Even with motorcyclists carefully following the required safety laws, accidents happen every day. The Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report accounted for over 82,000 motorcycle accident injuries in 2018. And of those accidents, almost 5,000 motorcycle drivers lost their lives.
Why are motorcycle accidents and injuries so prevalent? In most cases, the motorcycle accident is caused by careless and negligent automobile or trucking drivers. These wrecks and injuries are rarely caused by the biker. Very few motorcycle crashes in Texas are the fault of the motorcycle owner. In most cases, the biker is completely free of any negligence.
The most common reported causes of motorcycle accidents are improper lane changes, distracted drivers, driving under the influence of drugs or drunk driving, speeding, sudden stops, head-on collisions, dangerous road conditions, or vehicle defects.
Proving liability and recovering compensation requires an experienced motorcycle accident attorney. It requires a lawyer who is knowledgeable with personal injury cases that include the common injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. These injuries can be catastrophic, if not fatal, and can include traumatic brain injuries, neck and back injuries, amputations, paralysis, broken bones and fractures, burns and road rash, scars, and in the worst case, wrongful death.
As your motorcycle accident lawyer, I will do everything I can to prove the driver of the vehicle that hit you was negligent and that he or she was responsible for the crash. This clarification on negligence will allow you to obtain a fair accident settlement that can be used to recover compensation for medical and hospital bills, lost wages and future earnings, damages for pain and suffering, repair or replacement for your motorcycle, replacement of your bike gear, and even repair of any tattoos that were damaged as a result of the accident.
I Protect the Rights of Motocycle Drivers in Accident Claims and Lawsuits
I’ve been serving accident and personal injury victims in Houston since 2001. I have nearly two decades of experience helping people just like you. There is a lot that goes into a personal injury claim or lawsuit. I’m here to help every step of the way.
Here are some general steps to show you how I’ll help lift the burden of recovering compensation for your motorcycle accident claim.
Initial Free Case Evaluation
- Listen to you and review the details of your case with a free initial consultation.
- Offer an initial assessment of the strengths and possible weaknesses of your injury claim.
- Educate you about the entire legal process and answer your questions.
- Offer to take your case on a contingency fee only where the client does not pay the attorney any fees unless there is a settlement or jury verdict in your favor.
Case evaluations can be done in person, via phone, or via Zoom.
Once I am Retained as Your Personal Injury Lawyer
- Send out notice letters to all possible “at fault” parties.
- Further investigate your case details to determine if there are multiple parties at fault or find the one truly at fault for the injury from whom we can seek a recovery from.
- Make sure you are getting proper medical treatment and well documented medical treatment.
- Estimate the cost of your injury’s physical harm, mental anguish, and financial burden due to medical treatment and loss of income using all the medical treatment and billing.
- File an initial claim to demand compensation from insurance companies representing those who were negligent.
- File all follow up paperwork with insurance companies, lawyers of those negligent, or the Texas court system.
- Communicate with insurance agents, defense attorneys, and court representatives.
- Prepare supporting documentation to demonstrate the extent of your physical injuries and financial damages to get the best possible settlement offer.
- Find and Interview witnesses that can provide support for your injury claim.
- Provide litigation support, legal costs*, and representation should your claim move into an actual lawsuit.
*Legal costs are a part of case expenses which client is responsible for in the event of a settlement or jury verdict in the client's favor.
Work on Your Accident Case Until Conclusion
It is the law firm’s job to bring your claim to an end. The following is a brief listing of that process.
- Present a final pre-lawsuit demand to all insurance companies for evaluation to see if the case can be settled before filing a formal lawsuit.
- Negotiate and discuss any potential settlement offers with the client.
- If the case can be settled pre-suit, the law firm will work with the client to reduce outstanding medical bills and close out the claim.
- If the case cannot be settled pre-suit, the law firm will discuss how to proceed with filing a lawsuit against all responsible parties.
- Once in litigation, the law firm has to prepare an Original Petition, serve the petition on any Defendants, enter the Discovery process and follow the Docket Control Order of the Court.
- There are numerous steps and processes to the litigation process which can be discussed with the attorney at a later date. Litigation can be an expensive and complicated process which our law firm is well versed and experienced in.
