If you were hurt in a motorcycle accident, it may be difficult to know how to best protect your rights. Many of the injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents are devastating. The financial, physical, and emotional toll of a bike accident can change your life.
If a motorcycle accident caused by another motorist resulted in your personal losses, it may be in your best interest to file a motorcycle accident claim. The best way to do that is with a Chicago motorcycle accident lawyer from Thomas Law Offices.
We strive to provide the best legal services to our clients in Illinois. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney from our law firm will see to it that your case receives the attention it deserves. We will find the negligent party and make sure they’re held accountable for their actions.
Your motorcycle accident injuries shouldn’t rob you of your financial security. We’ll make sure your personal injury claim covers the full extent of your medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and other losses.
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Were You Hurt in a Motorcycle Accident?
Motorcycle injuries are rarely minor. While car drivers are offered the safety of an enclosed vehicle in a car accident, motorcycle riders don’t have that protection. Bikers are at high risk of serious injuries or death in a motorcycle crash.
Injured motorcycle accident victims often face years of medical procedures. Many never fully recover from their injuries after a motorcycle crash. Injured riders may experience decreased physical or cognitive function after a motorcycle wreck. This can result in steep medical bills. On top of these expenses, you may have lost the ability to perform your former job.
If a motorcycle accident caused you to lose your job, your health, and other important aspects of your life, a personal injury attorney is ready to help you move toward recovery. Motorcycle accident injuries shouldn’t take away your financial freedom. Illinois law allows injured victims to take legal action against those whose negligence caused them personal injury.
The motorcycle accident lawyers from Thomas Law Offices can help you recover compensation after a motorcycle collision. You can trust the Chicago law group with experience. Learn how our legal representation can work to put your life back on track. Schedule a free consultation with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer today.
Help for Families Who Lost a Loved One in a Motorcycle Accident
In the most serious motorcycle accident cases, a person may suffer wrongful death.
Motorcycle fatalities are all too common in Chicago. If a negligent driver caused a motorcycle collision that resulted in wrongful death, your family has legal options. An experienced attorney from our law group can help you file a wrongful death lawsuit against the other driver. Wrongful death claims work to ensure that families are not financially devastated after the sudden loss of a loved one.
If you lost a family member in a fatal motorcycle accident, our personal injury attorneys will strive to make sure you obtain full financial compensation for medical bills, funeral and burial expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
Our Chicago Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Are on Your Side
As personal injury attorneys with a long history serving the people of Chicago, we know there is a big difference between a car accident and a motorcycle collision. Motorcycle riders are up to six times more likely to be killed in an auto accident than a car driver. Riders face a serious disadvantage on the road, but they can also face a disadvantage when it comes to insurance coverage.
Because of the dangers associated with riding a motorcycle, bikers sometimes have to struggle to overcome a bias against them, even from their own insurance company. After an auto accident, the insurance company may try to prove that you were at fault, despite the fact that your crash was caused by the other driver’s error.
Not all law firms have the expertise to protect motorcycle accident victims from large, profit-driven insurance companies. But at Thomas Law Offices, our experienced motorcycle injury lawyers have a thorough understanding of Illinois law and insurance practices as they apply to your case. We use our knowledge to your advantage.
Our success speaks for itself. Thomas Law Offices’ Chicago motorcycle accident lawyers have won millions of dollars for clients in Chicago and Illinois.
At our law group, the attorney-client relationship is important to us. From your initial free consultation to the resolution of your motorcycle accident case, we will do what it takes to prove the other driver’s negligence, the seriousness of your injuries, and the direct link between their actions and your losses.
What Causes Chicago Motorcycle Accidents?
When our Chicago motorcycle accident attorneys investigate your case, we’ll look into why and how the accident happened. A bike collision is usually caused by negligence, but there are many different types of negligence. Let’s look at some of the common ways that auto accidents involving motorcycles occur.
Motorist Negligence
Driver error is one of the top causes of motorcycle crashes. Usually, this means that a motorist wasn’t operating their vehicle in the safest manner possible. Motorist negligence leads to fatal crashes every day in the United States.
Distracted Driving
Motorcyclists are much more difficult to spot on the road than cars. If a car driver is not paying attention, it’s easy to collide with a motorcycle rider. Distracted driving most commonly involves one or more of the following:
- Mobile device use (especially texting and driving)
- Talking on the phone
- Eating or drinking
- Paying too much attention to GPS, music, radio, or temperature controls
- Holding conversations with others in the car
Unsafe Passing, Turning, or Merging
A failure to check blind spots when passing, turning, or merging results in a high number of bike crash injuries. Drivers of all vehicles, especially large trucks or SUVs, have a duty to look out for more vulnerable vehicles like motorcycles.
