When motorcycle riders drive their bike and head down the highway, they are fully aware of their vulnerability. When drivers are not looking for motorcycles, they can cause serious accidents. If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, an experienced motorcycle accident injury lawyer at Mezrano Law Firm is here to hold those responsible for your injuries accountable.
Because motorcycles are smaller and nimbler than other vehicles on the road, drivers often fail to see them, which is part of why motorcycle accidents occur. Other factors that contribute to motorcycle wrecks include:
Alcohol use by the motorcycle rider. The NHTSA reports that 37% of motorcycle riders killed in single-vehicle crashes were impaired by alcohol.
Drive Safe Alabama reports that in 2016, there were 1,828 motorcycle accidents in Alabama, resulting in 1,297 injuries and 114 deaths. Motorcycle accidents often result in severe injuries for the rider. Typical motorcycle injuries might include:
TBI can cause permanent disability requiring ongoing medical care for the injured person. A severe TBI is a significant cause of death in motorcycle riders. According to the NHTSA, wearing a helmet can reduce the rider's chance of a fatal injury by 29 percent.
An SCI can leave the motorcycle rider paralyzed and with other devastating long-term injuries that destroy their health and quality of life.
Broken Bones are typical motorcycle accidents because the body is unprotected from impact with another vehicle or roadway.
Facial injuries often occur, but these could be prevented or diminished by using a DOT-approved helmet.
Burns can occur if a gas tank ruptures and a spark ignites the fuel, starting a fire.
Road rash from skin scraping on the pavement.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that motorcyclist fatalities occurred nearly 28 times more frequently than passenger car occupant fatalities in traffic crashes in 2016. In 37% of those crashes, the other driver was impaired by alcohol.
However, the overwhelming majority of fatal Alabama motorcycle accidents were related to rider error. According to Drive Safe Alabama, 75% of all fatal motorcycle wrecks in Alabama were caused by motorcycle riders.
Yes. Alabama has a universal helmet law, which requires all riders, regardless of age, to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle on public roads. The helmet must meet Department of Transportation (DOT) safety standards and fit correctly. Helmets are designed to protect the head in a severe crash. Alabama law requires riders to wear a helmet if a person is involved in an accident and was not wearing a helmet, they may find it challenging to recover compensation even if they were not at fault in the crash.
This is because Alabama follows the pure contributory negligence rule, which means that any negligent action on the part of the injured person can bar their ability to recover damages even if they have just one percent fault. (John R. Cowley & Bros., Inc. v. Brown)
The NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,859 motorcyclists' lives in 2016 and that about 802 more lives might have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets.
After you sustain injuries in a motorcycle accident caused by another driver's negligence, their insurance company is supposed to pay for your damages. Shortly after your accident, the insurance company may approach you with a check that might seem substantial, but there is no way to know the total settlement value of your case in the beginning.
So, if you took their check, thinking that it would be far more than you would need to cover your losses, it turns out that one of your injuries doesn't heal properly, and you are left partially disabled with ongoing medical bills.
Your best course of action is to schedule a free consultation so that you can discuss your case and the lawyer can offer their opinion about whether it is worth pursuing.
Every motorcycle injury case is different, so there is no average settlement amount for any injury, and there is no way to know what your case could be worth in the beginning. What is the same for accident cases is the factors that the insurance companies, judges, and juries will use to determine the value of your claim.
The financial compensation you receive if your case is successful is supposed to make you whole--as if the injury never happened from a financial perspective. You will also likely receive some damages for the non-economic losses, such as your pain, suffering, and emotional distress caused by the injury.
The factors that will be used to value your motorcycle accident injury case include:
Most cases are settled before a case goes to court because the insurance company does not want to take its chances that a jury will award high damages. Having an experienced Alabama motorcycle accident lawyer on your side will ensure that your case is handled professionally. It will give you a better chance of recovering more compensation because they know how to present a compelling case on your behalf.
After suffering a severe injury in a motorcycle accident caused by someone else's negligence, you want a personal injury team that you can trust to recover the compensation you need to get on with your life. You may schedule your free consultation to discuss your case with a skilled Alabama personal injury lawyer by calling 205-206-6300 or filling out our contact form.