Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles are all over Florida roadways. In fact, Florida is ranked as the state with the fourth highest number of registered motorcycles in the United States.
Motorcycles can also be very dangerous. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 88,000 American motorcyclists were injured in 2013. Compared to individuals traveling by car, motorcycle riders are five times more likely per mile to be injured in an accident and 26 times more likely to die in an accident.
If you are involved in a motorcycle accident, the first thing you need to do is seek medical attention. This step could save your life. Once you have received adequate medical care, the next step is to contact an experienced personal injury attorney to determine the best way to proceed with your case. If you want to seek monetary compensation to cover your medical bills and others costs associated with your injury, you will need to file a personal injury claim with the other party’s insurance provider.
Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
Cars, trucks, and vans have protective chassis that absorb the shock of a collision or impact with the road, providing their riders with some protection from harm. This is not the case with motorcycles, which is the main reason why motorcycle riders have a higher risk of injury and death that those traveling in other types of vehicle. Some of the conditions that may cause a motorcycle accident include:
- Intoxicated driving by the motorcyclist or another party
- Taking a blind turn
- Poorly-maintained or flooded roads
- Sudden lane changes by motorcyclists or other drivers
- Rear ending by another vehicle
- Entering a corner too quickly
Wearing a helmet while riding can reduce a rider’s risk of injury, but it can not eliminate it completely.
Who Is Liable?
The term “liable” refers to the party that must pay for the damages caused by the accident. In many motorcycle accidents, another driver is liable for the damages suffered by the rider. Sometimes, the rider him or herself is the one liable and in many cases, both the rider and another party share the blame for the accident. When this is the case, the amount of money the rider is entitled to receive in his or her compensation package may be reduced according to the percentage he or she contributed to the accident. This is known as the comparative negligence rule.
Sometimes, no driver is to blame for a motorcyclist’s accident. If his or her accident can be attributed to a poorly-maintained roadway, the motorcyclist may file a personal injury claim against the government entity responsible for maintaining that portion of the road.
Motorcycle Accident Attorneys in Winter Park
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact Hornsby Law Group at 407-499-8887 today for your initial legal consultation with one of the personal injury attorneys at our firm. Do not wait to make this call – in Florida, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is four years following your accident. Once those four years pass, you may no longer file a personal injury claim for monetary compensation. If your claim is against a government entity, you have even less time to seek compensation. In this type of case, the statute of limitations is only three years.
