To represent a motorcycle accident victim in a personal injury case, a lawyer must have the requisite knowledge and specific skills, along with the capability to understand the legal perspective of motorcyclists. An experienced attorney can guide you to gain compensation for the damages you incurred in the motorcycle accident, including medical expenses, disabilities, brain injuries, severe scars, loss of any body parts, emotional suffering, anxiety, pain, and depression.
An experienced Philadelphia motorcycle accident lawyer will make every effort to understand all of the issues about your case and interact with the claimant’s psychologists, doctors, and long-term care planners to make sure that the victim gets the best legal representation, medical care, and support.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents can be caused by a variety of factors and some of the most common causes include:
- Poor road upkeep: One of the most significant factors for motorcycle accidents is poor road maintenance. In single-vehicle motorcycle accidents, poor road upkeep regularly becomes the major factor in determining the cause of the motorcycle crash. Some of the other road maintenance issues that can lead up to motorcycle crashes include potholes, poor drainage, faded paint, overgrown vegetation, and extreme grade. It is important for victims to understand that accidents that occur as a result of poor road upkeep usually occur on public property, and the claims against the government or municipalities are often subject to unique legal rules. To pursue a claim for these kinds of motorcycle crashes, a victim should consult Philadelphia auto accident lawyer.
- Distracted driving: In some cases, there are other drivers on the road who are not focused on how they are operating their vehicle. Because they may be unaware of their surroundings, they may not see the motorcyclists until it is too late to avoid a crash. Some of the most common causes of distracted driving include speaking on the phone or texting, eating, adjusting the radio, reading, looking at the scenery, attending to children in the back seat, and personal grooming.
- Defectively designed roads: Motorcyclists should be cautious about the road conditions they may encounter while driving. Some of the most common examples of fatal motorcycle accident causes that relate to road design include sharp curves, narrow lanes, or steep hills.
- Traffic violations: Motorcyclists must abide by all the traffic rules while driving to keep them safe from any accidents and any serious injuries. Some traffic violations that motorcyclists often commit include speeding, improper turns, running stop signals, or failing to yield.
- Defective motorcycles: Motorcycles that are defective or are improperly designed can be responsible for causing serious accidents. Some of the defects that occur in motorcycles are defective tires, fuel system failure, steering problems, and brake failures. In most cases, the victims of these kinds of motorcycle crashes may be eligible to receive compensation from the motorcycle’s manufacturer.
Important Steps for a Victim to Take After a Motorcycle Crash
To secure compensation, it is vital for a victim to prove that their motorcycle accident happened because of someone else’s negligence. However, there are three important steps that a motorcyclist should follow after the accident has happened.
- The first step is to gather all the information from the accident scene, including physical evidence, photographs, recordings, and written facts. Some of the facts that a victim should consider collecting include contact details for the other driver or drivers involved in the accident, license plate information for all of the vehicles involved in the accident, other drivers’ insurance information, and other vital details.
- The second step is to seek medical treatment immediately after getting into an accident. It can be crucial to identify potential injuries so that they can be properly treated and documented.
- The third step is to seek help from a lawyer after a motorcycle accident occurs. An experienced lawyer can evaluate the accident scene and help you determine whether you have a viable claim relating to the motorcycle crash.
How much time does the victim have to file a lawsuit?
Philadelphia has a specified two-year statute of limitations, meaning that a victim suffering from the effects of a motorcycle accident in Philadelphia has two years to take legal action from the date when the accident occurred. If the victim does not take any legal action within those two years, they may lose their right to pursue compensation for the injuries and damages that the accident caused them to incur.
However, in some cases, the victim could have less than two years or more than two years to file a lawsuit. To get the right information about the timing of filing a lawsuit in your particular case, you should speak to a skilled lawyer in Philadelphia who can guide you properly. An attorney can study your case, understand it from the legal point of view, and do everything they can to make your case as strong as possible. This can increase your chances of winning the maximum compensation from the party at fault.
An experienced lawyer can comprehensively address your concern and help you face this stressful situation. The compensation that a victim secures can help them to face the challenging time that they may be experiencing in the accident’s aftermath.
