Brookhaven, GA Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

When you get in an accident riding a motorcycle, you can get seriously hurt. Despite the advantages of motorcycles, like fuel efficiency, motorcycle riders are at a greater risk of injury than people in sedans, SUVs, and trucks simply by nature of being more exposed. Helmets, protective clothing, and other apparel can only do so much if you are hit by an oncoming vehicle. Because motorcycle accident victims are often badly injured and require expensive medical treatment, they often wonder if they should go to court after an accident.

If you got injured in a motorcycle crash and suspect that it happened due to another party’s negligence, call our office. Our lawyers know how important these cases are to our clients, and for that reason we will work with you so you can fight for the financial compensation you deserve.

For a free, no-obligation review of your claim, call the motorcycle accident lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (470) 287-3070.

Injuries From Motorcycle Crashes in Brookhaven, GA

It is no secret that motorcyclists often get badly injured in accidents – even when wearing proper safety gear. Broken bones, brain damage, and a whole host of other serious injuries can result from motorcycle crashes. Going over the specifics of your injuries with our motorcycle accident lawyers is important to building your claim because it helps paint a picture of what happened to you for the jury and also informs a portion of the financial compensation you may request. Injuries victims of motorcycle accidents sustain include:

Bruising

An impact of sufficient force – like a motorcycle accident – may result in bruising. Bruising happens when blood vessels get crushed under the skin, which is part of what causes the distinctive black, blue, and reddish color of bruises. For the most part, bruising is merely an annoyance and nothing to worry about. However, if you are bruised over a large area, especially the chest or head, you should seek medical aid right away as that may indicate something more serious, like internal bleeding or organ damage.

Cutting and Puncturing Wounds

Cuts and puncture wounds may not be the first things that come to mind when you think of motorcycle crashes, but they can and do happen. When motorcycles get hit, broken glass, warped metal, and all sorts of other debris are going to go flying everywhere and have the potential to cut someone up or get stuck in them.

Cuts of this sort will almost always require stitches to properly heal. A cut across a digit like a finger or a toe also has the potential to sever that digit, resulting in permanent disfigurement if immediate medical attention is not rendered. Puncture wounds are actually much more dangerous, as they are harder to stop from bleeding, and it only takes a couple of inches of penetration past the skin to hit vital organs.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, happen when hard heads to the head damage the brain. This could mean a sufficiently hard impact, something piercing the skull, or something else altogether. Regardless of the circumstances that lead to them, TBIs have incredibly serious consequences. Even traumatic brain injuries on the lower end of the scale, like concussions, can result in memory loss, migraines, and other unpleasant side effects. Worse TBIs can result in very severe injuries like significantly impaired cognitive functions, paralysis, or even death.

Psychological Injuries

Not all injuries the victim of a motorcycle crash receives will be skin-deep. A scary experience like a motorcycle crash can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. These injuries are just as valid as obvious physical ones, so you can sue and seek damages for them in court.

Compensation from Brookhaven, GA Motorcycle Crash Claims

As you prepare your case, you and our lawyers should be thinking about what damages you are going to ask for and the factual basis for those damages. There is no set way to determine how much you ask for, but it is important to base the damages you seek on your unique situation and needs.

Compensatory Damages

The first type of damages you can ask for is known as “compensatory damages.” These damages are meant to “make you whole” again and revert things to how they were before your motorcycle accident. Things like your medical bills, damage to your motorcycle, and lost opportunity to earn past and future income can be taken into account when asking for compensatory damages.

You also can seek compensatory damages for items that will not have an invoice or bill attached to them. These “non-economic:” damages can be for things like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and mental anguish. While you may not necessarily be able to point to a receipt to show the value of these things, you can work with our lawyers to explain to the judge and jury how the accident has affected you to demonstrate their worth.

Punitive Damages

The other type of damages you can seek is called “punitive damages.” Punitive damages are not meant to “make you whole” again. Instead, they are meant to punish the defendant for especially bad conduct. Under O.G.C.A. § 51-12-5.1(b), you can only be awarded punitive damages if you can prove that the defendant acted in a manner that rises above mere negligence, such as if they were malicious and intentionally set out to hurt you. Additionally, you need to specifically ask for punitive damages when you file your claim. Because there are specific requirements for punitive damages, you should discuss whether seeking them makes sense in your claim with our lawyers.

Discuss Your Claim with our Brookhaven, GA Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Rice, Murtha & Psoras has motorcycle accident lawyers standing by to help with your claim when you call us at (470) 287-3070.