Motorcyclists are not afforded the same safety protections as people riding in automobiles. Because motorcyclists only have a helmet and protective clothing, the chances of sustaining serious injuries or fatality are greatly increased. As experienced Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Attorneys, we pursue full compensation for clients who have been injured or lost a loved one because of a motorcycle collision.
Although motorcycle injuries can be caused by many factors, the most common factor is the negligence of inattentive drivers not accustomed to motorcyclist. As an experienced Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Lawyer, I understands the importance of working quickly to secure the evidence necessary to secure your claim. Evidence may include, but not be limited to photographs, expert accident reconstruction, accident reports, and medical records and bills.
The severe, debilitating, catastrophic and permanent injuries that arise from motorcycle accidents with trucks, tractor trailers, cars and public transportation vehicles results in significant financial losses to the individuals involved. Thankfully, the law provides an injured person with the right to recover his or her damages from the responsible party.
Such damages include, but may not be limited to, medical expenses, lost wages, funeral expenses and other economic losses. Injured individuals are also entitled to recover for the pain and suffering caused by the injuries and treatment. The spouse of the injured person is often entitled to recover for the loss of services of his or her spouse. Although a monetary recovery can never repair the damage that is done, it can at least ease the financial burdens created by the collision.
Why Should you hire an Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Lawyer?
The insurance company for the driver whose fault caused the wreck will start an investigation immediately. It is the insurance company's responsibility to try to limit the compensation of the injured person to the lowest possible amount in order to protect their profits. Insurance companies have established very specific and elaborate policies on handling motorcycle accident claims, especially in the early stages. Insurance company will take recorded statements from the persons involved in the motorcycle accident, have the vehicles examined, have photographs taken, obtain the police report and try to establish the extent of the injuries suffered in the motorcycle collision. The insurance company is usually completes these tasks within the first week after the motorcycle collision and many of them within the first 24 to 48 hours after the collision.
Insurance companies try to reach a quick settlement with an injured person. They often do this before the true extent of you injuries are known. Their purpose is to avoid responsibility for future medical expenses, lost wages and other damages that are likely to develop. This is a situation that an experienced Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Attorney can help you avoid. When a person is injured in a motorcycle accident, it very often takes months or even years to completely assess the person's injuries. At that point, the person may need surgery, physical therapy or other extensive treatment. The injuries may even leave the person permanently disabled. Therefore, the true value of a claim can only be assessed after most of the medical treatment has been completed. The State of Georgia provides in most, but not all, cases a two-year period of time in which to file a lawsuit on a claim. Accordingly, there is no need to rush to a settlement with an insurance company.
Other Areas Where An Experienced Georgia Motorcycle Injury Lawyer Can Help You:
There are other significant issues that develop for persons injured in a motorcycle accident. For instance, if your health insurance company pays for your medical bills they will very often seek reimbursement from your settlement with the other driver's insurance company. There are several legal limitations on these rights to reimbursement. An experienced Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Lawyer can use the various laws in Georgia to maximize the amount of recovery that you, the injured individual, gets to keep.
An experienced Georgia Motorcycle Injury Attorney can often find additional insurance coverage to help you be completely compensated.
Georgia law requires individuals to maintain liability insurance coverage for their automobiles. The minimum requirements for bodily injury liability insurance coverage in Georgia are $25,000.00 per person and $50,000.00 per accident. Since these insurance limits may be insufficient to completely compensate you, very often an experienced Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Lawyer must explore what other insurance is available to the responsible driver or the extent of the driver's personal assets. The responsible driver may have the right to coverage from insurance policies of family members, an employer, a rental car company or from an "umbrella" policy.
In addition, other unknown persons or entities may also have liability for the auto collision. For instance, if the road or a light was defective, a government agency may share responsibility for the collision. In addition, your own insurance policy may provide you with coverage for your injuries.
An experienced Atlanta Motorcycle Injury Attorney can also determine whether or not your “uninsured” or “underinsured motorist” insurance coverage can be utilized to help completely compensate you.
Since insurance companies have vast experience in evaluating motorcycle accidents, they often will pay the lowest compensation possible. It is important to have an attorney on your side with considerable experience dealing with these insurance companies. It is always best to have an attorney who will not settle your case for anything less than its full value. If the insurance companies are not being reasonable in their valuation of your case, you need an attorney who will fight for you, who will file a lawsuit, take your case to trial and prove why you deserve to be compensated. Our law firm will do that for you.