Traveling by motorcycle has become increasingly popular across the United States. Individuals can get on the road quickly to travel while enjoying nature at its fullest. Unfortunately, this form of travel does not come without risk. When compared to cars or trucks, motorcycle drivers maintain a much higher risk of suffering serious injuries or death in the event of an accident. While most of you have calls provide steel frames and metal surrounds to protect drivers, motorcyclists often wear helmets and vests to protect them from outside elements. Motorcyclists often remain completely open and vulnerable to oncoming vehicles.
For this reason, the majority of motorcyclists involved in accidents obtain serious injuries. In 2015, over 88,000 motorcyclists suffered severe injuries from being involved in motorcycle accidents. While motorcycles account for less than 3% of all the vehicles on the road the United States, they are involved in over 14% of fatal accidents each year.
The lack of a seatbelt, combined with the relatively small size of motorcycles, makes these motorists more vulnerable than other vehicles on the roadway. Motorcyclists who are involved in automobile accidents generally suffer more serious injuries than drivers in any other type of vehicle. If you or a loved one have been injured in a motorcycle accident, or your loved one has lost their lives in a motorcycle accident, you need to contact a motor accident attorney from Needaninjuryattorney.com immediately.
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Motorcyclist harmed, and accidents are more likely to suffer severe and life-threatening injuries. Sustaining broken or fractured bones are some of the most common injuries among motorcyclists. These individuals are at an increased risk of breaking arms, legs, and fingers in the event of an accident.
The lack of any back protection increases their risk of suffering severe spinal cord injuries. This type of injury can seriously impact a person’s ability to walk or use their arms normally. In addition to spinal cord injuries, motorcyclists are at increased risk of suffering serious neck injuries. Although helmets can protect motorcyclists from head trauma, depending on the impact, motorcyclists can still suffer traumatic brain injuries or other life-threatening head injuries or eye injuries.
In nearly every motorcycle accident, a motorcyclist will sustain scrapes, cuts, and abrasions from other vehicles and from contact with the road. Being involved in a motorcycle accident places the motorcyclist at an increased risk of dying from severe injuries. If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle accident, it is important that you contact a motorcycle accident attorney at Needaninjuryattorney.com immediately to get started on your case.
Factors That Can Play A Role In Causing A Motorcycle Accident
No matter how careful a motorcyclist is, their lives can still be in danger. Even if a motorcyclist goes beyond expectation to ensure their safety out on the road, they are still often blamed for causing accidents by insurance companies and other drivers.
Some drivers tend to blame nighttime travel as the cause of a motorcycle accident. What most drivers fail to realize is that the majority of motorcycle accidents occur in broad daylight. There are numerous factors beyond the control of motorcyclists that often contribute to that accidents. Some of the most common factors are:
Inability to obtain traction on the roadways: Dirt, rocks, mud, leaves, oil, and even water prevent motorcycle tires from adequately gripping the roadways while traveling. Foreign objects in the road can create slick and dangerous surfaces for individuals traveling by motorcycle.
Damaged roadways: Broken or uneven surfaces on roadways, as well as potholes, bumps, and ruts, can cause motorcyclists to lose their balance on their bikes. One dangerous aspect of surface issues is that they are not always visible from a distance. Instead, motorcyclists fail to notice them until they are right in front of them. At that point, they can choose to either swerve and risk losing control of their vehicles, or hitting the damaged area and crashing. In other instances, the motorcyclist may be able to stop their vehicle. They are then rear-ended by motors which are not paying attention behind them.
Poor weather conditions: Sudden weather changes can wreak havoc on motorcyclists. The majority of motorcycle owners enjoy rides on clear and sunny days. Unfortunately, unpredictable weather changes can severely impact their ability to control their vehicles. Not only do severe weather conditions inhibit a motorcyclist’s ability to control their vehicles, but it can make it difficult for other drivers on the roadways to see them.
Branches, leaves, and other foreign objects can all make motorcycle travel more dangerous. Any of these obstacles in the road can cause motorcycles to spin out of control and crash. The aggressive motorcycle attorneys at Needaninjuryattorney.com understand the challenges motorcyclists face both on the road and in the judicial system and are willing to go the distance to ensure that your rights are protected and that you receive the most compensation available to you for your injuries and losses.
Other Possible Motorcycle Accident Causes
Alternatively to foreign objects or road conditions, other drivers and responsible parties can act in a manner which causes a motorcycle accident to occur. One of the most common reasons motorcycle accidents occur is due to other drivers failing to maintain safe speeds while out on the roads. Drivers who are speeding can race up behind motorcyclists and clip them from behind. These rear-end accidents can cause motorcyclists to fall off their vehicles and become injured.
In other instances, drivers are speeding to switch lanes without recognizing the speed at which the motorcycle next to them is traveling. They often merge into other lanes and cut off motorcyclists or crash into them from the side, causing severe accidents to occur.
Alternatively, drivers who travel too slowly down the roadway obstruct the flow of traffic. This type of disruption can cause motorcycles to crash, lose control of their vehicles, or have other vehicles crash into them trying to avoid slow moving vehicles.