I understand the massive physical pain, emotional stress, and financial burdens you are dealing with and I will work to obtain just compensation for your personal injury.
Motorcycle Accident FAQs to Help You Know Your Rights
Calling an experienced motorcycle accident attorney first may be the smarter move!
Of course, after a bike accident, you want to check if everyone is ok or that they’re being tended to or taken to the hospital. You should call your insurance agent or company as soon as possible to let them know about the accident. But, I always tell people to call my law firm first just to make sure you are briefed on what to say and, more importantly, what not to say! It never hurts to speak with an experienced lawyer before a sneaky insurance carrier!
As a general rule: Don’t admit fault!
Don’t give any statements to your insurance agent (or any insurance company) until you first speak with an experienced attorney.
Never admit fault for the motorcycle accident unless you know 100% that you were at fault.
Often, after an accident, people are confused and angry. Police may come to the scene and start asking confusing questions. If you admit fault before thinking clearly, you may be hurting your injury claim beyond repair.
Never admit fault to a crash unless you know for sure what happened.
Always take pictures to preserve the evidence.
Always take several pictures of the motorcycle, other vehicles, and the accident scene. Also take photos of any evidence helpful to your case, which includes bodily injury damages such as bruises, cuts, hospital photos, etc.
Images are powerful and they can help you win your personal injury lawsuit if you have to prove your case in front of a judge or jury.
Don’t negotiate with the other driver or start negotiating for payments with the insurance company without discussing your case with an experienced attorney.
If the person who caused the wreck wants to pay you out of pocket, the person you’re dealing with doesn’t have the ability to know exactly what the value of your claim should be, so make sure you submit the claim to their insurance company instead.
Keep in mind that you might even be able to get your bills paid through your own insurance, allowing them to go after the other person for reimbursement.
It’s always best to discuss your claim with a lawyer to help you know what steps to take.
Never take money or sign a release without consulting a lawyer first.
Never lie in a legal proceeding! Always be honest with your recorded statements to the insurance carrier.
I never allow my clients to give a recorded statement to an insurance company unless I am on the line with the client. The adjusters are too sneaky and are trained to trick the injured claimant. If you lie or tell an untruth to any insurance agent, it can possibly invalidate your own policy or cause a denial in the claim.
Don’t ever sign any waivers or a release without consulting an attorney first!
A lot of times people have already signed a release and received minimal money on their serious injury claim before contacting my office. There is nothing I can do for them in this case.
It’s a very sad state of affairs, but the shady insurance adjusters get away with it all the time. You’ll eventually have to sign documents, but make sure you have sought legal counsel to know that everything is what you think it should be.
Always consult an attorney before you sign a legal document.
Always keep all notes and receipts involving your case or claim.
Always try to keep extensive notes about every conversation you have with the insurance company, including the time and date as well as who you spoke with. Try to get the job titles, names and phone numbers of everyone involved.
As for the receipts, keep them for any time you dealt with pursuing your claim or in recovery, whether it’s for meals, traveling, or gas and lodging, so you can get completely reimbursed.
Anything related to your motorcycle accident and personal injury claim should be kept in a log.
Don’t try to self-evaluate your injury claim or accept immediate settlement offers.
The insurance company wants to pay out as little as possible, so don’t be so quick to accept their payout numbers. Every case and claim is different, and an experienced lawyer can discuss what your claim could be worth as well as discuss what kind of compensation you should receive.
Yes! Get the contact information of all accident witnesses and discuss your next steps with your attorney.
Witnesses can be crucial to any case or claim – especially independent witnesses who are not related to any parties. Witnesses can disappear very quickly, so make sure you get their full contact information at the scene for your record.
Hand over all witness information to your lawyer. Some witnesses are not friendly, so be careful as not all witnesses want to help you. Have your attorney help you evaluate this.
Free Initial Consultation and No Out-of-Pocket Costs*
If you are injured and believe you have been a victim of someone else’s negligence, call me at 281-929-0110 for a free initial consultation. Or if it is an emergency, please feel free to text me at 832-797-7600.
*As your personal injury lawyer, I will only receive a fee if we recover a settlement or jury verdict for you. In other words, you don’t pay any legal fees unless I make a financial recovery for you!
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