Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents often result in catastrophic or even fatal injuries. A motorcyclist is not protected from the force of impact with a larger vehicle or concrete. Common causes of motorcycle accidents include driver negligence, motorcyclist negligence, dangerous property conditions, dooring, failure to obey signs and signals, failure to yield, distracted driving and weather events. When you’ve been seriously injured on your bike, you may run up medical bills. You may not be able to work. You may feel tremendous pain from your injuries. You should find the best of the best trial lawyers to represent you. If you were injured or a loved one was killed because someone else may have been negligent, you should discuss what happened with the experienced Syracuse motorcycle accident attorneys of DeFrancisco and Falgiatano. Our attorneys are members of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a prestigious group to which only those who have secured verdicts of one million or multi-millions — less than 1% of lawyers in the country— can belong.

As a motorcyclist, you face numerous challenges and dangers on the road. The lack of protective structures on your vehicle and your body can make you more likely to suffer catastrophic or even fatal injuries on your bikes. Common causes of motorcycle accidents include inexperienced drivers, reckless drivers, left turn accidents, dangerous road conditions, speeding, driving under the influence, unsafe lane changes, abrupt stops, and motorcycle defects. When you are injured or loved one was killed due to the fault of another, it may be appropriate to file a lawsuit for damages.

In many cases, motorcycle accidents are caused by negligent drivers of other vehicles. For our attorneys to establish another driver’s negligence, we will need to show: (1 the other driver owed you a duty of care, (2) breach of the duty of care, (3) causation, and (4) actual damages. A driver may have breached the duty to use reasonable care by speeding, drunk driving, failing to obey traffic signs and signals, weaving, or failing to conduct maintenance on his or her vehicle. For instance, as a motorcyclist who is injured in a collision with a larger vehicle, you may be able to recover damages if an accident was the result of a driver speeding in the rain and hitting the motorcycle, sending you flying. For another example, if your spouse was killed by a drunk driver who failed to yield at an intersection when spouse had right-of-way, you may be able to recover damages.

New York follows the rule of pure comparative negligence. It is important to be aware that drivers of larger vehicles and their insurers may be searching for ways in which you were to blame for your injuries in a motorcycle accident. Your damages can be reduced by an amount proportionate to your percentage of fault. Some motorcycle accidents are caused by a motorcyclist’s own speeding, failing to obey traffic signs and signals, failure to yield at an intersection, lane splitting, and weaving.

When our Syracuse plaintiff’s lawyers can establish a defendant’s liability, we can recover damages on your behalf. In many instances, damages are compensatory, meaning that they are intended to put you back in the position you would have been in had there been no accident. Compensatory damages may include medical expenses, lost income, lost earning capacity, however, when an accident is caused by a drunk driver or is the result of intentional or egregious misconduct, punitive damages may be available.

If a loved one was killed due to the fault of another, you may be able to recover pecuniary losses in a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Syracuse motorcycle accident lawyers of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano may be able to represent you if you were injured in a collision or spill on your bike. We have more than thirty years of experience in the courtroom. Our firm has recovered more than $100 million in personal injury awards and settlements. We represent motorcyclists and their passengers in Watertown, Rochester, Auburn, Oswego, Canandaigua, Lowville, Wampsville, Lyons, Ithaca, Cooperstown, Oneida, Utica, Herkimer, Binghamton, and Elmira. Complete our online form or call us at 833-200-2000.