When motorcycle riders get on the road, they expect that their skills and experience – and their helmets – should keep them safe. Riders might never expect that another dangerous driver or trucker would put their life in jeopardy.
Motorcycle accident victims who were injured through no fault of their own are often entitled to substantial damages to cover the injuries that other drivers cause them. Knowing how much your case is worth and knowing how to get those damages, however, can be a challenge. Our attorneys are prepared to help you with that challenge by taking your case and fighting for you.
Call (844) 876-4357 today for a free case assessment with Howe Law’s motorcycle accident attorneys.
When Should I Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Dunwoody, GA?
It is important to have an attorney on your side any time you are involved in a motorcycle accident. Serious injuries can leave you with expensive medical bills and keep you from returning to work. Knowing how much those economic damages are worth – let alone the pain and suffering of your accident – is usually something that non-lawyers need help with. Moreover, non-lawyers often do not know how to get insurance companies to pay everything they owe you and can often be pressured into settling for less than they deserve.
When you call our motorcycle lawyers, we can take your case and represent you in all communications with the insurance company. We can also help calculate how much your case is worth, collect evidence to prove your case, and even bring the case to trial if necessary.
Also know that the defendant will usually be supplied with a lawyer through their auto insurance. If they have a lawyer, you should have a lawyer, too.
As for the timing of when to call a lawyer, do not delay. Injured motorcycle accident victims have only 2 years to file claims under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. While that might seem like a long time, there are many complications that get in the way. For example, you will likely want to focus on your recovery, which could take months in serious injury cases. Our lawyers will also need time to prepare the documents and evidence for filing, which can take months to properly research. As such, you will usually need to call a lawyer well before that 2-year deadline is up.
Calling as soon as you can is preferred because it gives us time to act quickly to secure evidence that can be lost over time. For example, if a house or store caught the accident on a security camera, that video could be overwritten within days. Witnesses might also forget about the accident if they are not asked to give a statement within days or hours after the crash.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Dunwoody, GA
Drivers are often responsible for motorcycle accidents when they fail to look out for motorcycles on the road. While motorcycles are smaller, they are still entitled to the whole lane, and other drivers on the road should be on the lookout for motorcycles like they are for cars and trucks. If another driver fails to pay proper attention and changes lanes into you or makes a sudden turn without signaling because they thought no one was behind them, they could be held accountable.
Other everyday traffic violations like tailgating or running a red light can also be factors in serious crashes.
Many accidents also happen because of three major factors: speed, distraction, and the driver’s state.
Speeding
While speeding, drivers have less time to react – and other drivers have less time to react to them. Crashes at high speed can also be more serious, causing more serious injuries to motorcycle riders.
Distraction
Drivers who are distracted are not safe to be around. Looking down at your phone for even 30 seconds at 60 mph can mean missing half a mile of road. In that time, an accident can easily happen. Drivers who are distracted by their phones, food, makeup, or even conversations with passengers are less attentive to what is happening on the road and can easily crash into a motorcycle rider.
Driver State
Drunk driving and tired driving are incredibly dangerous for many of the same reasons. Drunk or sleepy drivers have slowed reaction times and cannot react as quickly to emergencies. They also might have worse judgment and cannot make clearheaded decisions on the road. These factors can lead to serious crashes, especially because a driver who does not react in time to a crash might not be able to hit the brakes and slow down, meaning that the crash often happens at higher speeds.
Fighting Accusations Against Motorcycle Victims in Dunwoody, GA
Motorcycle riders know that other drivers might have incredibly misguided views about motorcycles. Often, riders are incredibly safe drivers because they know that their skin – literally and figuratively – is on the line if they get into a crash. Instead, crashes are often caused by dangerous drivers, not the motorcycle riders they hit. However, they will still try to spout accusations against the motorcycle rider to try to defend themselves in court.
You can fight accusations that you contributed to causing the crash by pointing out the facts of the case and showing that no, the other driver’s conduct or traffic violations was what actually caused the crash. If you did commit some minor infraction or made a minor mistake that did in fact contribute to the accident, it is not the end of your case. Georgia law allows victims to still get compensation from an at-fault driver for their share of fault even if the victim did contribute to a small degree in causing the crash, but there is a cutoff at or above 50% liability for the victim under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33.
Call Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in Dunwoody, GA Today
Call Howe Law’s motorcycle accident attorneys at (844) 876-4357 for a free review of your potential motorcycle accident case.
