You should get a lawyer for a motorcycle accident as soon as you are able if you want to ensure that your legal rights remain protected throughout the entire process. An attorney can negotiate with the insurance company regarding your settlement, or through the legal process if you make the decision to file a lawsuit to receive the compensation you deserve.
Situations When a Lawyer Can Assist Victims Following a Motorcycle Accident
Any person that receives injuries or suffers losses as a result of a motorcycle accident has the legal right to contact a lawyer at any time following their accident. However, there are some specific situations in which contacting a lawyer can ensure that a victim’s legal rights remain protected.
Adversarial Insurance Company Negotiations
In some cases, insurance companies will attempt to avoid paying a full and fair settlement to victims of motorcycle accidents. Hoping that a victim will remain motivated by a need to repay medical bills or lost wages, insurance companies often offer quick settlements that do not fully restore or compensate a victim for their injuries and losses. In some of these cases, the negotiations with insurance companies turn adversarial and the company will attempt to manipulate the victim or utilize tactics such as:
- Denying injuries are as serious as the victim claims
- Attempting to request full medical records in order to claim that the injuries suffered by the motorcycle accident were instead related to a pre-existing condition
- Claiming the accident was the fault of the motorcycle driver instead of their insured motorist
- Offering an extremely low settlement amount prior to the healing of all injuries in an attempt to simply have the victim accept the low settlement offer
- Attempting to record a conversation to use a victim’s words against them in a manipulative fashion
You should consider getting a lawyer for your motorcycle accident if you feel that the insurance company appears to use deceptive tactics to avoid paying a full and fair settlement for your injuries and losses. In other cases, an insurance company will simply deny a completely valid claim for unfair or unjust reasons. Consulting with a motorcycle accident attorney can help ensure that you receive the proper settlement amount for your losses.
Severe or Permanent Injuries
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 80% of all reported motorcycle accidents result in serious injuries or fatalities. Additionally, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reports that fatalities are on the rise with respect to motorcycle accidents. In some cases, a motorcycle accident can result in serious or permanent injuries that impact a victim for the rest of their life, not only in terms of medical costs but also the inability to return to work due to their injuries. With either a long road to recovery or permanent injuries, a victim may not have the ability to continue to work in the future leading to the loss of future wages and earning capacity. Hiring a motorcycle accident attorney in these cases can help ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve following a motorcycle accident so that you can possibly receive past and future medical costs, lost wages, loss of future wages or earning capacity, as well as compensation for your pain and suffering.
Determination of Fault
In some cases, more than one person has legal responsibility for the motorcycle accident. In these cases, you should consider getting a lawyer for your motorcycle accident in order to help you determine exactly who has the responsibility to compensate you for your injuries and losses.
Why Contacting a Motorcycle Lawyer Can Help You with Your Claim
Consulting with a motorcycle lawyer for your motorcycle accident can help you know what to do as soon as possible. A motorcycle lawyer can help make sure that you take the legal steps needed after your motorcycle accident to ensure your legal rights remain protected. Additionally, if you get a lawyer for a motorcycle accident, you can have that lawyer negotiate on your behalf from the very beginning with the insurance company, protecting your legal rights. It is important to note that most motorcycle accident lawyers do not charge any fees immediately to victims suffering injuries or losses from a motorcycle accident. Rather, motorcycle accident lawyers typically work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that they do not receive any payment unless and until you receive compensation in your motorcycle accident case.
Consider Hiring a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Contact our legal team to learn how a motorcycle accident lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can work with you to ensure your legal rights remain protected. Call our legal team today regarding your motorcycle accident at (800) 223-5115 and learn how our attorneys can help you with your case.