Recovery should be your goal after a motorcycle accident. When you set your sights on recovery, you should consider: 1) Your physical recovery, 2) Your psychological and emotional recovery, and 3) Your financial recovery.
To start your physical recovery, get a thorough medical evaluation. For your psychological and emotional recovery, consider seeing a mental health professional. If you want to recover financially, hire a motorcycle accident lawyer to lead the fight for the money you deserve. A skilled injury attorney can connect you with the medical experts you need while handling the legal process of your case.
Steps You Can’t Afford to Skip After a Motorcycle Accident
Each rider experiences something different when they’re in an accident. Some get up and walk after their accident, while others lose consciousness. Some see their bike totaled, while others seemingly don’t suffer a scratch.
Regardless of how your accident unfolded, it is smart to:
Tell a Doctor What Has Happened to You (and Get Precise Diagnoses)
Motorcyclists are 24 times more likely to die than motor vehicle occupants, in part because they have little protection from serious injury. Head injuries are of particular concern, and everyone involved in a motorcycle collision should:
- See a qualified doctor known for taking their time with patients
- Explain to the doctor exactly what happened during the accident
- Undergo a physical examination
- Ask their doctor if medical imaging or any other diagnostic services are necessary
You should receive a precise diagnosis for any symptoms and injuries you’re experiencing after the accident. Your doctor should also provide clear instructions to start your healing and prevent the worsening of your symptoms.
Hire Your Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
You will see an immediate benefit from hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer, as your attorney will:
- Take over all communications with those involved in your case, including insurance companies
- Secure all evidence related to your motorcycle accident (this is critical, as video footage and other important evidence may become unavailable shortly after the collision)
- Ensure that no insurance company or other party can mislead you, convince you to accept a lowball settlement, or cause other adverse actions
Considering that many traffic accident survivors grapple with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a lawyer’s help cannot come soon enough.
Seek Mental Health Services
Keep in mind that getting medical care, hiring a lawyer, and seeking mental health treatment are similarly important priorities. Each of these are time sensitive, so you should always complete each of these steps as soon as you can.
It is important for motorcycle accident victims to get mental health services for several reasons, including to document the effects of the accident. If necessary, your attorney can refer you to a mental health service provider, and they will ensure you receive the evaluations and treatments you need.
Let Your Lawyer Take the Reins
Once you have hired a lawyer and sought help for physical injuries and psychological trauma, let your lawyer take the lead. You should:
- Continue to get the treatment you need (and follow your doctor’s instructions)
- Protect yourself from stress and other hazards to your psychological and emotional health
- Trust your lawyer’s advice, wait for their updates (which should come regularly), and take any action your lawyer advises you to
When you’ve been through an event as traumatic as a motorcycle accident, your immediate goal should be to make life easier. Hiring an attorney is one of the clearest ways to accomplish that goal.
Why Is Hiring a Lawyer Such a Logical Move After a Motorcycle Collision?
As an injured rider, you may only need one good reason to hire a lawyer. In truth, there are many compelling reasons to retain a motorcycle accident attorney, which include:
Attorneys Provide Full Service
A motorcycle accident claim or lawsuit is a necessary and potentially financially rewarding undertaking. Yet, completing a claim or lawsuit:
- Is time-consuming
- Can be immensely stressful
- Requires prolonged focus and attention
Those who suffer injuries and psychological distress during a motorcycle accident are not typically well-suited to handle an insurance claim, let alone a lawsuit. Your attorney will eagerly accept every case-related duty, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Law Firms Cover Their Clients’ Case Costs
Motorcycle accident lawyers do not ask clients for upfront payment, nor do they bill by the hour. Instead, your lawyer will use a contingency fee arrangement that means:
- A motorcycle accident lawyer’s firm will pay for filing costs, transportation costs, expert fees, and other expenses required to complete your personal injury case
- The law firm will aim to recover their expenses by securing a fair financial recovery for you (and receiving an agreed-upon percentage of the recovery)
This agreement also means that your attorney will only be paid if they provide a positive financial outcome for you. This may increase your confidence that hiring a lawyer can lead to the settlement or verdict you deserve.
Lawyers Have Experience Securing Fair Compensation for Injured Riders
When you have a significant financial recovery on the line, hire someone who has been there before. A lawyer’s prior experience representing injured riders will:
- Familiarize them with the bad-faith tactics insurance companies and civil defense lawyers may use against you
- Allow them to efficiently create a personalized case strategy, as they will be familiar with strategies that can be successful in cases like yours
- Give your attorney confidence that may benefit your case, as their past successful cases serve as proof that they can win for you
Experienced personal injury lawyers also know the types of injuries and damages that often result from collisions like yours.
Attorneys Don’t Back Down from Insurance Companies (In Fact, They Often Have Leverage)
Attorneys and insurance representatives often find themselves on opposite sides of the negotiating table. Your motorcycle accident lawyer should be calm and unintimidated when negotiating with insurance companies, as they will:
- Have prior experience dealing with, and negotiating with, insurers
- Present settlement demands supported by hard facts, such as evidence of fault and documentation of your damages
- Know that they can file a lawsuit if the insurance company does not offer fair compensation for the cost of your motorcycle accident
The option of filing a lawsuit is critical during settlement negotiations. Insurance companies may not want to risk losing in court, and this may motivate them to offer the settlement you deserve.
