If you or someone close to you has been hurt in a motorcycle accident in Georgia, the motorcycle accident attorneys of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., are ready to help you. You likely already know the specific challenges that come with a serious motorcycle crash – the devastating injuries, lost income, costly damage to your property, and the challenge of proving that you were not the one who was driving recklessly.
Motorcycle accident victims face these challenges and others. They are more likely to be severely harmed in the event of a crash, even those at low speeds. When seeking compensation, bikers often have to face unfair biases on the part of insurance company representatives who might think that all motorcycle riders are risk-takers who flout the rules.
To the motorcycle injury attorneys at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., you’re not a rebel just because you ride a motorcycle. If you’re hurt, we are ready to fight for the compensation that you are owed.
Our trial attorneys have more than 85 years of experience helping our friends and neighbors in Douglasville and surrounding areas. We’re here to stand up for you after a serious motorcycle crash. To the insurance company, you might be just a number, but to us, you’re our neighbor and our friend. We’re ready to put our experience and skill to work for you.
To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case with an experienced Georgia motorcycle accident attorney, contact us by phone or online today.
Why Are Motorcycle Accident Cases More Complex?
Motorcycle accident claims are often more complex because of the severe injuries that are the unfortunate-yet-common result of crashes involving motorcycles and larger motor vehicles. Victims often suffer catastrophic injuries that could require lengthy treatment and rehabilitation, or may have a permanent impact on their health, mobility, and life.
There are also limitations to what people know about motorcycle accident laws in Georgia. For example, state law requires all riders to wear helmets. However, failure to wear a helmet should not prevent an injured motorcyclist from recovering compensation from the party at fault for the crash.
Lane-splitting is illegal in Georgia, and accidents in which the rider was illegally lane-splitting could discount the accident claim altogether, something that many bikers don’t know.
There are other elements that make motorcycle claims more complex, including:
- Jury bias. A personal injury lawyer with trial experience will likely build your case for trial, regardless whether the case goes that far. Jurors are often biased against motorcyclists, with some believing they shouldn’t be on the road in the first place. Many members of the public view all motorcyclists as rebels and risk-takers. Overcoming this bias can be challenging.
- Insurer bias. Insurers may try to take advantage of society’s anti-motorcyclist prejudice. They often categorize motorcyclists as “high-risk,” make every attempt to downgrade the severity of the accident and even shift the blame onto the biker.
When you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle accident or if you’ve lost someone close to you in a motorcycle crash, don’t despair. Legal help is available to you to help ensure you get the compensation and justice that you deserve. By hiring an attorney with the right experience, skill, and resources to handle your case, you will have a better chance of getting the money you need to rebuild and move on with your life.
How Can a Douglasville Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help?
Most motorcycle accident victims lack the necessary resources, time, or experience to fight insurance companies alone. There’s a professional way to approach insurers using a language they’ll easily understand – an approach that takes years to perfect, which is why retaining an experienced accident attorney is the preferred method of litigating accident claims.
Georgia motorcycle accident lawyers like those at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., have experience in insurance law. They know how the adjusters and the insurer’s counsel will approach the case. Having this experience allows negotiations to go much smoother than if an insurer phones the motorcycle victim and either outright denies their claim or offers them a lowball settlement to get them to go away.
Other compelling reasons why motorcycle accident attorneys are far more skilled at negotiations and handling these cases than the average person include:
- Attorneys are aware of filing deadlines, when and why motions should be filed, all motorcycle safety laws, and what statute of limitations applies to your case. They are adequately equipped to handle cases where at-fault party falsehoods are extraneous at best.
- Attorneys can subpoena sensitive information related to your accident much faster than non-attorney litigants.
If those reasons aren’t compelling enough, remember that motorcycle accident attorneys and their respective firms foot the entire bill-paying their staff, filing fees, and any extra bills that may relate to your case — and charge you nothing if you lose.
For many, this is reason enough to retain legal help after an accident.
Future earnings capacity. Another component of your settlement involves earning capacity. If you made $60,000 per year, but your accident left you unable to secure more than part-time work valued at $28,000 per year, you lost $32,000 in earning capacity (multiplied by the remaining years left before normal retirement age). This calculation is moot should the victim succumb to their injuries, in which case a 
If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle crash, it is important to remember that the insurance company is not on your side. Like any business, the insurer is out to make money, despite what their commercials might portray. They will likely look for any reason to deny your claim or will try to get you to accept a settlement for as little money as possible out of their pockets.
