Riding a motorcycle is an exhilarating experience, but it is not without its risks. Motorcycle accidents can result in devastating injuries that can lead to significant financial losses for the victim. These not only include medical expenses, wages lost because the victim can’t work, and many others.
When you have suffered a severe injury due to a motorcycle accident caused by someone else, talk to a personal injury attorney with Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh as soon as you can. Our Miami motorcycle accident lawyers will investigate the accident, determine who was to blame, and then use that evidence to help you obtain full and fair compensation. We have helped clients not only in Miami, but all across the state of Florida. Put our skill and knowledge to work for you – just as so many others have through the years.
You can contact us online whenever you like to schedule a free consultation.
Florida is obviously an amazing state. It is even more amazing for those who choose to take it all in while on a motorcycle. The hard truth is, however, that far too many riders are either severely injured or killed each year. In fact, between 2016-2021, about 550 bikers died in accidents. Unfortunately, that is not the total number of deaths – that is the average.
These are just a few of the more common reasons motorcycle accidents take place.
Motorists who do this will often strike a motorcyclist who seems to come out of nowhere. Riders can be hard to see even in perfect conditions. When drivers only rely on their mirrors when making a lane change, they can easily cause an accident.
Motorcyclists are just as vulnerable to being seriously hurt on a city street as on a major highway. They will often slam into car doors when people are parked on the side of a street, and fail to look for oncoming traffic. This is commonly known as “dooring”.
Too many drivers are too laser-focused on getting where they need to go. They will drive far too fast as a result. When this happens, drivers cannot react in time to sudden changes, such as a motorcycle being nearby.
They also cannot react fast enough when they are under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
If a motorist is following a motorcycle too closely, they will likely slam into the back of the bike if the rider has to come to an abrupt stop.
An attorney in Miami could work to determine the cause of an accident and who is to blame.
Just like there are lots of different causes of motorcycle accidents, there are also lots of different kinds of injuries that can result.
For example, motorcyclists can be crushed by trucks, or pinned between cars in multi-vehicle accidents. Crush injuries are often fatal, as you can imagine. But even when they are not, they can cause such severe damage to arms and legs that amputation will be needed in order to save the victim’s life.
Another common injury among riders is road rash. When a motorcycle accident occurs, it is almost certain that the rider will be thrown from their bike. Even if they are wearing the proper protective gear, they can suffer severe cuts and abrasions as they skid across a roadway. This kind of accident can be so severe it presents a risk for disfigurement or life-threatening infection.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) also occurs far too often. The vast majority of riders are not required to wear a helmet in Florida. When they do not, and their head strikes the pavement, the resulting TBI can be debilitating. A Miami lawyer understands the costs of motorcycle crash injuries and will calculate an appropriate compensation amount.
If you have ridden for any period of time, you know all about biker stereotypes. Thanks largely to television and movies, riders get a bad rap – even though they do not deserve it. Riders are often portrayed as being reckless thrill-seekers who don’t even care about their own health, much less the safety of others. They have been portrayed that way since at least the 1950s, so the idea is ingrained in the minds of many – if not most – non-riders.
Unfortunately, motorcycle bias is a real thing. It is so prevalent, in fact, that it could actually hurt your case. Doctors will often assume that a motorcycle accident is the victim’s fault, and will often testify to that effect in court. Insurance companies will often use bias as an excuse to deny legitimate claims. Jury members, and even judges, will often fail to award riders what they deserve due to this bias.
But a knowledgeable Miami motorcycle wreck attorney can defeat the rider stereotype. They can, for instance, educate judges and juries about the different types of maneuvers that motorcyclists will often have to perform to be safe.
The only way to determine blame for a motorcycle wreck is a thorough investigation. Only an attorney in Miami with the experience and resources it takes can perform a motorcycle crash investigation. If you are a rider and you have been hurt, you are already playing on a field that will be slanted toward the at-fault driver – thanks to the motorcycle bias mentioned above. If you are going to have a realistic chance of getting what you have coming, you will need to enlist the help of a lawyer as soon as possible.
Another name for financial losses is damages. That is what the legal system uses to describe the different types of losses a victim may incur due to the negligence of another party. These include the medical bills and lost wages mentioned above, as well as more subjective damages, such as pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and others. When you and your Miami lawyer file a motorcycle accident lawsuit, you will be doing so in an effort to recover the damages you have experienced.
The Miami motorcycle accident lawyers with Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh are standing by to tell you more about how we may be able to help. Call for a free case review.
