Trusted Minneapolis Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
It happens in the blink of an eye: You are traveling down a Minneapolis roadway, and suddenly, out of nowhere, you are struck by a car driven by someone who failed to look at both corners before proceeding. Your life changes at that instant.
If a motorcycle accident injured you in Minneapolis, you need immediate medical attention. Once you have sought and received that attention, your next call should be to Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers. Our Minneapolis motorcycle accident lawyer can help you learn about your legal rights and options and guide you through the next steps in your recovery journey.
When Motorcycle Collisions Occur, Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers Can Help
We have a history of success. Those who speak with any of our clients will learn that we take care of them, communicate with them during every step of the process, and relentlessly pursue fair settlements for all of our injured clients.
We believe in holding responsible parties financially accountable for their negligence. Our past successes do not mean we will be successful in every case in the future. However, our track record speaks for itself. We have been repeating these successes for over fourteen years and intend to continue advocating for our Minneapolis neighbors who suffer injuries.
Injured in Minneapolis? Get Nicolet.
Victims and the Injuries Suffered in Motorcycle Collisions
Motor vehicles provide exterior protection, seatbelts, windshields, and, in some cases, airbags that deploy on impact to protect passengers. Motorcycles have no such barriers, meaning a car striking a motorcycle will cause the motorcycle operator far more serious injuries. While a motorcycle rider who wears a helmet may be able to avoid some amount of head trauma, the physical effects of a motorcycle crash are largely unavoidable.
Many motorcycle accident victims suffer catastrophic injuries. Some of the more common ones in the more than 8,700 victims suffered after a motorcycle accident in Minnesota recently include:
- Fractured or broken bones
- Injuries to the ears or eyes
- Head and neck trauma
- Concussions and traumatic brain injuries
- Shoulder and back injuries
Any one of these injuries could lead to other problems. Some injured motorcyclists suffer paralysis, others lose a limb due to infection or crushing injuries, and unfortunately, more than 40 people annually lose their lives while traveling on a motorcycle.
Motorcycle Accident Injury Liability
You are injured. The accident was not your fault. Now, it is time to determine who caused your injury.
This is a complicated task that, in some cases, takes time. Chances are, police issued a report after the accident. The report may name the at-fault party.
However, other factors may determine liability for your injuries:
- What caused the accident? If a driver veering out of the way of another driver caused the accident, another driver may bear fault. An unmarked road hazard may cause a municipality to be partially liable.
- Did someone employ the other driver? If the taxi, rideshare, or delivery driver injures you, their employer may bear some liability for your injuries.
- Did the car the other driver was operating have a mechanical failure? If the driver’s brakes or tires failed, there is a possibility the manufacturer or distributor of a part may have caused a failure.
You might find the answers to these questions in potential surveillance videos taken by nearby businesses or traffic cameras. Your motorcycle accident attorney may obtain these recordings if you contact them quickly. Remember, the software that records this data may overwrite it after a short time.
The legal team at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers leaves no stone unturned in finding out who caused an accident and ensures the liable parties are always held accountable in a personal injury claim. We are aggressive in pursuing every possible avenue of compensation for your injuries.
Potential Damages After a Minneapolis Motorcycle Accident
During an initial consultation, potential clients always ask us what damage they may collect.
Your case is unique. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to your question.
However, you may pursue damages for:
- Injury-related medical bills — you may include reasonable and customary medical expenses that you pay out of pocket in your claim. Remember, this broad category includes medical devices like crutches, canes, and wheelchairs. You may include medications, the cost of specialized tests, and transportation to and from medical appointments in this category.
- Estimated future medical expenses — when a motorcycle accident victim is disabled or suffers a permanent injury, they may be facing future medical costs, including tests, rehabilitation, or ongoing follow-up care. Your motorcycle accident attorney and your medical team can estimate these costs over time and include them in your claim.
- Lost wages during recovery — recovering from a motorcycle accident injury can take several weeks or months. During that time, you may take home less money than you would if you were working. Some victims may need to use vacation or personal days while they are waiting for disability payments. You may include any shortfall from your normal income in your motorcycle accident claim.
