According to reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Safety Council, and other organizations, more than 80,000 motorcycle accidents take place each year in America. For riders, those accidents can be particularly dangerous. They’re often much more serious than accidents involving passenger vehicles, and they have far higher injury and fatality rates. Filing personal injury claims for those accidents is crucial.
Exploring the Reasons Why Motorcycle Accident Claims Matter
One of the main reasons why motorcycle accident claims matter so much is riders’ vulnerabilities when they’re on the roads. Bikers have nothing safeguarding them against other vehicles and the roads. That’s why these accidents tend to be so dangerous and devastating. Filing personal injury claims helps to ensure riders receive fair compensation for their injuries, missed time from work, medical expenses, and other costs resulting from these accidents. Winning cases against the people responsible for these accidents and their insurance companies helps to alleviate the financial burden on victims’ families and ease some of the emotional strain involved.
Fostering Accountability
Another reason for the importance of motorcycle accident claims is ensuring accountability. Motorcycle accidents are almost always a result of negligence. In most cases, drivers of passenger cars, commercial trucks, and other vehicles are the negligent parties. People just don’t watch for motorcycles, and the common “I didn’t see it” defense does nothing to help victims and their families. Drivers who cause these accidents need to be held accountable for their carelessness, and filing personal injury claims against them helps to do just that.
Raising Awareness
Additionally, filing claims against the people who are responsible for motorcycle accidents draws attention to them. It raises awareness. People who’ve never been on a motorcycle don’t fully understand the challenges riders face. They don’t comprehend how their actions affect riders and contribute to the dangers, either.
It doesn’t take an actual collision to cause a motorcycle accident that results in severe, and potentially fatal, injuries. Simply pulling out in front of a motorcycle forces the operator to hit the brakes. That, in turn, can cause the biker to lose control and lay down the bike. As mentioned, there’s no metal, glass, or airbags protecting bikers and their passengers when that happens. They’re likely to make full contact with the road. That, alone, can end in severe injuries or death. Other drivers may even hit them after the fact if they can’t swerve or stop in time to avoid them.
If drivers are more aware of the dangers motorcyclists face, they may pay more attention on the roads. As such, they may not be as likely to cause or contribute to motorcycle accidents in the future. This greater awareness may even lead to improved safety standards and regulations.
Finding Resolution
Finally, motorcycle accident claims can help victims find resolution. There’s a great deal of emotional pain, anger, and frustration involved in recovering from a motorcycle accident. If the person who caused the crash isn’t held responsible, that makes matters much worse. In some cases, those responsible for motorcycle accidents never even realize they caused a problem to begin with.
For example, imagine a driver pulling out of a side road onto a main road directly in front of a motorcycle, causing the bike to crash. That person could carry on with their life without even glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing the devastation their actions caused. Meanwhile, the biker is left with pain, emotional suffering, mounting medical bills, lost wages, and other consequences to shoulder on his or her own while the person responsible for the accident gets off scot-free. Working with an attorney, filing a claim, tracking down the responsible driver, and taking further action will prevent that from happening. It’s not a matter of revenge; it’s about justice.
Protecting Victims and Pursuing Justice
Motorcycle accident claims are essential for several reasons. They help to ensure that victims receive the compensation they’re entitled to for their injuries and losses. They also foster accountability and raise awareness of the potential dangers other drivers pose for bikers. Accident victims are helped by them to find resolution, and they ensure justice is served as well.
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