Intersection Motorcycle Accidents
Turning left at an intersection can be dangerous. If a driver isn’t careful, they could collide with a motorcyclist driving straight through the intersection. Likewise, a motorcyclist that is turning may not be seen by a motor vehicle operator traveling straight, leading them to cause a crash.
Motorcyclists are much smaller (have a smaller profile when viewed head-on) and are thus more difficult to spot compared to a passenger car. Typically, unless the at-fault driver was specifically looking for a motorbike rider, they may not have noticed them approaching.
Passing and Merging Motorcycle Crashes
When motorists are passing motorcycle drivers or merging into a lane they’re occupying, vehicle operators often don’t give motorcyclists enough room. If an automobile clips the biker in any way, the rider could lose their balance, fall off their bike, and sustain serious injuries.
Aggressive Driving Motorcycle Accidents
When drivers are speeding or following too closely, they could cut off riders or force them to make an evasive maneuver to avoid a motorcycle collision. This may result in the biker losing control of their vehicle.
Additionally, if the aggressive driving the motorcyclist is having to deal with is tailgating (traveling too close to be able to safely stop to avoid a collision), then an instance in which the biker suddenly brakes could end up with the rear-end of their bike being collided into. If this were to happen, it could cause the motorcyclist to be ejected from their motorcycle, causing them to suffer blunt force trauma injuries to the head, neck, and spine.
Distracted Driving Motorcycle Accidents
Drivers looking away from the road may not notice if they’re drifting, traffic is slowing down or stopping, or a motorcyclist is changing lanes. Some common distractions that make take a Dallas driver’s attention off the road include:
- Talking on the phone
- Texting or surfing the web while driving
- Eating or drinking
- Looking for something in the car
- Putting on makeup while driving
- Reading while operating the vehicle
- Changing the radio
- Utilizing a global positioning system (GPS)
- Engaging in a conversation with someone else in the vehicle
Drunk Driving Motorcycle Accidents
Alcohol intoxication is another factor that often results in motorcyclists becoming seriously injured or prematurely losing their lives. These crashes may be attributable to either the car driver, motorcyclist, or both, being alcohol impaired.
This alcohol impairment may cause a motorist, motorcyclist included, to have blurry vision, clouded thoughts, and to respond to stimuli less quickly. Even the smallest amount of alcohol can have an impact on a person’s fine motor skills, thus making them more vulnerable to causing or becoming involved in a crash.
Proving Liability in a Dallas Motorcycle Case
One of the first steps you’ll need to meet to file a motorcycle accident claim is to compile evidence that shows how the other person caused your motorcycle accident by acting carelessly. There are certain elements that you must establish in Texas to do that, including that the:
- Motorist who struck you owed you a duty of care (was obliged to operate their vehicle cautiously so as to not bring you harm)
- Driver who struck you breached the duty of care they owed you
- Motorist’s violation of the duty of care caused the accident in which you suffered harm
- Accident left you with documentable or verifiable losses
When a driver has harmed you in an accident, our Dallas motorcycle accident attorneys draw their own conclusions about liability for the crash, just like insurance adjusters do. We take time to investigate your case and discover what the other motorist did to cause the collision. We bring in crash scene reconstructionists if necessary to determine where the negligence occurred.
There’s no excuse for negligent driving that resulted in your preventable accident. A personal injury attorney from our Dallas law office will hold the at-fault driver accountable for their role in the accident that left you with motorcycle injuries and, thus, mounting medical expenses, by filing a claim or lawsuit on your behalf.
Severe Injuries Motorcyclists Suffer in Crashes
Motorcyclists tend to sustain serious motorcycle crash injuries or fatal injuries because they don’t have much protection to buffer the impact when they’re struck. Some of the worst injuries that can occur in a motorcycle collision include:
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is sadly one of the most common motorcycle accident injuries that unhelmeted motorcyclists face. A severe brain injury like this often occurs when the motorcyclist’s head strikes a portion of the negligent party’s vehicle or the ground (when ejected from their bike).
Motorcyclists are also prone to suffer concussions. These brain injuries may result any time the head is bumped or moved rapidly within the skull.