Aggressive Driving
Unfortunately, some drivers feel they have more right to use the road than a motorcycle rider. Aggressive driving may involve speeding, tailgating, or failing to yield the right of way. When an aggressive driver is following too closely, the back of the motorcycle could be bumped, causing the rider to lose control and fall. This is just one example of how aggressive driving behavior affects motorcyclists in Chicago.
Reckless Driving
Unsafe driving behaviors like speeding, distraction, multitasking, breaking traffic laws, and failure to use turn signals can cause serious harm—even when aggressive intent is not involved. Actions like these can make it easy to strike a motorcycle on the road. Young and inexperienced drivers may be more likely to engage in reckless driving than older motorists.
Drunk Driving
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is never acceptable under any circumstances. Yet as motorcycle accident lawyers, we have seen alcohol consistently rank as a top factor in Chicago bike crashes. Our legal efforts work to prevent drivers from ever getting behind the wheel of a vehicle intoxicated.
Other Reasons Motorcycle Accidents Occur
In some cases, a factor other than driver negligence (or in combination with driver negligence) may be at play.
Defective Auto Parts
If a defective auto part failed on the road, a manufacturing company may be the at-fault party in your motorcycle accident case. Whether you or the other driver experienced a vehicle malfunction, we will conduct a thorough investigation to accurately determine liability. Our law group has experience in product liability cases involving motorcycle components.
Poor Roadway Design
Not all roads are designed or maintained with bikers in mind. In some cases, motorcycle crashes may be caused by:
- Dangerous construction sites
- Pavement defects
- Poorly-designed intersections
- Lack of guardrails
- Loose gravel
- Insufficient lighting or signage
- Open gaps on bridges
Holding the at-fault party liable in these cases is not always easy. Only the most experienced motorcycle accident lawyers will be able to successfully handle a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death claim involving roadway negligence.
A Chicago motorcycle accident attorney from Thomas Law Offices will conduct a full investigation to determine the cause of your accident. Our motorcycle accident attorneys know how to examine accident reports, consult with experts, gather your medical records, analyze video footage, and search for other pertinent information to prove who is at fault and how they acted negligently. Then we can start fighting to recover the compensation you need for medical bills and other losses.
Why Are Motorcycle Accidents So Dangerous?
Motorcyclists have significantly less protection than a person in a car or truck. At best, a helmet and thick, long-sleeved clothing can shield the body from some injuries. But even protective gear can’t guarantee safety from many catastrophic motorcycle injuries.
Catastrophic Injuries
A catastrophic injury is one that prevents a person from living the life they once lived. This causes major life changes and often prevents the injured victim from holding gainful employment. Permanent disability is a very likely reality for motorcycle riders who sustain catastrophic injuries.
This type of injury may involve:
Traumatic Brain Injuries
When something penetrates the skull or harms the brain in any way, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may occur. These can harm how the brain functions, which may affect cognition or mobility.
Paralysis
It’s possible that a motorcyclist could sustain a spinal cord injury. If the force is severe enough, the injury could result in paralysis. The injury site determines the type of paralysis. Paraplegia affects the use of one’s legs, while tetraplegia affects the arms, torso, and legs.
Loss of Limb
A severe motorcycle accident has the potential to sever a limb upon impact. In other cases, the limb may be beyond repair, leaving doctors forced to amputate.
Burn Injuries
Motorcyclists are at risk of suffering road rash—a type of burn injury. When contact is made with the ground, the friction between the skin and the ground can cause burns. Severe burn injuries can reach through the layers of skin to the muscle and bone. There may be permanent nerve damage that prevents feeling or function at the injury site.
The Consequences of Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries need intense medical care immediately. But even with care, the patient may have long-lasting consequences from the injury. Continued care in the future may involve physical therapy, medication, and other forms of treatment. Injured victims may require medical equipment to help maintain a high quality of life—such as a wheelchair or a prosthetic limb.
Making this adjustment can be difficult. The frustration of needing to relearn everyday tasks can take a physical and emotional toll. These injuries shouldn’t have happened, and your entire life has changed because of someone else’s mistake. While our motorcycle accident injury lawyers cannot undo the accident, we can provide you with legal guidance so you can get the financial security you need and focus on healing.
