Georgia’s busy cities and beautiful highways beckon motorcycle enthusiasts, including residents and tourists alike. The year-round mild climate also makes a motorcycle a reliable daily transportation option. Unfortunately, the open-air, two-wheeled design that makes motorcycles thrilling to ride also leaves motorcycle operators and passengers vulnerable to severe or catastrophic injuries in a Georgia motorcycle crash.
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident in Georgia, call Marc Brown Law Firm for experienced Georgia personal injury law guidance throughout your compensation case.
Why Choose Marc Brown Law Firm as Your Georgia Motorcycle Accident Lawyers?
The Georgia accident attorneys and staff at Marc Brown Law Firm are committed to delivering the compassion and personalized strategy of a small-town lawyer’s office with the results of a large law firm. Marc Brown Law Firm offers the following benefits in your case:
- Assertive legal representation and guidance throughout every step of your motorcycle accident claim
- An open-communication approach, so you are informed and included throughout the process
- Effective, attentive legal representation
Types of Motorcycle Accidents In Georgia
Motorcyclists make up only 2% of Georgia’s registered vehicles, yet represent an alarming 11% of traffic fatalities, with 3,948 motorcycle accidents in a single recent year. The most common types of motorcycle accidents in Georgia include the following:
- “Lay down” accidents, which occur when an operator is forced to tip the motorcycle onto its side to avoid a collision
- Collisions in intersections
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipes
- Driver vs. motorcycle left-turn accidents
- Car-dooring accidents
- Collisions with obstacles
Motorcyclists must follow traffic laws and exercise due care for surrounding traffic; however, even the safest motorcyclist can sustain severe injuries in a crash caused by a careless or reckless driver.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents In Georgia?
Most motorcycle accidents result from negligent drivers. Motorcycles are harder to see than typical four-wheeled vehicles, but drivers must exercise reasonable precautions when sharing the road with motorcycles. The most common causes of Georgia motorcycle accidents include the following:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Tailgating, or following a motorcycle too closely
- Failure to yield the right of way to a motorcycle
- Unsafe lane changes or blind-spot accidents
- Improper passing
- Unsafe merging
- Impaired driving
- Aggressive driving
In some cases, other entities cause or contribute to motorcycle accidents.
Injuries Caused by Georgia Motorcycle Accidents
In some cases, motorcycle accident victims are fortunate enough to suffer only minor injuries, requiring a single emergency room visit and a few days of lost pay. Still, motorcyclists are exposed to direct contact with the road, vehicles, and obstacles in a motorcycle accident, leaving them vulnerable to grave or catastrophic injuries in a crash. The most common injuries named in Georgia motorcycle accident cases include the following:
- Bone fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries (sprains, torn ligaments, and tendon damage) to knees, shoulders, ankles, and wrists
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Facial and dental trauma
- Friction burns and abrasions (road rash)
- Internal organ injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Lacerations and contusions
- Crush injuries
Even the victim of minor injuries deserves compensation when they are injured through no fault of their own in a Georgia motorcycle accident, but when the accident results in life-altering injuries, a successful claim can be critical for the injury victim and their family. If there was a death as a result of a motorcycle crash, our Georgia wrongful death attorneys are here to help.
Who Is Liable In a Motorcycle Accident Case?
Before recovering damages in a Georgia motorcycle accident, the state’s fault-based injury laws require the accident victim to prove the other party’s liability. This means the evidence must demonstrate that the at-fault party owed a legal duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, they violated this duty through negligence, the violation of their duty caused the injury, and the injury victim suffered damages from the injury. Common liable parties in Georgia motorcycle accident claims include the following:
- A careless, reckless, or impaired driver
- /georgia-truck-accident-lawyer/Trucking accidents due to a negligent commercial truck or bus company
- The manufacturer of a defective motorcycle or vehicle part
- A negligent road maintenance agency
- A road planning agency that created a dangerous intersection or an unsafe roadway
- A negligent road construction contractor
- A third-party driver
It often takes an attorney to conduct a thorough investigation of all aspects of a motorcycle accident to determine the cause, establish liability, and identify the appropriate insurance policy to file a compelling, evidence-based claim.
Typical Damages In a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit
Injury expenses add up quickly when the injury requires medical treatment, disrupts work, and interferes with daily activities. While no two compensation claims are the same, common damages recovered in Georgia motorcycle accident lawsuits include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Lost wages
- Future income loss/diminished earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for any catastrophic injuries that apply, such as loss of limb, disfigurement, permanent scarring, loss of one of the senses, or diminished quality of life due to disability, impairment, or chronic pain
If you’ve lost a loved one in a Georgia motorcycle accident, a close family member or representative of the deceased person’s estate may recover compensation and a sense of justice through a motorcycle accident wrongful death claim.
How Can a Georgia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help My Case?
Most motorcycle accident cases are far more complex than a simple insurance claim. Insurance companies routinely delay, deny, and undervalue claims, particularly in motorcycle accident cases. A Georgia motorcycle accident lawyer does the following:
- Conducts an investigation that is separate and independent from the insurance companies’ investigations
- Documents compelling evidence of the reckless or wrongful party’s liability through the available evidence, eyewitness testimony, and consultation with accident reconstructionists
- Consults with medical experts and other expert witnesses to carefully calculate past, current, and future damages
- Sends their findings to the appropriate insurance company
- Negotiates with the insurer seeking the largest possible settlement, or
- Files a petition for the court to defend your right to compensation through a well-executed legal strategy
Most claims end with a settlement, but if filing a court case is determined to be the best option for you, a trial-ready attorney from Marc Brown Law Firm will assertively argue for the maximum compensation available to you.
Call Marc Brown Law Firm Today
You don’t have to trust a critical compensation claim to an insurer whose goals conflict with yours. An insurance company protects its profits at your expense. Instead, reach out to Marc Brown Law Firm for a free case consultation so an attorney can take prompt action on your behalf.