That moving about of a person’s brain within their skull can result in torn blood vessels that cause a worsening of the motorcyclist’s health within hours or days after their crash. By the time a biker notices that they’re unwell and see a doctor, it may be too late to reverse any damage done. These types of injuries often turn into a fatal head injury because a motorcyclist delays getting immediate medical care.
In the latter case, our legal team at Buckingham & Vega Law Firm can help you file a wrongful death type of personal injury claim. Schedule a free consultation to discuss the unfolding of events leading up to your loved one’s death if you’ve prematurely lost someone close to you in a motorcycle crash.
Internal Organ Damage
The impact can cause motorcycle accident victims to suffer impact or penetrative wounds to their vital internal organs, such as their spleens and livers. Injuries of these sorts can cause internal bleeding.
A significant loss of blood can cause loss of consciousness, resulting in further complications such as brain damage. A motorcyclist who suffers internal organ damage may also bleed out while waiting for paramedics to arrive, en route to the hospital, or while being triaged in a Dallas, TX emergency room.
Road Rash
Motorcyclists can sustain friction burns when their skin scrapes against the ground. This is also known as road rash, which can range from mild to severe. Some of the more serious cases of road rash can leave a motorcyclist with open wounds that can easily become infected. In some more serious road rash cases, skin grafts similar to what burn patients must undergo is the appropriate course of action to ensure proper recovery.
Broken Bones
Bone fractures among limbs, such as broken legs and arms, can easily occur if a motorcyclist lands on them when they fall off their bike in a crash. Broken ribs are also common for much the same reason. Unhelmeted riders often suffer broken facial bones if their face makes contact with inanimate objects, such as vehicles or the ground.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Back injuries and spinal cord damage often result when rear-end impact occurs at a high rate of speed and/or there’s an ejection from the bike. There are various types of spinal cord injuries, each of which can affect a motorcyclist’s mobility to different degrees for the rest of their life.
Amputations
A crash could sever a limb, or a motorcyclist may need to undergo surgery to have it removed if it’s too damaged. These types of surgical procedures seldom have a problem-free result. Instead, amputees often experience phantom pain along the removal site. Additionally, amputees often have to relearn to do everyday activities after their loss of a limb.
Permanent Disfigurement and Scarring
Motorcycle crashes can cause injuries that have permanent consequences like disfigurement and scarring. These types of injuries often result from a burn, surgical procedure such as an amputation, and skin graft that was made to address road rash.
When you’re trying to heal from your injuries, you deserve to have legal representation you can trust. Our Dallas motorcycle accident attorneys at Buckingham & Vega Law Firm will assess how much your injuries have impacted your life and how they will continue to affect it in the foreseeable future—such as how you will now have upcoming doctors’ appointments and treatments. Your lawyer from our office will also take into account the emotional toll of having a permanent injury.
Our motorcycle injury attorneys make sure that any compensation sought by filing motorcycle accident claims can cover the scope of our clients’ losses, including economic losses like current medical bills, future medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.
The more serious your injuries are, the more important it is for you to have an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer advocating for you. “Why?” you might ask. It comes down to how hard your attorney is going to fight for you to recover from the injuries and losses you’ve suffered. You can rest assured that our Dallas motorcycle accident lawyers will fight for you until the bitter end when you’ve suffered a serious injury.
What Should You Do After You’ve Been in a Motorcycle Crash?
One of our Buckingham & Vega Law Firm personal injury lawyers may advise you during your initial consultation that actions you take after a motorcycle accident can either hurt or help your case. Taking the right steps can put you on the right track to getting the information you need that will help you get justice.
At the motorcycle accident scene, you should:
Call for Help
If you’ve sustained serious injuries and cannot move following a motorcycle wreck, you need to instruct someone to call 911. If you’re able, call for help yourself and move to safety. When medical professionals arrive on the scene, they can treat injuries and assist you in getting the care you need.
Speak With Police
You can provide your side of the story to the police. The responding officer will report what they find at the scene.
Get Driver Information
Exchange information so you and the driver both have insurance company policy numbers, contact information, and vehicle information.
Take Photographs
Photographs of the motorcycle accident scene, your injuries, and property damage can help show the severity of the circumstances under which the crash happened.
