If you or a loved one have been injured in a motorcycle accident, the lawyers at The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs can help. Driving a motorcycle can be fun, convenient, and cost-effective, but unfortunately, motorcyclists who are hit by cars are often seriously injured or even killed. Many drivers don’t know what to do with motorcycles on the road. When cars and motorcycles collide, the smaller size and open nature of the motorcycle puts its rider at risk of life-threatening injuries. All too often, motorcyclists are flung from their bike or even directly hit by cars.
Our personal injury lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve so that you can focus on recovering from your injuries, or from the loss of a loved one, without worrying over financial fallout from the accident.
Our Lakewood Attorneys Handle Serious Motorcycle Injury Accidents
At The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, our Lakewood motorcycle accident lawyers believe that reckless drivers who endanger motorcyclists should be held accountable for the injuries they cause. We have been providing legal services to personal injury victims in Washington State for over sixty years, and in that time, we have seen our fair share of motorcyclists who have suffered serious injuries. If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle accident in Lakewood, Tacoma, Olympia, Puyallup, Chehalis, or Bremerton, our motorcycle accident lawyers are here to fight for you. Call (253) 588-6696 to contact a Lakewood personal injury attorney.
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Not only are motorcycles much smaller than cars, but they are much less common. Motorcyclists make up just 3% of all road traffic in Washington state, which means many drivers are unused to dealing with them on the road. Academic studies on motorcycle accidents have shown that accidents involving motorcycles are frequently caused by other motorists failing to notice nearby motorcycles or failing to respect their right of way.
Here are some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents:
Whatever the cause of the accident, it is often bad for the driver but usually much worse for the motorcyclist. The Lakewood, Washington personal injury lawyers of The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs are ready to assist in any type of motorcycle accident case.
If you are in need of a lawyer for your motorcycle accident case, you have options
Compared to drivers in cars, motorcyclists are especially vulnerable in that they do not have a steel cage around them to protect them from an impact. Modern cars have a variety of safety devices that motorcycles lack, including airbags, seat belts, and, perhaps most importantly, reinforced frames designed to protect their occupants. Motorcycles lack all of these things, and helmets and kevlar can only do so much. Motorcycle riders are often thrown from their bikes or directly hit by cars. As a result, motorcycle accident injuries have the potential to be especially dangerous and are statistically much more likely to result in death or severe injuries than car accidents.
Here are some of the most common types of injuries motorcyclists suffer as the result of an accident:
Many of these injuries have the potential to be life-threatening. Unfortunately, a large number of motorcyclists hit by cars do not survive. Whatever injuries you or your loved one have suffered as a result of a motorcycle accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you win compensation.
Are you in need of a lawyer for a recent Lakewood area motorcycle accident?
Motorcycle accidents are often traumatic, and in many cases, the rider is too severely injured to do anything at all. However, if you experience a motorcycle accident and are able, taking these steps can maximize your chance at receiving fair compensation for your injuries.
Legally, motorcycles are treated just like cars. In Washington State, this means that motorcycle accidents are subject to pure comparative negligence. Under this legal doctrine, the fault is assigned to each driver involved in the collision according to what kinds of negligent actions they took. In some instances one driver is found to be 100% at fault, but many collisions result from multiple drivers failing to follow the rules of the road.
For example, one driver may be texting while another driver is inebriated. In these cases, the court uses case precedent to estimate the relative fault of the drivers involved. Washington is a pure comparative negligence state. That means that a person’s compensation is reduced by the amount of fault they shared for the accident.
Suppose you were found to be 40% at fault for the accident, and the court determined that your damages were $100,000. You would be able to recover $60,000 for your damages, but not the full 100%, because of your shared fault in causing the accident.
A driver is said to be acting negligently when they breach the duty of care that could reasonably be expected of them, and that breach causes another person injury. For instance, drivers have a duty to watch out for vehicles in front of them. If a driver is not paying attention and rear-ends a motorcycle they did not see when approaching an intersection, they are being negligent.
At The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, our seasoned personal injury attorneys have decades of experience successfully pursuing personal injury claims and proving the other driver’s negligence. We consult with highway safety experts and investigators to make sure that our clients’ cases are made with as much solid evidence as possible.
