Few things are more liberating than taking to the open road with blue skies overhead and the sound of a motorcycle engine roaring in your ears. With all that freedom, however, comes an increased risk that you might get seriously hurt if you are involved in a traffic accident.
Taking effective legal action over injuries you suffered in a motorcycle crash can be complicated on numerous levels, which is why it is so important to seek help from the best injury attorney you can find. No matter what losses you need to recover for or who you need to demand compensation from, a top-rated Richmond motorcycle accident lawyer near you would be a trusted ally throughout your legal proceedings, working tirelessly to get you paid for what you deserve.
While insurance rules are a little bit different for motorcycle owners compared to regular cars or trucks, Kentucky’s “no-fault” approach to motor vehicle insurance typically means that injured motorcyclists will have to exhaust their own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or similar coverage before they can file suit against someone else for causing their wreck. There may also be additional limitations on recovering from from Personal Injury Protection benefits as many insurance agents typically do not provide these basic benefits to riders. While many Motorcycle insurance policies will look like they have PIP benefits, they are often confused with Passenger Injury Protection benefits, as the best Richmond motorcycle accident attorney can analyze and explain your policy in more detail through free no-obligation case consultations.
An injured motorcyclist who has grounds to file suit over someone else’s negligence and successfully does so, though, can demand compensation for various economic and non-economic losses stemming from the wreck, including:
Importantly, it is possible to seek financial recovery through a personal injury claim for expected future losses in addition to the short-term damages that have already occurred after the collision and during the claims process.
Even if someone else was mostly at fault for causing a crash, an injured biker’s ability to recover fully for their damages could be diminished if they share in the blame for their injuries based on their own negligent behavior. As per Kentucky Revised Statutes § 411.182, any amount of “comparative fault” assigned to an injured person by the court can be held against them as a proportional reduction from their final damage award.
Furthermore, the statute of limitations sets out a finite time period to resolve your case or file a civil suit with the appropriate court. Even if a motorcycle wreck results in permanent and debilitating injuries, K.R.S. § 304.39-230 generally gives injured riders just two years to settle or file suit after initially sustaining harm—or after receiving their last PIP payment. While this is longer than the one-year filing deadline for people injured under many other circumstances, it is vital to get in touch with a lawyer sooner rather than later after a motorcycle crash in Richmond.
As a motorcycle rider, you have all the same protections and rights on the road as anyone else operating a motor vehicle. Accordingly, someone who causes you to get hurt in a crash by acting irresponsibly or dangerous on the road can be held responsible under the law and through their liability insurance carrier
Working with a Richmond motorcycle accident lawyer from start to finish of your legal proceedings can give you the best chances of recovering a settlement and making sure your medical bills are paid. Learn more about your legal options by scheduling a free and private case evaluation with Maze Law Offices today.
