Motorcycle Accidents

Page Perry has experienced lawyers who will help injured riders protect their legal rights and recover the damages from motorcycle accidents that they are entitled to under the law. If you have been injured in a motorcycle collision, it is important to contact an attorney who can help you protect your legal rights. If possible, you need to seek legal assistance as soon as possible after your accident or you may lose the ability to preserve vital evidence that is necessary to succeed in your case. Photographs, witness interviews, accident reconstruction and other investigations need to be conducted while the evidence is still available. A motorcycle collision can be a very serious event that may have far reaching consequences. In most cases, with the exception of very minor injuries, if you are going to obtain the maximum recovery for your injuries you will need an attorney on your side. Page Perry attorneys are uniquely qualified because they not only have a great deal of experience representing riders after motorcycle accidents but are also avid motorcycle enthusiasts.

What to do in the event of a Motorcycle Collision

Unfortunately, due to the lack of external protection on a motorcycle, many motorcycle collisions can result in severe injuries to the rider. If you are involved in a motorcycle collision, it is important that you try to do the following:

  • contact the police to investigate the scene of the accident
  • get names and phone numbers of any potential witnesses
  • make sure you get the name and insurance information of the other driver
  • if possible, get pictures of the vehicles and the collision site
  • seek immediate medical treatment if you are injured
  • contact your insurance company to give them notice of the accident but do not give a recorded statement until you have spoken with an attorney

Common Causes of Motorcycle Collisions

There are some tactics and knowledge riders can use to make our rides as safe as possible. According to the Hurt Report, a significant study done on motorcycle collisions, the following was determined:

  • The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.
  • Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most often a passenger automobile.
  • Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.
  • In single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slideout and fall due to overbraking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.
  • In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those collisions.

Uninsured Motorist coverage is a must

Many times the driver causing the accident will not have sufficient insurance coverage to ensure that you can recover enough damages to compensate you for your injuries. In order to protect yourself it is strongly recommended that you get as much Uninsured Motorist (“UM”) coverage that you can afford. Uninsured motorist coverage on your policy will provide additional coverage to you in the event the value of your injury claim exceeds the other driver’s coverage. On virtually all of the motorcycle claims we handle, the majority of the damages are recovered under our clients’ UM policies.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle collision, please contact Page Perry at 770-673-0047 so we can help you protect your legal rights and recover the damages you are entitled to under the law.