Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

September 30, 2022 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman
Riding through Miami Gardens on your motorcycle may offer great freedom and excitement, but it also may represent a significant danger. Motorcycles provide little to no protection from the road or other vehicles around them, which means that victims may end up with substantial injuries and, in many cases, a long road to recovery. Did you suffer injuries in a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident? At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we seek to help our clients maximize the compensation they can recover after a motorcycle accident. Contact a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident lawyer at (833) 552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) to discuss your claim and your right to compensation.

Dolman Law Group: Help for Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident Victims

When you suffer devastating injuries in a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident, you need legal support to help guide you through that process. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we understand the importance of that vital legal support and how it can impact the compensation you can ultimately recover for your injuries. Look at some of the results we have obtained for past clients.
  • $1.4 million after a motorcycle accident caused multiple serious injuries
  • $1 million after a motorcycle accident caused a brain injury
  • $750 thousand after a motorcycle accident caused a subdural hematoma and rotator cuff injury
  • $450 thousand after a motorcycle accident led to cervical fusion
  • $320 thousand after a motorcycle accident resulted in cervical spine fusion surgery
While those results cannot guarantee the results of your claim, when you work with Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, you can feel confident that our team of Miami Gardens injury attorneys will bring that experience to bear as we focus on your case.

We provide all of our clients with compassionate legal support.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we understand our clients' many challenges after a devastating Miami Gardens motorcycle accident. Not only do you have to worry about your medical recovery, but you may also find yourself fighting with the insurance company to recover reasonable compensation for your injuries. When you work with Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, you will receive knowledgeable, compassionate legal support that can help guide you through the claim process and help increase the odds that you will recover the compensation you deserve.

We make legal support accessible for our clients.

For many clients, accessing legal support may seem daunting. Not only does it seem difficult just to get into the office, but hiring a lawyer sounds expensive—and that cost may be particularly prohibitive during a time when the client may already struggle with ongoing legal costs. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA has conveniently-located offices on both Florida coasts, making our location more accessible to our clients. Furthermore, if our clients cannot get into the office for any reason, we can offer a virtual consultation. On the financial end, we start by providing our clients with a free consultation, then accept our cases on a contingent fee basis. As a result, legal support may prove much more accessible than our clients initially thought.

We have the resources necessary to go up against the big names in insurance.

After your motorcycle accident, most often, you will find yourself dealing with the liable driver's insurance company. All too often, that insurance company will not make it easy for you to get the compensation you deserve. Insurance companies like USAA, Geico, and Allstate all have extensive legal teams that may fight against paying out reasonable compensation after an accident to save the company money. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we have the resources needed to go up against those big names in auto insurance and increase the odds that you will get the compensation you need for the injuries you may have sustained. Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA today to discuss your Miami Gardens motorcycle accident and the compensation you realistically deserve for your injuries.

Compensation After a Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident: What to Expect

Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident AttorneyFollowing your Miami Gardens motorcycle accident, you may know that you have the right to file an injury claim, but not how much compensation you can realistically expect for your injuries. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we work with our clients to get a realistic look at how much compensation to pursue for their motorcycle accident claims. However, that compensation can depend on several critical factors related to your accident claim.
  • Who caused your accident? The liable party in the accident can influence how much compensation you can ultimately recover. For example, if more than one party contributed to your accident, it may significantly increase the compensation you can obtain.
  • What insurance policy covers the liable party? In most motorcycle accident claims, the insurance policy that covers the liable party will substantially impact how much compensation you can recover.
  • Do you have a lawyer on your side? Most motorcycle accident victims in Miami Gardens find that working with an experienced injury attorney helps them maximize the compensation they can recover. Without an attorney on your side, you may find it much more difficult to acquire reasonable compensation for your injuries.
While we cannot guarantee the compensation you will recover from your motorcycle accident claim, we can help you look at the categories of damages you can include.

Medical Costs

If you suffered injuries in a car accident in Florida, you would use your PIP insurance to cover the initial cost of your medical bills. However, Florida law does not require PIP insurance for motorcycles. As a result, you may not have that protection if you suffer injuries in a motorcycle accident. Since you likely do not have PIP coverage for your injuries, you can include the cost of your medical bills as part of your motorcycle accident claim. Make sure you keep track of all medical bills, including any bills you may have paid for co-pays and deductibles. You should also talk to your doctor about future anticipated medical expenses: the cost of ongoing therapy, for example, or the likely cost of procedures you will probably need to plan for in the future but which you do not need immediately.

