Motorcyclists face unique risks while on the road. Fatalities are significantly more common than other motor vehicle accidents, and injuries are often more severe. Without the enclosure of a car or truck, there is little protection for your body while on a motorcycle. As such, these accidents often result in severe injuries, temporary or permanent disability, and even death.
Defensive riding is perhaps the best strategy to avoid catastrophic outcomes; even so, you can’t control how other people behave on the road.If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, it is in your best interest to consult with a League City motorcycle accident lawyer immediately.At Burwell Nebout Trial Lawyers, we have helped countless motorcycle accident victims get the justice—and compensation—they deserve. Our highly skilled and experienced legal team will evaluate your case to determine the most appropriate legal strategy for moving forward. Contact us today at(281) 645-5000 for a free and confidential consultation about your case.
Motorcycle crashes can occur for many reasons, and even among riders with years of experience. Some of the most common types of motorcycle accidents include:
As discussed above, due to the lack of physical protection surrounding motorcyclists and the vehicle’s small size compared to other vehicles on the road, motorcycle riders have a much greater risk of injury than their passenger vehicle counterparts. Some of the most common injuries suffered in motorcycle crashes include:
The moments following a motorcycle accident are critical to the outcome of a personal injury case. Most of the rules for auto accidents apply to motorcycle accidents as well.
If you are conscious and able, do:
Regardless of the circumstances, you should never:
Many people who feel fine after an accident contact their insurance company right away to get the paperwork over with. Once that report has been submitted, the insurance company will use it to determine fault and calculate how much they should pay out. Unfortunately, some injuries such as closed head injuries and spinal injuries may not produce symptoms for days or weeks after the accident. It is extremely difficult to make changes to your report at a later date. To be safe, consult with a League City motorcycle accident lawyer if you’ve been injured.
Texas is an “at-fault” state, which essentially means that the party found at fault for the accident will pay damages to the injured parties. For this reason, insurance companies will not pay money until they have determined who was at fault in an accident.
But while this investigation is underway, the injury victim’s expenses can be piling up—medical bills, lost wages, and property damage can all take a serious financial toll. That’s why it’s so important to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Your League City motorcycle accident lawyer can ensure that the investigation is completed in a timely manner and that you are positioned for the most favorable outcome possible.
Never forget that insurance companies are, first and foremost, businesses, and businesses seek to protect their bottom line—making the most money while paying the least expenses. Therefore, an insurance company’s initial settlement offer is almost always going to be significantly less than what you deserve.
As such, it’s essential to work with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer who can help you recover the maximum compensation available to you. At Burwell Nebout, we always strive to avoid going to court, but if a reasonable settlement cannot be reached, we are prepared to take your case to trial and fight to get you the full compensation you deserve.
The money sought in lawsuits is intended to make up for the damage caused by the defendant. As such, the amount you ask for is referred to as “damages.”There are two primary kinds of potential damages in a motorcycle accident case—economic and non-economic.
Monetary costs almost always accompany personal injuries. You can sue the at-fault party for damages to cover the expense of medical bills and treatments for your injuries, wages you lost while incapacitated and unable to work, and vehicle repairs.
Non-economic damages are still assigned a dollar value, but that value can prove more difficult to calculate. These damages are a result of intangible harms that often accompany personal injury or wrongful death cases. The most common type of non-economic damage is pain and suffering, mental anguish, impairment and disfigurement. It can also include trauma related to surviving a serious accident.
In wrongful death cases, a person who loses their spouse in an accident can seek damages for loss of consortium, which is the loss of companionship, affection, and comfort that a life partner provides. A plaintiff can also seek loss of consortium in a personal injury case.
For example, if a motorcycle accident leaves someone paralyzed from the waist down and they can no longer engage in sexual activity with their spouse, they may seek loss of consortium damages.
Because non-economic damages are highly subjective in nature, their monetary value can be challenging to assess, and many defendants will contest the alleged value in court.
A qualified personal injury attorney will understand how to value the non-economic damages in order to maximize the recovery. When an unqualified attorney seeks excessive non-economic damages, this can subsequently draw the case out longer and cause significant emotional distress to the plaintiff. This is why it is so important to work with a skilled League City injury lawyer who can accurately calculate both economic and non-economic damages from the start.
In Texas, you have two years from the time of the motorcycle accident to file a personal injury claim. Once that two-year window closes, you will likely lose the ability to recover damages. This period of time is known as the statute of limitations.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you have plenty of time to file. Waiting until the last minute can severely weaken your case. Waiting too long to file your case will result in a longer period of time to resolve the case and may result in you failing to properly identify all parties responsible for your injuries.
Following any type of accident, a personal injury lawyer can help you obtain the justice and compensation you deserve so that you can focus on healing. From dealing with aggressive insurance companies to negotiating for the maximum settlement amount, an experienced League City injury lawyer is your greatest advocate.
Your attorney can speak to your insurance company on your behalf when filing a claim. This protects you from unknowingly saying something to the adjuster that weakens your claim or somehow assumes fault.
Believe it or not, for insurance reasons, many doctors will not see patients who are involved in a motorcycle accident. An experienced lawyer will also know reputable doctors and clinics that will agree to treat you and will steer you away from “pain mills,” clinics notorious for using up insurance money while providing substandard treatment.