We serve motorcycle accident victims in the Lakewood area
Just about every motorcyclist knows that riding a motorcycle is riskier than driving a car. But accepting that risk doesn’t mean you are entitled to anything less than full restitution for injuries caused by a negligent driver. A successful personal injury suit can help you receive compensation for many of the costs resulting from a motorcycle accident, including:
Your lawyer can help you determine which damages to seek in your personal injury suit. Your case may end out of court as a settlement or in court as a judgment.
The effects of a motorcycle accident can be long-lasting and much more costly than they seem at first. Injuries that you may believe are temporary, such as back pain, joint pain, or headaches, often become chronic injuries over time, or result in early-onset arthritis.
Likewise, the physical, psychological, and emotional toll of a long recovery process can put significant strain on both the victim and their family, affecting relationships for years to come. However, in most cases, victims will only have one chance to receive compensation for their injuries. It is therefore important that these future costs be represented in the compensation plaintiffs receive for their injuries.
At The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, our personal injury lawyers fight for every one of our clients because we know this may be their only shot to get restitution for the damage that has been done to them and their families.
This is a complicated question and the answer is different in every case. The primary factors are the severity of the accident and the injuries and vehicle damage that resulted, the relative fault of the drivers involved, lost wages (both present and future), as well as the pain and suffering, both physical and emotional, of the plaintiff and their family. In order to accurately assess the value of your claim, you need to consult with an attorney familiar with motorcycle accident cases.
At The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, our personal injury lawyers have the experience needed to properly assess the value of your motorcycle accident claim. Our attorneys have handled dozens of motorcycle accident claims, and we can tell you what yours is worth.
Have you been injured in a motorcycle accident through no fault of your own?
Unfortunately, many motorcycle accidents prove deadly. Motorcyclists are nearly 20 times as likely to be involved in fatal accidents as car drivers. If your loved one was killed in a motorcycle accident, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for funeral expenses, burial expenses, and more. In Washington, the following people can bring a wrongful death claim:
In the aftermath of a personal tragedy such as this, insurance companies may try to take advantage of your grief by pressuring you to accept a minimal settlement. In these situations, it’s important to think of your and your family’s financial future. The death of a working family member can impose significant long-term costs, both financially and emotionally. Those costs should be represented in the compensation you receive for the accident.
The personal injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs understand how important it is to secure your family’s future in the face of personal tragedy, which is why we fight hard to make sure our clients get the payout they deserve.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle accident, you don’t have to face this challenging time alone. The Lakewood personal injury lawyers of The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs are here to help. Our firm has six decades of experience representing Washington motorcyclists and their families. Our firm will handle your case with respect and dignity, and we will fight aggressively for the compensation you need and deserve. For more information on how we can help, call us now at The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs.
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Don’t wait to contact us if$5.1 Million
Negligent Police Pursuit:
$275,000
Retail Negligence: Back/Shoulder Injury
$280,000
Fishing Boat: Shoulder Injury
$750,000
Maritime Accident: Brain Injury
$1.3
MillionPolice Negligence: Wrongful Death
$1.3
MillionSale of Alcohol to Minor: Spine Injury
$2.1
MillionConstruction Site Injury: Wall Collapse
$250,000
Ankle Injury
$300,000
Foot Injury
$500,000
Wrist Injury
$2.1
Million Dangerous Intersection: Highway Defect
$500,000
Head Injury
$400,000
Shoulder Injury
$400,000
Back Injury
$500,000
Back Injury
$600,000
Back Injury
$1.1
MillionWrongful Death
$1
MillionWrongful Death
$230,000
Multiple Collisions: Neck, Back, Shoulder
$300,000
Multiple Freeway Collision: Back, PTSD
$335,000
Traumatic Brain Injury: Full Recovery
$350,000
Rear-end Collision Neck Injury
$450,000
Failure to Yield: Back Injury
$227,000
Single Car Lost Control: Face Trauma
$400,000
Head-on Collision: Multiple Fractures
$203,000
Head-on Collision: Foot Injury
$500,000
Intersection Collision: Ankle Injury
$420,000
Rear-end Collision
$700,000
Rear-end Collision: Back Injury