Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in Lakewood

Helping Victims of Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Driving a motorcycle in Lakewood can be fun, convenient, and cost-effective. Unfortunately, many drivers don’t know what to do with motorcycles. When cars and motorcycles collide, the motorcycle’s smaller size and open nature put its rider at risk. All too often, cars directly strike motorcycles or send riders flying, leading to catastrophic injuries.

At The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, our Lakewood motorcycle accident lawyers believe in holding reckless drivers accountable for the injuries they cause. We have provided legal services to personal injury victims in Washington State for over 60 years. In that time, we have seen our fair share of motorcyclists who have suffered serious injuries. If you or someone you know sustained injuries in a motorcycle crash, our lawyers can fight for you. We serve clients all over Washington, including in:

• Lakewood
• Tacoma
• Olympia
• Puyallup
• Chehalis
• Bremerton

Call (253) 588-6696 to contact a Lakewood personal injury attorney.

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.

Causes Of Motorcycle Accidents

Not only are motorcycles much smaller than cars, they are also much less common on Washington roads. Motorcyclists make up just 3 percent of all road traffic in Washington state, which means many drivers are not used to dealing with them. Academic studies on motorcycle accidents have shown that accidents involving motorcycles frequently result from other motorists failing to notice nearby motorcycles or respect their right-of-way.

Some of the most common causes of Lakewood motorcycle accidents include:

• Cars turning left in front of a motorcycle: Drivers frequently fail to notice oncoming motorcyclists or don’t recognize their right-of-way.
• Rear-ending the motorcycle at an intersection: When a car rear-ends another car, the damage is often minor. Unfortunately, rear-ending a motorcycle has more severe consequences because of the weight difference between a car and a motorcycle. The collision might knock the motorcyclist off their bike, the other driver might run the motorcycle over, or the crash might push the motorcycle into traffic.
• Opening a car door while a motorcycle is coming: When people open car doors into traffic without checking for motorcycles, accidents can easily occur.
• Changing lanes with a motorcycle in the blind spot: Motorcycles are smaller and therefore easier to miss when drivers check their blind spots.
• Head-on collisions: These accidents are especially serious for motorcyclists, as motorcycles are not designed to protect their drivers from this impact.

Whatever the cause of the accident, it is often bad for the driver but usually much worse for the motorcyclist. The Lakewood, WA, personal injury lawyers at The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs are ready to assist in any motorcycle accident case.

Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents

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. A motorcycle crash will often throw the rider off their bike, leading to a hard impact with the ground. Due to all these factors, motorcycle crashes are 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 in accidents:

• Head injuries: It is important to always wear a helmet, but even if you do, a crash can knock your head around and result in brain injuries. Common brain injuries from motorcycle crashes include concussions, migraines, cluster headaches, and mood swings.
• Neck injuries: These often go along with head injuries, particularly if the head receives a direct impact. Since the neck houses part of the spinal cord, neck injuries can result in nerve damage or even paralysis.
• Arm injuries: Many motorcyclists instinctively try to catch themselves on their arms after being ejected, leading to arm injuries.
• Road rash: Any motorcyclist who has ever fallen off their bike knows that dragging on the road can do some serious damage to your skin. This road rash is even worse when your body is traveling at high speeds.
• Leg injuries: Whether your legs hit the ground or parts of your bike, you are likely to suffer broken bones or other serious injuries.
• Other broken bones: When your body hits a car or the road, no bone is safe from the impact.
• Burns: These injuries are particularly likely if the accident results in an explosion or you touch hot vehicle parts.

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 suffered due to a motorcycle accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you pursue compensation.

What To Do After a Motorcycle Accident

Motorcycle accidents are often traumatic, and the rider is often too severely injured to do anything at all. However, if you can take these steps after a crash, they can help maximize your chance at receiving fair compensation for your injuries.

• First and foremost, call 911. Apart from making sure anyone who needs medical assistance gets it, the police can help document the accident and its causes.
• Get the name, phone number, and insurance information of everyone involved in the accident. Be sure to record license plate numbers as well, in case the information you receive is inaccurate.
• Take clear photos of the scene before accident crews clear it away. Make sure to get as many angles as possible and to photograph anything that might be relevant to the accident. Get pictures of all the vehicles involved.
• If the accident occurred in a town or city, look around to see if there are any nearby traffic or surveillance cameras that may have recorded the incident. Nearby gas stations or convenience stores may have cameras with a view of the accident scene. It is important to request these tapes as soon as possible, before the footage is deleted. Accident footage, when available, is one of the best ways to make a strong personal injury claim.
• Seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think you require an ambulance, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Motorcycle collisions often result in serious injuries, but those injuries may not be immediately apparent. It is important to get any injuries checked out immediately to establish a causal link to the accident.
• Make sure to follow any medical advice your doctor gives. Be sure to carefully follow any instructions regarding rehabilitation from your injuries. For example, if your doctor recommends bed rest and the other driver’s insurance company finds social media photos of you playing soccer, they may argue that you are feigning your injuries.

Proving Fault In A Washington State Motorcycle Accident

Legally, motorcycles are treated just like cars. In Washington State, the pure comparative negligence rule applies to motorcycle crashes. Under this legal doctrine, fault is assigned to each driver involved in the collision according to their degree of negligence. There are cases where one driver is 100 percent at fault, but many collisions result from multiple drivers failing to follow the rules of the road.

Suppose you were found 40 percent at fault for the accident, and the court determined that your damages were $100,000. In this example, you could recover $60,000 for your damages, but not the full 100 percent, because of your shared fault in causing the accident.

A driver acts negligently when they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent an accident. For instance, drivers must 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 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 highway safety experts and investigators to ensure our client’s cases have as much concrete evidence as possible.

You Could Be Owed Compensation If You Were Hurt In A Motorcycle Crash

Many people know 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 compensation for injuries someone else caused. A successful personal injury suit can help you win compensation for many of the costs resulting from a motorcycle accident, including:

• Medical bills
• Motorcycle repairs or replacement
• Lost wages due to time off work
• Future lost income due to disability
• Physical therapy costs
• Physical and emotional pain and suffering
• Transportation and other miscellaneous costs

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. They might also result in early-onset arthritis, which can severely hamper your quality of life.

Likewise, a long recovery process’s physical, psychological, and emotional toll can significantly strain the victim and their family. However, in most cases, injured motorcyclists only have one chance to receive compensation for their injuries. Therefore, these future costs must be represented in plaintiffs’ compensation for their injuries.

What Is a Motorcycle Accident Personal Injury Claim Worth?

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); and the pain and suffering, both physical and emotional, of the plaintiff and their family. To accurately assess the value of your claim, you need to consult with an attorney familiar with motorcycle accident cases.

At The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, our personal injury lawyers have the experience 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.

Wrongful Death Claims For Families Of Motorcycle Accident Victims

Unfortunately, many motorcycle accidents prove deadly. Motorcyclists are nearly 20 times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than 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:

• The representative of the deceased person’s estate
• The deceased person’s spouse or domestic partner
• The deceased person’s children or stepchildren
• If the deceased person had none of the above, their parents or siblings
• If you are unsure whether you are eligible to file a wrongful death claim, an experienced personal injury attorney can help determine if you can.

In the aftermath of a personal tragedy like this, insurance companies may take advantage of your grief by pressuring you to accept a minimal settlement. In these situations, thinking of your and your family’s financial future is important. 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 The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs understand how important it is to secure your family’s future in the face of personal tragedy, so we fight hard to ensure our clients get the payout they deserve.

Contact Us

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.