Motorcycle Wreck
Brain & Internal Injuries
Over roughly the past decade, registered motorcycles in Texas have more than doubled in number, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reports. The bad news: Motorcycle accidents in the state have gone up as well.
According to TxDOT’s most recent statistics, over the course of one year: 463 motorcycle riders died in crashes (430 drivers and 33 passengers). 2,022 motorcycle riders suffered incapacitating injuries (1,822 drivers and 200 passengers).
The steps you take immediately after a motorcycle crash will go a long way towards protecting your right to a maximum recovery in your case.
Our Dallas motorcycle accident attorneys suggest that you:
We can get to work right away on preserving evidence, dealing with insurance companies and taking action to seek just compensation for your physical, mental and financial harm.collis
Tell the insurance companies to call us, not you. Anything you say can be used against you by the insurer in an attempt to minimize or deny your motorcycle accident claim. It is also a good idea to stay away from speaking to others about the crash or discussing it on social media. You can speak with the police, but do not discuss your case with anyone else until you have consulted with motorcycle wreck lawyer.
Motorcycle collision victims can suffer severe injuries. After your initial treatment, make sure to get evaluated and treated by a specialist and follow your recommended care plan. If you do not have health insurance, we can assist you in getting the medical care you need.
Save the police accident report, pictures of your motorcycle and the accident scene, medical bills, motorcycle repair bills and letters from the insurance company. We can address all of these issues for you. So, whatever you have, provide to us, and we will assist you. If you don’t have anything, we will get to work on acquiring the information.
As experienced Dallas motorcycle accident lawyers, we understand the serious nature of the injuries that occur in these wrecks and the types of treatment and rehabilitation that victims need. Since motorcyclists are not protected by the frame of a car, they can suffer severe head, neck, back, arm and leg injuries. Our accident lawyers aggressively seek remedy for all of your injuries.
Additionally, we will explore compensation that may include punitive damages, which are meant to punish and deter especially reckless conduct.
Please see our page on wrongful death and survival damages to learn more about the damages sought if you lost a loved one in a car crash.
If you’re ready to get answers call us now (972) 499-4813 or any time 24/7 for a free initial case review. Or contact us via chat or our contact form.
At Tate Law Offices, P.C., our Dallas motorcycle accident lawyers can skillfully guide you through the process of an injury claim and, if needed, a lawsuit.
Our attorneys can:
We will help you find the right doctor for your specific injury. If you are not covered by health insurance, we will work with the doctors to arrange for alternative payment methods.
Getting the damage to your bike fixed or finding a new motorcycle may be your immediate concern. We can handle that aspect of the case for you so you can get back on the road as soon as you are physically and mentally ready.
We can obtain and review the police report, analyze the accident scene, study crash photos and interview witnesses. We can also consult with accident reconstruction experts who can explain why your motorcycle wreck occurred and who was responsible for it.
If your case cannot be settled without litigation, we can file a lawsuit in the right venue and begin litigating your injury case. If needed, we can seek court orders to require the vehicle driver to provide information that he or she may be withholding.
We prepare all our cases for trial. This gives us an advantage when seeking a settlement from the insurance company. We can be aggressive at the negotiation table and persuasive in the courtroom if a trial is needed. Our goal is to maximize your recovery.
Even after a settlement is reached or a verdict is returned, steps must be taken to collect what you are owed. We will work diligently to collect and disburse the funds you are owed for your motorcycle accident injuries as quickly as possible so that you and your family can move on with your life.
An excellent motorcycle accident law firm will act fast to gather and preserve evidence in your case. This is an essential part of maximizing your claim. Not only do our lawyers act fast they know exactly what evidence to gather and how to secure it. Without this knowledge your injury case will likely have little value because your claim will lack substance. For catastrophic injuries, we are available 24/7 to get to the scene of the accident if a client contacts us shortly after an accident. We want to be there as expediently as we can to make sure evidence is collected and will not be tampered with, hidden or manipulated in any way. We will put a team of experts on the ground at the scene to immediately to begin the process of building a strong case.
An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will help you get to the right doctor immediately if you haven’t seen one. We have worked with many health care professionals over the years and can guide you on how to handle medical care in order to build an injury case with credible evidence that a jury will find convincing. Your doctor and other medical professionals that assist you should have impeccable reputations and credentials.
