Motorcycle accidents often involve serious injuries or death because there is nothing protecting the driver other than a helmet. If the driver is hit by a vehicle or falls off while trying to avoid an accident, his or her body takes a direct blow. Approximately 75% of all motorcycle accidents involve an injury or death. It is not uncommon for a biker to sustain multiple injuries, translating to the need for extensive medical treatment and various types of rehabilitation as well as time off of work. Sometimes these injuries are so severe that they are permanently debilitating, preventing the person from returning to work and performing at the same functional level as before the crash. The catastrophic expenses associated with prolonged medical treatment and intense rehabilitation, combined with lost wages, can financially ruin anybody, including those individuals who were under the impression that they had plenty of savings before the crash.

Our Missouri Motorcycle Accident Injury Lawyers Are Here To Help

If you have suffered physical and/or emotional injuries due to the negligence or carelessness of someone else (usually another driver), you should consult with an experienced motorcycle accident  attorney. All licensed drivers—regardless of whether they are in a car, truck, or motorcycle— have a duty to drive safely and to follow the laws and rules of the road.

Missouri Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Beck & Beck

If another driver is doing something they should not be doing while driving (texting, speeding, drinking, driving carelessly without regard for safety), and you end up getting hurt, their insurance should have to pay for their negligence. Following an accident, you may be overwhelmed by questions and concerns. Often, you may be hurt and in pain.

Where do you begin to sort out all the problems that come with an accident? What if the motorcycle was your only means of transportation and is no longer drivable? How will you get around? Who will pay to have it fixed? Who will pay your medical bills, and who should you see if you are told that you need to see a specialist? You can’t work. How will your monthly bills get paid?

We understand that an accident creates an overwhelming life crisis fraught with many unknowns for the person who has been injured. Our job as motorcycle injury attorneys is to provide you with the practical and legal advice you need to address and resolve these distressing worries. Our goal is to relieve you of handling the many complex concerns involved in a motorcycle injury claim so that you may focus on what is far more important: recovering from your injuries and resuming a healthy life.

How Can Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Help You?

One of the key jobs your attorney can handle is dealing with the insurance company or companies when trying to reach a settlement. Insurance companies obviously want to get away with paying you as little as possible for your accident claim, while you want to get the money that is rightfully yours. Unfortunately, most individual motorcycle owners are at a disadvantage in this right, as they do not have the experience necessary to argue for a fair settlement. By retaining the services of an attorney, you can level that playing field. Your attorney will be your ally throughout the ordeal of navigating injuries, doctors, therapists, accident investigation and more. We make it a point to always be accessible to our clients whenever they need us.

What You Should Not Do Following A Missouri Motorcycle Accident

Our advice afer a motorcycle accident includes:

Don’t Sign Anything

Signing something could endanger your chance to recover money for your injuries. Consult an attorney before signing anything.

Don’t Underestimate Your Injuries

The way you feel today or this week is not necessarily a determinant of how you will feel next month, or next year.

Don’t Let The Insurance Company Record You

They will tell you it’s for “accuracy purposes,” but they will use it against you later. Just say, “No.” It’s your legal right and have your attorney help gather all evidence in a timely manner.

Don’t Be Swayed By Anything The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company Suggests

Especially if they discourage you to seek representation, or make you low-ball offers.

Any offer you accept is final, there is no going back if your injuries worsen ofver time. may preclude your right to further compensation should your injuries worsen over time. A lot of people are discouraged from seeking the help of a personal injury attorney because they don’t think they can afford it. This is not true!
 
At Beck & Beck, we are proud of the large settlements we have won for clients from all walks of life, representing a wide range of income levels. Your first consultation with us is absolutely free and carries no obligation. You pay NO cash up front. In the event we make no recovery or do not win your case, you will not owe us anything. Our firm works on a “contingency” basis. That means our fees are based on a percentage of the final case result. If we don’t win your case, we won’t receive anything either. In other words, if you don’t get paid, we don’t get paid.

Don't Wait Too Long Before Hiring A Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Once the other party notifies their insurance company, things will move quickly. Without proper representation, you may be forced to deal with the other party’s insurance company directly. And if you are inexperienced, your case may be sunk before it has a chance of ever getting off the ground.
 
Frequently, the insurance company will use under-handed tactics if you do not have proper representation including:
  • Withholding payment for a rental car even if the other driver is at-fault, and your motorcycle has been damaged to the extent that it is no longer drivable.
  • Offering to reimburse you for your damaged or totaled motorcycle at a value less than what it was worth.
  • Denial of full or partial responsibility for the crash.
  • "Foot-dragging" in verifying insurance coverage. 
  • Denial of all or some of your bills related to the accident.
  • Denial of bills related to the type of medical care you sought and needed for your injuries, such as specialty medical care, chiropractic treatment and/or physical, occupational or speech rehabilitation.
  • Denial of lost wages for the time you had to take off work while recovering. This includes compensation for disability payments as well as vacation and personal days even if your employer paid for these during your absence. 
  • Refusal to include provision for ongoing or additional medical and/or rehabilitative treatment should you need it or if further complications related to your injury, such as osteoarthritis, are likely to arise.Such treatment may extend for years or even a lifetime, but should be included if medically predicted.
  • Denial of your injuries because you did not seek immediate medical attention or there were noticeable gaps of time from one doctor visit to the next over the course of treatment. 
  • Refusal to acknowledge your injuries as “acute” or having been caused by the crash.
  • "Foot-dragging" in spite of knowing that your medical bills are mounting.
  • Treatment that is intimidating, disrespectful, untruthful, apathetic—could care less about the consequences for you—and unprofessional, such as refusal to answer calls.

Unless you are highly skilled in personal injury law, trying to match your negotiating skills against those of the insurance company will surely be intimidating for you. The insurance company negotiates settlements in personal injury cases every day. They make their living doing so. The average person is not trained to properly evaluate their own motorcycle accident case. They will have no experience comparing the value of the case with actual jury verdicts or settlements in other similar motorcycle accident cases.

In our experience, motorcycle accidents often have large damages because being in this type of accident usually results in much more severe injuries.

In addition, some riders say they never want to ride again and some say they get scared every time they get on their bike. This can be considered a form of post-traumatic stress, which is a very serious repercussion of the accident that cannot be overlooked. Your attorney can place a true value to your case. To do this, the attorney will take into account not only the total amount of your medical bills and lost wages, but what damages you have suffered and will be suffering in the future. All damages require evidence. Usually, injuries are documented through medical records from the treating medical provider. Each time you have a doctor’s visit or therapy session, the doctor or therapist will document the original problems and the progress being made in treating the injuries.

Have You Been Injured In A Missouri Motorcycle Accident?

If you've been injured in a Missouri motorcycle accident you should speak with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact us online or call our office directly at 314.200.1229 to schedule a free consultation. We help car accident victims throughout the state of Missouri including Columbia, Springfield, Kansas City, St. Louis, Kirksville and Cape Girardeau.

Paul Beck
Helping car accident victims and personal injury clients throughout the state of Missouri .