Income Losses

You will often find yourself dealing with significant income losses related to your motorcycle accident. Motorcycle accident injuries can become catastrophic. They may cause immense physical pain or pose limitations that make it difficult, if not impossible, for you to get back to work. As you progress with your motorcycle accident claim, talk to your lawyer about the time you missed at work because of those injuries. Include:
  • Time at work missed right after the accident.
  • Time you had to miss at work for any follow-up appointments or procedures.
  • Time you may have missed at work because you could not return to a full-time schedule.
  • Vacation time or sick time you may have used to cover your time off.
As part of a comprehensive motorcycle accident claim, you can include compensation for many of the income losses you may have faced due to your injuries.

Pain and Suffering

You suffered immense financial losses because of your motorcycle accident. However, in some ways, those financial losses may pale in comparison to the other losses you may have sustained. Financial compensation may not eliminate the pain you suffer after your accident, but it can provide you with the funds you need to help rebuild your life after that accident. Talk to your lawyer about the suffering you have faced: any loss of independence, the inability to engage in the activities you once enjoyed, or the struggle to maintain relationships in the aftermath of your Miami Gardens motorcycle accident. You can then use your answers to help judge how much compensation you might obtain for pain and suffering after your accident.

Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accidents: What You Need to Know

You suffered injuries in a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident. Under Florida law, you have up to four years to pursue compensation for those injuries.
  • According to Florida law, motorcycle riders do not have to wear helmets on the road. However, wearing a motorcycle helmet substantially decreases the risk of devastating injury, including traumatic brain injury.
  • Florida has the fourth highest rate of motorcycle accident fatalities.
  • Approximately 600 people lose their lives in Florida motorcycle accidents each year.
  • An estimated 8,000 or more motorcycle accidents occur in Florida each year. An average of 2,000 of those accidents will result in incapacitating injuries, and 5,000 or more will result in non-incapacitating injuries.
  • Most motorcycle accident injuries and fatalities occur to the driver of the motorcycle, in part because many people choose to ride motorcycles alone. However, hundreds of people suffer severe injuries as a passenger on a motorcycle each year.

Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Motorcycle accidents have a high risk of resulting in severe injuries, including:
  • Brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Back and neck injuries
  • Amputations
  • Broken bones
  • Severe road rash
  • Cuts and lacerations

Fighting the Insurance Company After a Motorcycle Accident

Many insurance companies will show a heavy intrinsic bias against motorcycle riders. They may assume that motorcycle riders are more likely to engage in reckless behaviors that could cause an accident. As a result, motorcycle riders involved in an accident may struggle to get the insurance company to offer them fair compensation for the injuries they may have sustained in the motorcycle accident. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we work with our clients to maximize the results of their motorcycle accident claims. Our attorneys work tirelessly to help ensure our clients have the evidence they need to establish liability and work toward the compensation they deserve. As a result, we can often help our clients more effectively fight against those big-name insurance providers after a motorcycle accident, including Progressive, Allstate, or USAA.

After Your Motorcycle Accident: Protecting Your Rights

In the initial days after a motorcycle accident, you may have to focus heavily on your recovery and your medical needs. Many motorcycle accident victims end up with severe injuries that require substantial treatment. However, to protect your right to compensation after your motorcycle accident, you may need to act carefully and take several essential steps.
  • Get a copy of the accident report. Make sure it contains an accurate and unbiased look at the factors that likely led to your motorcycle accident. Correct any inaccurate information by contacting the police department or working with your lawyer, if needed.
  • Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA to discuss your motorcycle accident and your right to compensation. By working with Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, you can better understand how much compensation to pursue and how to navigate the complicated claim process.
  • Keep copies of all medical bills, including co-pay and deductible amounts. Make sure you have clear documentation of the cost of medical treatment so you can use it to establish your right to compensation later.
  • Keep up with the instructions issued by your medical care provider. If you suffered a brain injury in your motorcycle accident, you may need to avoid any activity that could cause further head trauma while you recover. Failure to follow those instructions could limit your ability to recover total compensation for your injuries.
  • Journal about your injuries and recovery. Create a clear record of what happened during your recovery period so you can later use that information to establish the compensation you may deserve.
At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we can help you through all the stages of the claim process, from the initial days after the accident to your future interactions with the insurance company.

Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident Lawyer FAQ

After a motorcycle accident and managing the associated motorcycle accident claim can leave you with many questions, from what you should do next to how you can pursue compensation for your injuries. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we strive to provide the answers to those questions and support our clients. Contact us to ask any specific questions you may have about your claim or your next steps as you move forward.

1. I did not have a motorcycle helmet at the time of my Miami Gardens motorcycle accident and ended up with a traumatic brain injury. Can I still pursue compensation?

Florida law does not require motorcycle riders over the age of 21 to wear a helmet when they get on their motorcycles. However, helmet use can go a long way toward preventing several injuries, including:
  • Brain injury
  • Facial injury
  • Neck injury
  • Death
Riders should always wear a helmet to protect themselves and should require any passenger on the motorcycle to wear one, as well. However, your lack of helmet use does not prevent you from filing a claim for compensation for the damages you sustained in your Miami Gardens motorcycle accident. Talk to a lawyer to ensure you receive the comprehensive legal support you need as you fight for your right to compensation.

2. The insurance company insists that I must have caused my Miami Gardens motorcycle accident, but the other driver hit me. What can I do?

Insurance companies often suffer from a high intrinsic bias against motorcycle riders. They may try to pressure you into accepting liability for the accident or simply refuse to acknowledge that the driver covered by the insurance policy caused the accident and your injuries. Unfortunately, that can leave you struggling to get the compensation you deserve for those injuries. If the insurance company denies or disputes liability for your accident, contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA as soon as possible. We can offer several options to help establish liability for the accident and give you a better idea of the next steps you should take.

We start with a comprehensive investigation of your accident.

Having the right evidence in hand can make it much easier to establish liability for the accident. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we start by looking at all the details that may have led to your accident and evaluating any evidence from the scene. We may use:
  • Photos from the accident scene
  • Witness accounts
  • Any video footage from the accident, including dash cam footage or security camera footage
During our investigation process, we can often uncover comprehensive evidence that will give us a better idea of what likely caused or contributed to your accident.

We bring in expert witnesses to recreate the accident scene when needed.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to establish precisely what led to the accident. You may, for example, not have any video footage due to where the accident occurred. You and the other driver might have dramatically different versions of what happened in the accident, making it much more challenging to lay out all the causes of that accident. In that case, we may bring in an expert witness to help recreate the scene of your Miami Gardens motorcycle accident and lay out the likely causes for the insurance company. An accident in accident recreation can look at the scene of the accident, the damage to the vehicles, and any statements issued by witnesses and put together a clear look at what likely led to your motorcycle accident. Working with Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA can make it much easier to establish liability for your motorcycle accident, including making it easier to establish that you deserve total compensation for your injuries.

3. What should I do about my medical bills after my Miami Gardens motorcycle accident?

As a motorcycle rider in Florida, you likely do not have PIP coverage, also known as personal injury protection coverage, on your motorcycle. Most insurers will not provide that coverage. However, you have some options for covering the cost of much-needed medical treatment following a motorcycle accident in Miami Gardens.

Use your health insurance to help with some of the initial treatment costs.

Start by using your health insurance to cover what you can of your treatment costs. You may need to talk to your insurer about the fact that you suffered your injuries in a motorcycle accident. You may also want to ask questions about what specific coverage you have for the types of treatment you will need to maximize your odds of fully recovering from your injuries. For example, some insurance companies may only cover a set number of yearly physical therapy sessions.

Use the funds from your motorcycle accident claim to cover the cost of treatment.

A motorcycle accident claim can provide funds that will make it much easier for you to get the medical treatment you need following a devastating motorcycle accident. A motorcycle accident claim will not require the insurance company or liable party to pay your medical bills directly but will provide you with the funds you may need to help cover the cost of that medical treatment. It can take time to get the funds from your motorcycle accident claim in your hands. In the meantime, talk to your medical care providers and tell them that you need to wait for those funds. Your care providers will generally work with you. If not, your lawyer can issue a letter of protection that will let your care providers know that you intend to pay but need to wait until the funds from your injury claim arrive.

4. When should I call a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident attorney?

If you suffered injuries in a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident, working with an attorney may offer your best chances of recovering reasonable compensation for your injuries. You should contact an attorney if you sustained any injury in a motorcycle accident because motorcycle accident claims may prove much more complicated than the average property damage claim associated with an auto accident. You should also contact a motorcycle accident attorney whenever you notice these common concerns as you deal with your claim.