Negligent drivers on the roadways are another leading cause of motorcycle accidents. Individuals often claim that they do not see motorcycles coming, so they turn in front of them. It is no secret that motorcycles are much smaller than most vehicles on the roadway – but they are still there. It is important that drivers check their blind spots and mirrors prior to shifting lanes or turning.
Product liability is another cause for motorcycle accidents, although it is generally not too common. A case of product liability involves a motorcycle that was equipped with a faulty or defective part or design. The fact that the part did not perform to standards directly caused the accident resulting in injury. Some examples of product liability include acceleration jams, motorcycle fires, or defective brakes.
Whenever a motorcycle accident occurs that was not the fault of the rider, it is crucial for the injured motorcyclist to contact an accident attorney as soon as possible to recover compensation for their injuries. The attorneys at Needaninjuryattorney.com are waiting to take your call to discuss the events that led up to your motorcycle accident.;
What Compensation Is Available For Motorcycle Accident Victims
If you are injured in a motorcycle accident, you may be entitled to recover compensation for damages. The term “damages” is used to describe the emotional, physical, and economic impacts of a motorcycle accident. A person who suffers damages in a motorcycle accident generally sustains injuries that result in loss of earnings or results in an increase of medical expenses.
Individuals injured in motorcycle accidents may recover compensation for damages including, but not limited to:
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earnings
- Medical expenses to cover injuries and conditions from the accident
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of enjoyment
Depending on the state, various other damages may be included. Some states expand the damages to include suffering by spouses and children, where other states recognize the dramatic change in life quality injured victims may deal with. Other courts allow injury victims to recover punitive damages from negligent drivers.
Although these are not universally awarded, judges can award them discretionally as a form of punishment toward drivers who are severely reckless or negligent in nature. Hiring a motorcycle accident attorney from Needaninjuryattorney.com will ensure your best chance of recovering the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to based on your injuries and the unique circumstances surrounding your accident.
Determining Compensation For Motorcycle Accidents
Unfortunately, there is no set formula used to determine how much an injury victim will receive in damages from their motorcycle accident. Typically, several factors are taking into account to determine the amount of money an attorney should demand. Some of the common factors used include:
The severity of the injuries is a key factor in determining the amounts awarded for medical expenses. Depending on how badly a motorcyclist is injured, they may have to undergo several medical treatments, hospitalization, surgeries, and extensive therapies. There are some cases where individuals lose their limbs or are unable to walk ever again. These individuals may require extensive medical treatment to address their conditions and enable them to obtain a sustainable level of comfort in their lives. Being inflicted with a serious injury can have a devastating impact on how a person walks, talks, performs tasks with their arms or legs, or even moves from location to location. The extent of this change and treatment is often taken into consideration in determining amounts awarded for damages.
Additionally, whether a person has to miss work temporarily or long-term will have a major impact on the compensation they receive. If a worker has to take a week off for surgery and recovery, they can obtain their wages through a lawsuit against the responsible party. In severe cases where individuals are unable to return to work ever again, courts calculate the lifetime earnings the injured party will be missing out on. This complex calculation takes into consideration the worker’s current wage, expected wages in the future, and any inflations and cost of living adjustments that are expected.
Unfortunately, some motorcyclists’ compensation is capped out by how much insurance coverage the responsible party has. Although a lawsuit may award hundreds of thousands of dollars, it may be difficult to collect these damages from a person with no assets and a policy limit of $50,000. In these circumstances, it is crucial to work with a motorcycle accident attorney at Needaninjuryattorney.com who is willing to go after the other party’s insurance company as well as your underinsured motorist coverage.
Determining The At-Fault Party In A Motorcycle Accident
Motorcycle accidents can be caused by a variety of reasons. In order to file a successful claim for compensation in court, it is crucial to prove a party is at fault for the injuries you sustained. Some states provide the majority fault rule, which states that individuals are able to recover damages for accidents where they are less than 50% at fault of causing.
In any case, there can be several parties responsible for the accident, including:
- The driver of the other vehicle
- The owner of the other vehicle
- The manufacturer of the motorcycle
- The manufacturer of the motorcycle parts
- The maintenance company of the motorcycle
- Road construction companies who left debris in the road causing an accident
One or more parties can be held liable for a motorcycle accident. In cases where multiple parties are responsible, the compensation will be apportioned between each party – requiring them to each pay a portion to the injured motorcyclist.
Hire A Motorcycle Accident Attorney To Help With Your Claim
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, it is imperative for you to call an attorney at Needaninjuryattorney.com as soon as possible to help with your case. Our reputable attorneys will help you deal with insurance companies, contact witnesses, gather evidence in support of your claim, and file your lawsuit in court.
Our personal injury attorneys will represent your best interest throughout the entire legal process. At Needaninjuryattorney.com, our experienced attorneys are equipped to offer fair and full settlement amounts that cover your damages and allow you to focus on your recovery while alleviating the financial burden your accident has caused.
There are tight deadlines for filing personal injury claims due to motorcycle accidents. Hiring a motorcycle accident attorney from Needaninjuryattorney.com to help you will ensure your case is filed accurately and in time so you can recover the compensation you are entitled to and receive the justice you deserve.