Let a Lawyer Build a Strong Case Step by Step (While You Get Better)
Riders just ride. They don’t typically think about what will happen if they’re in an accident—or how much effort it will take to obtain fair compensation for medical expenses and other accident-related losses.
You can understand the immense value of hiring a lawyer when you recognize that motorcycle accident attorneys typically:
Pinpointing Those Who Caused Your Accident
Motor vehicle drivers often fail to see riders in their blind spots. Your attorney will consider that a motor vehicle driver can be responsible for your accident, but they will also:
- Secure and review any video footage of the accident
- Review existing witness accounts and obtain fresh accounts if necessary
- Review the police report from the accident
- Take or review photographs of damage to your bike and any other vehicles involved in the collision
- Consider all other relevant evidence from the motorcycle accident
Your lawyer will use any useful evidence as they prepare to present settlement negotiations. If your case goes to trial, evidence can be particularly critical to your case’s success.
Establishing Financial Fault for Your Damages
Those who cause a motorcycle accident are not always the same ones who end up paying the injured rider. Your attorney will seek fair compensation from any insurance company, motorist, or other party with financial responsibility for your damages.
Documenting and Calculating Your Damages
Generally, anyone who is in a motorcycle accident will suffer harm. It’s your lawyer’s duty to document in vivid detail the nature and cost of the harm as well as the proof of fault. Some means of documentation may include:
- Medical records, which can include images and photographs of injuries, doctors’ written diagnoses, and medical bills
- Your own testimony, which may describe your physical pain, emotional anguish, psychological distress, and financial insecurity
- Bills related to property damage, which may include invoices for vehicle repairs and bills for a vehicle rental (or ridesharing services or taxis)
- Bank and employment records, which can show the precise cost of lost income and other professional harm resulting from the motorcycle accident
- Expert testimony, which may include a mental health expert’s diagnosis of pain and suffering, an economist’s evaluation of your professional damages, and doctors’ testimony about your injuries and treatment costs
Attorneys understand how to illustrate their clients’ damages, and that’s precisely what your lawyer will do for you.
Presenting Settlement Demands to Liable Parties and Negotiating If They Won’t Meet the Initial Demands
Evidence of fault and documentation of your damages will be the bedrock of your client’s case. Their calculation of your damages will also be critically important.
Once your lawyer has composed these elements of your case, they can present their settlement demands to insurance companies or other liable parties. Your legal team may complete several rounds of negotiations, and they will either receive a fair offer or speak with you about filing a lawsuit.
A Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Allows You to Pursue a Lawsuit, and Will Go to Trial if Needed
If you had to file a lawsuit tomorrow, could you? If you can manage to file that suit, will you be able to complete it? Can you win at trial?
For most motorcycle accident victims, the answer to these questions is “no”. Even if you were healthy and uninjured, it can be difficult, time-consuming, and stressful for you to learn the legal process and complete that process successfully. Injuries and psychological trauma will make the process even more challenging.
When you hire a motorcycle accident lawyer, you:
- Immediately become eligible to file a lawsuit
- Are working with someone who has the knowledge and experience to tackle lawsuits
- May have a stronger case because the ability to file a lawsuit gives your lawyer leverage when negotiating with insurance companies
It’s certainly not a given that you will file a lawsuit or go to trial after your motorcycle accident—the vast majority of civil cases settle. If your case requires it, your attorney will:
- Keep you abreast of settlement negotiations, explaining whether they are making progress (or, instead, whether liable parties are making negotiations difficult)
- Review all settlement offers with you, helping you understand whether the offers are fair
- Help you decide whether to file a lawsuit
- File the lawsuit and notify the defendants named in the suit
- Continue seeking a settlement even after filing the lawsuit
- Represent you in court, if you and your lawyer mutually decide to go to trial
Trial is even less common than lawsuits, as the parties involved are often able to reach a settlement agreement before trial starts. However, a serious motorcycle accident may lead to a trial, as you may deserve a large financial recovery that liable parties aren’t willing to offer.
Motorcycle Accidents Cause Unusually Expensive Damages (That You Deserve Fair Compensation For)
Riders’ vulnerability to serious injury means that motorcycle accident cases often involve severe damages. Your lawyer’s settlement demands may include:
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Mental health treatment costs
- Professional harm
- Permanent disability
Disabling injuries can require long-term care, changes to your home, a new vehicle, and many other items and services. Your attorney will put together a personalized accounting of your damages and present their demands to liable parties.
Let an Attorney Represent You After a Wrongful Death
Motorcyclist deaths have been on an upward trajectory in recent years. If you have lost a loved one from fatal accident-related injuries, you may benefit immensely from a lawyer’s help. Your attorney will represent you compassionately while tenaciously fighting for the justice you and your other affected loved ones deserve.
Hire Your Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
You may not fully realize the value of a motorcycle accident lawyer until your case is complete. Don’t wait to hire your personal injury attorney, and let them begin building your case.