You can spend months in physical therapy sessions after a motorcycle accident. And if a careless driver is to blame, those mounting expenses must be left in the lap of the driver’s car insurance provider.
Maison Law of Bakersfield offers a free case consultation to all injured motorcycle accident victims. It’s a no-risk opportunity for you to determine the value of your case and what to demand from unhelpful car insurance companies.
What Do Physical Therapists Do?
UCLA Health explains the goal of physical therapy.
“Physical therapists help people return to or gain higher levels of function after an illness or injury.”
Their therapists also go over how they get results for accident victims.
“We may use exercise, manual techniques, or modalities to improve your function. Physical therapists also can recommend durable medical equipment, such as walkers or wheelchairs.”
Why Motorcyclists Need Physical Therapy
Getting struck by a car, SUV, or truck on a Bakersfield highway, like Highway 99, can leave you with devastating injuries. Surgeons may have to repair crushed or shattered bones. Neurosurgeons may have to stop bleeding in the brain. Doctors in the ER may have to apply a cast or splint.
And once bones are on the right track for healing, back and neck pain could linger. You may also struggle to return to your normal everyday life, using your damaged or weakened limbs to care for yourself or your family members.
Physical therapy is designed to help victims get back to their daily responsibilities.
It can help with recovery in these and other ways:
- To restore flexibility to a joint or to the neck after whiplash.
- To restore strength to an injured arm or leg.
- To relearn to walk normally or to regain job skills.
- To manage the pain of an injury, especially a back injury.
- To get patients prepared for life at home with an injury and the use of medical equipment.
The Walls That Keep Motorcyclists From Getting Support
Motorcyclists face unique challenges in getting the injury support they need. It may be quite clear that a careless driver was at fault. A Bakersfield Police Report may agree.
But car insurance companies put extra roadblocks in front of injured riders. They like to try to shift blame from a driver to a motorcyclist in almost any incident. Their only reasoning may be the stereotype of “reckless” motorcyclists.
Insurers can also question a rider’s injury severity. They might even claim the injuries were from a past motorcycle injury, “preexisting.” Insurance adjusters could also purposely delay support, so that injured riders become desperate enough to accept “lowball” offers.
Fortunately, strong evidence can shut down these tactics. A Bakersfield motorcycle accident lawyer conducts a full investigation and gathers all important evidence. That can include calling in accident reconstruction teams to show what really happened.
A strong case shuts down the insurer’s attempt to skate away from blame. A skilled attorney is also often able to win much more for riders than they could earn by handling a case themselves.
Options to Support Motorcycle Accident Victims
Motorcycle collision victims may get fairly quick support from car insurance companies. But more often, they’ll be left sitting in recovery, with no way to earn a paycheck, and physical therapy bills growing each week.
But riders have some options so they can hang on financially until a settlement check arrives.
Medical Liens: Maison Law helps direct injured riders to doctors and physical therapists who will delay charging patients. Under a medical lien, they put off billing for their services until the motorcyclists receive an insurance settlement.
Pressure from a Skilled Motorcycle Attorney: A lawyer is also able to put pressure on insurance adjusters to act quickly. The insurer is legally obligated to respond to injury claims within a few weeks. A lawyer can make demands on insurers that they’ll be forced to listen to. A lawyer can also report the company to the California Department of Insurance.
Reducing Medical Debt: In some cases, Maison Law can negotiate a reduction on your medical bills. This is also possible with health insurance companies, which will want any care that’s been covered repaid through subrogation if you receive settlement money.
Reach Out to a Bakersfield Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
In addition to coverage of physical therapy costs, a lawyer would fight to get all medical bills covered. The time and money victims lose at their jobs must also be compensated. The physical pain and emotional trauma riders face should also receive full support.
Maison Law offers free case reviews to all Bakersfield-area injured motorcycle accident victims and their families.
There’s no obligation, but if you need a lawyer, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay one. We work on behalf of clients with no upfront costs. We are only paid if your case is won. Then our fee comes out of a settlement check the car insurance company must write.
Additional Resources:
Paying Your Occupational Therapy Bills
