Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

There are innumerable motorcycle riders across Maryland, and accidents are an unfortunate reality we must live with. If you become injured in such an accident, finding good legal representation might be the key to getting justice and compensation.

Motorcycle collisions are famous for inflicting serious injuries upon riders. As such, damages tend to be high. You might recover damages for injuries, pain, suffering, property repairs, and more. Several factors that often come up in motorcycle accident cases include bad road conditions, faulty bike equipment, and drivers who cannot seem to pay attention to the road. When preparing your case, it is important to be mindful of deadlines. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Maryland is 3 years. If you plan on suing the local government for your injuries, your deadline is even shorter, and you must submit a notice of your claim within 1 year of the accident. Hiring an experienced attorney might be just what you need to move your case through the judicial system as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

For a free review of your case to get started, call our motorcycle accident attorneys at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.

Damages Recoverable in Maryland Motorcycle Accident Cases

Your potential compensation is based on the extent of your injuries and losses, collectively referred to as your damages. While many damages might be obvious, even to those with little legal experience, your total damages might be greater than you realize. An attorney will help you identify and evaluate all possible damages to maximize compensation.

Your injuries after a motorcycle accident might be extremely painful and extremely expensive to treat. You can recover damages on both fronts. Keep thorough records of all your trips to the hospital and bills from doctors. These might make up a huge portion of your economic damages.

Pain and suffering are commonly claimed in many cases involving painful injuries. You should be compensated for having gone through intense physical pain from your injuries and treatments in addition to the mental trauma and emotional anguish of the accident.

Keep in mind that there are limits on non-economic damages under Md. Code Cts. and Jud. Proc. Art. § 11-108(b). Under this law, a plaintiff with a personal injury claim may not recover more than $350,000 in non-economic damages, including pain and suffering.

If your personal property was damaged in your accident, our motorcycle accident attorneys should evaluate the costs and add them to your damages. Accident victims are primarily concerned with the cost of replacing their motorcycle, although other damaged or lost personal items might also be accounted for.

If your injuries hinder you from returning to your job, we can help you claim the value of the income you miss out on. Many victims take a long time to recover before heading back to work, and you should not have to go without income because of someone else’s negligence.

Factors That Might Have Caused Your Motorcycle Accident in Maryland

The cause of a motorcycle crash is not always easy to ascertain. In many cases, drivers on both sides claim they have no idea what happened. This is likely because accidents tend to happen quickly, and drivers often have little time to react.

One big reason for a lot of motorcycle accidents is inattentional blindness. This is a strange phenomenon where drivers seem to not see motorcycle riders on the road even when their presence is obvious. You might have been right in front of the other driver, and they still just ignored you. This is thought to be because drivers in cars are only really keeping an eye out for other cars and trucks. Smaller vehicles like motorcycles are not really on their radar and are more easily overlooked. As a result, motorcycle riders get hurt.

Bad road conditions are another common causational factor in many motorcycle collisions. Maybe there were too many potholes in the road. Maybe it suddenly started to rain, and visibility was poor. Even when driving conditions are less than ideal, drivers are still responsible for driving with reasonable safety. If the other driver did not do so, they should be held responsible even when road conditions were bad.

Another possibility is that the accident was caused by faulty bike equipment. Maybe the brakes failed to work, or the tires on your motorcycle suddenly blew out. In such cases, we should have the bike inspected, as there might have been defective parts or equipment. In that situation, we can sue the manufacturer of the motorcycle.

Deadlines to File a Maryland Motorcycle Accident Case

The time you have to file your case comes with an expiration date. The statute of limitations is the law that imposes a rigid deadline on the time you have to file a civil lawsuit. According to Md. Code Cts. and Jud. Proc. Art. § 5-101, the statute of limitations is only 3 years for personal injury claims, such as those involved in motorcycle accidents.

This deadline begins to run on the day of the accident. Put another way, the clock starts counting down immediately after your motorcycle accident. As such, it is critical to your case that you speak to a lawyer as soon as possible.

If you plan to file a lawsuit against a governmental entity, your deadline might be even closer. The deadline to sue the government may be found under Md. Code Cts. and Jud. Proc. Art. § 5-304(b). According to this rule, you must submit a notice of your claim with the relevant governmental entity within only 1 year of the accident. Failure to do so might mean you cannot sue the government for your injuries.

While suing the government is less common, it is not unheard of. It might come up if a motorcycle rider was injured because of a negligent government employee, like a public bus driver.

Call Our Maryland Motorcycle Accident Attorneys for Legal Support

For a free review of your case to get started, call our motorcycle accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.