If you or a loved one has been involved in an motorcycle accident, or suffered motorcycle accidents injuries, the law firm of Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A. can help you. Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A., strives to take some of the pressure off you and your family, which allows you to concentrate on the recovery of your personal injury. The objective is to get you the financial compensation you deserve and to navigate you through the complex legal process as simply as possible.
Common Injuries from Motorcycle Accidents include:
Leg fractures
Internal hemorrhaging and bleeding
Fractured jaws, noses, or cheekbones
Skull fractures
Fractured ribs
Eye injuries
Internal organ injuries
Broken hands, arms, or wrists
Dislocations
Neck, mid, or low back injuries (inclusive of disc herniations)
Soft tissue strains and tears (ligament and cartilage injuries)
Motorcycle accident victims can require emergency medical attention, inclusive of EMS or ambulance transport or trauma air lifts via helicopter transport.
Motorcycle accident victims may incur not only medical bills for all treatment necessitated by the injuries caused by the accident, but lost income due to missed work during recovery, and those financial losses can be devastating. The injuries may be so severe that they lead to lost earning capacity (the inability to continue to work in one’s chosen occupation or an inability to ever work again) or the injuries may ultimately cause death to the motorcyclist.
Compensation that may be available to you in a motorcycle accident:
Past medical expenses
*Future medical care
Past lost income
Future lost income or loss of capacity to earn money in the future:
Past physical pain
Future physical pain
Past emotional suffering
Future emotional suffering
Past loss of life’s pleasures
Future loss of life’s pleasures
Wrongful Death Damages (see §768.21, Fla. Stat.)
Motorcycle crashes occur most frequently when a passenger vehicle (i.e. car, SUV, pick-up truck) violates a motorcyclist’s right-of-way and that violation causes the motorcyclist to crash or to swerve into another vehicle or some other obstacle. Naturally, a motorcycle rider’s exposure, even helmeted, to bodily injury and even death is at much higher rates than occupants of a motor vehicle. Drivers are legally and ethically obligated to respect the rights of motorcyclists
Motorcyclist are required to obtain a specialized license. Motorcyclists must attend classes and pass tests in addition to obtaining standard license training. This specialized training teaches motorcyclists how other motorists operate under ordinary traffic laws.
Folks, the fact is that approximately 66% of accidents and crashes involving motorcycles are caused by passenger vehicles and that in truth, passenger vehicles are a detriment to motorcyclists who use the roads correctly.
EXAMPLES OF CARS AND TRUCKS FAILURE TO YIELD
One common mistake is when a motorist fails to look over their shoulder to check for traffic in the lane into which they want to merge, and thus when a motorist approaches a lane-change, they will often only turn on their signal and check mirrors.
Blind spots are areas where the where the side mirrors and rear view mirror cannot see. If a driver relies only on the side mirrors to make lane changes, it is only a matter of time before that driver runs into another vehicle.
When a motorcyclist passes a car, SUV or truck next to the motorcyclist’s rear tire, if the motorist puts on their signal, a motorcyclist would be alerted to the motorist’s intention to move lanes. However, if a driver decides to move lanes without turning on the turn signal, the motorist could end up catching a motorcyclist off-guard, the result of which is the motorcyclist gets side-swiped by the vehicle.
Other Examples of Negligent Driving that can lead to Motorcycle Accidents:
Distracted driving such as texting
Illegal driving (i.e. traffic violations) maneuvers
Speeding
Reckless and/or aggressive driving
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Defective motorcycle parts (i.e. manufacturer defects)
Steps to Take Following the Motorcycle Accident
(1) If you have the means, call 911.
(2) Seek immediate medical attention. If you own an automobile, pick-up truck or SUV, then you will have PIP, and your PIP will automatically cover EMS or ambulance transport to a hospital’s emergency room. Remember, motorcycles are excluded from PIP and PD coverage like the aforementioned types of motor vehicles.
(3) get the names and cell phone numbers of all witnesses to the crash;
(4) Take photographs at the scene; and
(5) Call Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A. at: 772-418-3038 or at: 772-242-8603.
What Motorcyclist Need to Know about Motorcycle Insurance
In Florida, Florida automobile (cars, SUVs, pick-up trucks) drivers must have Personal Injury protection (“PIP”), which covers medical bills and lost wages up to $10,000.00, regardless of who is at fault for an accident. PIP insurance laws do not apply to motorcycles in the State of Florida. Some insurance companies may offer PIP insurance for motorcycles that is similar to PIP insurance for automobiles, but that insurance is not regulated by Florida law because PIP is not required for motorcycles. Most importantly, after a motorcycle accident, a person does not need to show permanent injury to recover money for pain and suffering, unlike an injury after an automobile accident. Automobile drivers and passengers, however, unlike motorcyclists, must show permanent injury to recover money for pain and suffering damages.
Motorcyclist should seriously consider the purchase of uninsured-under-insured motorist coverage (commonly called UM-UIM), but motorcyclists must, are required to, purchase the minimum requirements of motorcycle insurance coverage, (1) $10,000 for one person for bodily injury liability; (2) $20,000 for two or more people for bodily injury liability; and (3) $10,000 per crash for property damage liability. Without UM-UIM, motorcyclists who only have the requisite minimum motorcycle insurance coverage will not be able to get help with medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering if you are injured in a crash and the other driver does not have bodily injury insurance or the bodily injury insurance is not enough to cover your expenses.
A motorcycle accident injury can be mentally and physically excruciating. The resulting events caused by the accident, can add even more physical and economic hardships to motorcycle accident victims and the family of a motorcycle accident victim’s recovery efforts. Insurance companies will try to settle a victim’s motorcycle accident injury claim to the insurance companies’ advantage.
If you were not at fault, but rather the victim in a car crash, or you were only partially responsible for a motorcycle crash, Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A can help guide you through the legal process. You should consider hiring an experienced personal injury trial lawyer after a motorcycle crash as the insurance company claims process can potentially be unfair. Therefore, to protect and preserve your rights, it is essential that you have proper legal counsel to deal with the legal issues that will arise from a motorcycle accident.
Unfamiliarity with personal injury laws can place victims of auto accidents and personal injury at disadvantages and hinder their rights to recover fair, just and reasonable compensation from the at fault party’s insurance company.
Take advantage of the free consultation offered by personal injury attorney Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A.
Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A., is a personal injury attorney in private practice and has spent many years exclusively representing personal injury victims and their families, holding insurance companies responsible and honoring the terms of their insurance coverage for motorcycle accidents..
Personal injury attorney, Jeffery R. Rollins, Esquire of Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A. spent the first 16 years representing those insured by insurance companies in the defense of personal injury claims, insured motorists, insured physicians, insured hospitals, insured pharmacists and pharmacies , insured nursing homes, and through that vast experience, developed an intimate knowledge of how insurance companies adjust claims and defend lawsuits against their insured. Take advantage of the free consultation offered by personal injury attorney, Jeffrey R. Rollins, Esquire.
Jeffrey R. Rollins, P.A. is a personal injury attorney representing car accident injury, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, surgical mistakes, product liability, nursing home neglect, pharmacy negligence and wrongful death serving Florida and the surrounding areas in Ft. Pierce, Okeechobee, Vero Beach, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Palm City and West Palm Beach.