Motorcycles afford a certain freedom to riders but they come with a natural risk. Accidents are common and the injuries that follow can be devastating. If you have sustained injuries in a crash, explore your legal remedies with a Fairfield motorcycle accident lawyer. If someone else’s recklessness or carelessness contributed to the incident, you could recover compensation with Attorney George W. Ganim, Jr., an experienced personal injury attorney.
Motorcycle Accident Injuries
The same qualities that make motorcycle riding so freeing is what makes them dangerous in a crash. There is no frame or barrier between the rider and their surroundings. The biker is completely exposed and their body must absorb the impact of a collision.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often result from motorcycle accidents. A severe TBI could leave you with cognitive and physical impairments that prevents you from living independently. Although Connecticut law does not require riders older than 21 to wear a motorcycle helmet, they are advised to wear one in order to protect themselves whenever they are on the road.
A motorcyclist could also suffer neck hyperextension, fractures, spinal cord damage, internal injuries and amputations. Road rash, a term for friction burns and abrasions that occurs when skin drags along a road surface, is also common in motorcycle crashes.
Determining Whether Negligence Caused a Crash
Accidents typically do not happen in the absence of someone’s negligence. In the case of motorcycle crashes, other drivers often are to blame. Motorcycles are less visible, and sometimes drivers do not notice them. Inattentiveness or lack of reasonable caution might lead another driver to:
- Open the driver’s side door into the path of the bike
- Fail to yield to an oncoming motorcycle when turning left
- Back up into a motorcycle
- Change or merge lanes into the path of a bike
In such cases, the driver of the other vehicle was likely negligent and could be liable to pay for your injuries and losses.
If it is not clear that another driver’s actions led to a crash, Attorney Ganim, a Fairfield motorcycle collision lawyer, can investigate to determine the reason or cause of the accident. For example, the motorcycle’s manufacturer, installer and dealer could be liable if a brake defect was the cause. If an unrepaired pothole or other dangerous road condition was a factor in the accident, the local government entity responsible for highway maintenance could have liability.
Biker’s Negligence Affects Damages
At times, a biker’s own negligence may be a contributing factor to an accident. The motorcycle might have been going too fast for weather conditions, the bike might not have been properly maintained or could have been altered in a way that made it unsafe. The rider might have been weaving in and out of traffic or riding between two cars in adjoining lanes, a practice specifically prohibited by Connecticut General Statutes § 14-289b.
If a biker shares some responsibility for the crash, then the biker would not be entitled to full compensation. The amount of compensation would then be reduced by a percentage that mirrors the biker’s degree of fault. If the biker bears more than 50 percent of the blame for a crash, then the biker would not be permitted to collect any amount.
Most cases settle before making it to court. During settlement negotiations, insurance adjusters will try to limit their liability by asserting that the injured party was primarily at fault. A local motorcycle accident attorney can anticipate that tactic and ensure that the injured individual is not saddled with excess liability.
Learn Your Options with a Fairfield Motorcycle Accident Attorney
When your life is upended due to a motorcycle crash, you should not have to bear the economic burden alongside the physical recovery. The earlier you begin working with Attorney George W. Ganim, Jr., the better your negotiating position will be. Call on a Fairfield motorcycle accident lawyer to vigorously pursue your case.