A motorcycle crash can leave you dealing with painful injuries, time away from work, and questions about how you are going to cover the costs. When another driver caused the collision, you should not have to work through the insurance claim on your own.
A Delray Beach personal injury lawyer from Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers can investigate what happened and deal with the insurance companies while you focus on your recovery.
Founder Jarrett Blakeley is a licensed motorcycle rider himself. That gives our team firsthand insight into the risks riders face on the road and the issues that can arise after a serious motorcycle collision.
How a Delray Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help
Motorcycle accident cases can involve questions about fault, insurance coverage, medical expenses, and how your injuries may affect your ability to work in the future.
We can gather the crash report, photographs, witness information, video footage, medical records, and other evidence that helps explain what happened. Our lawyers can also handle communications with insurers and review any settlement offers you receive.
If the claim cannot be resolved fairly through negotiations, we can discuss whether filing a lawsuit makes sense for your situation.
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Who Can Be Responsible for a Motorcycle Crash?
The other driver may be responsible if they caused the collision by speeding, driving distracted, failing to yield, making an unsafe turn, or otherwise failing to use reasonable care.
Some crashes involve more than one potentially responsible party. Vehicle owners, employers, manufacturers, or other businesses may become relevant depending on how the accident happened.
A Delray Beach motorcycle crash lawyer can look at the evidence before deciding who may be legally responsible rather than assuming the case begins and ends with the driver who hit you.
How Does Florida’s Comparative Fault Rule Affect Your Claim?
Florida uses a modified comparative fault system. If you share some responsibility for a crash, your compensation can be reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you.
Under Florida Statutes § 768.81, a person who is found more than 50% responsible for their own harm generally cannot recover damages in a negligence action.
That makes evidence of how the collision happened particularly important when fault is disputed. Our team can review photographs, video, witness accounts, vehicle damage, and other records to challenge blame that is not supported by the facts.
What Compensation Can You Pursue After a Motorcycle Accident?
Motorcycle crashes can cause injuries that require hospital treatment, surgery, rehabilitation, or significant time away from work. A claim should account for the losses the collision has actually caused you.
Depending on your case, compensation may include:
- Medical expenses and reasonably necessary future care
- Lost wages and reduced future earning capacity
- Damage to your motorcycle and other property
- Pain and suffering and other non-economic losses
Our firm has recovered more than $250 million for injured clients. Past results do not determine what your case will be worth, and we evaluate each claim based on its own evidence and circumstances.
Call or text 800-602-5000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
Does Not Wearing a Helmet Prevent You From Making a Claim?
No. Not wearing a helmet does not automatically prevent you from bringing a motorcycle accident claim or mean that you caused the collision.
Florida law allows a rider over 21 to operate or ride on a motorcycle without protective headgear if the rider has an insurance policy providing at least $10,000 in medical benefits for crash-related injuries. The requirement appears in Florida Statutes § 316.211.
Helmet use can still become relevant to particular injuries. For example, a defendant may argue that not wearing one contributed to the severity of a head injury. A motorcycle injury lawyer in Delray Beach can separate that issue from the separate question of who actually caused the crash.
How Long Do You Have to File a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit?
Florida generally gives you two years to file an action based on negligence. That rule applies to many motorcycle accident injury claims.
The current limitation period appears in Florida Statutes § 95.11. Some situations can involve different deadlines, so it is safer to confirm the date that applies to your particular case.
You also have practical reasons not to leave an investigation until the last minute. Video can be overwritten, witnesses can become harder to locate, and details about the scene may become more difficult to establish with time.
Should You Accept an Early Settlement Offer?
An insurance company may make an offer before you know how fully you will recover. That can create problems if you later need more treatment or spend longer away from work than you initially expected.
Before accepting an offer, make sure you understand which claims you are releasing and whether the amount reflects your medical expenses, lost income, and other losses.
At Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, we can review the offer and the evidence supporting your claim. You then decide whether accepting it makes sense or whether the case should continue.
For a free legal consultation with a motorcycle accident lawyer serving Delray Beach
Call 800-602-5000
What Should You Do After a Delray Beach Motorcycle Crash?
Get medical attention for your injuries and follow the treatment advice you receive. Even if you were evaluated at the scene, seek further care if new symptoms develop afterward.
Keep anything connected to the collision, including photographs, insurance correspondence, medical documents, repair estimates, and information about work you have missed.
You should also be careful about giving a detailed recorded statement to another driver’s insurer before you understand what is being disputed. If Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers represents you, we can take over those conversations.
Talk to a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Delray Beach
You may still be unsure who was at fault, what insurance is available, or how much treatment you will need. You do not have to answer all of those questions before asking for legal help.
Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers brings more than 40 years of combined legal experience. We offer free consultations and handle personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis.
Contact us to speak with a motorcycle accident lawyer in Delray Beach about what happened. Our team is available 24/7, and you pay no legal fees or costs unless we recover compensation for you.
