Pensacola Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Motorcyclists are generally quite enthusiastic about the joys of their chosen means of transportation. They find the sense of speed and freedom exhilarating. Nonetheless, they are at greater risk of suffering a serious accident while riding a motorcycle than if they were traveling in a more conventional vehicle. Without the protective metal frame of a car or truck, even while wearing helmets and other protective gear, motorcyclists are as exposed to physical danger as they are to the elements.

While it is incumbent upon other drivers to be extra careful when sharing the road with motorcyclists, as we all know, too many drivers are inattentive, distracted, impaired or negligent. When a car driver’s negligence results in serious, or even catastrophic, injuries to a cyclist, that driver should be held accountable.

At Staples, Ellis + Associates, our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys are adept at getting the victims of motorcycle accidents the substantial compensation they deserve. Your vehicle may be smaller and much lighter in weight than the vehicle that caused your injuries, but our attorneys will use their extensive skill and in-depth knowledge of the law to level the playing field and ensure that justice is done. You will never be charged a fee until we win your case.

What Staples, Ellis + Associates Can Do to Help with Your Motorcycle Accident

If you have suffered serious personal injuries while riding a motorcycle, you are likely overwhelmed with physical pain, high medical expenses, and the inability to work. If someone else was responsible for the accident, you don’t have to face this situation alone. Instead, if you are in Pensacola or in any part of Northwest Florida, turn to Staples, Ellis + Associates, an esteemed personal injury law practice with a track record of success.

Check out our notable credentials and sizable settlements and you will experience the reassurance that comes with knowing you are in capable hands. We will meet with you, listen carefully to your story, investigate police evidence and medical records, and provide you with the very best legal counsel available. We will take over all aspects of negotiation and litigation while you relax and heal from your recent trauma. Consult with us as soon as you are able. Although the statute of limitations for personal injury is four years in Florida, remember that the sooner we pursue your case, the sooner you will have your settlement.

Causes and Types of Motorcycle Accidents

Like other traffic accidents, motorcycle crashes can be caused by inattention or distraction. This is particularly true with motorcycle accidents, however, since the smaller size of these vehicles, and the fact that they have two wheels instead of four makes them far less visible on the road, and easier for them to be in another driver’s “blind spot.” A great many motorcycle accidents involve motorists impaired by alcohol or drugs. Obviously, impaired drivers are even more likely to be distracted and/or reckless than sober drivers.

The kind of injuries you suffer in a motorcycle accident, as well as their severity, are, to a large extent, determined by the type of collision you are involved in. Head-on collisions are the most fatal, but also, fortunately, the least common. Left-hand turn accidents, usually occurring at intersections, account for 42 percent of all car-motorcycle accidents; lane splitting, though illegal in Florida in most instances, is still common and very dangerous, resulting in a great many collisions.

It may surprise you to know that a high percentage of motorcycle accidents are single-vehicle accidents. Because motorcycles have less stability than cars and require more maneuvering and balancing on the part of their riders, motorcyclists often sustain serious injuries because of poor road conditions, bad weather, or another driver’s recklessness. Forced off the road, motorcyclists can be badly hurt by hitting an obstruction or just falling to the pavement.

If another driver’s dangerous actions have caused your injuries, he or she bears responsibility even if your vehicles never collided. Also, you should be aware that if your injury has been caused by poor road maintenance, Staples, Ellis + Associates may be able to sue the government agency responsible, and if your accident was caused by a mechanical defect in your motorcycle, can file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer or distributor of your bike.

As you can see, there are a great many avenues to receiving damages for motorcycle injuries and many of the laws pertaining to these lawsuits are complex. This is why it is essential to have savvy motorcycle accidents working diligently on your case.

Types of Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Because the body of the motorcyclist is so vulnerable, he or she can suffer almost any injury during an accident and is at elevated risk of suffering injury than the driver of a car in the same or a similar accident. Unfortunately, the following injuries are common in motorcycle collisions:

  • Bone fractures
  • Damage to internal organs
  • Head injuries and/or traumatic brain injuries
  • Internal bleeding
  • Neuromuscular damage
  • Road rash
  • Spinal cord injuries

The tragic fact is that you are 30 times more likely to die in a vehicular accident if you are riding a motorcycle than if you are driving a sturdier vehicle. If you have gone through the horror of losing a loved one in a motorcycle accident for which someone else was at fault, you should know that Staples, Ellis + Associates also handles motorcycle accidents in which the rider has suffered a wrongful death.

Compensation We Will Fight to Win

At Staples, Ellis + Associates we believe that someone who has caused you injury has a legal and moral responsibility to pay for his or her misconduct. By law you are entitled to receive both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages include costs that can be calculated, including:

  • Medical and rehabilitative costs
  • Psychological therapy to cope with the trauma
  • Lost of income, present and future
  • Property damage
  • Long-term healthcare

Non-economic damages include things that are difficult to assign a monetary value, such as:

  • Physical pain
  • Emotional suffering
  • Long-term disability
  • Loss of consortium (companionship and intimacy)
  • Wrongful death

In cases in which the other driver’s conduct was particularly unacceptable, if, for example, the other driver was drag racing, our persistent motorcycle injury attorneys may be able to obtain punitive damages for you as well as compensatory ones. The purpose of punitive damages is two-sided: to punish the offender and to discourage other drivers from similar egregious behavior.

Pure Comparative Negligence in Florida

Florida operates under a pure comparative negligence standard, meaning if each driver is determined to be partially at fault for the accident, damages will be allocated proportionally. If, for example, the court finds that you bear 20 percent of the responsibility for the collision, you will have to forfeit 20 percent of the damages awarded to you. Thus, if you are awarded compensation of $100,000, for instance, you will receive that amount minus 20 percent, or $80,000.

Contact Our Pensacola Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Enduring the pain and worry of a motorcycle accident is more than enough for you to bear. Why not come to the competent and compassionate motorcycle accident attorneys at Staples, Ellis + Associates and let us handle all the legal and insurance details of your case. Having a professional at the helm will prove invaluable. Give us a call or contact us through our website for a free consultation.

The Motorcycle Accident Attorneys at Staples, Ellis & Associates serves clients in Pensacola County, Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, Okaloosa County, Walton County, and throughout Northwest Florida.