Suitland, MD Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Motorcycles are chosen as the main way of getting around for many people all across the United States. Motorcycles have many advantages over traditional motor vehicles, including being more compact and boasting superior fuel economy. Moreover, the experience of being more exposed to the open air on the road can be exhilarating, and many people use motorcycles recreationally, even if they do not drive them around every day. Unfortunately, some of those advantages can become downsides when people riding motorcycles are involved in accidents. Because motorcycles are smaller than most cars and because the rider is more exposed, motorcyclists are more likely to get badly hurt in accidents.

We can help if you are injured when riding your motorcycle. Our lawyers have handled many of these cases, so we know the ins and outs of how to effectively pursue these claims to ensure you have the best shot at getting the financial compensation you are entitled to.

To get a free review of your case, call our motorcycle accident legal team from Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.

Motorcyclist Stereotypes in Suitland, MD

People who ride motorcycles often get unfairly labeled as reckless thrill-seekers with little to no regard for their own safety. This could not be farther from the truth. Many motorcyclists care a great deal about their personal safety and wear appropriate jackets, pants, boots, and other safety equipment in addition to the mandatory helmet.

Unfortunately, defense attorneys may try to make it appear to the jury that you are not a careful motorcyclist. We know the opposite is true, so our motorcycle accident lawyers will work hard to ensure you are represented fairly in court.

Damages From Motorcycle Accident Cases in Suitland, MD

When you file a motorcycle accident lawsuit and prove that the defendant is liable for your injuries, the court awards you damages based on your situation. Damages are how courts try to “turn back the clock” on events and get the plaintiffs back where they were before they got hurt. Of course, the severity of the plaintiff’s injuries may make it truly impossible to literally pull this off. Therefore, damages are virtually always financial compensation, with values assigned to things that are not initially monetary in nature.

Economic Damages

Economic damages come from things whose value can be easily displayed through bills, invoices, pay stubs, and other tangible evidence. Common examples of this category are hospital bills, long-term care costs, paying for repairs to or placing your bike, and lost income and opportunity to earn income.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages, on the other hand, can be tougher to pin down than economic damages. Things that fall under this category include pain and suffering, mental anguish, and emotional distress. Of course, the value of these things will be different for each plaintiff because everyone will experience the after-effects of a motorcycle crash differently. Therefore, you will have to work with our motorcycle accident lawyers to convince the court of the value of these things in your claim.

Punitive Damages

If the defendant in your case has acted especially badly, you can get what are called punitive damages. These are damages that are not meant to compensate you and bring you back to where you were before the accident. Instead, they are there to punish the defendant. You have to ask for punitive damages in your initial claim, and courts may be wary of handing them out in a cavalier manner, so you should talk early on with our motorcycle accident lawyers about whether seeking them makes sense in your claim.

How Are Damages Calculated in Suitland, MD Motorcycle Accident Cases?

The damages you request in your claim are based on the unique facts and circumstances of your case, so you will need to work with our attorneys to calculate an amount that makes sense for you. There is no set method for calculating damages, but two very common methods used by many attorneys are the multiplier method and the per diem method.

The Multiplier Method

The multiplier method is generally the simpler to understand the two damage calculation methods. This method takes your economic damages, and multiples them by a factor that our lawyers determine makes sense in your claim. For example, if you have $100,000 in economic damages and we come to the conclusion that a factor of 4 makes sense in your case, you would end up with $400,000 in non-economic damages for a total of $500,000 in compensatory damages.

The multiplier method is most frequently used when the plaintiff is expected to be dealing with their injuries for a very long time. In most cases, this means the rest of the plaintiff’s life.

The Per Diem Method

The “per diem” method takes a different approach. Instead of multiplying your economic damages, this method calculates a daily amount that represents the hardships you experience each day you are going to be dealing with your injuries. You then add up the amount based on the days the plaintiff is expected to deal with their injuries to get the total amount of damages.

The per diem method ends up being used when plaintiffs are expected to make a “full” recovery at some point. Otherwise, the amount of financial compensation a plaintiff could receive would be endless. As nice as that would be, there needs to be an “end” to the damages the plaintiff seeks. Courts will not give a plaintiff “infinite” damages, no matter how serious their injuries are. That being said, damages plaintiffs receive using the per diem method can still be quite high and more than adequate to cover the injuries done to them.

Speak to Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers from Suitland, MD About Your Claim

The motorcycle accident attorneys with Rice, Murtha & Psoras can be contacted at (410) 694-7291 for free case analyses.