Elkton Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Many Americans choose motorcycles as their primary method of transportation for many different reasons. For example, motorcycles are generally more fuel-efficient than cars or trucks, and they are also more compact. Even more, people have motorcycles as recreational vehicles that they enjoy riding. Sadly, motorcycle accidents happen just like car accidents, bus accidents, or truck accidents, and, just like in all those other motor vehicle incidents – people are often very badly hurt.

If you were hurt while riding your motorcycle, call our office. Our lawyers know how to handle these cases, so we can gather evidence, talk to opposing counsel, and form strong legal arguments for you while you focus on recovering from any injuries you sustained in your accident.

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s motorcycle accident attorneys can be reached at (410) 694-7291 for free case reviews.

Injuries from Motorcycle Crashes in Elkton

Motorcycle crashes can result in very serious injuries. Motorcyclists are not as well protected as people in enclosed vehicles, which means that they are more likely to get hurt, even when wearing appropriate safety gear.

Going over and cataloguing your injuries with our motorcycle accident attorneys is an important part of building your case, as doing so helps inform the damages you seek and fleshes out the factual basis for your claims in court.

Bruises and Scrapes

People in motor vehicle accidents of all sorts suffer bruises and scrapes of all kinds. Bruises, for the most part, are nothing to worry about and will heal on their own. However, if you have a large bruise that will not go away – especially on your torso or head – you should get medical attention right away as it may be indicative of a much more serious medical condition.

Scrapes, like bruises, may also heal on their own. However, more serious scrapes, like abrasions, which actually qualify as minor burns, will need specialized treatment.

Cutting and Puncturing Wounds

Cuts and puncture wounds are probably not the first things that come to mind when you think of motorcycle crashes. However, broken glass, bits of vehicles, and other debris can easily cut you up or go through you. Of the two injuries, cuts are actually much easier to treat with things like stitches. Puncture wounds, on the other hand, are often much more dangerous, as a wound that goes just a couple of inches beyond the skin can hit a vital organ or important blood vessel, placing someone in critical condition.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is the result of a hard hit to the head that punctures the skull or otherwise damages the brain. A TBI is no laughing matter. Even “mild” ones have serious side effects like memory loss – both temporary and permanent – mood swings, and headaches. More severe TBIs may result in significant loss of cognitive function, paralysis, or even death.

Amputation

Limbs are sometimes lost in motorcycle accidents. Amputation can happen for a couple of reasons in a motorcycle collision. First, one or more of the victim’s limbs may be so damaged by the accident that medical professionals determine that the best course of action is amputation. Medical professionals could also decide to amputate if they believe there is a risk of infection if they do not do so. Second, a traumatic amputation may happen during the accident. This is when a person loses a limb in an accident. Traumatic amputation is extremely dangerous and can be fatal if the victim does not get medical care right away.

Damages from Motorcycle Accident Claims in Elkton

When you file a motorcycle accident lawsuit, you have to ask for an amount of financial compensation called “damages.” Damages are the way that the court tries to get the plaintiff back to where they were before they got injured. Often, this is literally impossible because time has passed, and the plaintiff’s injuries will have likely taken their toll in some way, so financial compensation is used as the next best thing.

When you ask for damages, it is often a good idea to categorize them so that the court knows exactly what things form the basis of your claims. One way to do this is to categorize damages as economic, non-economic, or punitive damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages come from things that can have their monetary value readily displayed. Your medical bills, property damage, and other expenses stemming from the accident will fall under this category. For example, the cost of your hospital stay will fall under economic damages, as will the cost of longer-term care like physical therapy or follow-up medical visits. Economic damages are commonly proven through a paper trail like invoices, bills, or other evidence demonstrating the costs you incurred because of the motorcycle accident.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are based on things that will have less concrete evidence to back them up. An example of something that would fall under this category is damages for “pain and suffering.” There is not going to be a receipt for “suffering,” so you will have to prove the worth of these things to the court. You can do this through testimony, photo evidence of your injuries, or any other form of evidence that can support your claims.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages differ from the other kinds of damages because they arise not from your condition but from the defendant’s conduct. They can only be awarded if the defendant has done something especially heinous that goes beyond regular negligence. Accordingly, you should determine, with the help of our attorneys, whether going after punitive damages makes sense in your case.

Chat with Our Motorcycle Accident Attorneys in Elkton Today

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s office at (410) 694-7291 to get a free case review from our motorcycle accident attorneys.