When you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident then you need a motorcycle accident lawyer who specializes in rider accident cases. Motorcycle accident cases are typically harder to win than car accident cases, which means you need the most experienced lawyer you can find.
Everyone on our team has over 15 years of experience handling cases just like yours. We’ve won numerous settlements for riders across Alberta and we can help you win your motorcycle case, too.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Cochrane
Motorcycle accident statistics in Canada tell us that most motorcycle accidents are caused by passenger vehicles. The most common causes are:
- Drivers failing to check their blind spot or see the rider when making a lane change.
- Opening the door of a parked vehicle into the path of an oncoming rider.
- Driving at unsafe speeds, or recklessly.
- Driving under the influence.
- Sudden stops.
- Left turn accidents and right-of-way errors.
Riders do cause their own injuries at time, such as when they engage in the dangerous and illegal practice of lane splitting (driving between two lanes of traffic).
In addition, we see accidents caused by dangerous road conditions, defective motorcycle parts, and dangerous weather conditions. When dangerous road conditions or defective motorcycle parts exist, there may be other parties that must be held accountable for the accident.
Injuries Suffered by Cochrane Motorcyclists
Most motorcycle accident injuries are serious and life-altering. The most common ones include:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
- Leg, hip, and knee fractures
- Damage to internal organs
- Fractures, cuts, and lacerations
- Road rash
Unfortunately many of these accidents also result in death. If your loved one has been killed in a motorcycle accident we can help with a wrongful death case.
Every one of these injuries tends to be very expensive. This is one of the things that makes motorcycle cases so intensive and one of the reasons why motor vehicle cases require expert advice. Insurance companies fight harder to avoid paying them. They do this even knowing the accident was likely to be their driver’s fault. They do this even knowing that you likely need this money to recover. They do not care about you, and they don’t want to help you.
What Can You Recover from an Accident Compensation Claim?
In Alberta, you can recover the following from an accident compensation claim:
- Medical expenses
- Projected future medical expenses
- Expenses for medical or life assistance equipment needed as a direct result of the crash.
- Expenses for services you now need, such as housekeeping.
- Lost wages if you couldn't work while you recovered.
- Loss of earning potential if you won't be able to work again in the future.
- Pain and suffering.
Some of these figures are negotiable, and some aren’t. Your medical bills are a straightforward accounting of the exact bills charged by doctors, hospitals, labs, physical therapists, and specialists. Your projected future medical expenses will be based on the care your doctor believes you will need in the future.
Loss of earning potential is somewhat negotiable because it’s not possible to say for sure how long any person would have continued to work in any career or field. The longer you did work in that career or field, the more of a case there will be for projects that amount more years into the future.
Pain and suffering is always a negotiable figure. There is no hard and fast legal rule or chart that dictates where pain and suffering amounts should be set. It’s based on the extent of your injuries and the extent to which those injuries have become life-changing.
Pain and suffering amounts are also capped. For the kinds of major injuries you are likely to take in a motorcycle crash, they are capped at $370,000. Your lawyer’s job will be to get you as close to that cap as possible.
Given these realities, it’s easy to see why most accident settlements end up landing well in excess of over a million dollars. Many riders need lifelong care and lose the ability to work entirely.
Why Do You Need to Document Details of Your Crash?
Not all riders can document the details of their crash. Many are unconscious after the crash and have no memory of the event. This is yet another reason to turn to an expert on why a motorcycle accident lawyer is so important.
If you can document those details, both in a written statement and with photographs taken on the scene, then you have a much stronger case than the average rider does. You leave far less room for disputes about fault, conditions on the road, and the avoidability of the accident.
If you are unconscious we’ll tend to use the police reports and accident reconstruction specialists to determine what happened.
Filing Claims After a Motorcycle Accident
You usually have to inform your own insurance company of the accident 24 to 48 hours after the crash (though if you’re not conscious for a week and have extenuating circumstances they’ll accept that). You usually have 7 days to inform the other party’s insurance company.
It’s usually very wise to have a lawyer before attempting to contact the other party’s insurance company. The insurance adjuster will already be doing everything in their power to frame the accident as being your fault, mostly your fault, or partially your fault. They’ll be aided by very real stigmas against motorcycle riders. They’ll tend to try to deny and delay your accident claims if you’re not aided by a lawyer. They’ll try to get you to give up records they shouldn’t have access to or try to lead you into making statements that can harm your case.
When you can send those adjusters straight to your lawyer who has already filed your claim for you, then you tend to avoid all of those problems.
How a Cochrane Motorcycle Accident Can Help
We help in a myriad of ways:
- Dealing with your insurance company.
- Dealing with the other driver's insurance company.
- Identifying other responsible parties and holding them accountable.
- Pulling records and reports.
- Hiring experts to back your claim.
- Investigating the details of your case.
- Drafting demand letters.
- Handling settlement negotiations.
- Valuing your case and advising you on what a fair settlement should look like.
- Preparing for trial and litigating your case in court if necessary.
- Helping you understand the law, and the strength of your specific motorcycle case.
- Telling your story in clear, concise fashion to ensure that you aren't penalized by stigma against motorcycle riders.
In short, we know the law, and we fight for you.
Contact us or Call +1-(825) 857-1227 to schedule a free case evaluation today.