When you’ve done all that you can at the scene, you can continue to protect your health and rights in the following ways:
Get Medical Attention
See a doctor so they can fully evaluate your injuries and begin treating you after a motorcycle accident. They will set you on the path to recovery, and your injuries will be officially noted.
Also, preserve any medical bills your health care providers give you for use in calculating your economic damages.
Record Your Injuries
You can keep a personal record of how the injuries are affecting you after a motorcycle wreck. Take note of the pain, both physical and emotional, associated with your motorcycle accident and how it affects your day.
Get a Copy of the Police Report
You’ll want a copy of the police report so you can see the officer’s assessment of the motorcycle accident scene. Your lawyer can also refer to this report when filing a motorcycle accident claim or personal injury lawsuit on your behalf.
Don’t Speak to the Other Insurance Company
The other driver’s insurance company may try to contact you to get an official statement in your injury claim case. It’s important to not talk to them because they’re likely going to try to get you to settle your injury claim for less than you deserve.
Contact a Dallas Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Reach out to a personal injury lawyer who has experience in motorcycle accidents. They’ll help you take the right steps to recover full and fair compensation.
Once you have a motorcycle accident attorney on your side, you can rest assured that they’ll protect your rights and best interests. When another insurance company gets involved and tries to reduce your compensation, part of it may be because they assumed that you had some responsibility for the accident or contributed to the severity of your injuries. Motorcyclists often have to deal with this bias. Our Buckingham & Vega Law Firm attorneys won’t let that happen.
Why Should You Contact a Dallas Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
While the Dallas motorcycle accident may have been a blur, the reality of the wreck’s consequences can be all too clear. You, as an injured victim, could have severe injuries that will take a long time to heal, leaving you having to take off time from work. Your bike may have also been destroyed in the crash. You may also be dealing with the emotional toll of living with your injuries. The best chance for you to be able to eventually move past all this is to take legal action.
You can hold the at-fault parties responsible for their negligent actions so that you can seek compensation for your injuries and damages. A Dallas motorcycle accident lawyer will give you the strongest chance of recovering maximum compensation for your losses stemming from your motorcycle crash.
In order to recover compensation, we must investigate. Our Dallas motorcycle accident lawyers can be counted on to launch a thorough investigation of your case so we can find out how the other party acted negligently and caused your injuries. Our motorcycle accident lawyers will build a case that will show you suffered significant injuries and losses that could have been prevented if the other driver hadn’t been negligent.
You can also count on us to advocate for your best interests and to not let the insurance company give you less than you deserve. Motorcyclists may face a stereotype of being dangerous drivers, so an insurance company may conclude that you could have contributed to the severity of your injuries.
An insurance company may use this reasoning to reduce your compensation. Our Dallas motorcycle accident lawyers know this isn’t the case, and you deserve full and fair compensation. We won’t stop until we ensure that happens for you.
Damages Recoverable in Dallas Motorcycle Accident Cases
There are a few different types of damages we can help you recover in your Dallas motorcycle accident case, including:
Economic Damages
Our Buckingham & Vega Law Firm attorneys will look into what the motorcycle accident has cost you and what you’ll need to continue to afford medical treatment in the future. This could be a surgery, physical therapy, mental health counseling, or continued time home from work—we’ll calculate all the economic losses, including medical bills incurred and lost wages, from the motorcycle accident and make a demand for them.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain, loss of companionship and enjoyment of life, and emotional distress are all examples of non-economic damages because they don’t initially have any apparent quantifiable value. Our attorneys have experience assigning values to these losses and will help you craft a claim demanding them.
Punitive Damages
Some personal injury cases, including motorcycle accident ones, notably stem from a particularly high level of negligence, like drunk driving. In motorcycle accidents, car accidents, and other personal injury cases like these, it’s not uncommon for the court to impose punitive damages aimed at sending a message to the perpetrator of such acts that their actions were wrong. Judges do this in hopes that penalizing those responsible for the car accident will deter them from making similar choices again in the future.
Buckingham & Vega Law Firm Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Can Help
Our motorcycle accident attorneys here at Buckingham & Vega Law Firm are ready to fight for you to get the justice you deserve. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
We can get started on your motorcycle accident case, and you can put your energy into what matters the most—your health. While you’re recovering physically, we’ll be working diligently to help you recover financially.
