Whether you prefer cruising with the Philadelphia skyline towering above or you head out of the city to follow the Delaware River, Pennsylvania can provide some great motorcycling backdrops.
A ride through Amish country or just a breezy trip to work should be a relaxing and safe journey. Yet, when other motorists take to the lanes and sometimes take the lane you may already be occupying, they can ruin a trip and put a motorcyclist at a dangerous risk for an accident.
Help for Philadelphia Motorcyclists After an Accident
After an accident caused by a careless driver who didn’t respect your right to the road, or even to your own lane, contact a Philadelphia Motorcycle Accident Attorney committed to your recovery.
Edith Pearce, the founder of The Pearce Law Firm is a lawyer whose years in the insurance industry have taught her how to get the compensation her clients will need to cover the entire healing process. This includes recovering expenses, replacing income, motorcycle replacement, and making sure that medical bills, and suffering, are fairly compensated.
Lane Changes and Other Dangers that Cause Motorcycle Accidents
When investigators ask motorists why they hit someone on a motorcycle, they will often say they never saw the rider in front of them, beside them, or behind them. A motorcycle can be fully illuminated with headlights and outside of blindspots and still, drivers will fall back on the excuse they couldn’t find the rider in their mirrors. Often they didn’t bother to look more than a second if at all before making their move.
One of the most unexplainable moves is when a driver veers over on an unsuspecting motorcyclist during a lane change or a merging situation. The rider can take a hit and be sent off the road, or even be drawn under the vehicle’s tire to suffer major injuries. Often a simple head-turn to check a blind spot or a mirror would have alerted the driver to the rider beside them and prevented a dangerous accident.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transporation compiles the dangerous cases each year. They report there were 847 motorcycle accidents involving a collision with another vehicle in 2019. Overall, there were 2,806 motorcyclists injured in 2019 across the state and another 174 riders lost their lives. Also, sideswipe collisions were responsible for over 8,000 accidents over the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do after a Motorcycle Accident?
The first thing you should do after a motorcycle accident is to assess your physical well-being. If you are able, move to a safe location on the side of the road. Then, call the police. While you’re waiting, start documenting as much evidence as you can.
Give officers a complete account of what happened. Take pictures of your wrecked bike and the other vehicle. Get images of the lanes involved and the traffic signs leading up to the spot. Exchange information with the others involved, but don’t make any statements about the accident to them. Also, talk to any witnesses and get their contact information. Get checked out by your doctor, even if you were treated on the scene by paramedics.
Can I trust the insurance company?
Unfortunately, insurance companies (even your own insurance company) may not have your best interests at heart. Insurance companies are known for being especially unfair to motorcycle riders and try to shift blame to them. They can stall responding to your claim for damages to avoid payment.
Insurance agents can outright deny your claim even though they know you have a fair claim. They hope you’ll give up and decide not to talk to an experienced attorney about your case. Insurance adjusters can agree to a settlement but delay payment to you. They can also just make you a lowball offer assuming you’ll have no clue what your injuries are worth. A call to a local attorney who can fairly assess your case can make sure you don’t end up covering your own financial burdens after an accident that you weren’t to blame for.
What kind of documents do I need to collect for a motorcycle accident case?
A police accident report will be very important to your case. Again, make sure you emphasize key points when you describe what happened to officers. You’ll also need all medical records kept on your injuries. Keep billing for every appointment you’ve kept with doctors, physical therapists, and other specialists. Financial documents that indicate the income you bring home each week from your job. These will help prove how much you’ve lost by not being able to attend work. Also, try to keep track of all travel costs and mileage for every trip you’ve made pertaining to the accident.
Contact a Philadelphia Motorcycle Accident Attorney
If you are recovering from a serious accident caused by a reckless driver, don’t leave your future to chance. We want to work with you to give you time to heal and eventually get back on your motorcycle again. To do that we’ll work to make sure the at-fault driver and his or her insurance company provide fair compensation for the best medical care to get you back up on your feet.
After an accident involving a serious injury, contact a highly rated Philadelphia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer such as Edith Pearce. Unlike the huge firms with dozens of attorneys and many different attorneys handling different aspects of your case, Edith Pearce is personally involved in every case that we handle. She genuinely cares about her clients and you will not be treated like just another case or file.