When Do You Need A Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
Motorcycles often represent freedom for those who ride them. The open road, the wind in the hair and the thrill of speeds so fast it feels like flying. However, due to the open-aired design of motorcycles and similar vehicles (like motorized bikes and scooters), collisions and accidents can be devastating. When do you need a motorcycle accident lawyer after a crash?
D’Amico Law Offices, LLC, is a family-run firm of personal injury lawyers, meaning we represent injuries against your person. Whether those injuries are caused by occupational exposure, medical malpractice or auto accidents, we are dedicated to improving your future by fighting for the maximum amount of compensation available.
If you need to speak with an experienced motorcycle crash attorney right away, call us at 412-906-8180 for a free consultation. If you want to learn more about motorcycle accident injuries and the law, read on.
Jump To:
- What Are the Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
- What Should You Do After a Motorcycle Crash?
- What Could a Motorcycle Accident Settlement Mean for You?
- Contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyers at D’Amico Law Offices
- Motorcycle Accident FAQs
What Are The Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
Even when motorcycle riders wear full protective gear like heavy jackets, full-face helmets, and riding gloves, injuries still occur. Though they are similar to common car accident injuries, the injuries sustained in motorcycle crashes are often far more profound. This is because an open vehicle exposes the driver to high-speed contact with dangerous elements like metal, glass, and asphalt.
Here are some of the most common injuries associated with motorcycle accidents:
- Head, brain, and neck injuries like traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), concussion, and whiplash
- Back and spinal cord injuries including herniated disc and spinal cord injury that could cause permanent paralysis
- Limb and bone damage like fractures, breaks, or crushed fingers/toes
- Internal and soft tissue injuries to your organs, tendons, or ligaments
- Skin damage and disfigurement like road rash, burns, or facial lacerations
Once you or your loved one has received medical care, it’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible. One phone call to D’Amico Law Offices, LLC, at 412-906-8180 can start the ball rolling on the legal side, and allow you to focus on pressing medical concerns while your lawyers gather evidence.
What Should You Do After A Motorcycle Crash?
There are timelines that begin whenever a motor vehicle crash occurs. Police and emergency workers are dispatched, insurance companies start making calculations and a timer begins for the deadline regarding legal action.
After a motorcycle accident, here are the most important steps to take:
- Seek medical care: Even if you think you were lucky this time and your injuries are minor, it’s important to get a professional medical evaluation to rule out internal/unseen damage.
- Gather insurance and witness information: If you’re capable, take down the names and contact information of anyone nearby, including insurance information if there was another driver involved.
- Report to the police: Reporting accidents to the police is important for insurance payouts, and for an official record of who/what was at the crash at the time of the accident. Be sure to point out weather conditions and other relevant factors, as well as your observations of the other driver. Request sobriety tests be performed if the other driver appears under the influence of alcohol.
- Document your injuries and property damage: You or a trusted family member or friend should take pictures of any injuries or property damage you’ll need compensation for later.
- Call a motorcycle crash lawyer: An experienced motorcycle accident attorney can help advise you right away on what you can do to help your case. Your attorney can also act on your behalf for the following steps of gathering information from the police and witnesses—this is especially important if your injuries require you to stay in the hospital.
By securing your own lawyer as soon as possible, you can entrust a professional representative to guide you through the legal process. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will gather the bulk of the evidence for your case, allowing you to focus on healing.
By securing a motorcycle accident lawyer from D’Amico Law Offices, you empower a professional advocate to act on your behalf. Let us do the work to gather evidence so you can focus on healing in peace.
What Could A Motorcycle Accident Settlement Mean For You?
A successful settlement or damages award from a judge could help pay for:
- Medical bills for emergency and ongoing treatment or care
- Lost wages, employment benefits like health insurance, and loss of future earnings if your injuries mean you can no longer perform your job duties
- Property costs for repairing or replacing your vehicle, clothing, electronics, or other possessions
- Pain and suffering, both physical and psychological
- Punitive damages, or fees charged to punish any negligent actor who may have caused the crash—these are funds that are then awarded to you
- Wrongful death expenses for funeral costs, lost earnings, and the loss of companionship
The best motorcycle accident lawyers are those with experience in achieving full compensation for their clients. We at D’Amico Law Offices, LLC, leave no stone unturned when fighting for our clients, whether that means batting insurance companies, holding other motorists accountable, or investigating defective product manufacturers or installers (like motorcycle companies and/or mechanics).
Contact The Motorcycle Accident Lawyers At D’Amico Law Offices
There are few tragedies more profound than the injuries caused by preventable accidents. So many motorcycle accidents could be prevented with safer drivers and proper safety standards. Whether your motorcycle crash was caused by faulty bike construction, unsafe roads, or the negligent actions of another driver, our law firm is here to help.
D’Amico Law Offices, LLC, is where the D’Amico family works together to serve our community and help our neighbors in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. By pursuing personal injury cases like motorcycle accident crashes, we work to secure our clients fair compensation, and incentivize better safety protocols for future riders.
If you need representation, call us as soon as you can at 412-906-8180, or fill out our online contact form to schedule your free, confidential consultation. Our family is ready to take your call, and possibly your case, so we can help improve your future.
Motorcycle Accident FAQs
What Are The Top Causes Of Motorcycle Accidents?
Just as with any other vehicular accident, the top causes of motorcycle accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence
- Hazardous weather conditions
- Reckless/aggressive driving
What Can A Lawyer Do If My Motorcycle Accident Was Caused By A Hit-And-Run Driver?
If another driver flees the scene of the accident before the police arrive, there may be no way to identify them or hold them accountable after the fact. What that means for your injury compensation is negotiating with your insurance company, including providing proof that the accident was someone else’s fault, and we have done our due diligence to ID them but cannot.
Having a lawyer by your side in these negotiations will help fight back against any intimidation tactics the insurance company may use. It also helps ensure that the company cannot lowball your settlement amount, as your attorney will help provide receipts for what your injuries have cost you in both economic and non-economic terms.
How Does A Motorcycle Accident Attorney Win A Lawsuit?
If there is another motorist at fault in your crash, a faulty mechanical issue with your motorcycle, or if a lawsuit is filed against a city for unsafe road construction/maintenance, the elements of proof are the same:
- Your lawyer will establish that a duty of care was owed by the other party to act safely and within the law;
- The attorney then provides evidence that the duty of care was breached, whether accidentally or intentionally;
- Next, we show a cause-and-effect relationship between the breach of duty and your injuries; and
- Finally, those injuries are described in financial terms upon which a court can decide.
Sometimes, with strong enough evidence, the other side will offer a settlement instead of disputing the lawsuit in a trial. This can help both parties save additional time and resources.
What Can I Do If My Loved One Was In A Fatal Motorcycle Crash?
If you’ve lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident, contact D'Amico Law Offices at 412-906-8180 to discuss filing a wrongful death lawsuit. These suits can help provide your family with vital financial support (especially if the deceased was your household’s main breadwinner), and a measure of justice to honor the departed’s memory.