If you were hurt in a motorcycle accident caused by a negligent driver in Syracuse, NY, you may have the right to seek financial compensation for your losses. A serious crash can lead to overwhelming medical bills, lost income, and other unexpected hardships. You shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of an accident that wasn’t your fault. A skilled Syracuse motorcycle accident lawyer can fight for the compensation you deserve.
Navigating the aftermath of a motorcycle accident can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. The experienced attorneys at Passalacqua & Associates, LLC serve Syracuse and most of Central New York, delivering proven results for motorcycle accident victims. Call our legal team today at 315 500-6425 to schedule a free consultation and take the first step toward financial recovery.
How Passalacqua & Associates, LLC Can Help You After a Motorcycle Accident in Syracuse, NY
Motorcycle accidents happen without warning in most cases. Suddenly, the injured victim is left facing a long physical recovery, emotional distress, and surprise medical bills and other costs. A Syracuse personal injury attorney will investigate your accident, find out who was responsible, and work toward a financial settlement. When you hire Passalacqua & Associates, LLC we will:
- Investigate all details of the accident and build your legal strategy
- Collect evidence for your claim, including police reports, physical evidence, photos, video recordings, medical records, and more
- Negotiate aggressively with insurance companies to get the most out of your claim
- File a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf if the insurance companies won’t play fair
- Handle your personal injury claim all the way to trial when necessary.
Our proven motorcycle accident attorneys at Passalacqua & Associates, LLC will work with you every step of the way to achieve the justice you deserve. We know the hardships you face after a serious accident and will fight for your legal rights. Contact our Syracuse, New York, motorcycle accident lawyers to get your case started today.
Can I Afford a Lawyer in a New York Motorcycle Accident Case?
Personal injury lawyers, like ours, will work on a contingency fee basis in motorcycle accident cases. Contingency agreements give accident victims the legal help they need without requiring upfront legal fees and out-of-pocket costs. If we believe you have a strong case, we will move forward on a risk-free basis to you. You will now pay any attorney fees unless we win your case.
What this means is that you can hire a skilled personal injury lawyer for your motorcycle accident claim even if you can’t afford to pay out of pocket. Your attorney will take on any financial risk involved with your case because they believe in you and your claim.
How Do Motorcycle Accidents Happen in New York?
Motorcycle accidents happen every day across Central New York, with over 100 fatalities every year involving motorcycle accidents. Many more drivers are seriously injured in motorcycle accidents in Syracuse and elsewhere. Even a helmeted motorcyclist following the rules of the road and driving safely can be hit by a negligent driver in another vehicle.
Motorcyclists are at higher risk of accidents whenever they take the road – even when riding safely. Unlike drivers of larger vehicles, motorcyclists aren’t protected by a massive shield of metal and glass, with the latest auto safety features. A motorcycle driver can quickly be ejected from their bikes and suffer devastating injuries in an accident.
Common causes of motorcycle accidents in New York include:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Failure to follow traffic signals
- Fatigued driving, or “drowsy driving”
- Improper lane changes
If you or a loved one were hurt in any way in a motorcycle accident, our personal injury lawyers can help you explore your legal options and take steps toward your financial recovery.
What Are Common Injuries In Motorcycle Accidents?
Motorcycle accidents almost always lead to physical injuries. Common motorcyclist injuries our lawyers see include:
- Broken bones
- Skull fractures
- Concussions
- Road rash
- Facial injuries
- Back injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Soft tissue damage
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death
In addition to physical injuries, those injured in a motorcycle accident will often experience emotional distress, reduced quality of life, lost future income, disability, and other long-term effects. Through a personal injury claim, our lawyers will focus on the full scope of your damages–physical and mental.
What Is My Motorcycle Accident Case Worth?
Plaintiffs in a motorcycle accident case can pursue economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the actual financial costs that can be seen on a list, such as:
- Medical bills
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Therapy and rehab expenses
- Lost income due to the accident
- Reduced future income due to your injuries
Your Syracuse motorcycle accident lawyer will collect all available information about the financial impacts involved and how much you should be paid as a result.
Non-economic damages might include compensation for other losses such as :
- Mental distress
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of companionship
The unique facts and complexities of your case will determine how non-economic damages are calculated. Experienced personal injury lawyers can help estimate what your non-economic damages might be.
The total worth of your motorcycle accident case depends on the severity of your accident, how the accident happened, the costs involved, and any long-term impacts of the accident. Our lawyers can meet with you to explain how damages work when calculating the value of your case.
What Is Negligence in a Motorcycle Accident Case?
Motorcycle accident cases involve the legal theory of negligence. Negligence happens when a driver doesn’t use the care and caution they are expected to use in a situation. For example, a driver who doesn’t check his blind spot before switching lanes breaches their duty of care to other drivers–especially motorcyclists. A driver running a red light, meanwhile, acts negligently when they do so. Proving negligence is the key to collecting money damages in a motorcycle accident claim.
In a motorcycle accident case, plaintiffs need to prove four legal elements of negligence:
- Duty of Care: Drivers owe duties of care to other drivers and motorcyclists to drive safely and avoid accidents.
- Breach of Duty: If a driver doesn’t use the caution they should, they might breach their duty of care to other drivers.
- Causation: Plaintiffs must prove a direct link between the other driver’s breach of duty and the injuries suffered.
- Damages: Actual damages, such as medical expenses, proof of injury, lost wages, and other costs, can be used to show damages.
Your motorcycle accident attorney will use different types of evidence to prove your claim, including:
- Medical reports
- Medical bills
- Police reports
- Photo evidence
- Video footage
- Eyewitness testimony
- Expert witnesses
- Accident reconstruction experts
A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer will know where to find evidence and how to use it in your case.
Can I Still Collect if I Was Partly to Blame for a Motorcycle Accident in New York?
You can still file a personal injury claim and collect damages in New York even if you shared fault for the accident. Under New York’s pure comparative negligence rule, accident victims can collect damages even if they were partly to blame for the accident. In fact, a victim can still collect, even if they were more responsible than the other party, under pure comparative negligence.
However, your payment for the claim would be reduced in relation to your percentage of responsibility for the crash. For example, if you were 50% responsible for a claim worth $100,000 overall, you would only collect $50,000.
Insurance companies and defense attorneys will try to use these rules to their advantage and lower your payment by blaming you. Experienced Syracuse motorcycle accident lawyers know what to expect and will fight to lower your percentage of liability, if any.
The bottom line is that you should not let your share of possible blame keep you from talking to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Syracuse, NY.
What Is the Deadline to File a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit in New York?
The New York statute of limitations in a car accident case is three years from the time of the accident in most cases. Some exceptions could apply, so consult your lawyer. A skilled New York motorcycle accident lawyer will work to build your case and meet all filing deadlines expected of you.
If you were involved in a motorcycle accident caused by a negligent driver in Syracuse, NY, you have legal options. You could be entitled to collect money damages from the responsible driver in your claim. The dedicated legal team at Passalacqua & Associates, LLC can help you seek the justice you deserve after an unexpected motorcycle accident. Call our law office to schedule a consultation with a Syracuse motorcycle accident lawyer today.