Riding a motorcycle is a fantastic way to experience the open road. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most dangerous ways. Motorcyclists are easy to miss, especially from the driver’s seat of a car. If you or someone you love has been hit by a car while on your motorcycle in Charlotte because the driver didn’t check their blind spot, you have options available to you. Don’t let a blind spot accident determine your future. Call the Charlotte motorcycle accident attorneys of DeMayo Law Offices toll-free at (704) 333-1000 today to discuss how you could get compensation for your injuries.
A blind spot motorcycle accident occurs when the driver of a car doesn’t check their blind spots before making a turn or changing lanes and strikes a motorcycle that is sharing the road with them. Motorcycles are by nature more dangerous to their riders than cars are to their passengers. Motorcycles lack the enclosed crash protection of modern cars, and many bikes are designed for high performance. According to the International Institute for Highway Safety, in 2018, motorcyclists were 27 times more likely to die in a crash than passengers in cars.
This level of danger is increased by the fact that blind spots are getting bigger. The current craze for SUVs in America means that the average size of vehicles sold in this country has grown every year since 1990. Trucks have increased more than 30% in average weight over the last thirty years.
But it’s not just trucks and SUVs – cars built in the last ten years have favored a design that raises beltlines, the line at the bottom of the window, higher and higher from the ground while lowering the overall height of the vehicle. This means that the space for windows in cars has gotten smaller, which leads to less overall visibility and more blind spot motorcycle accidents.
Though you are certainly able to file a personal injury claim on your own, having an experienced attorney to assist you can pay off in the end. An attorney with experience in blind spot accidents can share their knowledge and familiarity with the process and help you avoid legal pitfalls and novice mistakes.
They can assure that your claim is complete and supported by evidence and can also file suit against the responsible party if the insurance company denies your claim for damages. They also know how to deal with insurance companies and adjusters that are highly skilled at bullying accident victims into accepting settlements far below what they deserve.
Hiring an attorney isn’t just good sense. It can mean more money: a study conducted by the Insurance Research Council showed that in personal injury accident claims where the other driver was at fault, those who had retained legal counsel averaged 3.5 times more money in settlement amounts than those without counsel.
The process of getting compensation for your accident starts with retaining an attorney, preferably one with experience handling claims involving blind spot motorcycle accidents. Your attorney will ask several questions about the accident itself, which may include the following:
Based on your answer to these and other questions, your attorney will start building your personal injury claim.
The next step is investigating what actually happened. Your lawyer will gather evidence from the accident and compare it to your account of events. This evidence can include eyewitness statements, police reports, medical records, or photos of the aftermath of the accident. Based on this investigation they will make an assessment of the value of your claim and decide how much compensation to request from the liable party’s insurance company.
Next, they will make a settlement demand for compensation to the insurance company. They may also file a lawsuit in North Carolina court for monetary damages. Sometimes, having a lawsuit on the court’s records helps the insurance company respond to your claim and urges them to act more quickly than they otherwise might.
The insurance company will conduct their own investigation into the accident and your injuries, and if it determines that their client was at fault, it will likely enter into settlement negotiations with your attorney. These negotiations can be intense, and your attorney’s experience will help you determine how much money your case is worth. The insurer may send a settlement offer that is below the amount you requested. You should discuss any settlement offer with your attorney before accepting it. If you do not agree with the settlement amount, you may decide to decline the settlement and take the case to court.
Accidents are just that, accidents. No one plans to get hit by a car while on their motorcycle, and planning to pay for an attorney to help you with a personal injury claim is not something most motorcycle riders do.
DeMayo Law Offices understands this and works on what’s called a contingency-fee basis. This means that their clients pay nothing upfront. The accident victim still gets quality legal representation but doesn’t have to worry about paying for anything immediately.
When you hire DeMayo Law Offices, you’ll be the beneficiary of this contingency-fee agreement. You will owe us nothing until we win a settlement or award for you in court. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing. Simple as that.
DeMayo Law Offices has dozens of legal professionals with over 150 years combined experience standing by 24 hours a day to take your call. Don’t let your blind spot motorcycle accident send you and your family into a spiral of medical debt and lost wages. Call DeMayo Law Offices toll-free at (704) 333-1000 for a free consultation and let us help you get the compensation and justice you deserve.
