A Southfield motorcycle accident lawyer is trained to handle personal injury cases involving motorcycles in the state of Michigan. The main duty of a motorcycle accident attorney is to help injured motorcycle riders get the compensation and justice they deserve.
The moments, hours, and days after an accident can be incredibly stressful. This is a time when you need to focus on resting and recovering from your injuries. Instead, you may be dealing with many calls from insurance companies, substantial medical bills, and lost wages. A Southfield motorcycle accident attorney can help during such a time, but most injured victims do not fully understand what lawyers do.
In truth, an experienced Southfield motorcycle accident attorney may be the difference between getting maximum compensation and a lowball settlement — or nothing at all.
If you suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident that isn’t your fault, you should consider reaching out to a motorcycle accident attorney in Southfield, MI. Legal representation may help you hold drivers who behave negligently behind the wheel accountable for their actions.
Why Southfield Residents Choose Goodman Acker
At Goodman Acker, potential clients often ask us why they should hire our motorcycle accident lawyers in Southfield, MI, to manage their personal injury claims. Simply put, we have the relevant skills, knowledge, experience, and resources to manage even the most complex claims. Our legal team is willing to take on any insurance company to help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Here is why you should hire Goodman Acker:
- 150+ years of combined experience
- Free case reviews
- 99% success rate
- Available 24/7.
Goodman Acker also guarantees you that:
- We will care
- We will be aggressive
- We will be attentive
- We will be knowledgeable.
Goodman Acker has an extensive amount of experience dealing with motorcycle accident claims and representing injured riders who have suffered serious injuries. Our reputable Southfield injury law firm is here to protect your rights and interests after an accident. We are ready to explain the legal process involved in motorcycle claims.
What To Do After a Motorcycle Accident
If you are involved in a motorcycle accident, here’s what our motorcycle accident lawyers in Southfield recommend.
Seek Medical Attention
Even if you feel okay or if your injuries seem minor, visit a doctor immediately. It is the duty of a medical professional to determine whether you are okay. Remember, an accident can leave you in shock, rendering you numb to whatever pain threshold your body is experiencing.
Some conditions do not have immediate symptoms, like concussions or whiplash. It is essential that you visit a physician for an immediate and comprehensive medical evaluation since it can be challenging to secure fair compensation if you disregard medical care.
Call the Police
Even if you believe you aren’t injured or there is no vehicle damage, make sure you call 911 or the Southfield Police Department. A police report can help you prove the party responsible for your accident and injuries.
Never let any other party at the scene talk you out of this stage.
Document the Scene
After a motorcycle accident, you should stop and get the necessary information that can help with your case. This applies regardless of whether the police respond to the accident scene or if the accident seems minor.
Note down the names, addresses, contact details, and insurance information of all involved parties.
Make sure you also take photos and videos of the scene before you leave. This may include vehicle damage, road signs, tire marks, and weather conditions. An experienced motorcycle accident lawyer near Southfield may use such information to determine what may have led to the accident as well as who was at fault.
Obtain Eyewitness Information
Witnesses are essential to any personal injury claim. If there are bystanders at the scene, get their names, addresses, and phone numbers. Your lawyer can reach out to them later to bolster your injury claim.
Call Your Insurer
It is crucial that you report your accident to your insurance company. This applies regardless of whether you are at fault or not. Some insurance companies may decline to settle your motorcycle accident claim if you do not report it within a specific period. This window is typically quoted within the insurance policy.
Even when you do not plan to file a claim, it is wise to let your insurance company know about the crash.
Call a Southfield Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
To ensure you do not jeopardize your injury claim, it is wise to enlist the services of a reputable motorcycle accident law firm in Southfield, like Goodman Acker. Our legal team is ready to help you with all aspects of your personal injury case. What’s more, you do not have to worry about any upfront fees since we operate on a contingency basis.
Confused about what to do after a motorcycle accident?
Speak to one of our motorcycle accident lawyers in Southfield, MI. Call us at (248) 286-8100.Role of a Southfield Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
It is crucial that you consult a motorcycle accident lawyer from Southfield soon after your crash to understand your legal rights in the state of Michigan. Motorcyclists are highly vulnerable and exposed while riding on our roads. This implies they face a higher risk of sustaining serious, catastrophic injuries during a collision.
Remember, motorcycles do not have airbags that can protect riders during impact, as other motor vehicles in Michigan do.
Goodman Acker understands the types of injuries that injured motorcyclists may sustain, and our legal team is aware that you need compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, damage to your motorcycle, and more.
An experienced Southfield motorcycle accident lawyer will commence your claim by conducting a comprehensive and independent investigation into your crash, determining liability, and assessing the value of your claim.
Here are some of the key roles of a motorcycle accident lawyer from Southfield, MI:
Answer Your Questions
After an accident, it is natural for the victim to feel overwhelmed and uncertain of what happens next. It is important that you feel comfortable asking an attorney any questions you have in mind regarding your case. You may also seek clarification regarding legal issues from a motorbike accident attorney.
