Motorcyclists in Fresno travel without the protection that car occupants have. Riders don’t have airbags and seatbelts to safeguard them in a collision. They also don’t have metal walls to protect them from impacts.
For the most part, motorcyclists must rely on their riding skills to steer clear of the severe consequences of an accident. But sadly, careless drivers don’t always make that possible.
Riders face the constant threat of reckless drivers forcing them into a crash. The injuries suffered in the accidents they cause can be devastating. Victims might face months of recovery time before returning to their motorcycles. In the worst cases, they can also be at risk of losing their lives to a severe motorcycle injury.
Contact a Fresno Motorcycle Accident Lawyer to Discuss Your Case
When motorcycle crash victims wake up in the hospital, they can find themselves in urgent need of support. Patients will have to worry about their wellbeing and also about the cost of such expensive hospital care. These expenses can fall on victims and their families when car insurance companies are allowed to shift blame to a rider instead of the at-fault driver after an accident.
A free consultation with a Fresno Motorcycle Accident Lawyer can help badly injured victims and their families decide what kind of support they should demand from a car insurance provider. It’s a no-risk way to find out what a motorcycle injury is worth and how to force unhelpful insurance adjusters to provide full compensation.
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Even when wearing a helmet, motorcyclists in collisions can suffer life-threatening injuries as they follow the common trajectory of most motorcycle accidents. Riders will first absorb blunt force trauma from a car, truck, or SUV strike.
Unfortunately, victims are then usually sent to the pavement to absorb a second powerful blow. And, tragically, riders are then at risk of being struck by other vehicles while they are on the ground. Riders could have little more than a jacket and pants on to protect them from each high-speed impact.
Emergency room doctors at Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center treat many different types of motorcycle accident injuries each week.
These are just a few of the most common wounds motorcyclists receive when they are knocked from their bikes:
- Concussions
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Broken Legs
- Broken Arms
- Facial Injuries
- Chest Injuries
- Spine and Back Injuries
- Blunt Force Trauma Injuries
- Road Rash
What to Do After Suffering a Motorcycle Injury in a Fresno Accident
After a serious motorcycle accident along a busy route like Highway 99 or at a busy intersection like Blackstone Avenue and Shaw Ave, victims may not have the strength to do much more than wait for an ambulance.
Yet, if riders are feeling up to it, they should attempt to gather some evidence on the scene. This powerful evidence of what happened probably won’t be available at any other time. Once an accident scene is cleared and witnesses go about their way, some proof will be lost forever.
These are just some elements that Fresno motorcycle accident victims can secure while on the scene to help them build a strong injury claim:
- Dial 911 to get Fresno officers or the California Highway Patrol on the way. Give them every detail you can remember so they can write up an accurate collision report.
- Ask for an ambulance. Get even minor injuries checked out. Go to the hospital if necessary. This early examination from emergency crews will be the first piece of medical evidence proving the severity of your injury. If an insurance company tries to say you had a pre-existing condition, you’ll have a paramedic’s report showing your injuries were from the collision.
- Get cellphone photos and video. Show the car that hit you and the damage your motorcycle did to the car. Show the damage to your motorcycle and where it ended up. Highlight traffic signs and lane markings where the collision occurred. Show yourself with a helmet if you were wearing one. Take pictures of any visible injuries.
- Get contact information from witnesses. Your Fresno Motorcycle Accident Lawyer may require them to provide important testimony.
- Look over the area to see if local businesses or homes may have had security cameras rolling. Get addresses so your Fresno personal injury attorney can secure footage before it gets erased.
- See your own physician the next day. Get any new pain you experience the day after the accident examined. Sometimes injuries aren’t caught by emergency room doctors. Follow recommendations the doctor makes including going to physical therapy and visiting specialists.
- Hang on to your damaged motorcycle. Keep any damaged clothing and personal items. Don’t wash bloody clothing. Preserve it.
Compensation Motorcycle Injury Victims Should Demand
A traumatic injury can leave Fresno motorcycle crash victims with hospital bills arriving in the mailbox and without steady paychecks while they are out of work. A motorcycle injury claim demands full support from an at-fault driver’s insurer so that victims don’t have money concerns while they focus on getting better.
A skilled Fresno motorcycle accident attorney files a claim that asks for money so the victim’s family isn’t left paying down medical bills long after recovery. That motorcycle accident insurance claim should also leave victims in a place where they can make a total financial rebound.
These are just a few of the factors that will be considered as your motorcycle accident lawyer negotiates for the maximum in injury support:
- Enough settlement money to pay for every medical bill now and those expected in the months ahead.
- Support for a permanent physical disability. Lifelong support may be needed for patients. This would include money for medical equipment and home renovations. Victims may need help finding a new career if they can’t return to their former jobs.
- Support for permanent disfigurement. The physical and emotional hardship of having a very visible scar leftover from a terrible Fresno Motorcycle Accident.
- Money for long-term physical therapy. A rider’s injuries may require physical therapy treatment for months or years. Insurance companies for at-fault drivers are responsible for these costs for as long as necessary.
- Support for the travel serious injury victims may have to complete. Motorcycle accident victims could have to venture out of Fresno or out of state to see medical specialists. They’ll have many doctor appointments to attend. This can be difficult and expensive when victims are off their feet and unable to drive.
- Support for the pain experienced. Motorcyclists can suffer extreme pain on the scene of an accident and then over the weeks of recovery. Chronic pain and the medication used to treat it should earn compensation.
Other factors contribute to the size of a motorcycle accident injury settlement. Victims must still be able to support their families during a period when they can’t work. Paychecks and benefits should be reimbursed.
The emotional trauma that motorcycle accident victims must cope with should also increase the amount on a settlement check. This factors in the anxiety and depression that may follow a difficult recovery. Victims suffer a loss of enjoyment of life when they are unable to return to their motorcycles or participate in certain family activities.
Support for Families After a Fatal Fresno Motorcycle Accident
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for severe motorcycle accident injuries to claim the lives of victims at the scene or later in the hospital. The close family members of those victims can be left to grieve without a clear idea of who will pay the leftover medical and funeral bills.
Victimized families may file a wrongful death claim to get monetary help in paying for a memorial service and burial. The remaining medical bills and those also paid should be reimbursed by a car insurance company.
A Fresno Wrongful Death Lawyer also helps spouses and the children of victims prepare for the future when they’ll be without the important guidance and financial support the deceased would have provided. A wrongful death claim asks for full support for the years ahead when family members must do their best on their own.
Contact a Fresno Motorcycle Injury Lawyer
If you or a family member suffer a serious injury in a motorcycle accident contact a skilled Fresno motorcycle accident attorney. This is a no-risk opportunity to learn about the benefits available to you and your family. You should know what your traumatic injury is worth and you shouldn’t allow an at-fault driver’s insurance provider to get away with providing less.
Take advantage of a free, no-obligation consultation session with a real lawyer at Maison Law. Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, works with victims to ensure they receive the full support they need to rebuild their lives and get back on their motorcycles.
If you decide we can help you earn more in a motorcycle accident injury claim, we don’t require any upfront payment. We don’t get paid unless we win your case.
