If you have suffered serious injuries on your motorcycle due to the fault of another driver, then you might want to hire a personal injury lawyer who can advise you of your legal options.
Motorcycle accident lawyers can do work on your behalf as you seek fair compensation to cover your injuries and losses. They can negotiate damages directly with one or more insurance companies involved in the motorcycle accident.
Hiring an attorney shows an insurance company that, as an injured motorcycle driver, you are serious about pursuing damages against an at-fault party. This position of strength will be advantageous for you in a personal injury claim for a motorcycle accident.
Depending on the seriousness of the injuries you suffered, there could be numerous damages at stake in a lawsuit against an at-fault driver. Your motorcycle accident lawyer can uncover evidence against the at-fault driver, possibly find others to name in the lawsuit, and manage other complicated legal moves.
Establishing Liability in Motorcycle Accident Cases
Motorcycle accidents can produce far more serious physical injuries than if just two cars collided. Without barrier protection from other vehicles, a motorcyclist can suffer from serious injuries like broken limbs, spinal fractures, brain trauma, and even death.
In many cases, the at-fault party is the other driver. But a personal injury attorney could find other defendants to name in a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death claim. Other liable sources could be:
- Manufacturer of a car, truck, or bus that hit the motorcyclist (mechanical defects)
- A reckless or unqualified driver for a transportation company that caused the accident
- Improperly marked roads or damaged traffic signal lights (city or country liability)
A motorcycle accident lawyer can help you build the strongest possible case to increase your chances of recovering economic and non-economic damages, which can include repairing or replacing your motorcycle.
Delaying a Personal Injury Claim
Personal injury cases involving motorcycle accidents can be time-consuming life events. Because an injured motorcyclist could be in the hospital for a long time, a personal injury lawyer could delay filing a claim. This is because the lawyer will want to have all the facts concerning injuries to the plaintiff, and this likely won’t happen until the patient is discharged. A full account of the injuries found while in the hospital can help build the patient’s case.
If an insurance company tries to offer a fast settlement to the injured motorcyclist, the motorcycle accident attorney could deny this in favor of moving ahead on a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. This will likely help to increase the possibility of a more substantial settlement.
If you are an injured motorcycle driver and are wondering whether to file a claim or lawsuit, motorcycle accidents lawyers do handle that, too. They can help you with the process for either one.
Uncovering Evidence from the Accident
Another key task that a motorcycle accident lawyer will do to help you is to uncover evidence about your accident. There will be the surface facts, of course. You were on your motorcycle and got hit from the side or from behind. It knocked you off your bike, and as a result, you suffered multiple injuries, and that is the reason for the lawsuit. In many cases, there is more to the story.
Your lawyer may learn that the driver who hit you was transporting materials for a company and was on work time. As a result, the company could face liability for your injuries. These factors could affect an eventual court case or the settlement.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
When you hire a personal injury attorney to help support your case and try to recover awards from the accident, the filing will name the at-fault driver (and possibly) others to seek economic damages and non-economic damages.
knowing the difference between these two is helpful. “Economic damages” refers to the expenses a person faces soon after being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. Among these would be:
- Ambulance, emergency room, medical treatment, surgical costs, doctor’s fees
- Rehabilitation, therapy treatments, in-home care, etc.
- Lost wages from being out of work due to your injuries
- Property damages for your damaged motorcycle and other belongings
In an accident where you might have suffered serious physical injuries, noneconomic damages would focus on recovering costs for pain and suffering issues you faced as a result of the accident. These are likely to be:
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of limb
- Disfigurement or disability
- Other accident-related costs
If you are interested in pursuing legal recourse in your accident, you can hire a motorcycle accident attorney with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm. Contact us today for a free evaluation at (800) 223-5115 so that you can ask questions that may bring clarity and consider your next steps.