Fort Lauderdale, FL Motorcycle Accidents Lawyers Offering Legal Help to Injured Victims Who Deserve Compensation
If you were involved in a motorcycle accident in Florida, you likely suffered severe injuries due to someone else’s carelessness behind the wheel. You should not have to pay the price for their reckless actions. You can’t take back the horrible accident that left you in pain, but you can pursue compensation from the person who caused it, ensuring you have the money to get the medical treatment and motorcycle repairs you need. If you’re interested in recovering damages after a motorcycle accident, now is the time to get legal help from an experienced motorcycle accident attorney.
At Milano Legal Group, PLLC, our motorcycle accident attorneys have handled many claims seeking rightful compensation for motorcycle accident victims. Our compassionate lawyers are well versed in personal injury law and know what steps to take to get you the maximum compensation after a devastating motorcycle crash. We’d be happy to offer you free consultation at your convenience so you can meet with our motorcycle accident lawyers to discuss your legal rights as a motorcyclist who was injured in a crash.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents?
Before getting started on your motorcycle accident claim, you should consider some reasons that the collision occurred. In the majority of car accidents involving motorcycle riders and passenger vehicles, the driver of the passenger vehicle is at least mostly to blame for the crash. More specifically, drivers can cause serious motorcycle accidents due to the following issues:
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Drowsy driving
- Tailgating
- Making unsafe lane changes
- Running stop signs and red lights
- Ignoring traffic signs
- Driving unsafely despite poor road conditions
- Failing to yield to oncoming traffic
- Driving a vehicle with defective parts
- Not taking precautions when driving in extreme weather
- Opening the car door when a motorcycle rider drives by
Most of the above are considered negligent behavior on the road, so if you think any of these actions led to your motorcycle accident, you should talk to a Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer to initiate a claim for compensation. Your lawyer will investigate the collision to determine the cause. In many cases, you’ll find that the driver of the motor vehicle didn’t see you. This is the reason behind many motorcycle accidents, especially when a motor vehicle fails to yield to oncoming motorcycle riders at intersections.
In other cases, there is evidence that the driver of the motor vehicle that hit you was negligent behind the wheel. For example, they might have been distracted as they scrolled through their cell phone, or they may have decided to drive while tired or impaired from alcohol. Regardless of the reason behind the motorcycle accident, the driver who caused it should be held liable for any expenses that the injured motorcyclists might have after the crash.
If the investigation finds that your actions on your motorcycle contributed to the collision, you may be found partly at fault. So, if there is evidence that you were speeding or didn’t yield to traffic, you could be partly to blame for the accident. Due to Florida law regarding comparative negligence, your financial compensation may be reduced depending on how much of the fault is yours. For instance, if you’re considered to be 20 percent at fault for the motorcycle crash, your compensation will be reduced by 20 percent. As long as you’re not more than 50 percent at fault, then you can still collect some compensation for the crash as an injured motorcyclist.
You will find out more about the compensation you can seek when you talk to a motorcycle accident attorney. At Milano Legal Group, PLLC, our motorcycle accident lawyers are knowledgeable about personal injury law, insurance claims, and Florida statutes relating to motorcycle crashes in this state. We also care about every client’s well-being and make it a personal mission to seek fair compensation as they recover from severe injuries. To learn how we can help with your motorcycle accident case, call our law firm today to schedule your free consultation with our legal team.
What Are Some Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
When you seek compensation after a crash, one of the main focuses will include getting sufficient funds to pay for your medical bills. This is because motorcycle accidents are known for causing many serious injuries for motorcyclists, some of which can be permanent or deadly. You should not have to pay for the hospital bills and ongoing medical care you will need after a serious car accident in Florida. The following are some common motorcycle accident injuries that tend to require extensive medical treatment for motorcyclists:
- Road rash
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Head injuries
- Burns
- Organ damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Nerve damage
No matter what motorcycle accident injury you’re suffering from, you should seek medical treatment immediately. Many of the injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents can quickly get worse or even become fatal if you don’t get emergency care. If you are worried about how to pay for your medical bills after a serious accident, you should talk to an experienced attorney as soon as you get the medical care you need. Your motorcycle accident claim will request money for all your medical expenses, including future medical bills if you need surgery, rehabilitation, or medication in the coming months or years.
