Motorcycles are a convenient way to get around, but there’s also a high rate of deaths involved in motorcycle accidents and severe injuries associated with them if you survive. Either situation can result in significant expenses without the help of an experienced lawyer.
If you were recently injured in a motorcycle accident or lost someone you love and have struggled to cover the damages related to the crash, you could get compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. Our New Iberia, LA, motorcycle accident lawyers can help you recover compensation.
Injuries You Can Suffer in a Motorcycle Crash
Due to the lack of protection a motorcycle provides, there are many ways you can be injured in an accident. Common injuries you could sustain in a motorcycle collision and get financial compensation for physical injuries such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Road rash
- Third-degree burns
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injury
- Head and neck injuries
- Torn ligament
Make Sure You Seek Medical Treatment After a Motorcycle Accident in New Iberia
The best thing you can do after a motorcycle accident in New Iberia is to see a doctor. Medical treatment is vital for your health and can help you protect your compensation claim. Your doctors can provide essential documentation connecting your injuries to your accident.
Our motorcycle accident attorney in New Iberia can use this as evidence to demonstrate another party’s negligence and support your compensation claim. Even if you did not have to go to the emergency room immediately after the accident, seek medical attention. You may be suffering from injuries with latent symptoms.
If you do not address these injuries, they could worsen and become permanent injuries. Furthermore, an insurer could try to argue you worsened your injuries by failing to seek medical treatment. Make sure you follow your doctor’s prescribed treatment plan and keep any documentation of your medical care.
For a free legal consultation with a motorcycle accident lawyer serving New Iberia, call (337)-547-2777
File Your Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit Quickly
According to CC Art. 3492, you have one year to file a personal injury lawsuit, which is not a lot of time when you factor in other priorities. Other case elements might also affect the statutory deadline, such as whether your case involves minors or a municipality.
If so, consult with your personal injury attorney to determine the timeframe you have for your case. Do not wait for your injuries to heal to take legal action, as that might cost you valuable time to collect evidence, conduct interviews, and file paperwork.
With a medical release, your lawyer can communicate with the physicians overseeing your treatment to determine the future extent of your damage and then act on your behalf.
If negotiations come to a standstill, your lawyer can notify you when you need to consider pursuing a lawsuit. While most cases settle out of court, you can take comfort that your motorcycle accident attorney in New Iberia will monitor your case’s progression and alert you when you need to take the necessary steps.
New Iberia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Near Me (337)-547-2777
Our New Iberia Motorcycle Accident Team Can Help You Determine How Much Compensation To Pursue
Motorcycle accident victims can fight for compensation for more than just their injuries and property damage. Motorcycle accident cases fall under personal injury law. So, if you intend to file a lawsuit against the driver who caused your accident, you could receive compensation for the following economic damages and non-economic damages:
- The income you lost due to your injuries, recovery period, or not having transportation
- Losses related to a permanent injury, ranging from changes in appearance to the inability to perform specific tasks or activities because of your injuries
- Costs related to property damage
- Costs for medical treatment, including post-treatment services like physical therapy
- Pain and suffering, both emotional and physical
- Loss of future income or having your earning potential reduced
Your personal injury attorney can explain what kinds of damages you may be entitled to collect for your motorcycle accident injuries. A representative can also explain other legal options if you do not want to go to court.
In fact, in many cases, a personal injury attorney can negotiate an insurance settlement to avoid taking their client’s case to trial, which might be a viable option for you.
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Your New Iberia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Will Help You Form Your Legal Argument
Our law firm works with every client to understand their perspective so that we can shape a case argument that reflects their situation accurately. This involves establishing the four elements of negligence:
- Duty of care: All people must avoid causing harm to others, usually by following established laws, regulations, and guidelines, such as traffic laws.
- Breach of care: Any act or omission that violates a law, rule, or guideline to protect people is considered a breach of care.
- Causation: The established correlation between the defendant’s breach of care and the cause of the accident. An example might involve the driver failing to look in their blind spot before merging and colliding with the motorcyclist.
- Damages: The economic and non-economic losses that the injured party incurred from the accident serve as the basis for demanding compensation.
We also help our clients collect evidence to support their claims and protect them from potential claims by the defendants.
According to CC Art. 2323, plaintiffs accused of comparative negligence in their accident may have their compensation reduced by their fault percentage. Therefore, the evidence we collect may also play a crucial role in asserting your role as the sole victim.
Responsible Parties in a Motorcycle Collision
There may be one party responsible for the accident and your injuries, or there could be multiple. The most common at-fault parties include:
A Negligent Driver
Other drivers on the road are the primarily liable party in motorcycle crashes. Cars are bigger and result in severe injuries if drivers don’t pay attention to the road. Negligent actions that a driver could do include drinking and driving, texting while driving, and being under the influence of prescription drugs.
These actions violate the duty of care every driver on the road should follow. If another driver acted negligently and you suffered injuries, our motorcycle accident attorneys in New Iberia can help you file a claim against them.
Manufacturer
A defective product can sometimes cause a motorcycle accident. If this is the case, the motorcycle manufacturer could be liable for injuries and damages.
To prove that a manufacturer was the at-fault party, we must show the defect was present when the motorcycle left the factory. The bike damage was not caused by improper use or maintenance, and it directly resulted in your injuries.
Additionally, if a design flaw is found to have contributed to an accident, the manufacturer could be liable for losses.
For instance, if the motorcycle design puts riders at increased risk of harm due to poor mirror visibility, the manufacturer may be held accountable.
Road Owner
A government agency or a property owner could also be responsible for your motorcycle accident injuries. If a state or local government agency owns a road, they are responsible for taking care of it. The same goes for a private property owner.
If the road has potholes, no guard rail, or lacks a stop sign, and it leads to an accident, the road owner could be responsible.
Our motorcycle accident attorney in New Iberia can help you determine which parties are responsible for your injuries and help you throughout the legal process.
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How Our Law Firm Can Help You With Your Motorcycle Accident Case
We assist our clients and do everything we can to prepare their cases for court or negotiations. For example, our motorcycle accident lawyers do the following for our clients:
- Investigate who the liable party or parties are in a collision
- Gather evidence from various sources to support a claim
- Speak on behalf of our clients during communications with insurance companies, other attorneys, and inquiring parties
- File required case paperwork
- Negotiate a potential settlement on our client’s behalf
- Represent them in court if necessary
Call Our Law Firm To Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in New Iberia, LA
If you or a loved one was in a motorcycle crash and suffered severe injuries, you may be entitled to receive compensation from the negligent driver who caused the crash.
Our New Iberia, LA, motorcycle accident attorneys at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers are ready to help you recover the damages you qualify for. Call us or fill out our contact form to get a free legal consultation from one of our lawyers.
Call or text (337)-547-2777 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
