The first thing you always want to do is get medical attention. Also, make sure the police are called. It is important that there is a complete police report for several reasons. First, it is important that information is collected from all the parties and witnesses to the collision. Second, although the at-fault party may feel terrible and apologetic at the scene, people tend to want to change their mind once they fear repercussions from the insurance carrier; so it is nice to have them provide a statement to the police officer. If they later decide to change their story, it will appear less credible.
Make sure you seek medical treatment, even if you feel okay. Many times in motorcycle accidents, the adrenaline is pumping so hard that your body masks your true injury. Also, it is possible you have sustained a head injury without realizing it. So it is important to document that you were concerned enough about your injuries to seek medical attention.
Do’s and Don’ts
One of the first things our firm does when we commence representation is conduct a thorough investigation of all the facts and circumstances of your collision. Accordingly, never throw anything related to your collision away, such as blood stained clothes, damaged helmet, cell phone, etc. Further, never give a recorded statement to an investigator or insurance agent without first speaking with a lawyer. Only speak about your collision to your family and doctors. Do not put anything on Facebook or other social media regarding your collision and injury, as insurance investigators will attempt to use this against you. Ask your friends and family to not put anything on Facebook or any other social media site as well. If you have already put something on a social media site, immediately remove it.
Start keeping a daily journal of how you are feeling and ways you are being impacted, such as difficulty sleeping, going to the bathroom, showering, etc. Date and sign each page of your journal. This can be used by your lawyer to assist in your case.
The simple answer is to hire an experienced motorcycle injury lawyer immediately. The investigation of what happened and more importantly proving what happened may be the most critical work your lawyer and team do for you. The best time to investigate is when the evidence is fresh, witness’s memories are fresh, and physical evidence such as skid marks are still prevalent. In addition, there have been many cases where we have been able to obtain video of the collision that was captured on a security/traffic camera. However, this video is generally destroyed weeks and sometimes only days after the collision. Usually the sooner we are able to begin our investigation the better results we can obtain for you.
Our experienced lawyers will also quickly handle all the details of getting your bike repaired/replaced at no charge to you. It is important that you do not speak with the other insurance company, as they are truly your adversary and will likely attempt to assign some blame on you. It is best to leave the negotiations with a skilled lawyer that works for you and handles these cases every day. Finally, there are certain time limits in handling a motorcycle accident case, if your case is not filed prior to this time limit, you will not be entitled to any recovery.
It is rare to find a firm that focuses on injured bikers and has a top team to make sure you get the best results. We are that firm. Reach out to us for a free consultation about your situation. Know that our opinion on your situation has over 20 years of experience and success in representing injured bikers behind it.
Our firm stands on three principles: Honesty, Expertise and Results. You will find as you get to know us, we not only are guided by our principles but everything we do touches on one or all of them! There are only a few, if any, law firms in the country that can match the amount of experience and success we have had representing bikers. If you want a law firm that knows motorcycle law inside and out, you want us.
You or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident. You have suffered in many ways. You have suffered pain. You have suffered uncertainty. Your income has suffered and you have incurred massive medical bills. Do you have a motorcycle injury case? Please contact us, either by filling out the form at the bottom of any page or by calling us right now at 1-800-Motorcycle.
The owners, Joel Moses and Andrew Kass, or one of our experienced motorcycle accident lawyers will talk to you directly and answer all of your questions. Most importantly we will answer the question of whether or not you have a motorcycle injury case. All accidents and circumstances are different. Sometimes the accident was due to a mechanical failure. Most times it involved another vehicle. However in all circumstances, motorcycle accidents have their own unique dynamics. As you know, two wheels are not the same as four. We exclusively represent bikers. We know two wheels and can help you determine your motorcycle injury case.
There is a time limit to file all cases. Please call today so that we may listen to your story, assess the facts, and tell you if you have a motorcycle injury case.
This is a very important question that can never be answered easily at the beginning of your case. Be very wary of any lawyer that will give you a dollar figure for what your case is worth right after your accident. There are many variables to determine this and many are not known right away.
