Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Chatom
Part of being a motorcyclist is knowing that you are taking a risk every time you get onto the open road. While bikers have just as much right to the road as drivers, you wouldn’t know that by how drivers treat bikers. Not only are bikers more likely to become injured, their injuries are also more likely to be severe or fatal.
A motorcycle accident can change the entire course of your life. If someone else is responsible for your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation that can help you in your recuperation. To discuss your case in greater detail, call Turner, Onderdonk, Kimbrough, Howell, Huggins & Bradley at 251-847-2237 in Chatom.
Motorcyclists Are at More Risk Than Drivers
Unfortunately, motorcyclists are far more likely to be involved in a serious or fatal crash than car drivers are. Society would have us believe that it’s because bikers are inherent risk takers who have no care for the rules of the road, but in fact, most motorcyclists are extremely cautious on the road. They leave plenty of space between themselves and other motorists, follow the law, and do everything possible to minimize the risk of an accident.
Vehicle drivers, however, are not always quite as cautious around motorcyclists. Some simply don’t think about the fact that motorcyclists have less protection than them, so they don’t think to leave more space or follow from a greater distance. Others are irritated that bikers are on the road at all, so they intentionally get too close to aggravate motorcyclists or instigate a fight. This type of behavior leads to avoidable accidents all too often.
Common Causes of Chatom Motorcycle Accidents
Understanding the causes of motorcycle accidents makes it easier to figure out who is liable and who may be financially responsible for your injuries. Some common causes of collisions include:
- Drivers turning left in front of a motorcycle at an intersection
- Drivers hitting motorcycles while switching lanes, due to failure to check their blind spot
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Following a motorcyclist too closely and causing a rear-end crash
- Opening a door in front of a motorcyclist, causing them to be ejected from their bike
- Poor road conditions
- Unclear signage
- Vehicle malfunctions
As you’ll notice, many of these causes can be traced directly back to the aggressive or unsafe behavior of drivers. Whether or not a driver intentionally drives unsafely around a motorcycle, if they fail to leave a safe following distance or yield the right of way, they may still be liable for any injuries and damage they cause.
There are also situations in which a motorcyclist may share blame for a collision. For example, if a biker is weaving in and out of traffic and cuts someone off, they may be responsible if the vehicle strikes them.
Common Injuries
Motorcycles provide essentially no protection when compared to standard passenger vehicles, which means bikers can suffer a range of severe and fatal injuries in a crash. As a result, medical expenses are often considerably higher than they are in a crash involving two passenger vehicles. Injuries commonly reported after a motorcycle crash include:
- Cuts and lacerations
- Infections (resulting from road rash)
- Broken bones
- Facial injuries
- Burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (ranging from concussions that heal with minimal intervention to severe TBIs that leave victims permanently immobilized, unable to communicate, and dependent on others for their care)
As you can see, motorcycle accident injuries vary quite a bit in terms of severity and outcome. On top of that, many motorcyclists suffer mental trauma as the result of an accident. Those involved in severe accidents may struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and a significantly lower quality of life because of the accident.
The expenses associated with a motorcycle crash can be extraordinarily high, particularly when you consider that a serious accident might leave a biker temporarily or permanently unable to work. Getting full and fair compensation for serious injuries is an uphill battle, which is why it’s important to turn to an attorney as soon as possible after your crash.
How Our Team Can Help You
If you decide to seek compensation from the other party involved in your crash, you may not know how hard insurance companies work to prevent injured parties from getting a fair settlement. Insurance adjusters have one goal, and that is to boost their company’s profit margins by paying as little as possible for each accident claim. How do they achieve that?
They might trick you into admitting fault for the accident, convince you that the accident was your fault, downplay your injuries, or tell you that the amount they’re offering is more than fair. They might remind you that you’ll have to pay part of your settlement to an attorney if you choose to hire one, and since they won’t offer more than what they just offered you, you’d be losing money.
It’s all a ploy, and this is why you should already have an attorney before you even talk to the other party’s insurance company. Chances are extremely high that their first offer is for far lower than you should receive. In fact, it might not even be enough to cover your medical bills, much less all of the other expenses you’ve incurred because of their client’s actions. Until you bring an attorney in to fight for you, the chances of them offering anything resembling a fair settlement are very low.
When you choose our team, we’ll start by investigating your accident and getting to the truth of the matter. From there, we’ll be able to determine liability and assess how much your claim is worth. Once we have all the information we need, we’ll take it to the insurance company and start fighting for the compensation they owe you.
Most of the time, this results in a fair settlement outside of court. If they are completely unwilling to budge, we are ready to file a lawsuit and take them to court to get what you are due. This allows you to focus on healing and recuperating while we tackle your legal and financial needs.
Contact Us Today to Get Started
With our team on your side, you can feel confident that your motorcycle accident case is in good hands. Let’s set up a time to talk and make a plan. Give us a call at 251-847-2237 (Chatom) or fill out our online contact form to have someone from our team reach out to you.
