With Florida's warm weather and frequent sunny days, motorcycles often fill its streets. Unfortunately, while motorcycles offer a great deal of freedom and the thrill of wind rushing by throughout the ride, they can also increase the hazards riders may face on the road. Motorcycle riders are at an increased risk of injury due to the lack of protection offered by a motorcycle. Unlike a car, which forms a protective cage around the occupants, a motorcycle can do little to shield its rider in an accident.
If you suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident that was someone else's fault, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in Miami can help you seek the compensation you deserve. Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA today at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) to learn more about your right to seek compensation.
About Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
The legal team at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, has experience successfully litigating motorcycle accident cases and negotiating settlements.
We have the resources and experience necessary to fight back against big insurance companies, and we also provide our clients with the compassion and availability of a smaller firm. We make sure our clients know that we can discuss problems as they arise, and we always work hard to recover maximum compensation.
Our attorneys have won numerous awards and are recognized as some of the best trial attorneys in the country. NBC, Fox, and ABC have recognized our work, and we've litigated claims against some powerful defendants, including Walmart, Target, and Walt Disney World.
With eleven offices across both Florida coasts, we likely have an office that's conveniently located for you, regardless of where in Florida you live. If you've sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident in Florida, contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your case and determine your eligibility to pursue compensation for your injuries.
Our Motorcycle Accident Case Results
At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we have experience successfully handling motorcycle accident cases and recovering compensation on behalf of our clients.
- For example, we negotiated a $1.4 million settlement for a client who sustained multiple severe injuries in a motorcycle accident. We resolved this case during pretrial mediation and thus avoid a long, costly trial.
- Furthermore, we recovered $750,000 for an individual who sustained a subdural hematoma and a rotator cuff injury in a motorcycle accident
- We also secured a $1 million settlement for a client who endured a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident.
The type and severity of the injuries that result from a motorcycle accident will affect the final amount of compensation, as will the defendant's desire to push back. Working with an experienced attorney will help increase your chances of recovering maximum compensation for your specific injuries.
While we cannot guarantee a favorable result in your motorcycle accident case, we can point to these past successes to indicate our knowledge and skill. Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, to discuss the details of your Miami motorcycle accident with a member of our legal team.
Miami's Most Dangerous Intersections
Miami is one of the most dangerous cities in the country for motorcycles. Given Florida's great weather and scenic roads, it's not surprising that motorcycles are a popular mode of transportation in Miami. However, motorcyclists should take care to drive safely and avoid dangerous intersections during rush hour. Oftentimes, drivers of cars and trucks fail to see motorcycles, even when they're in plain sight, due to the different sizes and driving patterns of motorcycles and other vehicles.
Some of the most dangerous intersections in Miami include:
- NE Second Avenue and 36th Street in Midtown Miami
- SW 117th Avenue and Kendall Drive in West Kendall
- South Dixie Highway at every intersection south of I-19 in Coconut Grove/Coral Gables
- SW 117th Avenue and 152nd Street in South Miami-Dade
- A1A and Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale
- Alton Road and Dade Boulevard in South Beach
- NW 87th and 36th Streets in Doral
- The Brickell Avenue Bridge in Brickell
- NE First Avenue and NE Sixth Street in Downtown Miami
- Pines Boulevard and South Flamingo Road in Pembroke Pines
While some accidents are unpreventable, avoiding the intersections listed above while riding your motorcycle will help lower your chances of sustaining injuries in an accident.
Facing the Aftermath of Common Miami Motorcycle Accident Injuries
For every 100,000 motorcycles registered across the United States, an average of 944 suffer injuries in an accident each year. These motorcycle accident injuries can cause immense suffering and long-term limitations on the victim's life. Often, motorcycle accident victims must make changes to their hobbies, their jobs, and even their homes as a result of severe motorcycle accident injuries. Some of the most common motorcycle accident injuries are described below.
Traumatic Brain Injury
While Florida law does not require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets at all times, wearing a helmet substantially cuts down on the risk of traumatic brain injury. Motorcycle riders who ride without helmets have a much greater likelihood of death or permanent repercussions as a result of trauma to the head. However, it's important to note that if you received a traumatic brain injury in an accident that was someone else's fault, even if you were not wearing a helmet, you can seek compensation for your injury.