The insurance company disputes liability for the accident.

Disputed liability means that the insurance company tries to prove that another party, other than the one covered by that insurance policy, caused your motorcycle accident. Generally, the insurance company will try to place liability back on the motorcycle rider. The insurance company may try to establish that you drove recklessly or ignored the rules of the road, from lane splitting to speeding. Unfortunately, if you admit to those behaviors, it could leave you without the compensation you need and deserve for the injuries sustained in your accident.

The insurance company refuses to accept or acknowledge the full extent of your injuries.

Motorcycle accident injuries can cause a great deal of expense and suffering. The more severe your injuries, the more compensation you may need to cover the cost of medical treatment and ensure that you get the care you need. Unfortunately, insurance companies will often try to ignore the full extent of those injuries. The insurance company may:
  • Deny that you need the full treatment you required for your motorcycle accident injuries
  • Deny that you suffered those injuries during the motorcycle accident
  • Ignore the limitations and challenges you may have faced after the accident, or try to establish that you can enjoy some of the activities that you previously claimed that your injuries prevent
If you find yourself fighting with the insurance company to prove the full extent of your injuries and the limitations you sustained because of them, working with an attorney can help you more clearly lay out your specific losses and the compensation you may deserve.

You get a settlement offer from the insurance company that does not seem to reflect the damages that occurred because of the motorcycle accident.

Sometimes, insurance companies will contact you soon after your motorcycle accident to provide you with a settlement offer. You may not yet know what your long-term medical costs will look like or how many limitations you will face because of your motorcycle accident. Worse, you may have no idea how your injuries will impact other areas of your life, including your employment. If you get a low settlement offer from the insurance company, you may want to talk to a lawyer about that offer to learn more about the compensation you deserve. You can also contact an attorney if you have questions about your right to compensation or how your claim should progress. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we start with a free consultation that will help give you a better understanding of the compensation you may deserve and how to navigate your interactions with the insurance company.

5. Do insurance companies always try to blame the motorcycle rider after a Miami Gardens accident?

While insurance companies may show bias against motorcycle accident riders, that does not mean that they will always try to blame the motorcycle rider for an accident. However, shifting liability to another party, including the motorcycle rider, generally works in the insurance company's favor since shifting liability would mean that the insurance company does not have to pay or does not have to pay as much for the accident. Working with a lawyer can significantly increase your chances of successfully navigating your accident claim and getting the compensation you deserve.

6. How long does it take to file a motorcycle accident claim in Miami Gardens?

If you suffered injuries of any kind in your Miami Gardens motorcycle accident, you should expect it to take time to resolve your claim. You may need to wait for several things to occur before you receive the settlement for your motorcycle accident claim.

You may need several months to recover from your injuries.

You do not have to make a full recovery from your injuries before you can file a motorcycle accident claim. You may, however, need to wait to move forward on your claim until you have a better idea of your long-term recovery, including the long-term medical expenses you may face because of your injuries. Your doctors can estimate what your long-term recovery will look like soon after your accident but cannot guarantee what complications, setbacks, or challenges you may face along the way. Furthermore, anticipated recovery from many severe injuries can include many potential outcomes. By waiting until you have reached a point at which your doctors can better predict your eventual recovery, you can include an accurate assessment of your future medical needs as part of your injury claim.

Your lawyer and the liable driver's insurance company will need time to investigate.

Personal Injury Lawyer
Matt Dolman, Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident Injury Attorney
The investigation process after a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident can take time. Both sides want to take a comprehensive look at what led to the accident, and the insurance company may also want to take a closer look at your injuries, your projected recovery, and what limitations you may face in your daily life. The longer it takes to get accurate information about your injuries and claim, the longer your claim may take.

You may need time to negotiate for the compensation you deserve.

After your motorcycle accident, you will need time to pursue the compensation you deserve for your injuries. You may need to fight hard to get reasonable compensation as part of your accident claim, and it can take time to reach that resolution.

Contact a Miami Gardens Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today

If you suffered injuries in a Miami Gardens motorcycle accident, working with a lawyer can significantly increase the odds that you will recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Contact us at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA today at (833) 552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) to discuss the injuries you sustained in your motorcycle accident.

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

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