Riding a motorcycle is a great way to see North Fort Myers and Lee County’s surrounding areas. This pastime, however, is risky. Bike riders, due to their lack of crash protection, are at a greater risk of injury or even death when an accident occurs. If you ride a motorcycle and someone else’s negligence caused your crash and injuries, a North Fort Myers personal injury lawyer with the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can fight for financial compensation that covers your damages, such as accident-related medical bills, income loss, and pain and suffering.
We can review the accident and determine if an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit can provide you with financial relief during a difficult time. You should not have to pay the expenses associated with a crash you didn’t cause. Call our team today for a free consultation.
Recoverable Compensation After a Bike Crash in North Fort Myers, FL
North Fort Myers bike crash victims can recover compensation for economic and non-economic damages. They likely will have both types after an accident. Economic damages cover the financial challenges associated with an accident. We can assess these losses after reviewing invoices, receipts, and other proof of your expenses.
Economic Damages
Economic expenses include:
- Medical expenses
- Ongoing rehabilitative care
- Lost income and benefits
- Lost or reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are equally important as economic damages. They cover the emotional toll of a motorcycle accident. With non-economic damages, you can receive financial compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress, emotional pain
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
- Impaired quality of life
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Wrongful Death Damages If You Lost a Loved One in a Motorcycle Accident
If your loved one suffered fatal injuries in a motorcycle accident, we extend our deepest condolences. Our wrongful death attorneys represent those dealing with the aftermath of their loss and can pursue the following damages on your behalf:
- Funeral expenses
- Burial expenses
- Medical costs
- Lost income the decedent would have earned
- Your loved one’s pain and suffering
We Will Seek Full Financial Recovery in Your North Fort Myers Accident
The details of your motorcycle accident injuries case will determine how much compensation you can recover. Our injury attorneys will work hard to ensure you have the money to cover all your accident-related expenses.
Neither standard personal injury nor wrongful death cases have an “average” case value. This largely stems from the variability inherent to motorcycle accident cases. Some accidents cause debilitating injuries, and others cause minor bumps and scrapes. These factors, among others, can affect the potential valuation of the settlement you receive:
- The outcome of settlement negotiations
- The severity of your injuries
- Whether your case entails a lawsuit or not
- The number of negligent parties
If you have questions about the value of your case, our team can discuss them with you. It’s important to know what your case is worth to avoid accepting a lowball settlement offer that falls short of your needs. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Motorcycle Collisions and Florida’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance
Florida requires all owners of four-wheeled vehicles to have personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. However, it does not require motorcycle owners to take out this same coverage, so PIP does not cover riders or their motorcycles.
Our attorney can still file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company if applicable in your case. We also may be able to recover financial compensation via uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage if you have it on your bike. We can give you specific legal advice about this and other insurance matters during a free consultation.
How a Lawyer Can Help Your North Fort Myers, FL, Bike Crash Case
Motorcycle accidents are usually settled with an out-of-court settlement or a lawsuit. To pursue either option, you do not need to hire an attorney. However, it’s common for motorcycle accident victims to become overwhelmed, and hiring a lawyer can be beneficial.
If the accident causes serious injuries, you may struggle to keep up with medical expenses without having a stable income. Aggressive insurers can only make matters worse. We understand your struggle, and our services are meant to make your life easier.
If our motorcycle accident lawyer works on your case, they can do the following:
- Identify the at-fault party or parties, including third parties not directly involved in the crash
- Scheduling your medical appointments and motorcycle repairs
- Explaining complex legal terminology
- Providing frequent case updates
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit, if needed
- Exhausting every option in pursuit of fair compensation
Are Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in North Fort Myers Expensive?
Many law firms, including ours, work on a contingency fee basis. Essentially, this fee structure means that a motorcycle accident lawyer’s payment is contingent on their success. If they don’t win your case, they don’t get paid.
The benefits of contingency fees include the following:
- You don’t need to pay your lawyer anything upfront.