Traumatic brain injury can manifest in the victim's life in several key ways. While memory loss is one of the most well-known symptoms of traumatic brain injury, victims also frequently struggle to focus and concentrate following their injuries. Many victims have trouble with both short-term and long-term memory, including remembering what they planned to do when they walked into a room or figuring out how to handle a specific task. Traumatic brain injury can also cause challenges with emotional control. Victims may suffer from extreme mood swings or have immense overreactions to even minor emotional stimuli.
Spinal Cord Injuries
The force associated with a motorcycle accident can cause immense damage to the spinal cord, often resulting in spinal cord injuries. If the spinal cord does not sever completely, victims with spinal cord injuries may suffer decreased mobility, pain at and below the site of the injury, and decreased organ function below the injury. Victims with complete spinal cord injuries, in which the spinal cord severs completely, may struggle with a complete loss of movement in the impacted limbs as well as decreased function and feeling below the site of the injury. Often, spinal cord injury victims cannot walk and need to use a wheelchair to get around. Injuries higher on the spinal cord may cause loss of function in the hands and arms as well as a loss of function in the legs.
Amputation
Sometimes, motorcycle accident victims suffer limb amputation during the accident. Other times, the limb may suffer such extreme damage that doctors recommend amputation to help increase the patient's overall quality of life or because blood flow to the affected limb gets cut off by the injury. It may take considerable occupational therapy for amputees to relearn how to perform ordinary daily tasks. Many amputees choose to use prosthetic devices to help restore some normal appearance and/or improve function, and prosthetics become an ongoing expense in the victim's life. The average prosthetic requires replacement every three to five years.
Severe Road Rash
Severe road rash, which occurs when an accident victim's skin slides across the rough surface of the pavement, is a lot like a burn injury. Like a burn,road rash strips protective layers of skin away from the body and sometimes damages underlying muscle and other tissues. As a result, the victim often has no protection against infection, and with foreign matter embedded in the wound, the risk of infection is high. Many victims of road rash have extreme scarring even with prompt treatment. In some cases, especially when road rash occurs around joints, it can decrease mobility in the affected area.
Broken Bones
Motorcycle accidents often result in multiple broken bones. The victim may slam into something as a result of the force of the accident or find themselves pinned beneath the motorcycle. Frequently, victims suffer broken bones in the limbs and ribs. Multiple broken bones can pose substantial challenges, especially when it comes to self-care or returning to work. In some cases, broken bones require surgical intervention and long-term physical therapy for the victim to make as full a recovery as possible.
A Miami Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help You Pursue Compensation
If you suffered severe injuries in a Miami motorcycle accident, especially injuries that may cause long-term complications in your life, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
An experienced attorney can:
- Evaluate your claim and help explain the full compensation you deserve for your injuries.
- Investigate the accident to find evidence to identify all parties that may share liability for the accident.
- Put together a highly effective case that will increase your odds of receiving the compensation you deserve.
- Take over negotiations with the other party's insurance company on your behalf, which can free you up to focus on the other elements of your recovery and reduce stress during an incredibly difficult period of your life.
If you suffered severe injuries in a Miami motorcycle accident, do not wait. Get in touch with an experienced attorney as soon as possible to receive professional legal support to manage your claim.
Evaluating Liability After a Miami Motorcycle Accident
To put together your Miami motorcycle accident claim, your attorney will take a look at who may bear liability for the accident. Often, you can clearly point to the other driver as the liable party in your accident. You may, for example, know that the other driver chose to talk on their cell phone, speed, or even try to lane split to move through traffic more quickly.
In some cases, however, more than one party may share liability for the accident. An attorney can take a look at your claim and help identify any additional liable parties. For example, your attorney may consider:
An Employer Who Shares Liability for the Actions of an Employee on the Clock
Did your motorcycle accident involve a commercial driver on the clock at the time of the accident? Whether you suffered injuries in an accident with a commercial truck or a pizza driver, that driver's employer may share liability for the accident. In general, employers are required to maintain a safe working environment for their employees and not commit acts of negligence that could increase their risk on the road.
For example, an employer may share liability for:
- Insisting that a driver take to the road while ill or inebriated;
- Forcing a driver to drive in unsafe conditions;
- Ignoring the laws governing the amount of time a truck driver can legally spend on the road; and/or
- Failing to properly maintain a vehicle owned by the company and driven by an employee in the course of their normal job duties.
