Baton Rouge, LA Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Even the most responsible motorcyclists face dangers while riding, as they put their well-being in the hands of other drivers with whom they share the road. When another driver’s negligent behavior behind the wheel causes an accident, an injured motorcyclist has the legal right to pursue monetary compensation through a lawsuit.
To win a motorcycle injury lawsuit in Baton Rouge, the victim will have to show that the driver (or other at-fault party) breached the duty of care they owed, thereby causing the accident that resulted in the victim’s compensable injuries. Victims who hire a lawyer early can avoid common mistakes like damaging statements to insurance providers and missed filing deadlines.
You should never have to pursue your rightful compensation alone while dealing with the fallout of your injuries. To get your free initial case assessment from Rice, Murtha & Psoras today, call our dedicated Baton Rouge motorcycle accident lawyer at (225) 269-8930.
Suing After a Baton Rouge Motorcycle Accident
Motorcyclists who are injured in accidents caused by driver negligence may be able to file a civil lawsuit in court to recover damages. the ability to sue is contingent on whether you can meet the four key elements of negligence. These elements are as follows:
- The driver owed you a duty of care.
- The driver breached that duty.
- The driver’s breach caused the accident.
- You suffered injuries for which you can and should be compensated in court.
Everyone who operates a motor vehicle on the public (and even private) roadways of Baton Rouge owes duties to others in their vicinity. Typically, you can identify many of these duties through the various traffic regulations that apply in your area. For instance, drivers are responsible for abiding by speed limits, stopping at red lights, and refraining from texting while driving.
These rules exist for the safety of not only the driver, but those around them. Thus, if the driver fails to live up to one of their responsibilities (or in other words, breaches their duty), it creates serious risk of harm.
This risk must be realized in order to create grounds for a lawsuit. it is not enough alone to say that a driver breached their duty if the breach did not actually cause the accident. Louisiana is an at-fault auto insurance state, meaning that fault must be determined in every case. Your Baton Rouge motorcycle accident lawyer can explain how courts determine the cause of an accident.
Even if a driver breached a duty that they owed and caused an accident, without compensable injury, a lawsuit will not be effective. You must not only show that your injuries resulted from the accident in question, but that they caused you harm. These harms could be both financial and personal in nature. You should consult with a Baton Rouge motorcycle accident lawyer to get a better idea of the compensation that is available through court for your injuries.
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries in Baton Rouge
Motorcyclists do not have the luxury of the protections that car safety features provide their drivers and passengers. As a result, when a motorcyclist is involved in a collision, the consequences can be substantially more severe. Below are some of the most common types of motorcycle accident injury that our Baton Rouge motorcycle accident lawyers encounter.
- Fractures
- Neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Road rash
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
- Severe lacerations
- Loss of limbs or digits
- Broken ribs and internal bleeding
Each accident is as unique as the victim involved, and these injuries may affect everyone differently. Additionally, the trauma of the accident or the resulting consequences of the injury often present concurrently with the onset of difficult psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While these harms cannot be treated with stitches or surgeries, that does not make them any less real or painful.
If you believe that you may have suffered any of these injuries or others as a result of a motorcycle accident, we urge you to seek medical care immediately. Once your injuries have been diagnosed and you have received the initial stages of treatment, reach out to a dedicated Baton Rouge motorcycle accident lawyer to help you get the care and compensation that you deserve.
How a Baton Rouge Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help
While the law does not require that injury victims have legal representation when pursuing their claim, having counsel by your side can reduce the stress of the process, increase your likelihood of recovery, and prevent you from getting stuck in one of the many procedural pitfalls that are common for unrepresented plaintiffs.
You can benefit from a lawyer’s services even before you file your lawsuit. it is common for the at-fault party’s insurance provider to reach out to an injury victim shortly after the accident is reported, either to ask questions or to potentially offer a settlement. While these actions may seem as though they are intended to help the victim out, they are often predatory in nature. Insurance representatives frequently attempt to get unrepresented victims to make statements that the insurance company can use against them in their recovery effort, or to get them to accept much less than they deserve in a settlement offer. Instead of fighting this battle yourself, you have the ability to designate your attorney to handle all communication with the insurer.
Attorneys can also handle the procedural aspects of your recovery, such as calculating potential damage amounts, enlisting the help of expert witnesses to help you prove your case, and filing your lawsuit correctly and ahead of Louisiana’s one-year time limit for motorcycle accident injury lawsuits.
Contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras’ Baton Rouge Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Today
When you reach out to the seasoned Baton Rouge motorcycle accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras today, we can provide you with a free initial case assessment. Learn more by calling us at (225) 269-8930.
