Out of everyone on the roads, motorcyclists are those who are most at risk for serious injury. A motorcycle offers less protection to its driver than a car or truck, and it may go unnoticed by less attentive motorists. High-speed crashes can result in very severe injuries or death, and in many cases, these accidents are not the motorcyclist’s fault.
Because of the severity of these types of accidents, injured motorcyclists will have a more difficult time recovering from damages. This makes an attorney absolutely vital to receiving adequate compensation.
Severity of Injuries
Since there is less protection for the motorcyclist in a collision, their injuries can be highly severe. Common motorcycle injuries include:
- Head and brain trauma
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Paralysis
- Bone fractures
- Lacerations
- Lost limbs
- Damage to internal organs
These injuries not only severely impact your way of life, but they also mean costly recovery. Medical bills lost time at work, and permanent disability will all take their toll, so it’s vital that you recover adequate damages to cover those costs.
Motorcycle Accidents on the Rise
In addition to the severity of these accidents, statistics show that motorcycle crashes are becoming more frequent in recent years. Motorcycle fatalities in 2015, for instance, totaled 144, which was 24% higher than the previous year. These accidents frequently result from the following factors:
- Poor alertness, especially when turning
- Speeding
- Poor gauging of speed or distance
- Failure to yield
- Driving while intoxicated
These causes are frequently on the part of other drivers, not the motorcyclist, which means the victims of these crashes are not at fault and are therefore due compensation.
Opposition of Insurance Companies
Given the high incidence of motorcycle crashes and their levels of severity, they constitute a high cost to those involved. Ultimately, it’s insurance companies that pay out for them, so they are going to try to keep those costs down as much as possible.
This means that if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, the insurance company will do all that it can to get you to settle for less than your case is worth. They may try to downplay the severity of your injury or deny certain types of damages based on various technicalities. They may even try to claim that you were partially at fault for the accident in an effort to diminish or deny coverage altogether.
When in this situation, it is vital to have adequate legal representation.
Hiring a Motorcycle Accident Attorney
A motorcycle accident attorney can provide you with the solid representation you need when dealing with the insurance company. Your lawyer will help you know your rights and provide guidance on what you should and should not do. In addition, they place legal pressure on the insurance company—they will know that a courtroom lawsuit is a very real possibility, so they’ll be more likely to settle for a far more generous amount.
When hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer, you need someone with experience and a thorough knowledge of the law. Hart David Carson LLP can provide you with highly competent legal representation when seeking damages for a motorcycle crash.