Many bikers will tell you that one of the attractions of riding a motorcycle is experiencing the natural beauty of places across South Carolina, including right here in Summerville, “The City in the Pines.”
Bikers are frequently spotted traveling the rural roads and highways around Summerville and all throughout Dorchester County. Unfortunately, it just takes one irresponsible motorist to quickly turn a pleasant motorcycle ride into an ordeal by causing a crash.
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, you have rights! If your wreck was caused by someone else’s carelessness, you should seek to hold the at-fault driver accountable under the law. You are already dealing with painful injuries, mounting medical bills, and possibly even missing work to deal with the aftermath of the crash.
You don’t have to struggle on your own to pick up the pieces of your life. Let an experienced Summerville motorcycle injury lawyer help you understand your legal rights and seek justice for your losses.
At Joye Law Firm, we know motorcycle wrecks and what it takes to maximize the value of a biker’s case. Oftentimes, insurance companies will intentionally undervalue a biker’s claim in hopes of settling on the cheap. That’s because bikers often face discrimination and are unfairly stereotyped as irresponsible, even when found not at fault. However, with a Joye Law Firm motorcycle attorney on your side, we can put a stop to the insurance company’s games, and help you seek the maximum compensation possible.
For more than 50 years, the injury lawyers of Joye Law Firm have provided reliable legal advice and made a difference in the lives of people in South Carolina struggling to recover from serious injuries. We’re ready to help you.
You can contact us for a free and conferential consultation to evaluate your case. We’ll provide an honest and thorough evaluation of your rights and legal options. If your accident is the type of case we handle, we will offer to represent you on a contingent fee basis. You won’t pay anything out of pocket. We will only charge a legal fee if we win compensation for you. You have nothing to lose, so call us today.
Most Common Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents
Part of the pleasure of riding a motorcycle is the sense of freedom that comes with riding in the open air. Unfortunately, the tradeoff is that motorcycles offer little protection. They lack seatbelts, airbags, and other safety features. This leaves motorcyclists at a greater risk of suffering severe, catastrophic injuries, or fatal injuries if they’re involved in a crash.
The most common motorcycle accident injuries that riders suffer in crashes include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Head and facial injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back, spine, and spinal cord injuries (including paralysis)
- Broken or fractured bones
- Broken ribs and internal organ injuries
- Cuts and lacerations
- Road rash
Several factors may contribute to the severity of the injuries a rider might suffer. These include the size and weight of the motorcycle, the size of the vehicle that collided (or nearly collided) with the motorcycle, and the speed at which both vehicles were traveling.
When Should a Motorcycle Accident Victim Seek Help in Summerville?
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident in Summerville, and are looking for DIY tips on how to manage your own motorcycle claim, here’s one – don’t! The insurance companies prey on people attempting to settle their own claims, and are ready to deploy every trick in the book to devalue your claim.
According to insurance industry research, people with an attorney typically get over three times more money from the insurance company than those representing themselves – even after the lawyer’s fee is paid. That is a strong endorsement for what accident attorneys can do to help.
After a motorcycle wreck, whether it’s a minor scrape or serious accident, do these two things:
- Get medical treatment.
- Contact a motorcycle lawyer.
Even if you don’t require emergency medical services, make sure to visit a doctor or Urgent Care for a thorough evaluation as soon as possible.
Getting checked out is extremely important because if you initially try to “tough it out” and don’t get medical treatment in the immediate days or weeks after the wreck, the insurance company will try to hold it against you. They’ll say your “gap in medical treatment” shows that you weren’t seriously hurt, or that your injuries weren’t caused by the wreck. You’ll want medical documentation to prove them wrong.
Many of our clients, even those with health insurance, often can’t afford to get the medical treatment they need. That’s where our motorcycle accident lawyers can help.
At Joye Law Firm, your team will work with you to find you a medical provider to document your injuries and chart a course of treatment, often with little or no upfront cost to you. Your Summerville motorcycle crash lawyer at Joye Law Firm will then use your medical documentation and crash-related losses to calculate a fair compensation for the harm you’ve suffered due to the crash.
Building a case and negotiating with insurance companies takes time. During this phase of the case, one of our biggest concerns is making sure you receive all the medical treatment necessary. That’s because after you settle your claim, you can’t go back and renegotiate it, even if you discover additional crash-related injuries in the future.
So, you’ll want to make sure that all your injuries and future needs are taken into consideration in your settlement. However, if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair offer, you and your motorcycle accident attorney at Joye Law Firm may opt to file a personal injury lawsuit and pursue justice in court.
Remember, the state of South Carolina has a time limit for filing personal injury lawsuits, known as a statute of limitations. Typically, the statute of limitations on motorcycle accident lawsuits is three years from the date of the accident.
This means that there’s no time to waste seeking help after a motorcycle accident in Summerville, SC. The clock will be ticking on your motorcycle accident case from the moment the crash occurs. Don’t miss out on your right to demand full and fair compensation from the responsible party for the harm you’ve suffered.
