You are injured in a motorcycle accident caused by someone else and have no idea how to respond. Talk with a motorcycle accident lawyer in Cleveland within days of the incident. As you focus on your recovery from your accident, your attorney can help you get money for your losses from the incident.
HMW Law—Ohio Trial Attorneys has more than 60 years of combined experience on our legal team, and our firm has been fighting for clients for over two decades. Turn to us for legal representation in your motorcycling accident case. We will thoroughly investigate your case, determine liability, and work toward recovering compensation on your behalf.
Damn right, we fight!™ Trust a Cleveland personal injury lawyer from our team to advocate fiercely for you in the aftermath of your motorcycling crash. For more information, schedule a free case consultation with us.
Why Should I Hire a Cleveland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer for My Case?
If you’ve been injured on a motorcycle because of the negligence of another person, speak with a motorcycle accident attorney in Cleveland from our team as soon as possible. Our personal injury law firm is dedicated to helping motorcycle accident victims get compensation for their quantifiable and subjective losses.
Remember, in Ohio, there’s a legal deadline for filing a motorcycle accident claim. This legal deadline is called a statute of limitations, and it begins on the “date of action,” which is the date when your motorcycle crash took place. You must file a claim before two years pass, or you can’t submit one after this window elapses.
To ensure that your claim is ready to be filed on time, leave it up to our Cleveland motorcycle accident attorneys. Our Cleveland personal injury team is prepared to deliver the effective and personalized representation you need. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we are responsive and honest communicators with our clients.
For a free legal consultation with a motorcycle accident lawyer serving Cleveland, call 216-774-0000
What are the Most Common Types of Motorcycle Accident Injuries in Cleveland?
In addition to guiding you through the legal process after an Ohio motorcycle accident, our personal injury lawyers can teach you about the short- and long-term ramifications of a motorcycling crash. We will advise you to treat your injuries from your motorcycling collision for as long as necessary. Common injuries reported after motorcycle collisions include:
- Head injuries and neck injuries: A helmet can save a rider’s life, but they may still suffer an injury, such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or a concussion, when their head hits the asphalt. The sudden jolt of the neck after being hit by a vehicle or falling onto the ground can harm the spine, ligaments, muscles, and tissue in that area of the body.
- Road rash: In some motorcycle accidents, the rider is flung from their bike and skids across the asphalt. The movement can result in road rash, in which layers of skin are peeled away.
- Arm injuries: Because of the speed at which they’re traveling, upon impact, motorcyclists may suffer broken arms, shoulders, elbows, and/or fingers. They may also sustain permanent nerve damage.
- Leg injuries: In a motorcycle crash, the bike may fall on top of the rider, or the rider may be launched from the vehicle and suffer injuries to their lower extremities, such as a broken leg or twisted ankle. Riders can also suffer lacerations or torn ligaments.
- Back injuries and spinal cord injuries (SCIs): Damage to the back or spinal cord in a motorcycling accident can lead to paralysis.
Ultimately, what happens to your body in a motorcycle accident will depend on the severity of your crash and other factors. Our motorcycle crash lawyer in Cleveland wants you to prioritize your health, well-being, and safety following your motorcycling accident. Meanwhile, they will pursue maximum compensation for you from any liable parties.
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What to Expect if I File a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Cleveland
In Ohio, insurance is required if you want to ride a motorcycle on public roads. The insurance coverage that you should have as a motorcyclist will protect you financially if you’re liable for an accident. Alternatively, if a motorist is to blame for your accident while you’re riding your motorcycle, this party’s insurance carrier could cover your losses from the incident.
Your Cleveland motorcycle accident lawyer can help you with the insurance claims process. They will explain what to do after a motorcycle accident in Ohio, ensuring that you have sufficient evidence to prove that your claim is valid. On top of that, your attorney can negotiate a settlement with an at-fault party’s insurance company.
Ideally, you receive an insurance settlement that matches your expectations. However, if a liable party’s insurer disputes your claim or offers a lowball settlement, your motorcycle crash attorney in Cleveland can bring your case to trial. At this point, your lawyer can argue your case in court and make it clear to a judge or jury why you should be awarded compensatory damages.
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How Much is a Motorcycling Accident Case Worth?
Your Cleveland motorcycle accident attorney is committed to getting you the optimal case results. As your lawyer gets your case ready for trial, they will account for your economic and non-economic damages. Your attorney wants you to recover damages for various reasons, such as:
- Medical bills: You can receive money for your doctors’ visits, medications, physical therapy, surgery, and ongoing medical care for serious injuries from your motorcycling crash.
- Lost wages: Share your pay stubs with your attorney if you can’t work due to your motorcycling collision injuries. This will allow your lawyer to incorporate your current and future loss of income into your damages request.
- Motorcycle repair costs: Keep track of what you spend to fix your motorcycle if it was damaged in your accident. Your motorcycle repair estimates and bills can strengthen your case for damages.
- Pain and suffering: Tell your motorcycle wreck lawyer in Cleveland about your anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, physical discomfort, and other pain and suffering from your motorcycling accident. Your attorney will consider your pain and suffering as they craft their argument.
Unfortunately, just because you request these and other damages doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive them. You are responsible for the burden of proof relative to your case. If you have a wide range of evidence, you will be well-equipped to prove that a driver or other responsible parties acted negligently.
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Evidence to Use to Prove Liability for a Motorcycling Accident
When it comes to accidents involving motorcycles, it’s not enough to say that an at-fault party was negligent. Your motorcycle wreck attorney in Cleveland will gather evidence from myriad sources to build an argument that will resonate in court. Evidence that can help you achieve your desired case results includes:
- Traffic camera footage of your accident
- Photos from the accident scene
- Witness statements
- Police reports and accident reports
- Medical records
Choose a personal injury attorney with relevant motorcycling accident case experience to help you with your legal matters. Your lawyer will provide you with FAQs and other legal resources relating to the evidence that you can utilize to show that an at-fault party was negligent and, because of this, should have to compensate you for your accident losses.
