Because motorcycle accidents come with their own unique set of circumstances, choosing a qualified personal injury attorney with an extensive background in motorcycle accidents can be extremely important. Your chosen attorney must have a clear understanding of the issues surrounding a motorcycle accident including potential jury and police bias against motorcyclists. Unfortunately, there tends to be a stigma attached to motorcyclists that can be hard to overcome—many people believe that motorcyclists are inherent risk takers therefore the accident must have been the fault of the motorcycle rider.
In fact, the motorcycle riders today tend to be a much older group than in the past. Baby boomers make up over forty percent of motorcyclists and as a general rule these motorcyclists will use the same caution when driving a motorcycle that they do when behind the wheel of their car. Nonetheless your motorcycle attorney must be cognizant of the potential biases against motorcyclists and be able to overcome them at trial.
Motorcycle Attorneys Who Fully Understand the Situation
Next, your motorcycle accident attorney must fully comprehend the reconstruction of motorcycle accidents in order to definitively prove fault. The attorney must then be able to present the case in such a way that the insurance carrier understands and accepts the motorcycle rider’s side of the case. The best motorcycle accident attorneys have important contacts with industry experts who will help present your case clearly in a courtroom, allowing you to get the settlement you deserve.
Your attorney will know how to work with your physicians in order to ensure you receive the best care for your injuries. This knowledge will extend to ensuring your physicians can present your case in the clearest manner to the jury so they will get a good sense of how much the accident altered your life. The motorcycle attorney you choose will know that the case must be started immediately. In many cases it can take over twelve month to get to the point of a trial. Because of the lag in the court systems you don’t want to choose an attorney who allows your case to languish on his or her desk for a couple of years in the hopes it will settle without the necessity of a trial. A motorcycle accident case can always settle your case after it is in the court system. On the flip side, if the case is not entered into the court system, it can be impossible to make up for lost time.
Experience Equals Maximum Settlement
Your motorcycle accident attorney will know how to best portray your motorcycle injury case in order to show everything that is owed to you so you will receive the maximum settlement. The best motorcycle attorney fully recognizes the expenses you may be entitled to include medical expenses—past, present and future—expenses for a rental car, repair and replacement costs for your motorcycle, lost wages, future loss of earnings and anything else the attorney feels may be applicable. Ask your prospective motorcycle attorney about his or her past cases and record for obtaining equitable settlements for clients. Your chosen attorney must be able to show how your injuries have affected your life on both a daily and a long-term basis. Each case has its own distinctive features and warrants the effort it takes to present it properly to the insurance company as well as a jury.
Issues to Consider
Following your attorney’s track record for success you must consider their level of investigative resources which are crucial to proving who was at fault in the accident. Whether distracted driving, excessive speed, drug or alcohol use or another action by the at-fault party were a factor, your attorney must be able to definitively prove those issues. Finally you will want to ensure that clear, two-way communication between you and your attorney is present. Without this level of communication your case may not proceed smoothly. Choose your motorcycle accident attorney carefully and that choice will pay off in the end.