If you love to ride, Florida is a great place to explore on your motorcycle, and the mild weather offers nearly year-round opportunities. If you are hurt on your motorcycle, it’s wise to contact a Plantation, Florida, motorcycle accident lawyer.
If you’ve been injured by another driver’s negligence in the process, you’re likely facing considerable losses as well as a long and challenging recovery. One of the surest means of obtaining the compensation you are entitled to is working closely with an experienced Plantation motorcycle accident lawyer at Scarfone Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys. Call us today at 561-609-1200 to request a case review.
Motorcycle Accidents Caused by Driver Negligence
Far too many motorists fail to take the precautions necessary to share our roads safely with motorcycles – in spite of the fact that all drivers owe everyone else on the road a serious duty of care.
Driver negligence in any form can lead to life-threatening motorcycle accidents, and such negligence comes in many dangerous forms.
Impairment
Drunk drivers tend to drive impulsively, making our roadways riskier for everyone but can be especially dangerous for motorcyclists. Drunk drivers can experience impairments in all the following categories, and none of them bode well for motorcyclists:
- A decreased ability to handle their vehicle safely
- A decreased ability to focus
- A lack of inhibition
- Visual impairments
Distraction
Distracted drivers don’t pay adequate attention to driving safely, which makes them especially dangerous. While motorists can be distracted by almost anything, texting is billed as the most alarming distraction.
A vehicle moving at highway speeds can travel the distance of a football field in the five seconds motorists generally spend on individual texts, highlighting exactly how dangerous texting behind the wheel is.
Exhaustion
Drowsy drivers are out there, but they often fail to appreciate the danger they pose. In reality, exhaustion can lead to many of the same impairments associated with alcohol, making drowsy drivers far more dangerous than most people realize. When a motorist falls asleep behind the wheel, the matter becomes even more dire.
Excess Speed
Statistics highlight how dangerous negligent driving practices are, and excess speed features heavily. When a motorist exceeds the posted speed limit – or drives too fast for the condition of the road – they ensure that they don’t have the time necessary to respond safely to unforeseen emergencies.
As speed increases, so too does the risk that an accident will happen and that it will prove deadly.
Aggression
Aggressive drivers can turn an ordinary driving experience into a terrifying event, and motorcyclists are especially vulnerable to their erratic and senselessly dangerous driving practices. Any combination of the following is indicative of aggressive driving:
- Excess speed
- Changing lanes without concern for traffic
- Weaving erratically through traffic
- Ignoring traffic signs, lights, and signals
- Speeding through road construction
- Passing on the shoulder or otherwise passing illegally
- Tailgating
- Engaging other motorists with taunts or gestures
- Physically tapping other vehicles
- Cutting off other vehicles
Never take the bait when it comes to aggressive drivers — avoid eye contact, allow them all the space on the road you can, and alert the authorities as soon as it is safe to do so.
Motorcycle Accident Risk Factors
Your motorcycle does not offer the same protections that a car does, which leaves you especially vulnerable to the dangers of the road.
Consider all the following:
- Because your bike does not have a protective outer shell, there is no buffer between you and the impact of an accident.
- Because you travel on only two wheels, your connection to the road is more tenuous.
- When you ride, you’re required to maintain your balance on the road – while you are also more vulnerable to the dangers associated with bad weather and poorly maintained roads.
- You’re more difficult to see when you’re on your bike, which makes it far easier for you to get lost in the blind spots of other drivers.
- You can stop more quickly on your bike, leaving you much more vulnerable to rear-end accidents when rear drivers fail to maintain safe distances, are distracted, or both.
Reaching out to a respected Plantation motorcycle accident firm for skilled legal guidance is in the best interest of you and your claim.
Compensable Losses in Motorcycle Crashes
An important part of your motorcycle accident claim is identifying the losses you experienced as a direct result of the other driver’s negligence.
Property damage
Your bike can be totaled in even a relatively minor motorcycle accident, and this form of damage should be included in your claim.
Medical costs
The healthcare needs associated with a motorcycle accident can be immense and ongoing. Not only will you need to carefully address your current healthcare expenses but also those related to any complications that arise, secondary healthcare developments, and future related medical needs, such as follow-up surgeries.
Pain and suffering
Being injured in a violent traffic accident can be as emotionally scarring as it is physically painful, and these effects can interfere with your overall recovery considerably. The emotional consequences of a motorcycle accident can reverberate into your future, while your physical pain and suffering can linger.
In other words, your physical and emotional pain and suffering is an element of your losses that should receive the attention it deserves. Some common examples of this emotional component include:
- Increased anxiety
- Mood swings that are difficult to control
- Depressive episodes
- Lack of focus or difficulty concentrating
- Frightening accident flashbacks and fear of getting back on a motorcycle
- A heightened startle reaction
- Sleep disturbances
Contact a Plantation, Florida, Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
At Scarfone Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys in Plantation, Florida, we have a skilled motorcycle accident lawyer here to help you. We possess the legal insight and focus on helping guide your challenging claim toward a favorable resolution that upholds your legal rights. Rocco Scarfone makes your recovery paramount.
Don’t hesitate — pick up the phone and call Scarfone or contact us online today!