Many Fort Worth residents rely on the gas-friendly transportation option of a motorcycle or enjoy exhilarating weekend rides through the scenic Texas countryside. Unfortunately, the open-air experience motorcyclists love also exposes them to severe injuries in a crash due to direct contact with the roadway, other vehicles, and obstacles.
If you or a family member suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident through no fault of your own, reach out to the motorcycle accident lawyers in Fort Worth at Greening Law.
Why Choose Your Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Lawyer From Greening Law?
The Fort Worth motorcycle accident lawyers at Greening Law understand the devastating impacts of a motorcycle accident on the injury victim and the emotional and financial effects on their family. By choosing Greening Law, you can focus on healing while your Fort Worth personal injury attorney does the following:
- Offers a free case consultation and contingency-based payment, so you pay nothing until your attorney obtains your compensation
- Tailors a personalized legal strategy to obtain the maximum compensation available to you
- Puts the firm’s 40 years of experience behind your claim
- Gives your case access to renowned accident reconstruction specialists and medical experts to make the most compelling claim possible for your full compensation
Greening Law’s history of exceptional results lends a strong voice to your claim with a board-certified lead attorney designated as a “Super Lawyer” in Texas.
What Causes Most Motorcycle Accidents In Fort Worth?
Even the most careful motorcyclist is subject to serious injuries when they share the road with careless or reckless drivers. Many motorcycle accidents occur through no fault of the rider, but instead result from the following negligent driver actions:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Failure to yield the right-of-way to a motorcyclist
- Unsafe lane changing
- Improper merging
- Left-turn accidents
- Following too closely
- Car-dooring (opening a car door into the path of a motorcyclist)
- Drunk or impaired driving
- Fatigued driving
In other cases, an accident attorney’s investigation uncovers other entities that cause or contribute to an accident, such as a negligent road maintenance agency or the manufacturer of a defective motorcycle part. Under the state’s contributory fault system, an injury victim can pursue compensation from all those who contributed to the cause of an accident with injuries and damages.
Proving Liability In Motorcycle Accident Claims In Texas
The fault-based injury laws in Texas require motorcycle accident victims to provide evidence of the at-fault party’s liability. If a negligent driver caused the accident, the evidence must demonstrate the following:
- The at-fault party owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim
- They breached this duty through negligence
- The breach of duty directly caused the accident and injuries
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
If a defective motorcycle part caused or contributed to the cause of an accident, the evidence must show that a design defect, manufacturing mistake, or marketing error caused injury to the motorcyclist.
Understanding Motorcycle Accident Injuries In Fort Worth
A motorcyclist is vulnerable to severe injuries due to direct impact in a collision. Although Department of Transportation (DOT)-approved helmets prevent death by 37%, they cannot prevent all traumatic brain injuries, because an impact can cause the brain to bump against the inside of the skull. Also, the rider’s body makes direct contact with the road. Injuries in motorcycle accidents often include the following:
- Fractures, including of the limbs, hips, pelvis, ribs, and vertebrae
- Traumatic brain injuries
- External head, facial, and dental injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries to the knees, wrists, and ankles
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Lacerations and contusions
- Severe abrasions (roadrash)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Internal organ injuries
Motorcycle injuries are costly as well as painful, and potentially debilitating. The losses caused by a motorcycle accident in Fort Worth become the damages in your Texas motorcycle accident claim.
What Damages Can I Recover In a Motorcycle Accident Claim?
Damages escalate quickly after a motorcycle accident with injuries. These losses go far beyond the property damage caused to the motorcycle. Common damages recovered in successful motorcycle accident claims include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical expenses related to the injuries
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss
- Reduced future earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for catastrophic injury damages that apply in some cases, such as loss of limb, scarring, disfigurement, or the loss of one of the senses
If a motorcycle accident ends in disability, the injury victim may recover compensation for loss of enjoyment of life damages. Wrongful death compensation may be available to the family of a motorcycle accident victim who suffers fatal injuries.
What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident In Fort Worth
After a motorcycle accident, the injury victim may be incapacitated or unconscious and unable to take purposeful action; however, if an injury victim can use their cell phone or ask an uninjured person to use it for them, they can often document valuable evidence at the scene. After a motorcycle accident, do the following:
- First, call 911 and apply necessary emergency first aid
- While waiting for help, use a cell phone camera to take photos of the damaged motorcycle, any damaged vehicles, and the accident scene
- Photograph anything relevant to the cause of the accident, like a pothole, a traffic signal, or skid marks on the road
- Add the contact information of an involved driver or drivers and any eyewitnesses to the accident
- Go directly to the hospital from the accident scene
At the hospital, ask for a complete medical evaluation. Then, obtain a detailed medical report listing your injuries, the doctor’s recommended treatment, and your prognosis. Then, report the accident to your insurance company.
Always follow your doctor’s instructions as you move forward from the injury. Seek representation from Greening Law before speaking to the at-fault party’s insurance company. Then, direct all communication with the insurance company and the defendant to your lawyer.
Contact the Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Lawyers at Greening Law
Don’t let the added anxiety of financial hardship add to the distress following a serious accident when you need to focus on healing. If you’ve suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident in Fort Worth, call the experienced motorcycle accident lawyers at Greening Law for the skilled representation your case deserves.