Conduct an Investigation
There is always a possibility that more than one party may be liable for a motorcycle crash. This is where an experienced Southfield motorcycle accident attorney comes in to conduct an exhaustive investigation to determine who is responsible for your crash. Liable parties may include:
- Other drivers
- Motorbike manufacturer
- Government entity
- Helmet manufacturer
- Dealership.
Calculate Compensation
Medical expenses, such as medications, hospital visits, medical tests, therapy, rehabilitation, surgeries, and hospitalization, may pile up very quickly after an accident. Lost wages and benefits are also crucial when determining the value of a motorcycle accident case in Southfield, MI.
The injured party’s pain and suffering must also be factored in when calculating compensation. In a wrongful death case, the decedent’s conscious pain and suffering while they were still alive may also be factored in when calculating compensation.
Negotiating With Insurers
An attorney can handle settlement negotiations with insurance companies on your behalf to arrive at a fair settlement for your claim. It is common for insurance providers to use manipulative tricks and tactics to convince injured victims to accept less compensation than they deserve for their injuries and other losses. Therefore, you need an experienced lawyer by your side who can advise you accordingly when an insurance company tries to lowball you during negotiations.
Schedule a free case review with our Southfield motorcycle accident lawyers now.Legal Representation
Most motorcycle accident claims are resolved out of court. However, there are instances where both parties completely disagree, leading to a motorcycle accident lawsuit in Southfield, MI.
At Goodman Acker, our skilled trial lawyers are ready to represent you during the entire civil lawsuit process in Michigan. We will also pursue other forms of mediation to ensure you get the best settlement for your claim. If your case goes to trial, our lawyers may call expert witnesses to the stand, including doctors, mental health experts, the police, as well as eyewitnesses to testify and bolster your personal injury claim.
Proving Fault in a Motorcycle Accident Case
Before you receive compensation for any personal injury claim, you must prove that the defendant was at fault for your accident. To do this, you must establish negligence. An attorney can help you establish the elements of negligence, ensuring you receive compensation for your injuries. These elements are:
- Duty: This is the other party’s responsibility. Every road user in Michigan has a duty to other road users — to avoid causing injuries.
- Breach: This occurs if the defendant fails to uphold their duty.
- Causation: The accused’s breach led to your injury.
- Damages: Losses that the victim incurred due to the accident, such as medical expenses and lost wages.
To prove fault, you need to gather evidence that proves the defendant’s negligence led to your motorbike accident, injuries, and other losses. Evidence may include:
- Photographic evidence from the scene
- The police report
- Traffic camera footage
- Cell phone records
- Toxicology reports
- Black box data
- Medical records.
It is important to note that you cannot just file a claim or lawsuit in Michigan after a motorcycle accident. Your first option for compensation is to file a personal injury claim with your own insurance carrier.
This is because Michigan is a no-fault insurance state. Following a motorcycle wreck in Southfield, a rider must first turn to their own insurance company — regardless of who was at fault for the accident.
A motorcycle accident may sometimes cause catastrophic injuries, like brain damage or paralysis. Medical bills may add up, meaning your policy may not cover all your damages.
If this happens, you may file a third-party claim against the defendant’s insurance company to recover the remaining damages.
If their policy is not enough to cover the balance, or if the other motorist is underinsured or uninsured, you may file a personal injury lawsuit in Michigan to recover maximum compensation for your damages.
Time Limit to File a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Michigan
Most states have a statute of limitations for personal injury cases. If you have been involved in an accident, you should know that you have one year to file a first-party motorcycle accident claim. If you do not file your claim within this window, your insurance company will have no legal obligation to cover your injuries and other damages.
It is best to consult a Southfield personal injury lawyer if you are unsure about the statute of limitations for your case. A lawyer can handle all filing paperwork and ensure you meet all set deadlines.
It is also important to note that there are some exceptions to these deadlines. If the injured victim is a minor, they have one year from their 18th birthday to file a claim. Once they turn 18 years old, they can pursue a motorcycle accident claim to secure compensation for injuries they sustained while they were young.
Contact Reputable Southfield Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Today
If you or someone you care about suffered injuries in a motorcycle crash, you may be eligible for compensation under Michigan personal injury law. You should hire a reputable motorcycle accident law firm from Southfield to protect your legal rights and push for the best compensation.
Goodman Acker has over 150 years of combined experience handling personal injury claims, negotiating with insurers, and litigating cases in court. Our legal team is ready to offer you vigorous representation, ensuring you get the justice and compensation you deserve. We are also prepared to take your case to civil courts.
Over the years, our Michigan injury law firm has managed many motorcycle accident claims. We are well-versed in state motorcycle laws. Rest assured, our attorneys will go above and beyond to intricately investigate your accident to unearth all at-fault parties.
Contact us today to speak to a knowledgeable motorbike crash lawyer about your case. Goodman Acker is ready to guide you throughout the claims process.
Schedule a free case review with our Southfield motorcycle accident lawyers or call (248) 286-8100 now to find out if you have a valid claim. We are available 24/7.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]
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