Of course, requesting compensation for medical expenses is just the beginning. Most motorcycle accident claims also request compensation for property damage so accident victims can fix or replace their motorcycles without paying out of pocket. In addition, your motorcycle accident attorney can help you recover compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, emotional trauma, and any other damages that apply to your personal injury claim.
Some motorcycle accident injuries are deadly. If you lost a loved one due to a motorcycle accident in Florida, you can bring a wrongful death claim against the motor vehicle driver’s insurance company. This can help you recover damages for funeral and burial costs, medical expenses, pain and suffering lost wages, property damage, and more. You should not have to pay out of pocket to bury a loved one or pay off their medical bills after their sudden and unexpected death. You should be able to grieve without worrying about financial issues, which is why you should talk to an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer about bringing a wrongful death claim against the at-fault party when a deadly motorcycle accident occurs.
Motor vehicle accidents can be devastating for motorcyclists who are seriously injured or killed. Whether you’re an injured motorcyclist or you lost a family member who was hit by a car while riding a motorcycle, you should get legal counsel to recover damages. Depending on the circumstances of the crash, you can bring a wrongful death or personal injury claim against one or more insurance companies to get a settlement that will help you as you heal. Come to our law firm today to talk to caring, skilled motorcycle accident lawyers and get started on your case.
How Can You Prove Who Was at Fault for the Motorcycle Collision?
Motorcycle accident claims can help the injured party recover compensation for the bills they’re facing after the crash. However, successful claims are able to prove who caused the motor vehicle accident and what kind of damage their actions led to, which means you must gather the evidence before contacting the insurance company for compensation. Of course, when you hire a law firm to handle your claim, your motorcycle accident lawyer can complete the task of investigating the crash and gathering evidence. But you can help move the process along by taking a few simple steps right after the accident.
Call the Police
To start, you or a witness should call the police immediately after the crash. This will allow you to fill out a police report where you can provide a detailed description of what led to the crash. If you need immediate medical attention first, then you can take an ambulance to the hospital, and the police and anyone else involved in the accident will handle the police report if necessary.
If you’re not sure why police reports are so vital to motorcycle accident cases, it’s because they contain a lot of information about what happened. They usually list the name, contact information, driver’s license number, and insurance information of everyone involved in a motorcycle crash. They also state the date, time, and place where the crash occurred, as well as contact information for any witnesses who saw the accident happen. They can report which drivers got citations after the crash, and they usually feature a description and sketch of how the accident occurred. All of this information can help determine who was at fault for the motorcycle accident, which will assist the motorcycle accident victim when they seek compensation from the insurance company.
Get Medical Help
It’s critical for you to get medical treatment as soon as possible. If you’re bleeding profusely, have head and neck injuries, or suffer from any other injuries that could be life-threatening, you should request an ambulance to the emergency room when you call the police.
If you have minor injuries, you might not need immediate medical care, but you shouldn’t wait too long to get an exam. It’s a good idea to see a doctor within a few days of the motorcycle accident. You might have injuries that will appear weeks after the crash, and the longer you wait to get medical care, the worse they could get. Plus, if you plan to seek compensation for medical expenses, you’ll need evidence of your injuries via medical records that show you sought treatment soon after the accident. This is why it’s a good idea to call your doctor to make an appointment as soon as you get home from the crash.
Take Pictures of the Accident Scene
As you wait for the police to arrive, you should use your cell phone to take pictures and videos of the accident scene. The more images and videos you have, the better, as they can help you and your motorcycle accident lawyer prove who caused the crash and how much damage there was. You never know what detail will help motorcycle accident cases like yours, so you should take pictures and videos of the following:
- Your injuries
- Damage to your motorcycle
- Damage to the other vehicles involved
- Debris on the road
- Any marks on the road
- Traffic signs and signals nearby
- Lighting in the area
- Evidence of what the weather was like
Before you hire motorcycle accident attorneys for your case, let them know about the video and picture evidence you have. Depending on what you were able to document after the car accident, your images and videos may affect the way your motorcycle accident lawyer approaches the case and the amount of compensation you can request as a wounded motorcyclist.
