San Antonio Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Texas Injury Attorney Michael Grossman Discusses Motorcycle Accidents

People who are injured in motorcycle accidents often have a number of questions concerning what legal avenues are available to them for seeking compensation. Many people mistakenly believe that motorcycle accidents are just like car accidents from a legal perspective.

Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth, and victims often do not realize this until their case is irreparably damaged. But experienced San Antonio motorcycle accident attorney Michael Grossman is here to help you understand what you are up against and why you need help from a legal professional.

Much More Money is on the Line

Due to the nature of motorcycle accidents and the level of protection afforded to motorcyclists, the damages sustained in a motorcycle accident are typically much more severe than those sustained in a typical car accident. The motorcyclist’s vehicle is often totally destroyed, in addition to severe injuries sustained by the motorcyclist. This means that any insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit is going to demand much more money than in a car accident case. When more money is on the line, insurance companies put much more effort into denying your claim. Insurance companies typically assign their most senior adjusters to motorcycle accidents.

These adjusters have an experienced track record denying claims just like yours, and they employ a number of different tactics in order to get you to take the blame for your injuries. Many of their tactics are essentially getting you to admit guilt before you have spoken with an attorney. Insurance adjusters will want to question you immediately concerning your accident. They may have you describe your accident to them, and then they will repeat the details back to you. But they repeat the details in such a way that it sounds like they are saying the same thing you did. But in reality, they are inserting specific legal catchphrases that make you culpable for your accident. They will then use this admission to deny your claim on the basis that you caused your own accident.

Challenges Unique to Motorcyclists

In addition to facing stiff opposition from an insurance company, motorcyclists must battle a number of misconceptions held by insurance companies and juries alike. Studies have shown that the vast majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by other cars simply not noticing motorcycles and their drivers. Motorcycles are much smaller than a passenger car, and when drivers look around them for traffic, they are unconsciously searching for an object approximately the size of a passenger vehicle. When they do not see such an object, they feel that they are no nearby vehicles, even when a motorcyclist is right next to them. Many motorcycle accidents occur in intersections due to this phenomenon. The findings of these studies are further supported by the fact that motorcycles with always-on headlights and motorcyclists who wear bright colors are less often involved in accidents than other motorcyclists.

Despite the findings of these and similar studies, the vast majority of people are under the impression that motorcyclists are reckless, irresponsible drivers, and that if they are hurt in an accident, it must be their own fault. Insurance companies typically approach a motorcycle accident claim under the assumption that the motorcyclist is partially or fully responsible for his or her own injuries – they just need to prove it.

Furthermore, almost any jury will be similarly biased against a motorcyclist. This particularly becomes a problem when proportionate responsibility is involved. In many auto accidents, both drivers are partially liable for the accident. But if a driver is less than 50% liable for his or her injuries, he or she can seek compensation through a lawsuit, even if that driver was partially responsible for the collision. But the proportion of responsibility assigned to each driver is determined by a jury. When proportionate responsibility is combined with a jury’s typical bias against motorcyclists, the result is that juries often assign a much larger percentage of legal responsibility to a motorcyclist than they would to a passenger car driver in similar circumstances. This bias can drastically reduce or even destroy your ability to seek the compensation you need for your damages.

Our Experienced Law Firm can Help You

As you can see, motorcycle accidents can be a legal nightmare for those without extensive experience. Grossman Law Offices has been helping motorcyclists receive compensation for twenty years. We know how to speak the jury’s language, and we have years of experience convincing juries to compensate motorcyclists who are perfectly safe drivers but who were injured due to another person’s negligence. We have successfully litigated and resolved hundreds of high-profile lawsuits against every major insurance carrier in the country. These carriers are aware of our highly successful history, and they often cooperate with our demands for a settlement without even taking a case to court, simply because they do not want to fight our attorneys in a trial. This means that we can often secure a fair settlement for you extremely quickly. We are dedicated to getting you back on your feet as quickly as possible so that you may get on with your life. So if you or someone in your family has been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact aggressive San Antonio motorbike wreck lawyer Michael Grossman today, and make sure you get the compensation you need and the justice that is rightfully yours.