- Future loss of income — victims who cannot return to their jobs, or any jobs, may include the loss of income that they could have earned in their settlement claim. Discuss with your attorney whether to include this in the settlement demand.
- Property damage — motorcycles can end up being a tangled mess of metal following a collision. The party responsible for the accident should pay for repairs or replacements. Most motorcycle operators wear specialized protective clothing that may also need replacing following an accident.
- Pain and suffering — When you’re injured in a motorcycle accident, the financial costs are just the tip of the iceberg. Your invisible pain deserves just as much care and compensation as your physical injuries and your monetary losses.
These are only some of the potential damages you might include in a settlement demand. The attorney who handles your case at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers will explore every possible area of compensation and ensure your demand is fair so you do not suffer financially from an injury you didn't cause.
We Hold the Insurance Company Accountable
When you suffer an injury in a Minneapolis motorcycle accident, insurance issues are complicated.
Remember, Minnesota is a no-fault auto insurance state. For victims of a roadway accident, this would normally mean filing your initial claim with your own insurance company. However, things work differently when the victim operates a motorcycle and does not opt to purchase optional personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. In this case, you will file your claim with the responsible party’s insurer. It will likely make the process difficult.
Always keep in mind that insurance company adjusters are going to flood you with questions about the accident. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we strongly encourage Minneapolis motorcycle accident victims not to discuss their case with an insurance adjuster before speaking with a personal injury attorney. This protects you and your claim against the at-fault party.
How Insurance Companies Seek to Devalue Motorcycle Accident Cases
Insurance adjusters are not there to help you. They are there to protect the insurance company. Even when they clearly represent the at-fault party, they will go out of their way to avoid paying a claim or paying the full amount of the claim.
They may:
- Blame the accident on you — this is a pretty common tactic that an insurer will use. This is one reason why you must avoid simple statements at the scene of an accident, such as “I am sorry,” “I did not see you,” or anything that implies you had any responsibility for the accident.
- Blame the accident on other factors — poor road conditions, a defect in the vehicle, an animal running out into the road, or other ways of deflecting blame are common. However, keep in mind that all drivers must control their vehicles. Other factors in the accident may open alternative avenues for you to recover compensation for your injuries.
- Minimize your injuries — it is difficult to take the stance that you were injured, but your injuries are not as serious as you claim. However, that will not stop an insurance adjuster. They may track you on social media to determine your comings and goings, request your full medical records to show the accident did not cause your injury, or try other tactics.
Always remember that every insurance company has a legal team standing behind them, helping them fight against a claim. That is why a Minneapolis motorcycle accident victim has to have an attorney who will advocate on their behalf.
Insurers are not going to explain your rights to you. What may occur is shortly after a motorcycle accident, you may receive a settlement offer. Do not be lulled into thinking this is because they are doing the right thing. Chances are that this offer will be a small portion of what you may be entitled to collect for your injuries.
Call a Motorcycle Accident Attorney Before Accepting a Settlement Offer
Never let an insurer talk you into signing anything without first having your motorcycle accident attorney review the document. Remember, once you accept a settlement, the insurance company is no longer responsible for any losses you may suffer because of your injury.
Every insurance company and the adjusters who work for them understand victims are short on cash because of being out of work following an injury. That is one reason why they try to encourage you to accept a fast settlement and not get a motorcycle accident lawyer involved in the claims process.
When you partner with Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers to handle your Minneapolis motorcycle accident claim, we work tirelessly to get you the fair compensation you deserve for your injuries. We know how to deal with insurance companies and can negotiate with them on your behalf.
Accident victims have only a limited time after a Minneapolis motorcycle accident to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit. They have only six months after an accident to file a claim with the responsible party's insurance company. While both of these deadlines may seem far away, remember there is a lot of work to do before you get to either point.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Minnesota Motorcycle Accident Attorney?
Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers understand that finances matter when a motorcycle accident injures you and you are out of work. You feel you cannot justify hiring an attorney, putting an additional financial burden on your family. You bear no financial burden in hiring us to represent you in a motorcycle accident claim.
Your initial consultation with us is free. In fact, if your injuries prevent you from coming to our offices, we can come to you for a consultation. During the consultation, we will review the facts surrounding your accident and discuss the extent of your injuries. We can discuss your legal options to collect compensation under Minnesota law.
Once we meet with you, you may decide what is right for you and your family. We will then draw up a retainer agreement. Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers will not collect any attorney fees unless and until we have successfully obtained a settlement or judgment on your behalf. In actuality, the at-fault party pays us a percentage of your settlement or judgment.
Minneapolis Motorcycle Accident FAQ
Being involved in a motorcycle accident is always a terrible experience. You may face all kinds of challenges in recovering physically and emotionally. Plus, you’ll likely have to find other means of transportation while your motorcycle undergoes repairs.
If you’ve been in a motorcycle accident in Minneapolis, you’re not alone. Minnesotans have registered over 230,000 motorcycles, and as part of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis is one of the busiest areas in the state. Many drivers of motorcycles have suffered from accidents in or near Minneapolis, with 840 motorcyclists injured in the state last year.
While you must focus on seeking medical treatment and recovering after your accident, you probably have many questions about how to get justice if another driver causes your motorcycle accident. That’s where we can help. Below, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions we get about motorcycle accidents. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
How Do I Know if I Can File a Motorcycle Accident Injury Claim?
An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will know if you have a valid claim. The basis for this kind of personal injury case involves these criteria:
- That the person (usually another driver) who caused your accident owed you a duty of care. Every driver on the road owes others the duty any reasonable person could expect to prevent accidents and harm.
- That the person who caused your accident breached their duty.
- That their negligence caused your accident.
- That the accident led to severe injuries and other types of suffering for you and your loved ones.
If you can prove those four main things, you may bring a claim against another person. In this claim, you should be able to recover most of the economic and non-economic losses you sustained because of the other driver’s careless actions.
You must bring the injury claim as soon as possible, however. In Minnesota, as in most states, you have a limited time to do so. You can’t recover anything if you miss the deadline.
What Kinds of Damages Can I Collect In a Motorcycle Accident Claim?
Anyone in an accident who can file a motorcycle accident claim may recover damages to cover what they have lost. In a typical accident claim, you can recover basic economic damages and certain non-economic damages.
The common damages you can recover include:
- Medical expenses, including surgery costs, prescription costs, bills for chiropractic and other treatments, and certain equipment such as prosthetics or wheelchairs.
- Property damage expenses for reparations to the motorcycle and other property damaged in the crash.
- Pain and suffering.
- Emotional distress and trauma resulting from the accident.
- Loss of life enjoyment for those unable to enjoy certain activities they used to love after an accident (certain sports, for example).
- Loss of consortium.
- Disability, disfigurement, or severe scarring.
These are the most commonly collected damages. However, you may have the opportunity to collect other types of damages in certain situations. If a loved one died in the crash, you can collect further damages for end-of-life expenses and certain lost services, in addition to others. You must contact a motorcycle accident attorney who can help you determine the damages you can collect in your specific accident claim.
What Is The Process for a Motorcycle Accident Claim?
A lawyer can make a long, complex motorcycle accident claim much easier.
The typical process of a motorcycle accident claim goes something like this:
- Contact a motorcycle accident attorney for a free consultation. They will tell you how successful they think your case will be and set up a time to meet if you’re interested.
- Meet with your lawyer and discuss your case in detail. If you both feel that you’re a good fit, you can sign the paperwork there to start on your claim.
- Gather evidence. Your lawyers will probably handle most of this. They’ll need to get hold of your medical bills and records, bills for property damage, photos or video of the scene, and likely personal testimony from you on how your life has changed for the worse after your accident.
- Send a demand letter. Your lawyers will write a demand letter to send to the responsible party and/or their insurance company, explaining why you deserve compensation.