- It’s risk-free; you do not have to pay if your lawyer doesn’t get you a settlement.
We adhere to contingency fees because we know how difficult the financial aftermath of a motorcycle accident can be. We don’t want people seeking legal help worrying about what it costs to hire an attorney to represent them. We build trust with our clients by avoiding charging them until we succeed. If you hire our law firm, working with our North Fort Myers motorcycle accident lawyer won’t cost you anything up front.
Filing a North Fort Myers Lawsuit for a Bike Crash Injuries Has a Time Limit
Florida’s personal injury statute of limitations limits your time to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit. Per Florida Statutes § 95.11, you typically have two years to file a personal injury case.
While your case may not require a lawsuit, it’s still best to get started as soon as possible to provide you and your legal team enough time to gather evidence and build your case. In some cases, you may have more or less time to file if the details of your accident permit.
Our North Fort Myers motorcycle accident attorney can tell you exactly how long you have to file. However, if you wait too long and miss the deadline, you won’t be able to receive any compensation or file another claim.
What Is the Rule of Discovery?
An exception to the statute of limitations is the rule of discovery or discovery rule. The rule of discovery states that the statute of limitations begins when you suffer the first symptoms of your injuries.
In other words, if you were hurt while riding your motorcycle but didn’t notice any pain until later, the clock starts ticking once you start experiencing pain.
In some cases, this rule may apply, so it’s important to ask your motorcycle lawyer if your accident qualifies. If it does, you may have longer to file your claim.
Who Can You Sue After a North Fort Myers Motorcycle Accident?
Identifying a liable party is crucial to knowing who you can sue in a motorcycle accident case. If you cannot prove that someone else’s negligence caused your accident, you cannot pursue compensation. A range of potentially liable parties in a motorcycle accident may include:
- Another driver
- A municipality if your accident involved poorly maintained roadways
- A trucker or trucking company
- A vehicle manufacturer
Gathering Evidence for a Motorcycle Accident Case
To discover who caused your accident, our North Fort Myers motorcycle accident lawyer can review relevant evidence, which may include:
- Traffic camera footage
- Images of the accident
- Interviews with witnesses
- Medical records
- Police reports
We will use this and other information to establish the foundation of your case. It is important to gather as much evidence as possible after an accident, so our team can collect additional proof in addition to any information you have. Many victims of motorcycle accidents are injured, so they can’t physically gather evidence. We also handle evidence collection for our cases to ensure we can prove our clients’ compensation cases.
Proving Negligence Is Critical to a North Fort Myers Injury Case
In a legal context, negligence refers to behavior or actions that put another party at risk. To prove that another party is liable in a motorcycle accident, you must show that they behaved negligently. This process entails establishing the four elements of negligence:
- The liable party owed you a duty of care while on the road.
- The liable party’s road behavior didn’t uphold this duty.
- This negligent behavior directly caused your accident and injuries.
- You suffered compensatory damages, such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering, among other losses.
What to Do After Your Motorcycle Crash in North Fort Myers
After your motorcycle accident, our personal injury attorneys recommend that you:
- Avoid speaking to the insurance company. Insurers will likely begin contacting you shortly after the accident, asking you to provide a recorded statement about the accident. You do not have to agree to this communication. Instead, you can politely decline the interaction and pass any insurance communication on to your lawyers.
- Assess yourself and others for injuries. After ensuring you and any others involved in the accident are stable, call 911 and accept any medical treatment necessary. If you are not treated at the accident scene, visit a doctor immediately after the accident to ensure you are not suffering from any underlying issues.
- Consider contacting the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine for legal representation. We can explain more about the steps you should take following an accident to help progress your case and protect your well-being.
Our North Fort Myers Motorcycle Crash Lawyer Can Represent You; Call Today
If you’ve suffered injuries in a motorcycle crash, the accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine are ready to fight on your behalf. We will pursue justice and fair compensation for your damages.
We can guide you through the legal process, ensuring you are informed of each step in your case. Contact our offices today for a free legal consultation.