Michigan Motorcycle AccidentLawyers

Motorcycle accident victims are often painted as irresponsible or rebellious, a tactic used by insurers to reduce compensation. However, you have protected rights as a motorcyclist, including seeking financial restitution if another driver causes your injuries.

• Fair Compensation: You have the right to pursue fair compensation for injuries caused by another driver. This can be through your personal injury protection insurance (PIP), a third-party claim with the other driver’s insurance, or a personal injury lawsuit.
• Comparative Negligence Laws: You are protected under laws that allow compensation based on your percentage of fault, even if you are partly responsible.
• Compensation for All Damages: You are eligible to claim compensation for physical, emotional, and property damages, including:
  • Medical expenses like ER visits, surgeries, medication, rehabilitation, therapy, and ongoing medical care.
  • Lost wage compensation for missed earnings, including days off work for medical appointments and loss of future earnings.
  • Bike repair and replacement to pay for repairing or replacing your motorcycle.
  • Pain and suffering damages addressing physical pain, emotional anguish, and decreased quality of life.
• Refusing Quick Settlement Offers: You have the right to refuse initial settlement offers from insurance companies if they undervalue your claim.
• Legal Representation: You have the right to seek legal representation to protect your interests and negotiate on your behalf with insurance companies and defense attorneys.

At Fieger Law, our team brings more than 70 years of experience in managing personal injury claims to the table. We’re ready to use our knowledge to help you, ensuring that aggressive insurance companies don’t push you into settling for less than you deserve.

In motorcycle accident cases, your compensation is partially determined by comparative negligence laws. These laws acknowledge that both sides might have played a role in causing the accident, and the amount of compensation is adjusted based on each party’s share of the blame.

Michigan follows a rule called modified comparative negligence, which means you won’t get any compensation if you are found to be more than 50% responsible for the accident. If 50% or less responsible, your compensation will also be reduced based on your degree of fault. For instance, if distraction contributed to you being found 40% at fault, you would only receive 60% of the total compensation awarded.

At Fieger Law, our attorneys can guide you through the comparative negligence system to help ensure you get the largest settlement possible. We collect evidence such as traffic camera recordings, statements from eyewitnesses, and opinions from experts to shift more fault to the other driver. This approach aims to secure you a fair settlement amount, even if you share some of the blame for the accident.

Single-Vehicle Accidents

Even without another vehicle involved, injured riders may still be entitled to compensation, depending on how the accident occurred. For example, if the rider lost control of their motorcycle due to a sudden breakdown caused by a defective part, the motorcycle manufacturer can potentially be held liable. Likewise, crashes from poorly maintained or designed roads may be the fault of the government entity in charge of that road.

However, proving another party at fault for these crashes can be extremely difficult, which is why it’s important to get an experienced lawyer involved from the beginning.

Multi-Vehicle Accidents

Crashes involving cars, trucks, or other motorcycles can complicate claims. Multiple parties, conflicting statements, and overlapping insurance policies make it crucial to have an experienced lawyer on your side to ensure you get the full compensation you’re entitled to from all liable parties.

Hit-and-Run Motorcycle Accidents

If the other driver flees the scene, immediately call the police and seek medical attention. A report is essential for your claim. In many cases, uninsured motorist coverage can provide financial recovery even if the at-fault party is never identified or located.

Myth 1: Motorcyclists Are Always at Fault

This stereotype is often used to unfairly reduce a rider’s compensation. In reality, many motorcycle accidents are caused by drivers who fail to check their blind spots or yield properly. Motorcyclists often unfairly receive a bad reputation and are frequently categorized as reckless regardless of evidence pointing to the crash being another party’s fault.

Myth 2: No Helmet Means No Compensation

Helmets are required in Michigan for riders under 21, those who haven’t completed a safety course, and those who don’t have certain insurance coverage. However, this also means helmets are not legally required for riders who do meet these requirements.

Insurance companies often try to point to a lack of helmet as evidence that the motorcycle rider is at fault for their own injuries, and as such are not owed compensation.

This is not true! While helmet use, or lack thereof, may have some influence in how much fault is assigned to you, it does not bar you from seeking compensation entirely.

Myth 3: Insurance Treats Motorcyclists Fairly

Insurers often purposefully undervalue motorcycle claims or deny these claims altogether. Their job is to make money, not pay you. Without legal representation, you may be pressured into accepting a too-low settlement.

Staying safe on the road can help reduce the risk of accidents. It’s important to follow these tips every time you ride:

• Wear Protective Gear: Always wear a helmet, gloves, boots, and abrasion-resistant jackets and pants.
• Stay Visible: Use your headlights during the day, wear bright or reflective clothing, and avoid riding in areas with blind spots.
• Practice Defensive Riding: Always assume drivers don’t see you. Keep a safe distance from other drivers and be aware of potential hazards.
• Maintain Your Motorcycle: Regularly check tires, lights, fluids, and brakes to ensure your bike is in safe operating condition.

Importance of Motorcycle Safety Courses

Enrolling in a motorcycle safety course can improve your skill at controlling your motorcycle and reinforce your awareness of traffic laws related to motorcycles. Attending one of these courses can also potentially lower your insurance premiums and be a deciding factor in liability assessments during legal proceedings, if you were involved in a collision. Riders who complete these courses are often seen more favorably in legal claims because it is evidence of their commitment to safe riding.

As experienced motorcycle accident attorneys, we’ve seen manipulative insurance company tactics before. We know that insurers will spare no expense in trying to avoid payment. They will play upon the jury’s prejudice against motorcyclists to reduce or deny your compensation.

We can fight these tactics with the following actions:

• Gather Comprehensive Evidence: Our attorneys carefully collect accident scene photos, witness statements, and police reports to build a strong foundation for your case.
• Analyze Legal Precedents: We examine past motorcycle accident cases to find legal precedents supporting your claim, bolstering the argument for your compensation.
• Negotiate with Insurance Companies: We use our knowledge of insurance company strategies to negotiate strongly on your behalf, ensuring you get a fair settlement and effectively dealing with any lowball offers.

Litigate Aggressively in Court: We’re prepared to bring your case to court, where we’ll make a strong case to the jury and judge. We’ll demonstrate the full impact of your injuries and the other party’s responsibility to secure the maximum compensation for you.

Fieger Law boasts over seven decades years of experience in championing the rights of motorcyclists injured in Michigan and nationwide. We’ve secured millions in compensation for victims of negligence, including winning the biggest verdict in Michigan’s history.

We’re committed to protecting your rights and aiming for a settlement that accurately reflects the toll your injuries have taken on your life, taking into account both your financial and emotional hardships. Contact us today for a free consultation where our team can evaluate your case and advise you on your next legal steps.