Suppose you have been in a motorcycle accident but only sustained a minor injury with moderate damage to your motorcycle. In this case, should you hire a motorcycle accident attorney?
At Law Tigers, we recommend calling a lawyer to assist you with your motorcycle accident case even if you don’t have extensive damages.
In this blog post, our motorcycle law team discusses some pitfalls you might face as a motorcycle rider and how hiring a lawyer can help you avoid them.
Establishing Proof of Liability
To file a successful claim for damages after a motorcycle accident, you need to prove several elements:
- The at-fault party or parties had a duty of care, a legal obligation to avoid harmful conduct
- The at-fault party neglected this duty of care
- The at-fault party’s negligence resulted in the accident
- The accident resulted in your damages
If you are filing the insurance claim yourself, you might not have the necessary knowledge and skills to demonstrate these elements. On the other hand, our personal injury lawyers know how to compile motorcycle accident claims to show negligence on the side of the at-fault party.
Filing Claims for Delayed-Onset Injuries
Injured motorcyclists often don’t realize at first that they have serious injuries such as organ damage or internal bleeding. The release of hormones, such as adrenaline, can numb the pain from these injuries, or the symptoms from these injuries can take a while to develop.
A lawyer will advise you against filing any claim with your insurance company before seeking medical care, even if you don’t experience pain or other symptoms. If you don’t seek immediate care but develop medical issues later, the insurance company might argue that the injuries are not due to the motorcycle accident.
Pursuing Compensation for Damages
Even if you only sustained minor damage in the motorcycle accident, you might still be eligible to file an insurance claim. For example, if the at-fault party’s conduct resulted in cosmetic damage to your motorcycle, you shouldn’t have to pay for the repair out of your pocket.
Hiring a lawyer will make it easier to claim compensation for your actual damages, including minor repairs or small medical procedures.
Negotiating With Insurance Companies
Dealing with insurance companies can be challenging, and you can expect them to make a lowball settlement offer that doesn’t cover your damages. That’s how insurance works. Your attorney will negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company on your behalf so that you don’t have to deal with the company.
Insurance companies tend to be more willing to negotiate with legal representatives than with unrepresented individuals.
Protecting Your Rights
Even though you may have sustained minor damages in a motorcycle accident, the at-fault driver might have sustained extensive vehicle damage or fatal injuries. In this case, the other parties might claim that you, the motorcycle rider, are responsible for the accident, damages, or wrongful death of the other driver—and seek compensation from you.
In this case, hiring a motorcycle injury lawyer is crucial to protect your rights. A lawyer will represent your interests and prevent the other party from implementing tactics to get you to admit liability. Your lawyer will also collect and present evidence that you are not at fault for the accident.
Get in Touch with Our Motorcycle Law Attorneys at Law Tigers
If you were involved in a motorcycle accident, you need a reputable personal injury attorney with an excellent track record in motorcycle accident cases. At Law Tigers, we pride ourselves on providing the motorcycling community across the nation with professional legal assistance, including advice and representation when filing insurance claims.
To start the process of filing an insurance claim for damages, contact us today at 1-888-863-7216 and schedule an initial consultation with a motorcycle lawyer near you.