Have you been injured in a motorcycle accident? Whether you were the driver of the motorcycle or not, Long Beach motorcycle accident lawyer Belal Hamideh can help you to recover all of the compensation you deserve for everything that you’ve been through.
Riding a motorcycle can be an incredible experience, unlike anything else. Unfortunately, it can be dangerous, too. Injuries from a motorcycle accident can be worse than those from other kinds of accidents, leading to grievous injuries or worse for you and your loved ones. Motorcycle accidents account for more than 15% of all fatalities from vehicular accidents in California.
Counting up the medical costs involved with a motorcycle accident, they could include rehab, long-term care, a reduction in the ability to work, pain, suffering, and more, motorcycle accidents could cost you millions. Belal Hamideh can help you. You can schedule a free consultation with our team so that you can get all of the compensation you deserve.
Is it Worth It to Reach Out to a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
Yes. It is absolutely worth it for you to hire a Long Beach motorcycle accident lawyer. The right lawyer can aggressively defend your best interests while protecting your legal rights, all while working towards helping you to receive the maximum compensation for your claim.
A lawyer with experience in motorcycle accident cases will know how to properly value your case so that you receive all the compensation you should (and nothing less). They are aware of the deadlines for everything, including filing suit, submitting evidence, and more, so that your interests are always at the forefront. They can ensure your medical bills are paid for the lowest amount possible, order police/traffic reports, and do so many other tasks so that you do not have to worry about them.
Moreover, a motorcycle accident attorney knows how to deal with insurance companies. They understand your policies, how they apply to your claim, what the insurance company is trying to do, and how to make certain that you get everything you should from the insurance company (whether through settlement or in court). The right attorney can help you in many ways.
What Compensation Can I Receive for My Motorcycle Accident?
You can receive compensation for both your non-economic damages as well as your economic damages. Your economic damages are the expenses from your injury, such as your medical bills from accident injuries, the income you may have lost now or you could lose in the future, how much it costs to repair your motorcycle or replace your motorcycle, and so forth. Should you have suffered more serious injuries, your economic damages could include rehab, physical therapy, future medical treatment, even home modifications, and so forth.
Your non-economic damages, on the other hand, include your pain, your emotional suffering, and all that you’ve had to go through since your motorcycle accident. Your damages could include what’s called “Loss of Consortium,” which would be the loss of your spouse. “Loss of enjoyment of your life” damages would compensate you for not being able to participate in activities you enjoyed before the accident. We can help you to receive compensation for everything you’re entitled to.
Who Can I Sue for My Motorcycle Accident?
You can sue the person who is responsible for your crash. That said, you file a suit against them is only the beginning of the process. Additionally, you have to prove the other driver’s negligence and you have to prove that negligence caused your accident as well as your damages.
To establish a case for negligence, you and your attorney will have to prove four essential elements. You must show the defendant owed you a “duty of care.” That means the other driver’s “duty” to you and other motorists were to drive in a safe, reasonable manner. Then, you must show that the other driver breached that duty by either failing to take action or taking action. From there, you must show that the breach caused your accident. Lastly, you must show that as a result of your accident, you have suffered damages. An experienced attorney can help you to prove all of those.
How Long Will it Take to Settle My Motorcycle Accident Claim?
Your accident is different from everyone else’s, so the time your case takes will be different. Our team has had many clients who receive a settlement in just a few weeks, and hopefully, yours is such a case. That said, we’ve also had clients whose claims took years and even had to go to trial. We always fight aggressively for people like you who have been injured in an accident. For your case and for everyone else’s, we can say that the earlier you contact an attorney, the earlier we can get to work making sure you receive all that you should.
Common Examples of Motorcycle Accidents
Perhaps the most common motorcycle accidents involve motorcycles striking (or being struck by) vehicles that are larger than the motorcycle. This happens often in and around Long Beach as it’s home to one of the world’s busiest commercial ports. Thousands of semi-trucks and other large vehicles enter and leave there daily. Add to that the roughly 900,000 vehicles city residents own, and those are many dangers to motorcyclists.
The most common cause of motorcycle accidents is, unfortunately, driving under the influence. Studies have shown that it accounts for roughly ¼ of motorcycle accidents involving a fatality. Other common factors include excessive speed, biker/driver inexperience, reckless/distracted driving, lane splitting, and the like. However, many factors are outside of the motorcyclist’s control, such as malfunctioning/defective motorcycles, unsafe road conditions, visibility impairment, and others.
If you are in a motorcycle accident, the most common injuries include broken bones, whiplash, road rash burns (which can be very severe), even traumatic brain injuries (TBI), injuries to the spinal cord, and partial or total paralysis. No matter what you suffered in an accident, our team can help you.
What Do I Need to Do After a Motorcycle Accident?
After your accident, you may very well feel a rush of adrenaline, you may be in shock, and so forth. Follow these steps:
- Safety first. Get yourself out of harm’s way as best you can. Get medical attention even if you don’t feel like you have an injury right now.
- Call the police. Your police report will be very important for your personal injury case.
- Get the Other Person’s Contact Info. You want to get the name, number, license, address, insurance details, and vehicle description from anyone involved in the accident.
- Document the scene. If you’re able, you should take pictures of your injuries as well as the scene of your accident.
- Do not admit fault. There’s no reason for you to take the blame in the wake of the accident.
- You should contact an experienced attorney. We can help you through the process every step of the way.
What Happens if I Wasn’t Wearing My Helmet?
You should always wear a helmet on your motorcycle. California law states that all motorcycle drivers, as well as passengers, must always wear a helmet on a motorcycle. If you are in a motorcycle accident and you aren’t wearing a helmet at the time, you may be found partially responsible for your injuries.
However, California is what’s called a “comparative negligence state.” That means you can still seek and recover compensation for your pain, suffering, and injuries, even in the event that you weren’t wearing a helmet during your accident. We have helped many clients in the past with exactly that.
What Happens if I Don’t Have Insurance?
You can still receive compensation for your injuries if you don’t have insurance and the other party was at fault for your accident. However, your compensation will be significantly reduced, as you do not have liability coverage.
In fact, if you do not carry insurance and are injured in a motorcycle accident but you weren’t at fault, you will still be penalized for your lack of insurance. All California drivers have to carry liability insurance.
Specifically, you will be penalized for not being allowed to seek compensation for your pain and suffering, the non-economic damages. You will be restricted to seeking compensation for your economic damages. We can still help you to recover the maximum amount.
A Long Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer You Can Trust
Motorcycle crash lawyer Belal Hamideh has been helping people injured in motorcycle accidents like you for a very long time. Now, he can put that experience to work for you in your case. You don’t have to pay until after the case, as you won’t have to pay any fees until we win.
It’s understandable that you might want to put off reaching out to an attorney after your accident, but the sooner you do it the better a chance you’ll have of receiving the maximum compensation you deserve. You have two years from your accident to file a lawsuit for your injuries. But, if you do it sooner, the sooner you can receive your compensation. The last thing you want to do is to wait until it’s too late for you. We’re ready to help you.