Motorcycle riders are often not treated with the same respect as drivers in more typical cars, and accidents happen as a result. Unfortunately, motorcycle riders tend to pay the price for the ignorance and negligence of other drivers.
Following a motorcycle crash, you should immediately call for help, speak to the police, and get a lawyer. Your attorney can help you determine who should be held liable for your accident. Other drivers are often implicated, but other parties might come into play under the right circumstances. Damages in your case might include various financial costs related to treating injuries and replacing damaged property. You can also claim damages for emotional and psychological distress and similar painful experiences, even though these experiences usually do not cost money. You will need as much evidence as we can gather to get compensation for these damages. Photos, videos, hospital records, witnesses, and your own testimony should be considered.
Speak to our motorcycle accident lawyers about scheduling a free review of your case by calling Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
What You Should Do Following a Motorcycle Crash in Gainesville, GA
The time period right after a motorcycle crash can be hectic and chaotic. It is easy to become overwhelmed and panic. The first thing you should do is remain as calm as possible and call for help. If you have a phone, use it to call 911. If you do not have a phone or are too badly hurt to call for help, the other driver or passersby can call for help for you.
If you can, you should take steps to record the scene. Law enforcement usually cleans up crash sites in a few short hours, and important evidence and details might be lost forever. Snapping a few pictures or recording videos of the accident scene might preserve details we can use later to prove liability. If you are too injured to take pictures, stay where you are and wait for help.
Be sure to talk to law enforcement when they arrive. Leaving the scene of an accident before the police get there – unless you are being taken to a hospital – might be illegal. The police will likely take your statement for a police report. Our motorcycle accident lawyers can get a copy of the report later and use it to possibly find more evidence.
When you are ready, contact an attorney to discuss taking legal action against the negligent driver who hit you. Motorcycle riders tend to experience significant injuries since they are not protected within an enclosed vehicle. As such, your damages might be very high, and compensation from a lawsuit might be necessary to help you make ends meet.
People You Should Sue for Damages After a Gainesville, GA Motorcycle Accident
Your attorney can help you decide who should be held liable for your accident and how to do it most effectively. For starters, we should consider the driver of the car that hit you. In many cases, drivers hit motorcycle riders because the drivers were negligent. They might have missed a stop sign, run a red light, or ignored the motorcycle rider’s presence on the road.
Another possibility is that more than one other driver is involved in your case. These multi-vehicle accidents can be tricky to deal with. Perhaps only one driver is responsible, and the others are victims like yourself. Perhaps they are all responsible and should be held liable. Your lawyer can help you work out these details so all necessary parties are included in your case.
In some cases, injured riders can sue the other driver’s employer if the other driver was working when they caused the crash. This often happens when the other driver is a bus, taxi, or delivery driver, and they drive as part of their job. Their employer might be vicariously liable for the accident, and they can be named in your lawsuit.
Potential Damages You Might Claim in a Motorcycle Accident Case in Gainesville, GA
Damages in motorcycle accident cases are often quite high. Riders tend to experience significant physical injuries. These injuries often keep them out of work, costing them income. There are also numerous emotional or psychological injuries to consider.
Economic
Economic damages are based on injuries and losses that come with a price tag. Plaintiffs can often prove these costs with bills and invoices. Some of the biggest expenses injured riders face are hospital bills. Even a single visit to the ER can be more than some people can afford on their own. For those with significant injuries, the bills may add up to thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands without health insurance.
You should also claim the loss of your motorcycle. Your bike is not a toy. It is an expensive vehicle, and you deserve compensation for having to repair or replace it.
Many injured riders are so badly injured that they cannot continue working while they recover. If this happens to you, you may claim the value of lost income as part of your damages. If you expect to be out of work for the foreseeable future, you may include lost future earnings in your calculations.
Non-Economic
Although non-economic damages are often unrelated to specific sums of money, they may still be financially compensated by the courts. These damages tend to include subjective, painful experiences unique to each plaintiff. You might hear these kinds of damages referred to as “pain and suffering.” While physical pain and emotional suffering or distress may be claimed, they are only the tip of the iceberg.
You might also claim damages for humiliation. For example, suppose the defendant hit you with their vehicle, and you were thrown into a pile of trash by the side of the road waiting to be picked up. Passersby might have laughed rather than helped. Meanwhile, you were injured and in desperate need of help. The experience might have left you deeply humiliated and emotionally scarred, and such experiences deserve compensation.
Your reputation might have also been damaged. Many people who ride motorcycles pride themselves on their ability to handle the bike on the road. An accident might tarnish your reputation within the motorcycle-riding community, even though the accident was not your fault.
After a Collision, Call Our Gainesville, GA Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Now
Get in touch with our motorcycle accident attorneys about scheduling a free assessment of your claims by calling Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
