Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

There are few things more freeing and fun than cruising the open road on your motorcycle. Conversely, when it comes to colliding with an automobile, there are few things more dangerous. Data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration confirms that motorcyclists are 27 more times likely than automobile passengers to die in a motor vehicle collision. Roughly 5,000 bikers die each year, many in accidents caused by automobile drivers.

Bikers who survive these collisions almost always sustain serious injuries, such as:

  • Broken bones. Bikers frequently are thrown from their vehicle at high speed, causing numerous fractures and broken bones.
  • Road rash. When your body hits the ground at high speed, the pavement, gravel and dirt can act like sandpaper, peeling away flesh and causing severe abrasions and cuts.
  • Spinal cord injuries. These can result in paralysis of the arms and legs.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Riders unwilling to wear helmets could expect serious head trauma and brain injuries.
  • Amputation. Injuries involving one’s extremities can end in amputation.

Accident victims are often forced to miss weeks or months of work, while accumulating medical, hospital and physical therapy bills totaling tens of thousands of dollars. How will they make ends meet?

Assessing Fault

If your accident was caused through no fault of your own, you should consider hiring a motorcycle accident attorney to help you receive the compensation you deserve. Before any compensation can be awarded, fault for the accident must be determined. Insurance companies often maintain unfair biases against motorcycle riders, which cause them to fight aggressively against victims’ claims and lawsuits.

Even so, drivers are required by law to show reasonable care when driving their vehicles. If it can be proven that they were negligent, they can be held liable. For example, was the driver distracted when the accident occurred, texting or talking with other passengers? Did the driver operate the vehicle in an unsafe manner, passing in a “No Passing” zone or running a red light? Was the driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol?

Why You Need a Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Proving driver negligence is not easy. Experienced attorneys often engage experts who can reconstruct the accident to determine how the accident occurred and to prevent insurers from placing undue blame on the motorcyclist. There are several options to consider when seeking compensation for your injuries, as an attorney, like a motorcycle accident lawyer from Sturgis, SD, at a firm such as the Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos and Sabers LLP, can explain.