The Role of Negligence in Motorcycling Accident Cases
Cleveland motorcycle accident lawyers will prioritize negligence as they develop their argument. They want to highlight how an at-fault party committed a careless or reckless act, which led to your motorcycling accident, injuries, and damages.
For example, a driver is speeding and slams their car into you while you’re traveling on your motorcycle. Your lawyer can explain to a judge or jury how this motor vehicle accident could have been avoided if this driver had taken the necessary precautions to keep you and others safe.
Ohio has a modified comparative negligence rule that can determine the outcome of your motorcycling crash case. With this, you can’t be 51% or more at fault for your motorcycling accident and still recover damages from other parties involved in the incident. If you’re 1-50% liable, a judge or jury can reduce your damages based on your percentage of fault.
What are the Most Common Reasons for Accidents Involving Motorcycles in Cleveland?
Many bikers practice defensive riding. Regardless, collisions with negligent motorists sometimes can’t be anticipated or avoided. Some of the most common reasons for motorcycle accidents on roads and freeways include:
- Lane splitting: Lane splitting, or lane sharing, happens when a biker drives through two lanes of stopped or slow-moving vehicles. While Ohio doesn’t explicitly outlaw lane splitting, bikers could be cited for failing to drive in marked lanes or engaging in unsafe lane changing by law enforcement.
- Speeding: Motorcycles can go incredibly fast, particularly those designed for racing, such as supersport bikes. Their light frames and lack of protection make crashing a deadly experience for any driver, and the faster you go, the less control you have over the vehicle you’re driving.
- Alcohol: Because motorcycles require balance to drive them well and safely, a drunk biker can often lose that balance and fall over. At high speeds, this can be disastrous.
- Road hazards: If a rider doesn’t have enough time to avoid road hazards, such as potholes, roadkill, ice, or sand, they could get into an accident that results in catastrophic injuries. Such accidents are more likely to happen if a rider takes blind corners at high speeds.
- Head-on collisions and rear-end collisions: A driver can crash their vehicle into a motorcyclist from the front or behind. If there is a head-on collision between a car and a bike, the motorcyclist may die as a result.
- Left-hand turns: When a turning car strikes a motorcycle, the bike is usually going straight through an intersection, passing the car, or trying to overtake the vehicle.
- Distracted driving: A motorist who takes their eyes off the road can cause a car accident that results in injuries or fatalities to those involved. In the same vein, a driver who isn’t paying attention can cause an accident with a motorcyclist that leaves the rider with serious injuries or proves to be fatal.
- Failure to yield: A motorist who decides not to yield the right of way when they’re required to do so can get into an accident with a motorcyclist and be held responsible for the incident.
- Blind spots: If a motorist doesn’t see a motorcyclist in their blind spot, they could crash their car into this rider without realizing it. The accident can result in injuries for the rider, and the motorist could be to blame for it.
Seek legal help if your motorcycling accident occurs for these reasons or any others. Personal injury attorneys can evaluate your case and determine who’s at fault for the incident. Next, they can assist you with your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
How to Avoid Accidents Involving Motorcycles
Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous. More often than not, the drivers of large vehicles are the biggest part of what makes riding such a hazardous activity. Drivers don’t often expect these smaller vehicles to be nearby when they make turns or change lanes, so they might not bother to check between lanes. If you’re a rider, here are three ways to avoid an accident on the road.
Be a Defensive Rider
Defensive riding involves preparing for the worst-case scenario. As a defensive rider, you assume other vehicle owners on Ohio roads never see you. By making this assumption, you can automatically make tactical decisions to defend yourself by keeping a safe distance between your bike and other vehicles.
Wear Protective Gear
Riders don’t have the benefit of a large metal cage to protect them in an accident. Because of this, people have designed different methods to protect bikers on the road. From leather gear to complete body armor to helmets, bikers have the option of choosing from many types of protective gear.
Ohio law requires riders who are under the age of 18 or who have not been licensed for a year or more to wear a motorcycle helmet when the vehicle is in operation. We recommend that all riders wear a motorcycle helmet at all times. It is a safe choice and can dramatically reduce your risk of head injury, brain injury, or fatality in a crash.
Avoid Riding Between Moving and Parked Vehicles
Dooring is one of the most common types of motorcycle and bike accidents. It happens when a parked car’s owner opens the driver’s side door without checking to see if anyone is coming. The sudden obstacle often causes a rider to crash into either the door or another car in the left lane as the biker tries to avoid the car door.
Likewise, not all drivers signal before they pull out of a parking spot and into moving traffic. Keep in lanes that are constantly moving so you don’t get caught by surprise. This boosts your chances of making your way safely from point A to point B when you travel on your motorcycle.
Of course, if you are involved in a motorcycling accident and incur medical expenses and other losses from the incident, you could ask for compensation from any liable parties. Let a motorcycling crash attorney who’s received dozens of positive client reviews help you with your case. Your lawyer will work hard to get you fair compensation for your losses.
Don’t Wait Any Longer to Hire a Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Cleveland
Poor road conditions and other factors can play a role in your accident while you’re riding your motorcycle. Yet, someone else can be at fault for the incident. To find out, discuss your case with a Cleveland motorcycle accident lawyer, as they can help you determine if now’s the right time to proceed with an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
HMW Law—Ohio Trial Attorneys is a nationally recognized and award-winning law firm. We provide our clients with personalized and focused legal representation. Give us the opportunity to help you with your motorcycling accident case. Contact us today.
Call or text 216-774-0000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form