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Being involved in a traffic accident while riding a motorcycle can be exceptionally dangerous no matter where it happens or how fast you were traveling at the time. Unfortunately, filing suit over this type of accident can be complicated, since civil courts sometimes stereotype motorcyclists as reckless thrill-seekers and make it hard to recover comprehensively for the immense losses they may suffer from crashes.
If you were hurt while riding your motorbike because another driver acted irresponsibly, seeking help from an Auburn motorcycle accident lawyer could be vital to protecting your best interests. From establishing legal grounds for your lawsuit to demanding fair restitution for all your past and future damages, your dedicated personal injury attorney could be an irreplaceable ally throughout every stage of your case.
How Fault Works in Motorcycle Wreck Cases
Every time a licensed driver gets behind the wheel of a car or truck and starts the engine, they immediately assume a legal “duty” to obey the law, maintain awareness of their surroundings, and react reasonably to any situation they encounter on the road. A person who instead acts recklessly, carelessly, and/or unlawfully while driving has “breached” their legal duty. A “breach” that directly causes a crash resulting in injury constitutes “negligence”—the legal basis for virtually every personal injury claim, including those built around motorcycle collisions.
The specific way in which someone was negligent or the subjective severity of their actions has no bearing on whether they can be held accountable for an ensuing wreck. Someone who causes a crash by speeding or driving drunk is just as negligent as someone else who causes a wreck by losing concentration.
Importantly, though, an injured motorcyclist can be “negligent” in their own right if their own irresponsible conduct directly contributes to causing or worsening their injuries. As an Auburn motorcycle accident attorney could explain, Revised Code of Washington §4.22.005 allows courts to impose percentages of total fault against negligent plaintiffs and subsequently reduce their financial award in proportion to that percentage.
What Damages Could Be Recoverable?
Fortunately, there is no amount of “comparative fault” an injured person could bear that would completely disqualify them from recovering compensation, and there are also no artificial “caps” on maximum recovery that a single personal injury plaintiff may obtain. With that in mind, a comprehensive settlement or court verdict after a motorcycle wreck can demand restitution for the full value of all economic and non-economic losses caused by the crash, including past and future forms of harm like:
- Emergency medical bills
- Costs of future medical care
- Costs of assistive medical equipment and/or home modification made necessary by permanent disability
- Repair/replacement costs for damage to a motorcycle and/or other personal property
- Lost short-term work earnings
- Lost long-term earning capacity
- Physical and psychological suffering
- Lost overall quality of life
During an initial meeting, a knowledgeable motorcycle crash lawyer in Auburn could go into further detail as needed about damages that may be available in a particular claim.
Get in Touch with an Auburn Motorcycle Accident Attorney
Motor vehicle drivers owe motorcyclists the same responsibility to act reasonably behind the wheel as they do to everyone else on the road. If you were seriously injured because an automobile driver ignored this obligation, you could have grounds to file suit against them and demand substantial civil recovery.
Getting a beneficial result from a case like this could be much easier with support from an experienced Auburn motorcycle accident lawyer. Call today for a consultation.
