St. Louis Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Motorcycle accident victims face a very tough combination of challenges which often includes severe injuries, lack of reliable witnesses, no personal memory of the accident, bias against bikers, and jurors who have no understanding of motorcycles and how motorcycle accidents occur. Because the injuries are so severe, it is imperative that you recover maximum compensation so that your medical and other needs will be covered in the years to come. Our St. Louis motorcycle accident attorneys are here for you.
Driver Negligence
Driver negligence is involved in an appallingly large portion of motorcycle collisions with other vehicles. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS/HLDI) 44% of fatal motorcycle collisions with other vehicles, in 2013, occurred when the other vehicle turn left into the path of the motorcycle or into the motorcycle itself.
Some of the ways in which driver negligence can cause motorcycle accidents include:
- Left-hand turn into the path of the motorcycle
- Lane change into the motorcycle
- Following too closely
- Unsafe lane change or improper turn in which the vehicle does not collide with the motorcycle but that forces the motorcyclist to make evasive maneuvers resulting in a crash
Was it really a Single Vehicle Motorcycle Accident?
Anytime someone is seriously injured or killed in a single vehicle motorcycle accident, we have to verify that another vehicle was not involved. Very often, motorcycle accident victims cannot remember the accident, due to brain injuries. Without any witnesses, police may wrongly conclude that no other vehicle was involved.
Our St. Louis motorcycle accident attorneys will thoroughly investigate to determine if the accident was truly a single vehicle accident, a hit-and-run, or an accident caused by another vehicle that did not actually collide with the motorcycle.
If it was a single vehicle accident, you may still be able to recover compensation. Single vehicle motorcycle accidents are often caused by a defective motorcycle or defective roadway.
If You Were Not Wearing a Helmet
Do not be fooled by insurance adjusters, or even friends and family, who say you have no case because you were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. In Missouri, you can still sue for your injuries, even if you were partly to blame. The defense will say that you failed to prevent your injuries because you did not wear a helmet, but it is not that simple.
You can be found partly to blame for any injuries that a helmet could have minimized, and your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of blame. But, compensation for injuries that are not prevented by helmets, such as back injuries or amputations, is not affected by helmet non-use.
To learn more about your rights after a Missouri motorcycle accident, please call the St. Louis motorcycle accident attorneys of the S.E. Farris Law Firm, at (314) 252-9937.