Some of the important factors to determine the “worth” of your case are: the extent of your injury and how well you recover; whether you were partly at fault; amount of medical bills; loss of wages; amount of available insurance coverage and assets of at fault party. Our highly qualified team of motorcycle injury lawyers will be able to give you an accurate range of what you can expect to recover. Of course, depending on the seriousness of your injures, it may take several months or even years to know the full extent of harm. For this reason, it is important not to rush to a quick settlement with an insurance company. Once your case is settled you can never seek additional compensation for your injuries. Accordingly, it is important to be sure you are fully recovered from your injuries before accepting a settlement.
This depends greatly on the specifics of your case. As a general rule, insurance companies like to resolve claims for as little money as possible. The insurance company is not on “your side”; in fact the less they pay to resolve claims the better their financial bottom line is. With that being said, there are times where a reasonable offer is being made.
It has been our experience that often the more serious the injury, the less reasonable the insurance offer. This is because the insurance company is able to take advantage of persons that are not educated as to what a reasonable offer is. This is why a consultation with one of our motorcycle accident lawyers is so critical. We handle these claims every day and will be able to assess whether the offer you are being made is fair. Often, if the offer is in the ball park of being fair, we can give you some tips to increase the offer without hiring a lawyer.
You will never have to come up with money out of pocket to pay us. Our fee is strictly limited to a percentage of what we recover for you. This is called a contingency contract. If for any reason we are not able to recover for you, regardless of how much time or money we spent on your case, you will owe us nothing. When we recover for you, our fee will usually be 1/3 of what we collect or 40% if we have to litigate.
We prepare every case we handle as if we are going to trial. This is not because most cases go to trial, but rather to allow us the best opportunity for a successful settlement. We are a team of highly sought after and successful trial lawyers. This is important since it is vital that the insurance company understand that if a fair settlement offer is not tendered we are ready, willing, and able to go to trial.
Our job is to maximize your recovery and inconvenience you as little as possible. Ultimately, the decision to settle or go to trial is yours. Approximately 90-95% of our cases will settle before getting to trial. But you should know that if we need to go to trial, you have strength on your side!
If your motorcycle is damaged, our motorcycle accident lawyers will assist you getting it repaired or replaced. We never charge you a fee to resolve your property damage. In addition, this part of your case can be handled right away; you do not wait for your injury claim to be resolved. You are entitled to replacement value of your bike, not “depreciated” value insurance companies will try to offer you.
If you have Uninsured Motorist/Under-Insured Motorist (UM/UIM) policy on your bike, this will provide coverage for you. This means that if you have a collision with an uninsured or under-insured vehicle, you can obtain compensation directly from your own policy as if the other driver had insurance or had sufficient insurance. You will be limited to the coverage amounts available in your own policy. This is why it is very important to purchase high limits on your auto policy.
In the event you must trigger this part of your coverage, your own insurance company in effect becomes your adversary, since you are attempting to have them pay you for your injury and loss. This is coverage YOU purchased and should feel no hesitation to use. Our team of lawyers have given many presentation on educating cyclists and bikers to get the right insurance coverage. If you have any questions about insurance coverage, please call for a free consultation. It is better to know you have the right coverage BEFORE a collision occurs!
Here is a video that further explains how uninsured (UM) and under-insured (UIM) coverage works.
Yes. We are a nationwide team of experienced motorcycle injury lawyers. Our team has handled cases in all 50 states.
Yes. Our office prides itself in making sure all our clients and prospective clients can speak directly with their lawyer. When you call for a consultation, you will be directly connected to one of our partners who heads up our team of experienced motorcycle collision lawyers. This partner has unparalleled experience in knowing how to assess your case and how to best proceed. If a partner is not available you will be contacted within 1 hour during business hours or by the next morning if after business hours, including weekends and holidays.
For a free consultation with the injury lawyers at Kass & Moses, PC, without any obligation, you may:
- Call 1-800-Motorcycle
- Complete a free consultation request on this site, and you will be contacted shortly from one of the partners, Andrew Kass or Joel Moses
- Chat live with one of our office staff