Your attorney will thoroughly investigate the employer of a driver who was on the clock when they caused an accident to determine whether the employer may share liability for your injuries.
Mechanical Failures that Contributed to the Accident
Mechanical failure can occur without warning. Sometimes it simply happens due to wear and tear on a vehicle, usually unexpectedly. In other cases, however, mechanical failure may occur due to negligence on the part of either the manufacturer or a mechanic who recently worked on the vehicle.
If the manufacturer deliberately left a vehicle on the market with flawed parts that could lead to an accident, the manufacturer may share liability for any injuries caused by that act of negligence.
A mechanic, on the other hand, may share liability for an accident caused by mechanical failure if:
- The mechanic knowingly failed to properly repair the vehicle, but certified it as road-worthy anyway;
- The mechanic broke something on the vehicle while repairing it; and/or
- The mechanic ignored clear evidence of damage to the vehicle while working on another part of the vehicle.
Your attorney will investigate the mechanical failure that caused the accident, whether the failure was in your motorcycle or in the other driver's vehicle, and determine whether that failure contributed to the accident and who may share liability for it.
Recovering Compensation After a Miami Motorcycle Accident: What to Expect
Following a Miami motorcycle accident, you may need to pursue compensation for your injuries through a motorcycle accident claim. The compensation you ultimately receive can depend on several factors, including the insurance policy that covers the driver that caused your injuries. In general, however, most motorcycle accident victims can seek compensation for several important financial losses they may have faced as a result of their accidents.
Compensation for Medical Expenses
Motorcycle accident injuries may result in substantial medical bills, especially if you have injuries that will require extensive rehabilitation or long-term care. Keep track of all medical bills related to your motorcycle accident injuries. Keep in mind that often you will receive more than one bill for the same procedure. For example, you will likely receive a separate bill for ambulance transport and treatment in the emergency room. If you have surgery, you may receive a separate bill from the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the hospital.
You can claim compensation for all medical expenses associated with your accident, including the cost of long-term care. Make sure you include the cost of physical, psychological, and occupational therapy needed to help you recover from your injuries as well as the cost of immediate or emergency medical treatment.
In addition, you may have the right to pursue the cost of necessary home modifications in your motorcycle accident claim. For example, if you had to widen doorways or install a wheelchair ramp in your home to help you maintain independence after your accident, you may have the right to include those expenses.
Compensation for Lost Income
Severe injuries in a motorcycle accident can make it impossible for you to go back to work. Often, those injuries can simply stop you from performing your usual job duties effectively. For example, if you suffer a traumatic brain injury, you may not have the focus necessary to sit behind your desk and take care of your usual tasks.
If you suffered broken bones, especially multiple broken bones, it can make it very difficult for you to keep performing your usual job duties in a factory while you recover. Those lost wages can cause immense stress during your recovery, especially if you do not know how you will pay your bills. An attorney can help you determine how to include compensation for lost wages, including time lost for follow-up procedures, therapies, or appointments, as part of your Miami motorcycle accident claim.
Compensation for Pain and Suffering
In addition to the tangible financial losses associated with your accident, you may have the right to claim compensation for pain and suffering—both physical and mental or emotional—that you have suffered as a result of your accident. Motorcycle accident injuries can have an immense impact on your life. Compensation for your suffering may not take it away, but it can provide you with the funds you need to move forward. Talk to an experienced Miami motorcycle accident attorney to learn more about this element of your claim.
Do You Need a Miami Motorcycle Accident Lawyer? Call Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
After suffering severe injuries in a Miami motorcycle accident, you may need an attorney to help you better understand your legal rights and navigate your Miami motorcycle accident claim.
Reach out to the experienced legal team at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, for a free consultation. That's when you can discuss your accident and injuries, ask any questions about the legal process that you may have, and determine your eligibility to file a personal injury claim.
Our attorneys have experience handling Miami motorcycle accident cases, and we have recovered millions of dollars for past clients who have sustained injuries in such accidents. We combine the resources of a national firm with the personality and client-centered focus of a smaller firm. We have offices located throughout Florida, including in the Miami area, and we are ready and willing to answer your questions during a free initial consultation.
Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA online today or dial 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) right now for your free case evaluation.
Client Testimonial
“AMAZING and understanding attorneys! Did great on my case and I highly recommend Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA for anyone that has been injured in an accident!"
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Koralis R.
Jan 2020
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