Motorcycle Passengers Can Sue for Damages After Crashes
Unlike riding in a vehicle as a passenger, riding a motorcycle as a passenger isn’t a passive experience. Most importantly, passengers must hold on to bars or their drivers tightly in order to simply stay on their bikes while moving. In addition, motorcycle passengers need to shift their weight during turns and help their drivers maintain balance and stability while in motion.
Safely riding on a motorcycle as a passenger requires experience, skill, dexterity, and having access to and wearing all the gear, all the time. Like motorcycle drivers, passengers should wear full protective gear, including helmet, riding jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. But as with drivers, no amount of protection can completely eliminate the risk of being injured in a crash.
Motorcyclists often face significant bias from insurance companies when they seek compensation after accidents, but passengers don’t always have that problem. After all, it’s rare that a passenger causes of contributes to a crash because of negligence. In addition to having an easier time seeking compensation, passengers can also sue the drivers of the motorcycles they were riding on if their negligence caused their injuries.
However, many passengers are reluctant to sue or file compensation claims, especially if the at-fault party is a friend, significant other, or family member. But when they don’t file compensation claims, many injured passengers face expensive medical bills and lost wages that they must cover out of pocket.
At Skolrood Law Firm, we work hard to protect all injured riders, including passengers. Contact our Roanoke motorcycle accident lawyers today after a crash that wasn’t your fault. We’ll work hard to get you full compensation.
Negligence Is a Factor in Many Motorcycle and Passenger Vehicle Crashes
Now that we’re several weeks into spring, most drivers in Virginia have gotten used to the presence of motorcycles on the road. But even though drivers are aware that motorcyclists may be sharing the road with them, they don’t always look out for them.
The reasons that drivers fail to see motorcyclists can range from simply not paying close enough attention to the road and their surroundings to being distracted and not paying attention, period. For example, drivers may fail to check their mirrors and drift into the paths of motorcyclists in adjacent lanes. Or they may be looking at their phones and not see stopped motorcyclists ahead of them.
Another common example of drivers crashing into motorcyclists is left-turn situations. When drivers are waiting to turn left, they may only be on the lookout for other passenger vehicles headed towards them. Motorcyclists can be more difficult to see, and they may not even take the time to determine if a motorcyclist is headed in their direction.
Drivers who pull out into the road in front of motorcyclists cause many serious crashes. In fact, left-turning drivers is one of the biggest risk factors that riders face in Virginia and throughout the U.S. When riders are injured by left-turning drivers, they can often get compensation from them or their insurers because it’s likely that they pulled out in front of them due to distraction or negligence.
At Skolrood Law Firm, our Roanoke motorcycle accident lawyers have successfully built and won many motorcycle accident claims, and we know that negligence plays a role in a large number of them. Contact our law firm today if you or someone you love was hurt in a motorcycle accident that wasn’t your fault. We want to help you get maximum compensation.
Can You Get Compensation After a Motorcycle Crash if You’re Partially at Fault?
An unfortunate fact that almost all motorcyclists will face at some point is an unfair bias from other people. That can include other drivers, police officers, and insurance adjusters if they’re involved in accidents. One of the most common ways that bias plays out is after crashes when they’re either unfairly assigned blame or have their compensation claims denied.
Unfortunately, Virginia uses a strict contributory negligence system for getting compensation after accidents and injuries. It means that if you’re even 1% at fault for a crash, you can’t recover any damages. The bias against motorcyclists also means that many riders get assigned at least some fault for their accidents simply due to the fact that they were traveling on two wheels instead of four.
Motorcycles are fast and they can be very loud. The popular image of motorcycles and motorcyclists is that of reckless speed demons. So, when you get struck by a vehicle, the responding police officer may arrive at the scene and already have his mind made up: you either caused or contributed to the crash. This assessment isn’t fair, and it can persist even in the face of other evidence.
At Skolrood Law Firm, we work hard to break down this myth and to let the facts speak for themselves. It’s extremely important in a state like Virginia, where even tiny amounts of fault can leave victims paying for all costs out of pocket. Contact our Roanoke motorcycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation and to find out how we can help you.