Compensation for a Motorcycle Accident
Oftentimes, the injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident can be life-altering or life-threatening.
If you’ve been hurt in a crash in Summerville, Charleston, or anywhere in South Carolina, you could be owed compensation for:
- Medical bills associated with the accident (current and future)
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs
- Prescription medication and medical device costs
- Lost wages if you are forced to miss time from work
- Loss of future earnings if you are partially or completely disabled due to the crash
- Repairs to or replacement of your motorcycle and/or other personal property if it is damaged
- Pain and suffering (including post-traumatic stress and other emotional anguish)
The amount of compensation you may be eligible to recover will vary depending on the severity of your injuries, whether one or more parties have liability for your injuries, and the insurance policies available to provide compensation.
With your health and financial stability at stake, it’s a good idea to hire a motorcycle accident attorney with experience handling motorcycle accident cases. You’ll be able to rest easier knowing that one of our experienced attorneys at Joye Law Firm is fighting for the full compensation you’re owed, just as we have successfully done for many other bikers who once were in your shoes.
Who Is At Fault For Most Motorcycle Accidents?
While most bikers know that it is crucial to be alert, attentive, and cautious at all times when riding, even the most experienced motorcyclist knows that it is impossible to account for the negligence of others.
Far too often, motorcyclists are injured due to the reckless or careless actions of a car driver, trucker, or other.
However, it’s important to note that you may still be able to seek compensation, even if your own actions contributed to the crash.
South Carolina’s negligence doctrine allows accident victims to seek compensation if their portion of the fault is less than 50 percent of the total fault for the accident. Any share of fault you are assigned will reduce the amount of compensation you are awarded by a jury.
Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents include:
- Driver error
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Failure to observe motorcyclists on the road
- Failure to leave an adequate distance between vehicles
- Failure to signal lane changes or turns
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Defective parts or vehicle design
- Unsafe roads or uneven pavement due to a government agency that fails to maintain the road
- Unclear or missing road signage
- Inclement weather
Why Should I Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer to Represent Me?
Seeking compensation after an injury or accident can be challenging. You’re hurting and the claim process is intense and confusing. You might even feel like the deck is stacked against you. Don’t give up. We’re here to tell you there is a way to make it easier on yourself – hire an attorney. Your job should be getting well, your attorney should worry about everything else.
As we mentioned above, bikers often face unique challenges that automobile drivers do not encounter when pursuing a wreck claim. These challenges often arise due to the fact that some people hold negative perceptions of motorcycle riders and may try to blame the motorcyclist for the accident. Because injured bikers often have to deal with additional scrutiny from police, insurance adjusters, and jury members, it is vital to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer who understands the challenges and how to deal with them.
It is unfair that motorcycle riders have to deal with bias and negative stereotypes, but it happens every day.
These are just some of the issues the motorcycle accident lawyers at Joye Law Firm have successfully overcome for our motorcycle accident clients:
- The perception that all motorcycle riders are members of gangs. Motorcyclists come from all walks of life. Most riders are hardworking, middle-class people who enjoy riding for the unique experience that motorcycles provide.
- Bikers are unnecessary risk-takers. In our experience, most motorcyclists are safety conscious and law-abiding riders. They obey traffic rules because they know they have little protection in the event of a motor vehicle accident. While some people do drive aggressively, it is not a problem that is unique to just motorcyclists. In fact, in most wrecks involving a car and a motorcycle, the driver of the car is found to be at fault, not the biker.
These inaccurate stereotypes are something that injured bikers often have to contend with when seeking compensation. Don’t take it. Let our knowledgeable, experienced motorcycle accident lawyers work to combat these misconceptions and build the strongest possible case on your behalf.
BOMB Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Since opening its doors in 1968, Joye Law Firm has helped a significant number of injured bikers receive fair compensation after a motorcycle wreck. In doing so, we’ve found a formula we can successfully apply to help get our clients the maximum compensation possible under the law. However, rather than helping people after an accident, we’d actually prefer to help prevent these accidents in the first place.
That’s why we partnered with Paul Sr. from Orange County Choppers on the BOMB (Back Off My Bike!) awareness campaign. Too often aggressive drivers fail to leave adequate space while following a motorcycle. Since bikes can stop on a dime, a vehicle following a motorcycle too closely is likely to cause a rear-end collision. We’re helping raise awareness for this and other types of dangerous driving that puts bikers at unnecessary risk.
Contact a Summerville Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
The injury attorneys of Joye Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in motorcycle accidents in Summerville and the surrounding areas of South Carolina. We have the skills, experience, and resources to make a difference in the outcome of your case. Find out why so many people have turned to Joye Law Firm for trusted legal advice when they have been hurt by the negligence of others.
We offer a free case review. Contact us by phone, chat with us live, or fill out a contact form to speak with us about your case today.
