New York City Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

One of the best ways to protect yourself against injury in a motorcycle crash is to wear proper safety equipment. High-quality safety gear can significantly reduce the risk of injury for motorcycle riders. So, consider wearing a helmet, goggles, a mouthpiece, gloves, boots, knee pads, hip pads, and a motorcycle jacket when you ride your bike.

A helmet that covers your entire face will protect you against traumatic brain injury, goggles will shield your eyes from the elements while you ride and ensure that your vision is unblocked, gloves will prevent lacerations to your hands if you are thrown from your bike or if the bike skids on the roadway, and a motorcycle jacket with bright colors will protect your upper body against injuries in a crash and make you more visible to other motorists on the road or highway.

Additionally, since NY law requires motorcycle riders to wear helmets, the failure to wear a helmet could affect your ability to win an accident claim if you do sustain injuries in a motorcycle crash.

Whether you were involved in a single-vehicle accident, a head-on collision with another motor vehicle, a hit-and-run accident, or any other type of motorcycle accident, the most important thing for you to do immediately after the crash is to get to a safe place on the road (or off the road).

Next, you need to get proper medical treatment for your injuries. And remember that some injuries aren’t always apparent right after the motorcycle accident and may take days or even weeks to become obvious, so make sure that you see a doctor and get checked out just to be sure.

You should also report the motorcycle accident to the police and get a police report. This will ensure that everything is documented for your accident claim with the insurance company and for court if the case eventually goes to trial.

Once you have taken care of your physical well-being and reported the accident to the police, protect yourself legally and speak to an experienced motorcycle accident attorney at Proner & Proner. Do not talk to the other motorist or to the insurance company before talking to a qualified attorney who can explain your legal options and make sure that you do not make any unnecessary admissions to the insurance adjustor.

Unfortunately, a lot of vehicle insurance policies don’t cover all motorcycle accident injuries. For instance, your motorcycle insurance policy may not provide medical coverage for any injuries you sustained in the motorcycle crash. That’s because NY motorcycle insurance policies don’t automatically come with Personal Injury Protection (PIP), which means that the injured rider is typically responsible for payment of their own medical bills after an accident. The best way to protect yourself and ensure that you get the compensation you need to cover your accident-related medical expenses is to speak with an experienced New York motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible.

A consultation with our law firm about your motorcycle accident claim is free. Additionally, if we take on your case, we don’t get paid unless we get money for you. We will pay all expenses and get a percentage of the recovery at the end of the case that is consistent with local bar association rules.

When it comes to getting paid for the damage to your motorcycle, the first important question to ask is: What insurance coverage is available? You may have purchased collision coverage on your motorcycle when you got your own insurance.

Of course, you may be wondering: Why should I put this on my own carrier when I’m not at fault? Your carrier will typically make payment quicker than the adverse vehicle’s carrier. Then your carrier will go to the adverse vehicle’s carrier and seek reimbursement for the money they paid you. So, they get repaid by the adverse vehicle’s carrier. They will typically also recover the deductible (the money your insurer deducted from the value of your bike), which will be reimbursed to you.

If you did not have collision coverage, the adverse vehicle should make payment to you, but typically they will claim that a portion of the accident is your fault. They may claim that you were speeding, or that you failed to pay attention to the other vehicles on the road, even if you did nothing wrong. They may try to deduct 10% to 15% from what they rightfully owe you. Whether you wish to accept 90% or 85% of the value of your vehicle is up to you.

Typically, there are several issues that must be resolved to determine the value of a motorcycle accident case. The first issue is: Who is at fault for the accident? Even though you may be partially at fault, you still may be entitled to compensation.

The second issue is the extent and permanency of your injuries. Typically, after an accident, your doctors will try to predict the healing process, but there is no certainty until actual healing takes place. Sometimes, an injury to a joint will heal but there will be limitation of motion. Sometimes, physical therapy will improve healing and you will regain a full range of motion. Other times, surgery is necessary, or a limitation may be permanent.

This degree of permanency of your injuries, along with any loss of earnings or earning capacity, will affect the value of the case. Additionally, if you lose the ability to pursue a hobby or skill—such as a hand injury limiting your ability to play guitar—it could also affect the claim’s value.

Lastly, sometimes, recovery in a motorcycle accident case is limited by the amount of insurance or assets that an individual must pay for damage they caused.

Insurance adjusters, juries, judges, and even lawyers representing motorcycle accident victims often have a deep-seated bias that when somebody gets on a motorcycle, they are asking for whatever happens to them, including injuries. At Proner & Proner, we have a tradition of not minimizing the claims of the motorcycle accident victim. If a motorcycle accident victim is not getting full and fair compensation, we will try the case.

Moreover, we have a demonstrated history of success in winning motorcycle accident cases at trial. Insurance carriers around the nation know that we have this history of success. Because we have a reputation of being willing and able to get fair compensation for our clients in motorcycle accident cases, we have an advantage when we demand fair compensation for our clients.