Motorcycle Accident Injury Lawyers with a Track Record of Success
After a motorcycle accident, you could have a severe physical injury, emotional trauma, and a wrecked bike. If another party caused the accident, you should receive compensation for your medical expenses, property damage, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
The sooner you reach out to a Texas motorcycle accident lawyer, the better your chances for a successful outcome. Your attorney will be able to build a better case when your memory and accident evidence is fresh.
Continue reading to learn everything you should know about motorcycle accident attorneys and motorcycle accidents. Then, contact The Francis Firm if you have questions.
Why Should I Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
Motorcyclists are five times more likely to be hurt in crashes than car occupants. Motorcycle crashes often involve traumatic brain injuries, spine injuries, internal organ damage, and more. As a result, you may not be able to go back to work for months. Others may even be paralyzed and disabled for life.
If you were seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, you need a motorcycle accident attorney to fight for your rights. An experienced attorney will help you get the expert medical care you need and negotiate aggressively with the insurance company, so you have the money necessary to recover.
An attorney will also consult with life planners to devise estimates of your treatment needs and living costs in the future. It’s critical to consider medical expenses and lost wages far into the future if you have a severe injury.
If necessary, your attorney will take the case to court if the insurance company won’t settle. A motorcycle injury attorney can also negotiate with your health insurance company to reduce your debt.
Motorcycle Accident Injury Claims
People with a severe motorcycle injury need to claim with the liable driver’s insurance company. However, having your personal injury attorney handle the insurance adjuster is always best. Insurance companies prefer to talk to injury victims because they will usually take far less money than they deserve. In addition, the motorcycle accident attorney has a better idea of what your case is worth.
Valuing a motorcycle accident injury claim means thinking about liability and damages. If liability cannot be proven, the case has less value. You must verify that someone was negligent.
Damages involve the injuries and associated losses you had connected to the motorcycle accident. The worse your injuries, the more money you may receive.
You may not receive significant compensation, even with severe injuries if liability cannot be proven. Your personal injury attorney needs to show someone else is liable for your injuries and damages.
Settlement Value And Trial Value
When an attorney values a motorcycle crash claim, there are two things to consider: settlement value and trial value. Your case’s settlement value is what you can reasonably hope to get in a settlement. This value is much lower than the accident trial value. A personal injury claim is settled because both sides want to avoid the chances of losing in an expensive trial.
For example, if the motorcycle accident claim goes to court, it could be worth $200,000. But, there is only a 20% chance you will win. Imagine if you have serious injuries, can’t work for months, and lose at trial! That’s why you may want to settle the case without a trial. Your attorney might settle the case for $40,000, or 20% of the trial value.
You and your attorney need to determine how badly you need money. It may be worth settling if you’re desperate to survive financially. On the other hand, if you can wait and take a chance, it could be wise to go to trial.
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Motorcycle accidents usually involve injuries to these areas:
Lower Extremities
Bikers often suffer severe leg and foot injuries because their legs are exposed. For example, a bike weighing 500 pounds in a crash can fall on one or both legs and cause severe injuries. Other vulnerable parts of the legs are the knees, calves, and ankles. Most of these injuries are not deadly but can lead to months or years of disability.
If you break a leg in an accident, you may need implanted pins, screws, and rods. Several surgeries may be required and months of physical therapy. Bikers are often left with a pronounced limp.
Road rash also can tear the skin of the lower legs. If the rash is bad enough, it can lead to infections, scarring, and nerve damage.
Upper Extremities
Many bikers are thrown during the accident. This causes them to break the fall with their arms. As a result, motorcyclists may suffer hand injuries, torn rotator cuff, and elbow injuries. In addition, some bikers have permanent nerve damage in the upper body and arms.
Thorax
The upper trunk or thorax contains the lungs, heart, and other critical organs under the ribs. Severe trauma to the chest can cause severe internal bleeding and organ damage. Many accident victims have broken ribs. This injury can rupture a critical organ, such as the liver, kidney, or spleen.
The lungs are especially vulnerable in a motorcycle accident and can collapse or become bruised. Some bikers also can suffer a torn aorta, which is often fatal.
Head
Head injuries are among the most severe motorcycle accident injuries. These injuries can cause permanent mental and physical disabilities. In the worst case, a motorcycle head injury is fatal.
Motorcyclists are not required to wear helmets in Texas. That is too bad because wearing a DOT-approved helmet can significantly reduce the chances of severe injury or death.
Face And Neck
Bikers in accidents also are at risk of face and neck injuries. Many victims suffer broken noses, teeth, and jawbones. Many also may have severe scarring and emotional trauma. In addition, some accidents involve whiplash, where the head is pulled back and forth by the force of the accident.
These accidents can damage the neck's ligaments, muscles, bones, and nerves. As a result, you may have trouble controlling your neck and head movement for months or even permanently. In addition, a severe neck injury can cause spinal cord damage.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents happen suddenly and can cause catastrophic injury or death. For example, motorcyclists are 25 times more likely to die in a crash than people in passenger vehicles.
Many things can cause motorcycle accidents, including negligence by the rider. However, many motorcycle mishaps are caused by other drivers:
Inability To See Motorcycle
The number one reason for motorcycle accidents in the country is the failure of other drivers to see the biker. Motorcycles are small, so it is challenging for even alert drivers to see them.
Many drivers struggle to see motorcyclists because of road glare or an obstruction in the road. Or, the driver simply may not be paying attention. Many drivers are only looking for other cars and trucks, not motorcycles and bikes.
Visibility issues cause many motorcycle accidents at intersections. If you are riding through a busy intersection, slow down and keep watch. People get in a hurry and may not see your bike until it’s too late.
Cars Turning In Front Of The Motorcycle
This is another common and deadly type of motorcycle accident. One study says left-hand turn crashes comprise 42% of motorcycle accidents.
A typical scenario is the motorcyclist is going straight, but the driver doesn’t see them and turns left in front of the bike. Motorcycles are smaller and less visible than cars. Even if the biker has his light on and it’s broad daylight, left-hand turn crashes happen daily.
Occasionally, the motorcyclist will be faulted for speeding or being in the wrong lane. But the crashes are usually the other driver’s fault.
Dangerous Road Conditions
Motorcyclists are vulnerable to hazardous road conditions. Slippery asphalt, ice, snow, gravel, rocks, and other obstacles can cause a serious motorcycle accident. If a road defect causes the accident, the motorcycle injury attorney may sue the local government or road contractor.
Head-On Crashes
Accidents between cars and motorcycles comprise about 55% of fatal bike accidents. Approximately 78% of these incidents are head-on crashes. Most head-on crashes are deadly for motorcyclists.
Depending on the circumstances, the rider can be thrown dozens of feet into the ground. Or, they could be crushed by the oncoming vehicle. Unfortunately, most head-on crashes are high-speed, so your chances of surviving are minimal.
Lane Splitting
Lane splitting means the biker is riding between two car lanes. This happens most often during traffic jams. However, lane splitting can cause serious accidents because they are so close to other vehicles. Also, most drivers don’t expect motorcyclists to weave between them in traffic.
One might think the motorcyclist would be liable for lane-splitting crashes. But it depends on state law. For example, lane splitting is currently illegal in Texas.
Were You In A Motorcycle Accident? Contact One Of Our Personal Injury Lawyers Today
If you were in a motorcycle accident in Dallas or Fort Worth, you might not know what to do. Knowing where to turn between pain, medical bills, and lost wages can be hard. But there is help available. Please contact The Francis Firm Texas personal injury attorneys today for a complimentary case review.