If you have been injured whilst riding your motorcycle and it was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Motorcycle accidents have the potential to lead to serious injuries, even at relatively low speeds.

Motorcycle accident injuries can have severe consequences, disabling injuries, loss of earnings and even the inability to look after yourself and others. Sometimes accidents on motorcycles happen because of a car drivers mistake or because of negligence from others.

Motorcycle riders are more likely to be exposed to dangerous circumstances on the road due to the fact that motorcycles provide much less protection than a car and are much more exposed. Therefore, the injuries that you may sustain in a motorbike accident can be more much serious than car accidents, and can have a huge impact on your life or even cause fatality.

If you sustained an accident on a motorcycle, it is likely that you have many questions regarding what you can make a motorbike accident claim for and how you should proceed with it.

 

Types of motorcycle accident claims

 

There are many things that could cause a motorcycle accident. Below are some of the most common causes of accidents that lead to motorcycle accident claims for compensation:

Accidents involving drink or drug drivers – Motorists that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs can drive erratically which can lead to accidents with motorcyclists

Injury by dangerous driving of other road users – Dangerous driving by other motorists can lead to collisions with motorcyclists as their actions are hard to predict

Potholes or road damage – Roads that have been neglected can cause potholes which can be dangerous, causing motorcyclists to crash after hitting them

Pedestrians – Pedestrians can indirectly cause motorcyclist accidents. An example of this is if a pedestrian suddenly walks in front of a motorcyclist, causing them to suddenly swerve and have an accident

Debris that has been left on the road – This can cause motorcycle accidents as, if collided with, the debris can cause motorcyclists to crash or hit another vehicle if they try to swerve out of the way

Motorcycle crashed due to manufacturing issues – Poor manufacturing of a bike can lead to faults in the mechanism which can cause the motorcycle to breakdown or impact vital safety features such as brakes.

 

Injuries caused by motorcycle accidents

Common injuries that be sustained from these motorcycle accidents are:

• Back injuries
• Broken bones or fractures
• Neck injuries including whiplash
• Concussion or any other type of head injury
• Nerve damage
• Soft tissue damage
• Muscle tendon or ligament damage
• Fatal injuries

As well as these physical injuries, psychological injuries following motorcycle accidents are common and can be just as debilitating. This can include depression after the accident has occurred or anxiety caused by the thought of returning to the road.

If you have been injured as the result of an accident on a motorcycle, contact us to find out more information on motorcycle accident claims.

 

What should I do after a motorcycle accident?

If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident that was not your fault, you may be able to make a claim for compensation. However, it is imperative that you are able to establish blame and provide evidence to support this claim if you are to secure compensation.

Therefore, if you have been involved in a motorcycle accident and you are thinking about claiming compensation, we recommend that you:

• Swap details with anyone involved in the accident
• Take photographs of the scene and of the motor vehicle or any other cause of the accident when it is safe to do so
• Attend your local A&E or GP surgery to have your injuries assessed and treated.
• If there were any witnesses, ask for their details to be contacted at a later date as they may be able to support your claim
• Take photographs pf your injuries
• Report the incident to your insurance company as soon as possible to make them aware of the accident

 

Motorcycle Accident claims: what can I claim?

Your compensation award will bee made up of two areas; in legal terms, we call these general damages and special damages.

General Damages – This is the amount you receive for your pain, suffering and inconvenience as well as all the difficulty you faced as a result of this.

To calculate this amount we look at previous cases which are similar to yours, together with guidelines that are issued to Judges who decide the outcome of such claims if they go to Court. Your case will be valued on the basis of your injuries as described by suitably qualified medical professionals.

Special Damages – These are any direct financial losses you may have suffered as a result of your injuries. Typically, these may include loss of earnings up to the settlement, loss of earnings in the future or the costs of care provided to you.

Compensation calculators are available online to estimate a general figure for what you may receive as a result of your compensation claim.

The Judicial College has published the ‘Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases’ as a guide to help legal professionals determine the financial value of a personal injury claim.

Serious accidents can affect your employment. If that is the case and you believe your employer is treating you unfairly, we work closely with Winston Solicitors who can provide specialist employment law advice.

 

Motorcycle Accident claims: how much will it cost?

Our accident solicitors will always be 100% transparent about what our charges are, and if we take on your case, we will almost always do so on a Conditional Fee Agreement (also known as a No Win, No Fee basis).

This means that if you do not win your case, you do not pay us any fees at all. If we win the case, we take a small percentage of your compensation, which we will agree with you beforehand, to cover our costs.

We will never ask you to sign anything until you are completely happy with what it is that we are proposing.

 

How can Wildwood Legal help?

Lots of law firms will claim to be ‘specialists’ in scooter and motorbike accident claims. But are they? What experience do they have?

Any rider knows that you need to be a rider to understand what it is actually like on the road.

Our Consultant PI Solicitor, Stephen Hattersley, has been a rider since an early age. He had his first bike at the age of 16. He rides a scooter to work every day and has been acting for riders for over 20 years; he is also the resident legal specialist in answering legal questions for readers of Scootering Magazine.

We understand that as carefully as you ride, you can’t always escape the dangers that can occur on the road. We know the usual causes of accidents and will help you piece things together afterwards, providing the best possible legal advice at all times.

We always strive to put you at ease and explain the claims process clearly. Our aim is to obtain a great outcome for your case, we value the opinion of our clients, and we will always listen to you and take on board what you say. Most importantly, we are on your side.

We promise to guide you through every step of the claims process and do our very best to get the maximum possible level of compensation for you.

You can contact us by phone at 0113 320 5000 or by email info@winstonsolicitors.co.uk. 

We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England.