Did You Sustain Injuries in a Motorcycle Accident?
Many Florida residents take pleasure in riding their motorcycles. It can feel freeing to shoot down the highway on a beautiful day or cruise through town with the wind at your back. But motorcycle riding isn’t all fun and games. Even if you take all the necessary safety precautions, it’s easier to get injured in a motorcycle accident than in an automobile accident. It’s also true that Florida has the highest rate of death due to motorcycle accidents out of all 50 states. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, you may be wondering what your options are and what actions you should take next. You may need legal counsel to help you get the compensation you deserve from your claim. If you’re thinking of contacting a motorcycle accident attorney, read on to understand the benefits of talking to a lawyer about your accident.
How Can A Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help You?
Most drivers have been involved in a car accident in their lives. Though the process of filing a claim, providing your insurance company with evidence, and having them assess your injuries and the damage to your vehicle is time-consuming, it’s pretty straightforward. You simply follow these steps, and they send you a compensation check in the mail. If you’re thinking that getting compensation after you’re injured in a motorcycle accident works the same way, you may be surprised. Motorcycle accidents are often more complicated than automobile accidents.
While some motorcycle accidents are straightforward, in many cases, you may find that your insurance company could be trying to take advantage of you. Insurance companies want to save money and make a profit, so they may deny the severity of your injuries or could even try to prove that you were at fault for the accident in the first place. They may try to claim that the problems from your accident injury are actually the result of a pre-existing condition, or they could even try to catch you in the act of doing something that your injury wouldn’t allow, in order to deny your claim. Insurance companies may also try to offer you a low settlement before you even know how much your medical treatment will cost.
When you’re injured in an accident, the last thing you want to do is fight with an insurance company that is trying to take advantage of you. But insurance companies know that you’re experiencing a lot of stress after your accident, so they may try to prey on you when you’re at a low point. This is where a motorcycle accident lawyer can help you the most. A lawyer understands your legal rights and the tactics that insurance companies use to try to give you less money than you deserve. They can also help you navigate the difficult claims process. If you’re injured, you want to focus on feeling better, and an attorney can help you deal with the insurance company as you work to heal. This means you’ll have less to worry about and you know you have someone on your side working to help you.
How Do You Know If You Need To Contact An Attorney?
In the case of a straightforward accident, where it’s easy to prove which party was at fault, you may not need to contact an attorney. Most motorcycle accidents where only damage to the vehicle occurred are easier to settle with insurance companies. But, in reality, a huge majority of motorcycle accidents result in injury or death. So, if you were involved in a motorcycle accident and were injured, it’s a good idea to talk to an attorney. Here are two situations where you definitely want to reach out to legal counsel.
The first case is if you were injured in the accident, either permanently or seriously. While minor injuries in motorcycle accidents are common, severe injury results in serious restrictions on what you can do while you heal. You may need to take time off of work, spend time in the hospital, or limit your daily activities. When you suffer from serious injuries in a motorcycle accident, you need to contact an attorney to represent you when negotiating with the insurance company. Often time, the insurance company will not fully understand the difficulties you experience after your injury and won’t give you the money you deserve.
In the case of permanent injuries, you will be disabled for life, which may limit your ability to work and earn a living and enjoy the activities you once did. These types of injuries include amputation, traumatic brain injury, or spinal cord injuries. After experiencing this type of injury, you may struggle with moving forward in your life and may need financial assistance or assistance adapting your home or vehicle for accessibility (i.e. a wheelchair ramp installed in your home). A motorcycle accident attorney understands the unique circumstances of this type of injury and can help you get all the compensation you deserve.
In some cases, your insurance company will fight with you about how much compensation you’ll get, or they may even deny your entire claim. If you’re experiencing insurance company difficulties, it’s good to have a lawyer on your side. An attorney who is well-versed in dealing with insurance companies can help you get compensated properly.
When Is The Best Time To Hire An Attorney?
After you experience injury in a motorcycle accident, you likely have a lot to deal with. You may be wondering if you can put off contacting an attorney. However, getting in touch with an attorney should be one of the first things you do after your accident. Here are some signs that you should contact an attorney as soon as you can:
- You have questions or need more information about your claim.Sometimes, your insurance company will refuse to answer questions about your claim sufficiently. and an attorney can provide you with the legal advice you need to proceed. They can give you information on how to proceed and how much compensation you can expect.
- You have serious or long-term injuries. You’ve consulted with a doctor, and they have found that your injuries are severe or debilitating. Medical care can quickly get expensive though, so once you thoroughly understand the result of your injuries, you should contact a lawyer to help you seek compensation.
- Your insurance claim is getting difficult to navigate. If it seems like you’re running into trouble with your insurance company at every turn, they may be trying to swindle you out of some or all of the compensation you need. A lawyer can help you take on this fight so you can know that you’re getting the most out of your claim.
- There may have been more than one party at fault in the accident.If you’re struggling to determine who was at fault in the accident, an attorney can help fight for you. They have expert knowledge about how to determine who was at fault and how to talk to insurance companies.
Why It’s Best To Get In Touch With A Lawyer ASAP
Although in Florida, you have two years to file a personal injury claim after the accident happens, there are a few benefits to filing your claim as soon as possible. You’re more likely to get a successful outcome, because:
- You’ll remember the details better. As days and weeks pass, the details of the accident may get clouded in your mind, especially if you experienced a traumatic injury. It’s better to get in touch with an attorney as soon as possible so you can give a clear account of what happened.
- You’ll get the money you’re entitled to sooner. This is pretty straightforward. The sooner you contact an attorney, the sooner they can help you get your claim settled. And this means compensation will be in your hands that much sooner.
- The accident is fresh in witnesses’ minds. Sometimes, you’ll need witnesses to help prove who was at fault in the accident. If you wait to get in touch with a lawyer, witnesses may not remember the accident as well as they did when it first happened, and they may end up giving an unclear or unhelpful testimony.
- It’s easier to collect evidence. If you were injured on a busy stretch of road, the evidence of your accident will quickly disappear. Evidence can be helpful to back up your claim and prove who was at fault in the accident.
Contact a Florida Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, you’ll want to get trustworthy help quickly. At Shiner Law Group, we understand that you’re going through a difficult situation, and that’s why we’re here 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you. Our expert team of West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyers wants to help you get the money you’re entitled to, so you have less to worry about. Don’t wait, contact us now for a consultation, so we can start to fight for you today!