Riding a motorcycle can be exciting. Many people join motorcycle clubs and regularly hit the open road. Unfortunately, motorcycles have a reputation for being dangerous, as riders are often susceptible to injuries in a crash. If you are injured in a motorcycle accident, speak to a lawyer about how to get fair compensation from the driver responsible.
Damages in motorcycle accident civil cases tend to be high. Your economic damages for medical bills and repairing your bike might be extremely high. You might also have substantial non-economic damages related to pain and suffering. You should get help right away and talk to a lawyer as soon as you can. While you might need time to recover, you only have about 3 years to file a civil case. If this is not possible, there might be legal exceptions allowing us to buy more time, but only in limited circumstances. Speak to an attorney about how your accident happened and what your claims might be worth in a court of law.
Receive a private, free case assessment by calling Rice Law at (410) 694-7291 and speaking to our motorcycle accident lawyers.
Damages Available in Hancock, MD Motorcycle Accident Cases
Your damages might be higher than you think, as motorcycle riders are more vulnerable to injuries than other drivers. They are not protected within an enclosed vehicle, and their only protection might be a helmet and articles of protective clothing. On top of that, motorcycles generally do not have seatbelts, and riders are often thrown from their bikes in a crash.
Economic Damages
First, we should take an accounting of how much money the accident has cost you. In many cases, economic damages are proven with evidence of costs, like receipts or bills. As such, our motorcycle accident lawyers must keep careful track of your spending related to the accident.
Medical costs tend to be high after a motorcycle accident. Your injuries might be quite serious, and you might need extensive and costly treatment. Even one night in the hospital can cost a lot of money. Depending on your injuries, you might be in for a longer hospital stay, and your bills might be off the charts.
Next, we must evaluate the damage to your bike. Replacing or repairing most motorcycles can be very expensive. These are powerful motor vehicles, not toys. Not only that, but many motorcycle riders enjoy fixing up bikes and making alterations, improvements, and customizations. We should factor in the cost of your time, effort, and labor when evaluating damages for the loss of your motorcycle.
Can you still work after the accident? Lots of injured riders cannot go back to work for a while, and they lose valuable wages and income. These lost wages should be accounted for in your economic damages. The longer you cannot work, the higher your damages should be.
Non-Economic Damages
Your non-economic damages may be just as valuable as your economic damages, but they typically do not come with a price tag. Instead, we need evidence of how the accident and your injuries have affected your life overall, including your physical and mental health.
These damages are often summed up as “pain and suffering,” but they are much more than this. You might claim non-economic damages for your physical pain, which might last a very long time. Some accident survivors live with permanent complications and long-term or chronic pain. If you experience permanent complications or disabilities, you can claim damages for the loss of enjoyment of your life and the overall reduction of your quality of life.
Remember, these damages tend to be highly subjective, and the jury has the final word on what they are worth. As such, we should have strong evidence of how these damages and injuries affected you to maximize potential compensation.
The Right Time to File a Motorcycle Accident Civil Case in Hancock, MD
Motorcycle crashes can lead to bad injuries, and victims might need time to recover before they are in any shape to take legal action. While you should take the time you need, it is a good idea to talk to a lawyer about your situation as early as possible. You have limited time in which to file your case. If we do not file on time, you risk losing your right to sue for the accident. Your attorney can get to work while you rest.
Statute of Limitations
According to Md. Code Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101, which is the statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Maryland, you have only 3 years to file your civil case for a motorcycle accident. This limitation period starts on the day your cause of action accrues, which is usually the day of the accident. Put another way, your time limit might have already started, and you should hire a lawyer as soon as possible.
If you think 3 years is more than enough time to prepare your case, think again. Many plaintiffs work with their lawyers for months on end before they are ready to file their cases. If you wait a few weeks or months after the accident before speaking to a lawyer – this is not unusual – your time to prepare might be even shorter. Not only that, but the longer you wait to get started, the more likely it is that evidence will become lost.
Tolling Options
If time is running out to file your case, we can help explore possible options for having the statute of limitations tolled. Tolling the limitation period essentially allows us to pause the clock for a while, thereby extending the time you have to file your case. However, tolling is only permissibly under specific conditions. Forgetting the deadline or simply not knowing about the statute of limitations are not valid reasons for tolling.
One somewhat common example of tolling is for plaintiffs who are minors or under a “legal disability.” According to § 5-201, if a plaintiff in a motorcycle accident case were under 18 when the accident happened, the limitation period would not start until the plaintiff is 18. A legal disability may be a mental condition that prevents someone from taking legal action independently or understanding their rights. The limitation period may be tolled until the legal disability ceases or is removed.
Another possibility is that the driver who hit you left the state after the accident. Perhaps they live in another state or are trying to evade liability. Either way, under § 5-205, we may have the limitation period for the duration of the defendant’s absence from the state. Typically, the defendant should be outside Maryland and beyond the reach of long-arm statutes that might otherwise bring them back within Maryland’s jurisdiction.
Speak to Our Hancock, MD Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Today
Receive a private, free case assessment by calling Rice Law at (410) 694-7291 and speaking to our motorcycle accident lawyers.