- Receive an answer. Within a set time, the defendant must either deny your claim or make an initial settlement offer.
- Gather more evidence. While waiting for the right settlement, lawyers will gather further evidence. They will each share the evidence they have gathered with the other side. They will also send out written questionnaires or interrogatories and take depositions (oral statements) from involved parties and important witnesses.
- Negotiate for a settlement. Both sides will negotiate to attempt a favorable settlement for all. Your lawyer will bring each settlement offer before you and discuss whether you should accept it or ask for more.
- Go to court. If you can't settle, you will have to go to court with your case. This process often takes up to a year or more to complete.
- Receive a verdict. In court, the judge and jury will decide the value of your claim and assign the responsible party to pay a set amount of damages to you.
- Recover your money. If you win, your lawyer will help you get your check, and you can go back to normal life with your winnings.
This is the process for a simple motorcycle accident claim. In more complex cases, you may have to deal with further steps. Your attorney will help you along the way.
Who Can Sue In a Motorcycle Accident Claim?
Pretty much anyone who was injured in a motorcycle accident can sue. If you were the motorcycle driver or passenger, you can sue the driver who caused your crash. Sometimes, passengers of the car or truck that caused the crash may sue as well. The only people who can’t sue are those who were responsible for the accident.
What Do I Do After a Motorcycle Accident?
Immediately following a motorcycle accident, you’re probably going to be quite stressed and unsure what to do next to recover. The most important thing for you to do is seek medical attention, but you can take many other steps.
Each of these can help you as you recover and prepare for a motorcycle accident claim, should you need to pursue one.
- Call an ambulance. The most important thing to do after an accident is immediately call an ambulance and get medical attention for yourself and anyone else who needs it.
- Call the police. In most states, the police must attend accident scenes with injuries or significant damage. It helps to call the police so you can get them to fill out a police report for you. This report will detail as much as the police know (and guess, based on experience and evidence) about how the accident happened and who caused it. This report will help if you file a motorcycle accident claim.
- Take photos of the accident scene. Pay special attention to any injuries or property damage when taking photos. These images will provide useful evidence in a motorcycle accident claim.
- Exchange contact information. You will want to get contact information from the other driver, of course, but you will also want it from any witnesses at the accident scene. Again, the witnesses will provide essential evidence for a motorcycle accident claim.
- Exchange insurance information. Talk to the other driver and get their insurance information. If the accident was their fault, you must file a claim against their insurance to recover your losses.
- Call your insurance company. You must report any accident to your insurance company. Call us, and let us do this for you so you don’t say anything that could harm your case.
- Call our motorcycle accident attorneys. If you want to file a motorcycle accident claim, you will have to meet certain legal thresholds in Minnesota. You will also need to gather a lot of evidence. A motorcycle accident attorney can help you through the process so you don’t have to worry about meeting the criteria and building a strong claim on your own.
Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer for My Motorcycle Accident Claim?
Hiring a lawyer is not a requirement under the law, but few people file motorcycle accident claims without help from a lawyer. There are many benefits to having a lawyer on your side to help you through your motorcycle accident claim.
For one thing, proving that you have a legitimate claim is challenging. Insurance companies responsible for paying for your damages will do all they can to make you pay them. In addition, you’ll have to gather a lot of evidence from medical professionals, the police department, and other witnesses of your accident. This process can take time.
Our motorcycle accident lawyers know the law inside out, so they can help you confidently prove your claim’s legitimacy. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. When you do, you’ll find help dealing with your claim. You can also count on us to do all we can to help you as you start on the path to recovery.
After your motorcycle accident, don’t wait to seek help in developing and pursuing a motorcycle accident injury claim.
Get Results with an Experienced Minneapolis Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Whether you are a motorcycle accident victim or you lost a loved one in a Minneapolis motorcycle accident, Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers are here to help. Call (612) 688-4459 right away to schedule your free initial consultation, or fill out our online contact form.
Minneapolis Office
Address: 43 SE Main Street, Suite #500,Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: (612) 888-8258