Long Island Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

A serious motorcycle accident can throw your life and future out of balance. Fortunately, a Long Island motorcycle crash lawyer can bring some stability back to your situation.

Life-changing motorcycle crashes can happen in any number of ways, few of which we can predict or adequately prepare for. While taking proper precautions, such as riding with a helmet, can help you survive a serious impact, you will still likely come of out of an accident with more questions than answers.

Your most pressing concern, for instance, will likely revolve around treating any lingering health issues resulting from your accident, particularly those that seem to be chronic or catastrophic in nature. After all, if you’re not well, what good is trying to fix other parts of your life?

A related aspect of your life that may need repair is your financial situation, which will probably have been strained by numerous medical expenses and your inability to work. In addition, we must consider the effects our injuries have on our loved ones, whose own quality of life may feel worsened.

Fortunately, you may be able to improve your chances of a full recovery by filing a personal injury claim, which motorcycle accident victims are allowed to do in the state of New York. To discover what a personal injury claim could do for you, contact a Long Island car accident lawyer at Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP today.

Why Insurers Single Out Motorcyclists

Stereotypes sometimes have a kernel of truth to them, but that still doesn’t justify insurance companies’ behavior when they unfairly typecast all motorcyclists as reckless or dangerous.

To be sure, there’s a method to the madness with these characterizations: Insurers can bank on the legal standard of comparative negligence, which essentially lets them reduce their liability. For the purposes of illustration, let’s look at John, a thirty-year-old motorcyclist who was riding down a busy city street on a sunny and clear afternoon before being hit by a passing car.

John, the at-fault driver’s attorney points out, hadn’t signaled before changing lanes. The lawyer argues that John’s failure to signal his intentions makes him 25 percent liable in his collision—an assessment that the judge or jury agrees with.

Being found 25 percent at fault would accordingly decrease John’s final award amount by a full quarter. Because 25 percent of a large settlement or suit amounts to no small change, you can see why insurers will do whatever they can to lessen their liability.

One of the oldest tricks in the book is having an insurance company representative ask an accident victim seemingly innocent questions that are actually intended to pry out an admission of guilt. Fortunately, you can avoid this and other forms of deceit by having a Long Island motorcycle wreck lawyer speak to unscrupulous insurers on your behalf.

Why Motorists Crash into Motorcyclists

Motorists, no matter how long they’ve driven, can end up crashing into an unsuspecting motorcyclist for any number of reasons. These include the following:

• Intoxication, whether from alcohol or drugs
• Drowsiness or exhaustion
• Distraction caused by an electronic device or another passenger
• Difficult weather conditions, such as rain and snow
• Poor sight or visibility
• Tailgating
• Indecisiveness or poor judgment
• Speeding or driving too slowly
• Lack of driving experience

If you’ve been the victim of a motorcycle collision, or truck accident in Long Island, you will want to identify which combination of factors, including those not listed, led to your crash.

This will be important when you decide to file a claim for compensation, as you will want to carefully document each and every factor that contributed to your crash—and, subsequently, your losses and injuries.

Structuring and Filing Your Claim

When you decide to build and file your claim, you’ll eventually have to detail every injury and loss to which you’ve been subjected, regardless of whether they happened in the past, present, or future.

Examples of injuries that commonly afflict motorcycle accident victims in Long Island include the following:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Broken or fractured bones
• Spine damage
• Facial damage, including eye injuries
• Severe burns
• Organ damage or failure
• Nerve damage
• Internal bleeding
• Death

To receive compensation for your injuries, you’ll need to assess and place a value on your damages, or losses. Losses that may apply to your Long Island motorcycle crash case include medical expenses, lost wages or earning potential, repair or replacement of your motorcycle, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.

With both injuries and losses, documentation—whether in the form of medical records, witness testimony, or another piece of evidence—will be critical in your quest to obtain fair compensation.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

In the face of any serious legal matter, there may be a temptation to hold off on taking action until you absolutely must. This, however, is often a poor approach. Patience is important, but do not wait to begin filing your claim until it’s already too late.

For example, you must take into consideration New York’s strict statute of limitations of three years for personal injury cases, which means you will be given three years from the date of your Long Island motorcycle accident to seek damages.

No less important is deciding whether you will ultimately seek a settlement out of court or a trial. Many motorcycle accident victims are reluctant to go to court, and the good news is that the majority of these cases settle outside of the courtroom. However, if the other side will not make a fair settlement offer, going to court may be the only way to receive full and fair compensation.

Your motorcycle accident lawyer in Long Island will work to protect your best interests every step of the way.

Call a Long Island Motorcycle Accident Attorney

During your recovery from a motorcycle accident, you will probably already have enough on your mind. Why add the stress of trying to file a lawsuit or negotiate a reasonable settlement without legal guidance?

Contact a Long Island motorcycle accident lawyer at Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP today. Dial 1-800-VICTIM2 (842-8462) or fill out the online contact form at the bottom of this page.