When you have suffered critical injuries in a motorcycle accident, you may be feeling scared and worried about how your injuries are going to impact your life. When your collision is caused by the negligent or reckless conduct of another, they should be held accountable for your damages.
Find out what your case could be worth and who could be responsible for your suffering when you meet with an experienced Stockbridge personal injury lawyer at John Foy & Associates for a free consultation.
When to File a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Stockbridge
When you are lying in your Stockbridge hospital bed wondering what to do after a motorcycle accident, you may not be sure whether it is appropriate to contact a lawyer for help. Fortunately, consulting with a Stockbridge motorcycle accident attorney is free, so there is little risk in reaching out to discuss what you have been through with a legal professional.
However, if you are still unsure whether contacting a lawyer is the right option for you, it is important to consider whether someone else is responsible for causing your accident. If another party is or could be at fault for your motorcycle accident, why should you be stuck covering the costs? The answer is, you shouldn’t be.
If there is even a possibility that someone else’s negligence could have caused your collision, it is worth your time to discuss your case with a lawyer. You should also think about how your life has been affected since the accident.
- Have you suffered considerable financial losses?
- Are you struggling to cope with the emotional fallout of what you have been through?
- Are your relationships with your family and friends strained since the accident?
- Are your physical injuries preventing you from being able to live your life normally?
If your life has been significantly affected by the motorcycle accident and your resulting injuries, you may have grounds for legal action.
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Liability for Stockbridge Motorcycle Accidents
Establishing liability is essential in Stockbridge motorcycle accident claims. For many victims, proving fault is one of the few ways to recover maximum compensation for their damages. Generally, motorcycle accidents in Stockbridge are caused by:
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy driving
- Road rage
- Failure to stop
- Failure to yield
- Failure to use a turn signal
- Making illegal turns
- Driving under the influence
- Defective car parts
- Negligent safety inspectors
- Negligent maintenance technicians
- Broken roadways
- Unsecured road construction zones
- Missing street signs or lamp
- Defective traffic lights
These are only a few of the more common causes of motorcycle accidents in Stockbridge. Depending on the details of your case, negligent drivers, government agencies, auto parts manufacturers, and other third parties could all have contributed to the injuries you endured.
Do not be surprised if multiple parties are named as defendants in your case. This way, every party who shares liability for your injuries can be held accountable. This could make it possible for you to recover your damages in their entirety.
How Georgia’s Comparative Fault Laws Could Impact Your Motorcycle Accident Settlement
Georgia is a modified comparative negligence state under O.C.G.A. §51-12-33. When you share fault for your motorcycle accident, under the law, as long as you are no more than 49% liable for the accident, you can still collect compensation for the portion of the accident that was not your fault.
You can expect the defense to argue that you share liability for your motorcycle accident injuries, whether you do or not. This is because if they can argue that you share fault for the accident, the amount of compensation they will be required to pay you can be reduced.
You can expect your injury settlement to reflect a shared fault deduction that correlates with your percentage of liability. For example, if you were found 25% liable for your injuries, you could expect your injury settlement to be reduced by 25%.
This can have a dramatic impact on the amount of compensation you can come away with once your case has been resolved. Make sure you protect your compensation by having your attorney establish liability, so GA comparative fault laws do not have an adverse impact on your case.
How to Maximize Your Compensation After a Stockbridge Motorcycle Accident
If you hope to get the most out of your motorcycle accident claim in Stockbridge, you may need to be prepared to file claims with the insurance company and bring your case to court. Although every person’s case is different, generally, the liable party will be protected by some type of insurance policy.
When you file a claim with the insurance company, you can seek compensation for certain types and amounts of economic damages. These often include:
- The cost of repairing or replacing your motorcycle
- medical expenses and equipment fees
- In some cases, lost wages
However, insurance settlements do not cover economic damages in full, and they do not generally provide compensation for non-economic damages as well. Non-economic damages do not have fixed monetary values the way economic ones do.
Types of Damages You Can Claim
A motorcycle accident attorney in Stockbridge will need to quantify your damages to ensure they are accounted for accordingly. To recover your remaining economic damages and non-economic damages, you may need to bring your case to civil court. Here, you can recover compensation for one or more of the following:
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Costs of increased insurance premiums
- Ongoing and future medical care
- Unexpected child care expenses
- Costs of keeping up your home
- Skin scarring and disfigurement
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of companionship and love
- Loss of society and support
- Loss of guidance and advice
- Reputational damage
- Inconvenience
Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Stockbridge for Help
The journey to recovering maximum compensation for your motorcycle accident Injuries may be a long one. However, when you have retained a powerful Stockbridge motorcycle accident lawyer at John Foy & Associates to advocate for your rights, you can focus on recuperating from your injuries while we work on bringing the liable party to justice.
Start working on your case as soon as today when you schedule your no-cost, risk-free consultation. You can reach us by phone or through our online contact form to get started.
404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form