A motorcycle accident attorney will also make sure you follow through with you medical plan of treatment because doing so is critical for making your claim stand up in court. If you fail to follow your doctor’s advice a jury will not see this as being worthy of awarding you the maximum amount of compensation. You want your personal injury attorney to be able to put facts and details in front of the insurance company to negotiate and be prepared to do the same with a jury, in case you have to file a lawsuit to get a reasonable amount of compensation. No jury will consider a case to be 100% valid if the plaintiff fails to follow their doctor’s advice. It may make the difference between being compensated and receiving no settlement at all. That’s why your medical treatment needs to be given proper diligence at every stage and insofar as possible, completed before a settlement is sought. A great lawyer will be there to make sure you are following through on recovering.
A great injury attorney will handle every case as if it is going to trial, even though most cases do not need to go to trial. The reason for this is the same as why you need to complete your medical care. If your attorney fails to convince the insurance company that you are prepared to go to trial, negotiations will not be nearly as fruitful. If the insurance company doesn’t think you are building a case to file a lawsuit, then they will not cooperate because they really don’t perceive the need to do so. You have to ask yourself why they would if they sense a weak claim is in the making. They are there to make a profit, and they are never going to pay anymore than what they think a jury would award you for compensation.
Let one of our personal injury lawyers review your case, explain your legal options, and answer all your questions in a free case evaluation.
You must first pass a training course approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety before you can apply for a motorcycle license. A written test and a road test must also be passed. A class M designation must appear on the license of anyone who operates a motorcycle in Texas. This law also applies to mopeds. If a rider completes the course for a trike or three-wheeled motorcycle they will be restricted to operating a trike. If an applicant doesn’t have a license and is between the age of 18 and 24, they must also complete an Adult Driver Education course.
Texas law states that all motorcycle riders between the age of 5 and 21 must wear a helmet. Anyone over the age of 21 is not required to wear a helmet.
Motorcyle riders must carry a minimum of $30,000 per injured party, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage insurance coverage according to Texas state law.
In Texas, applicants who are 18 or older, have passed an operator training course for motorcycles and possess an unrestricted Class A, B or C license may provide their completion certificate for a course that meets the standards of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s curriculum, and the Texas Department of Public Safety will provide a road test waiver. No applicants under the age or 18 are allowed to receive a waver of road test in Texas. Motorcycle operators under the age of 16 must only ride motorcycles with an engine no larger than 250cc.
The following laws apply to motorcycles, trikes and mopeds. You must have a license. A motorcycle must be registered with the County Tax Assessor in the county in which the motorcycle owner lives. The motorcycle must have a registration sticker that is current and undergo yearly inspections at an Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Station. The certificate of approval must be affixed to the license plate on the rear of the motorcycle. A motorcycle, moped or trike must also be insured.
It is almost a given that you will be blamed for a motor accident in which you were injured by another motorist’s negligence. This is a common tactic of insurance companies. They often attempt to make you look like a free-wheeling reckless motorcyclist. An insurance adjuster or the defense’s lawyer will try to assert that you are at fault in some manner which you probably were not. They will try to question your character and make you out to be a stereotypical careless motorcycle rider who careens through traffic at high speeds. Insurance companies will fabricate just about anything to make you look responsible. They know that if they manage to do so, they can pay you less for the motorcycle accident, even though what they assert may not be credible. This is why a lawyer is essential. An experienced motorcycle accident will be ready for such tactics, and can effectively shut down any attempts to minimize your damages.
With a motorcycle accident lawyer at your side, you won’t need to worry about being wrongfully blamed. You will be able to let your lawyer do the talking for you. Attorneys for motorcycle injury victims are familiar with blaming tactics, and the ways that the defense will try to make a case for pinning fault on motorcyclists because if they can convince a jury that you were partially at fault, they can substantially reduce what a jury will award you, and if they can convince a jury that the accident was 51% your fault, you will awarded nothing because Texas state law does not allow for compensation if you meet this threshold in sharing fault with the defendant. We know how to prove the insurance companies wrong and put the burden back on the at-fault party that negligently caused your motorcycle accident. We build a case from the beginning to prove that the defendant is financially responsible for your injuries and losses. And, we push hard to alleviate our clients of all possible fault in accidents.
In the state of Texas, the law does not require most motorcycle riders to wear a helmet if they complete a motorcycle safety course or have the right kind of motorcycle accident insurance. Wearing a helmet does not take away your right seek or recover what you lost if someone else is responsible and at fault for a motorcyclke accident.
Insurance companies and their lawyers will definitely argue that because you chose not to wear a helmet that you made your injuries worse. And it may help the defendant make a convincing argument to reduce an injured rider’s damages, But this is not always the case. If you were injured in a motorcycle collision while not wearing your helmet and another party was at fault, you should still pursue you claims against the at-fault motorist. You still have a chance to recover your losses.