Non-Catastrophic Injuries
Injuries don’t have to be catastrophic to be severe. Motorcycle accidents can cause a wide range of injuries that are severe in nature and require medical attention.
Some examples of non-catastrophic injuries include:
Broken Bones
If you’re thrown from your motorcycle, you may land on a limb and break a bone. Broken arms and legs are painful injuries that will most likely need months of recovery.
Lacerations, Scrapes, and Bruises
Falling and hitting the ground after a crash can cause deep cuts, scrapes, and bruising. Even if the motorcyclist has protective gear, the fabric can tear or rip, exposing the skin to the environment. Debris from the road like gravel and dirt can also get into these cuts and scrapes. If they’re not cleaned and dressed properly, these injuries could get infected.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Sprains and strains may not be catastrophic, but they are also difficult to identify. These injuries may not have visible indicators that something is wrong. If symptoms take a few days until they present, then you may not discover these injuries until you start to feel pain.
How Your Life Is Changed by a Motorcycle Accident
While the motorcyclist’s injuries will heal in time, they will likely still need to see medical professionals, follow a treatment plan to recover, and go to follow-up appointments. This will take time and care. A person with a broken bone may have reduced mobility and may not be able to do their job for some time.
One of the biggest concerns may involve missing work. Most businesses and companies have sick time, but this may not be enough to cover what the person will need until they’re ready to return to work. This can cause stress as the person may want to return to work but isn’t able to.
Another aspect of these injuries is the psychological damage they could have caused. Motorcycle accidents are traumatic, and the motorcyclist may be experiencing issues of reliving the accident, feeling fearful and anxious when they think about what happened, and they may also be struggling with how they’re going to get past this. Professional help may be needed and affording that care can get expensive. But we’ll do everything we can to make sure you get the care you need.
No matter the kinds of injuries you suffer, you deserve justice if you were not at fault. You deserve to get compensation that will help you with your medical expenses, physical and psychological. You shouldn’t have to feel like you need to choose between caring for physical injuries and going to see a mental health professional. The Chicago motorcycle accident attorneys from our law group are here to fight for you so you don’t need to make that choice.
Illinois Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Even though motorcycle accidents are not as common as car accidents, there is a shockingly high number of motorcycle injuries and fatalities every year in Cook County and across the state of Illinois. The most recent annual Crash Facts & Statistics report published by the Illinois Department of Transportation provided the following Illinois motorcycle accident statistics:
- In 2020, crashes involving motorcycles accounted for only 1.2% of all vehicle crashes in Illinois. Yet motorcycles were involved in a shocking 14.1% of all fatal crashes the same year.
- 152 motorcyclists were killed in crashes in 2020.
- 2,404 motorcyclists suffered severe injuries.
- There was a total of 2,991 motorcycle crashes.
- The number of motorcyclists killed increased by 10.1% from 2019 to 2020.
- Motorcyclist injuries increased by 14.6% from 2019 to 2020.
- The majority of motorcycle deaths and injuries occurred in urban areas over rural areas.
The Chicago Motorcycle Accident Attorneys at Thomas Law Offices Can Help
Motorcycle accidents can cause considerable financial stress. You shouldn’t have to worry about how to pay your medical bills when the injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence. That’s why we’ll stand up for you to the insurance company and demand that you get a fair settlement. Your accident lawyers in Chicago will fight for compensation that will allow you to recover in peace.
It’s important to contact your Chicago motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible so we can get started on your case. With most personal injury cases, there is a time limit starting from the date of the injury that you will be allowed to file a claim. Waiting could mean risking missing the deadline and having your case thrown out without review. This means not having the chance to get the compensation you need to recover from your accident. When you contact a lawyer quickly, you’re giving yourself a better chance of recovering full and fair compensation without having to worry about your case being dismissed because of the time that has passed.
When you partner with an attorney right away, you’ll have a better chance of remembering what happened and can account for details accurately. As time passes, more of these details can be lost, and you won’t be able to provide a complete account of what happened. Your Chicago motorcycle crash lawyer may have a better chance of investigating the accident scene and finding evidence to support your claim. Physical evidence can be lost over time and the sooner we can investigate your case, the more physical evidence can be documented and preserved.
For a free consultation, get in touch with our law group today. Thomas Law Offices is here to help those in Chicago and the state of Illinois who have been injured. We’ll help you find the best way to move forward.
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