lane changing, or driving too close to other vehicles.

Basic Motorcycle Laws in the United States

When riding your motorcycle, it’s important to understand the laws and how they operate in your state. Shockingly, not all states require riders to wear helmets despite the MANY studies that show the difference in safety between equipping one and choosing to forgo one. Helmets save lives, and you should wear one approved by Snell or the DOT (Department of Transportation).

What if you weren’t wearing a helmet when you were injured in a motorcycle accident? Well, don’t believe the misconceptions that you can’t claim. If your state doesn’t require helmets, you weren’t breaking the law and therefore are entitled to compensation.

Even if you think you were partly to blame for the accident, we still recommend contacting The Injury Firm. If comparative law applies in your state, you can still obtain compensation for the part that wasn’t your fault.

Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Over the years, we’ve seen all types of injuries in motorcycle personal injury claims. As mentioned in the introduction, motorcycle riders are inherently more likely to experience injuries compared to car drivers. The Injury Firm has seen cases with broken bones, road rash (where a rider scrapes along the road’s surface after a high-speed collision), amputation, TBI (traumatic brain injury), spinal cord damage, and more.

Tragically, we’ve also helped relatives after riders have passed away. In these cases, the damages will differ compared to motorcycle personal injury claims, but compensation is still deserved for loved ones.

Damages in Motorcycle Personal Injury Claims

Often, we’re asked as a motorcycle accident lawyer how compensation works. While many get confused about the process, the goal is (and always will be) to recover costs that have arisen because of the motorcycle accident in question. Therefore, no victim can ever claim for pre-existing injuries. Instead, you’ll claim for:

• Medical bills
• Future medical bills
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Loss of consortium
• Funeral expenses
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of earning potential

Although this might all sound confusing right now, The Injury Firm will explain everything. After you tell us about the motorcycle accident, we’ll protect your legal rights to prevent insurance adjusters from taking advantage of your lack of legal knowledge. We’ll talk you through the potential claim, how everything will work, and how you can boost your chances of receiving compensation.

Why Work with a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?

We know what you’re thinking - why do I need a motorcycle accident lawyer? Can’t I claim without one? You can, but insurance adjusters will try to reduce your compensation package with all sorts of meetings and interviews. With a trained professional by your side, you avoid the common mistakes and get the most from your compensation claim.

As well as protecting your legal rights, and dealing with those sneaky insurance adjusters, we will do the following:

• Gather medical bills, police reports, and all other documentation
• Reconstruct the accident
• Speak with expert testimonies
• Communicate with potential eyewitnesses
• Investigate the history of the other driver

Importantly, we’ll also use our experience to negotiate with insurance adjusters. By this point, we will have investigated everything with no stone left unturned. Therefore, we’ll know the value of your case and what you deserve. If the insurance company doesn’t offer a fair settlement, we’ll use our resources to take the case in front of a judge. In the meantime, you won’t pay a cent because you only pay when the case is resolved and only if we win.

We have extensive experience with not only motorcycle personal injury claims but also wrongful death, product liability, and other legal cases. Contact The Injury Firm today for a free consultation – what’s the worst that can happen? In the best-case scenario, you recover compensation for all the damages caused by the accident!