Keep Records During Recovery
As you start to heal from the accident that occurred when you were riding a motorcycle in Florida, you should think about how you can strengthen your claim against the insurance company. One way is to keep good records of important details during your recovery. If you’ve already contacted a law firm and hired a lawyer, your legal team will let you know what details to keep track of and how to do it.
If you’re still considering your legal options and haven’t hired a law firm yet, you can get started on keeping detailed records in case you decide to file a lawsuit or make a claim against the insurance companies of any at-fault parties who share liability. First, start a journal where you make a daily update on how your recovery is going. Motorcyclists who want a fair settlement will have to show the severity of their injuries, so if you’re in constant pain or have a full schedule of doctor appointments to go to, write down these details in your journal. Make it clear that your injuries seriously affect your routine if you want a better chance of getting a fair settlement at the end of your case.
You should also keep track of any bills you have from the crash. This should include bills from the hospital, urgent care, doctor’s office, or the physical therapy office. You may have already paid these bills, but you have a good chance of being reimbursed for them when you get your settlement, so keep track of the bills you have paid. If you will have additional medical expenses in the future, gather any documents that state this, as well. This way, your settlement can include funds for your future medical needs.
Most motorcyclists will need to make repairs or even buy a new motorcycle or car after a serious crash, so record these expenses, as well. Your attorney can use these to request compensation for property damage. Finally, if you had to miss a lot of work to recover after the crash, you should gather your last few paystubs so your lawyer can provide proof of lost wages during recovery. Having all these documents in one folder can make it easy to keep track of all the details that your motorcycle accident attorney will request before starting your personal injury insurance claim or lawsuit.
What Can a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Do for Your Case?
If you’re not sure if there’s a difference between making a claim with the insurance company directly or hiring a lawyer to help you, it’s important to learn why the latter option is usually better for most motorcyclists healing from a devastating accident. Here’s what a lawyer can do for you after a crash.
Talk to the Insurance Company
First, you should keep in mind that insurance companies have no reason to give you the compensation you deserve. Every dollar they send you comes out of their pocket as a business, so they have the motivation to give you the least amount possible. As a result, if you contact them on your own and tell them what happened, there’s a chance they will reject your claim outright or at least request more information while hoping you give up as time passes.
If they do accept your claim, they will likely calculate your compensation and give you an offer that they’re hoping you will accept. This offer will likely barely cover your medical expenses and motorcycle repairs. If you’re hoping for funds for pain and suffering, future medical care, emotional distress, etc., you will likely be disappointed until you hire a lawyer to fight for you to get these damages. This is one reason you should let a Florida law firm take on your claim, as they have a better chance of getting the results you’re looking for.
Collect Evidence
You can collect a lot of evidence on your own, from pictures of the crash scene to bills related to the accident. But legal professionals can gather evidence that’s not as easy for you to get. This can include eyewitness statements, traffic camera footage, police reports, interviews with police, and medical records from a variety of doctors.
It can take time to collect this evidence, and you have to know what you’re looking for first, so it’s easier to let lawyers do this work for you. This is especially the case if you’re still healing from serious injuries. Your time is better spent resting at home, going to doctor appointments, and working on replacing or repairing your motorcycle.
File a Lawsuit
Insurance disputes are somewhat common after serious auto accidents. While lawyers can usually resolve them and settle them out of court, sometimes insurance companies aren’t willing to compromise so you can get the settlement you deserve as a motorcyclist who was injured in an accident. This is why you need a Florida, personal injury attorney on your side.
An experienced attorney can bring a lawsuit against the at-fault driver’s insurance provider or against the driver if they don’t have insurance. Either way, this isn’t something you can easily do on your own. You need the assistance of a lawyer who has handled and won cases like yours if you want the best chance of a settlement that pays for all your expenses and more. Lawsuits can take months of preparation to gather evidence, and they involve lots of paperwork and deadlines along the way. Let a legal professional with years of experience take on this job while you spend your time recovering.
Fortunately, you have access to a team of motorcycle accident lawyers in Florida. At Milano Legal Group, PLLC, our attorneys have successfully handled numerous claims involving semi-trucks, passenger cars, motorcycles, and other motor vehicles. No matter what led to your crash, we’re here to help you seek compensation from the at-fault party. Contact our law firm today at 855-545-1777 to schedule an initial consultation with our caring, skilled team.