You love riding your motorcycle. Whether for work or fun, a motorcycle is an excellent alternative to driving a car or taking the bus. However, motorcycles are not immune from accidents.
A motorcyclist is vulnerable to sustaining severe and catastrophic injuries. If you or a loved one is a motorcycle accident victim, we know you face many challenges. And you should never face them alone. Insurance companies are heartless and uncaring, and dealing with them may only further your anguish. Concentrate on your injuries and your family. Let a Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer file your claim, deal with the insurance company, and protect your rights.
Why Choose Us
We have over 100 years of combined experience
We provide personalized attention
We offer free initial consultations
We hold insurance companies accountable
We have recovered over $230 Million for our clients
What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident
If you have been in a motorcycle accident, you may be overwhelmed and unsure what to do. We recommend taking the following steps.
Contact Emergency Services
After a motorcycle accident, call 911. Health and safety always come first. Colorado law requires any vehicle driver involved in a traffic accident that caused personal injury, death, or property damage to report the accident to the police. Paramedics will arrive at the accident scene as well. A motorcycle accident can leave you with serious injuries. You need to be examined, even if you feel fine. Following up with your primary care doctor is also recommended.
Collect Evidence
Take photos of the accident scene, including your motorcycle, other vehicles involved, and any property damage. Take note of any security or traffic cameras, as they may have captured the accident. Take down the license plate and the make and model of the other vehicles involved. Also, get the names and contact details of the other parties involved and any witnesses to the accident. Remember to get the insurance information for all the other drivers as well. Finally, don’t forget to save records of any medical bills. Motorcycle accident attorneys in Lafayette take this evidence and use it to build your claim.
Contact a Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Attorney
As soon as it is safe to do so, contact an attorney for assistance in filing your motorcycle accident claim. An attorney may still be able to visit the accident scene and survey the aftermath of the accident. And evidence preservation is essential. So, the sooner an attorney is contacted, the better.
Your attorney will negotiate on your behalf with the insurance companies and will fight to get you the best compensation possible.
Proving Negligence in a Motorcycle Accident
Motorcycle accident claims are based on the doctrine of negligence. Negligence refers to the failure to take reasonable care that an ordinary person would have taken in a similar situation. To bring a successful negligent claim, you must prove the following elements:
- Duty of care,
- Breach of duty,
- Causation, and
- Damages.
If these elements are present, you may be able to prove the other party’s negligence.
Injuries in a Motorcycle Accident
If you are in a car accident, most of the time, the car itself takes the initial impact. The car doors, ceiling, and floor protect you. You can still get hurt, but you do have some protection against the impact coming from another vehicle or stationary object. On a motorcycle, however, there is no protection—you are hit first. Because of this, motorcycle accidents can sometimes cause more severe injuries than car accidents.
Common motorcycle accident injuries include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries,
- Scarring,
- Back injuries,
- Internal organ damage,
- Spinal cord injuries,
- Road burns,
- Broken bones,
- Fractures,
- Disfigurement,
- Paralysis, and
- Coma.
Motorcycle accidents can also be fatal. If someone you love died in a motorcycle accident, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim.
Deadline to Bring Motorcycle Accident Claim
Colorado’s statute of limitations allocates a three-year deadline for personal injury claims. This includes motorcycle accident claims. Once this deadline passes, apart from a couple of exceptions, you can no longer file your claim. Therefore, contacting a motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible is essential in preserving your claim.
3 Reasons Why You Need a Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
While you may feel confident in your ability to handle your case without professional help, you’ll soon realize that presenting an injury claim requires a lot of hard work and legal expertise.
When you should be working your way back from painful disabilities, you’ll have to comply with insurance adjuster requests. Before you see a single dime of settlement money, there is a long list of procedures and issues to follow through. It will be your job to contact doctors for bills and reports.
Taking care of a serious injury case on your own involves focus on investigation, evaluation, and negotiation. Instead of taking on these new challenges, you should be working on your personal recovery.
When you are seriously injured, your financial future depends on obtaining adequate compensation for your injuries. You have a lot at stake. That’s why it’s important to seek help from a Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Lawyer before you make a critical mistake. Here are 3 additional reasons to consider.
1. Liability Issues
Accidents often involve liability issues that can be difficult to resolve. Colorado’s comparative negligence statute plays a key role in liability assessments. You must determine whether or not you contributed to the circumstances which caused the accident and how it may affect the compensation you receive for your injuries.
2. Dealing with Insurance Companies and Adjusters
When you have a serious injury claim, the other driver’s insurance company adjuster will call and may want to visit your home. It’s an adjuster’s job to clear up any liability issues, so they must record your statement.
3. Calculating Damages
When you’re injured, you know the pain, disabilities, and scarring you are forced to endure, but do you know their economic value? Injury claims don’t have one-size-fits-all evaluations. If two different people sustain the same injury, the settlement value will be different due to a wide range of factors. Attorneys research your injuries to understand how they affect you.
Contact Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in Lafayette
Sloat, Nicholson, & Hoover, P.C. has dedicated its legal practice to personal injury law. Our team has over 100 years of combined legal experience and are firm believers in giving back to our community. Therefore, we are involved in many charities, such as the Boulder Community Hospital Foundation, the Boulder Valley Humane Society, and the Boulder County Safe House.
The aftermath of a motorcycle accident can be a nightmare. You may find it hard to continue your job, or you may have to take a long time off work to heal. Or maybe your injuries are permanent, and you cannot work anymore. Paying the bills every month is hard, and your injuries are excruciating. If someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, our Lafayette motorcycle accident attorneys can help. Contact Sloat, Nicholson, & Hoover, P.C. now for a free case evaluation and learn how we can help.