Motorcycle accidents tend to result in serious injuries. These types of accidents are especially dangerous due to the fact that motorcycles provide very little protection to the rider. Victims likely face significant medical expenses and may be forced to miss work. This can put you in a very challenging financial situation.
If you have been injured in a motorcycle crash, recovering compensation can be essential for getting your life back on track. The best way to ensure you get the money you need is to hire an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer in Richfield at 1Law.
After you hire a motorcycle accident lawyer in Richfield, they will quickly get to work on your case. One of the first things they will do is open an independent investigation into your case. This investigation will serve two main purposes. The first will be to identify all potentially liable parties. The second will be to gather evidence to support your case.
Steps your lawyer will likely take in their investigation include:
After completing their investigation, your motorcycle accident lawyer will review your damages and calculate the full value of your claim. They will then file paperwork with the appropriate party. If you are making an insurance claim, they will submit your claim paperwork to the insurer of the liable party. If you are filing a lawsuit, they will file with the court.
With a personal injury lawsuit, your attorney will then go through all steps of the pre-trial process. If necessary, they will then fight your case in court. Throughout each step of the process, your attorney will be in negotiations with the legal representatives from the other side. The goal of these negotiations is to reach a fair settlement deal and avoid going to court.
Motorcycle accident lawyers are a subset of personal injury lawyers. As such, they tend to work on a contingency fee basis. While other lawyers will add a charge to your bill for every minute they spend working on your case, a personal injury lawyer does not nickel and dime their clients. Instead, their pay is contingent upon securing compensation for their client.
With this payment system, your lawyer does not collect a penny until they secure compensation for you. When your attorney is able to get you paid, they will receive their fee as a prearranged percentage of your payout from the liable party.
When your lawyer is working on a contingency fee basis, you can feel confident that they will do everything they can to secure you the compensation you deserve. Since the amount your lawyer receives increases proportionally to how much money you recover, you can be assured that they will work hard to get you the largest possible payout for your damages.
The damages you can recover after a motorcycle accident will depend on the specific details of your situation. Your motorcycle accident attorney in Richfield can help you determine which might apply in your case.
There are a variety of potential damages you may be able to claim. These include:
All these damages can be broken down into two separate categories. The first category is economic damages. These cover all the losses you suffered that have a direct financial impact. This includes things like lost wages and property damage.
While your future medical expenses can be difficult to calculate exactly, there are formulas for making these calculations that give a rough estimate. The purpose of the compensation accident victims receive for these damages is to eliminate the financial cost of an accident. Ideally, the money you receive for economic damages should completely offset your costs.
Non-economic damages cover the intangible losses that you suffer. This can include things like loss of companionship or diminished quality of life. No amount of money can replace the loss of a loved one. Because these damages can not be satisfactorily replaced, they tend to make up the bulk of most compensation packages.
In some cases, motorcycle accident victims may be able to recover a third type of damages. Punitive damages are not intended to repay an accident victim for something they have lost. Instead, the purpose of these damages is to punish the driver.
Punitive damages are only awarded in cases where the actions of the liable party are determined to have been grossly negligent or performed with wanton disregard for public safety.
Utah has a general four-year statute of limitations under Utah Code Ann. §78B-2-307 for filing a motorcycle accident lawsuit. However, it is essential that you keep in mind that certain factors drastically reduce the amount of time you have to file. For example, if the liable party was a government agency, you will have a much smaller window in which you can file a claim.
Even if you have the full four years to file, it is in your best interest to get started sooner rather than later. Delays will only hurt your case, as evidence often becomes lost or corrupted over time, and witness testimony is less reliable with each passing day. Contact an attorney soon after your motorcycle accident to put them in the best position possible to build a strong case.
One of the most important things to look for when hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer is someone with experience and a proven track record. At the 1Law Richfield office, we have helped countless motorcycle accident victims get the money they need to move forward after a collision.
Give us a call, fill out our online contact form, or use our free chat tool to get started. We offer free, no-obligation consultations, so don’t hesitate to reach out to our Richfield motorcycle accident attorneys today.