Wake Forest Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Motorcycle accidents in Wake Forest often result in very serious injuries. If you were involved in an accident, it is important to focus on recovering your physical health. But that can be difficult if you are worried about mounting medical bills at a time when you are missing work. A Wake Forest motorcycle accident lawyer could help.
You may be entitled to compensation to cover expenses and future needs as well and to offset the pain and other consequences you are suffering. But to preserve your rights, it is wise to consult a seasoned personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after the accident.
Types of Compensation Motorcycle Accident Victims May Receive
Whether a case is settled early or proceeds through a full trial, those injured in a motorcycle accident often receive compensation for various factors resulting from the accident. An award of monetary compensation is generally referred to as “damages.”
To determine a reasonable amount of compensation, it is important to consider a wide range of factors. These include tangible economic losses and intangible effects that are hard to quantify but nevertheless very real, such as pain. Damages may be recovered for:
- Lost wages
- Emotional distress
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Anticipated future losses and expenses
- Loss of enjoyment of favorite activities
An experienced Wake Forest motorcycle accident attorney could calculate future anticipated needs and losses as well as the reasonable value of intangible factors to determine an appropriate value of compensation based on the circumstances of the case.
What Motorcycle Laws Impact Liability in Wake Forest?
Motorcycles are unlike most other vehicles on the roads because they are capable of traveling at high speeds but are much smaller and provide less protection for riders than vehicles operating at comparable speeds such as cars and trucks. The unique nature of motorcycles prompted state lawmakers to establish separate laws for these vehicles.
Some of the motorcycle laws that could play a role in determining liability include section 20-146.1 of the state code which prohibits other vehicles from driving in a manner which interferes with a motorcycle’s full use of a traffic lane. This section also prohibits motorcycles from operating more than two abreast in a single lane.
Lane-splitting, also known as filtering, is treated ambiguously under the law. This practice occurs when motorcycles travel down lane dividing lines in between rows of other vehicles. North Carolina statutes neither specifically allow or prohibit this practice, so some courts treat it as permissible while others view it as an example of negligent conduct.
What is Negligence Determined in a Motorcycle Accident Case?
In most accident cases, when one party is found to have operated negligently and that negligence causes harm to another, the negligent party may be held liable for the consequences. Negligence may be found when one party owes a duty of care to another, they fail to exercise that duty, and harm results. For instance, drivers owe a duty of care to others on the road, so failure to drive responsibly could subject them to liability.
Those injured in motorcycle accidents may also be considered to have behaved negligently, at least in some respect. When this happens, the state’s contributory negligence rule may bar the injured person from recovering compensation.
Contact a Wake Forest Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The North Carolina statute of limitations requires those seeking compensation after an accident to file a claim within three years of the accident. If they miss this deadline, they lose all rights to seek compensation.
But there are other reasons to seek legal guidance soon after an accident, well before the statute of limitations becomes an issue. The best evidence for establishing liability is usually available right after an accident. A knowledgeable Wake Forest motorcycle accident lawyer could assist in the process of collecting and preserving evidence.
An attorney could also provide advice and guidance, including assistance with answering questions from insurance companies. To learn how a motorcycle accident attorney in Wake Forest could help in your case, call now.
