Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Serving Douglasville, Georgia

If you or someone close to you has been hurt in a motorcycle accident in Georgia, the motorcycle accident attorneys of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., are ready to help you. You likely already know the specific challenges that come with a serious motorcycle crash – the devastating injuries, lost income, costly damage to your property, and the challenge of proving that you were not the one who was driving recklessly.

Motorcycle accident victims face these challenges and others. They are more likely to be severely harmed in the event of a crash, even those at low speeds. When seeking compensation, bikers often have to face unfair biases on the part of insurance company representatives who might think that all motorcycle riders are risk-takers who flout the rules.

To the motorcycle injury attorneys at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., you’re not a rebel just because you ride a motorcycle. If you’re hurt, we are ready to fight for the compensation that you are owed.

Our trial attorneys have more than 85 years of experience helping our friends and neighbors in Douglasville and surrounding areas. We’re here to stand up for you after a serious motorcycle crash. To the insurance company, you might be just a number, but to us, you’re our neighbor and our friend. We’re ready to put our experience and skill to work for you.

To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case with an experienced Georgia motorcycle accident attorney, contact us by phone or online today.

Why Are Motorcycle Accident Cases More Complex?

Motorcycle accident claims are often more complex because of the severe injuries that are the unfortunate-yet-common result of crashes involving motorcycles and larger motor vehicles. Victims often suffer catastrophic injuries that could require lengthy treatment and rehabilitation, or may have a permanent impact on their health, mobility, and life.

There are also limitations to what people know about motorcycle accident laws in Georgia. For example, state law requires all riders to wear helmets. However, failure to wear a helmet should not prevent an injured motorcyclist from recovering compensation from the party at fault for the crash.

Motorcycle helmet on a wet street.Lane-splitting is illegal in Georgia, and accidents in which the rider was illegally lane-splitting could discount the accident claim altogether, something that many bikers don’t know.

There are other elements that make motorcycle claims more complex, including:

  • Jury bias. A personal injury lawyer with trial experience will likely build your case for trial, regardless whether the case goes that far. Jurors are often biased against motorcyclists, with some believing they shouldn’t be on the road in the first place. Many members of the public view all motorcyclists as rebels and risk-takers. Overcoming this bias can be challenging.
  • Insurer bias. Insurers may try to take advantage of society’s anti-motorcyclist prejudice. They often categorize motorcyclists as “high-risk,” make every attempt to downgrade the severity of the accident and even shift the blame onto the biker.

When you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle accident or if you’ve lost someone close to you in a motorcycle crash, don’t despair. Legal help is available to you to help ensure you get the compensation and justice that you deserve. By hiring an attorney with the right experience, skill, and resources to handle your case, you will have a better chance of getting the money you need to rebuild and move on with your life.

How Can a Douglasville Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help?

Most motorcycle accident victims lack the necessary resources, time, or experience to fight insurance companies alone. There’s a professional way to approach insurers using a language they’ll easily understand – an approach that takes years to perfect, which is why retaining an experienced accident attorney is the preferred method of litigating accident claims.

Georgia motorcycle accident lawyers like those at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., have experience in insurance law. They know how the adjusters and the insurer’s counsel will approach the case. Having this experience allows negotiations to go much smoother than if an insurer phones the motorcycle victim and either outright denies their claim or offers them a lowball settlement to get them to go away.

Other compelling reasons why motorcycle accident attorneys are far more skilled at negotiations and handling these cases than the average person include:

  • Attorneys are aware of filing deadlines, when and why motions should be filed, all motorcycle safety laws, and what statute of limitations applies to your case. They are adequately equipped to handle cases where at-fault party falsehoods are extraneous at best.
  • Attorneys can subpoena sensitive information related to your accident much faster than non-attorney litigants.

If those reasons aren’t compelling enough, remember that motorcycle accident attorneys and their respective firms foot the entire bill-paying their staff, filing fees, and any extra bills that may relate to your case — and charge you nothing if you lose.

For many, this is reason enough to retain legal help after an accident.

What are the Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?

Because motorcycles offer little to no protection in the event of a crash, riders can suffer severe and possibly fatal injuries. At Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., our motorcycle accident attorneys have helped individuals who have suffered from injuries including:

While some of the most common motorcycle accident injuries (like broken bones and road rash) may not seem catastrophic, they can have lasting consequences. Victims may suffer serious infections, permanent nerve damage, or disfigurement following a motorcycle crash.

What Compensation is Available in a Motorcycle Crash Claim in Douglasville, GA?

Judges, attorneys, insurers, and adjusters don’t have numerical values assigned to various aspects of an accident. Each person’s injury is specific to their situation, and theirs alone. The following is a breakdown of settlement factors that will go into your accident claim:

  • Settlement value versus trial value. Each case has the potential to undergo a lengthy court trial. While your accident attorney may prepare for court, the insurer generally wants to avoid lengthy trials unless the circumstances are so unique that they stand an equal chance of winning. If the trial value of your claim is $500,000 and the chances of you succeeding at trial are rather high, your attorney may advise you to settle for 50 to 80 percent of trial value. Conversely, if the attorney believes your case may have less chance of succeeding, your settlement may drop to 10 to 20 percent of trial value.
  • Man calculating his medical costs.Future earnings capacity. Another component of your settlement involves earning capacity. If you made $60,000 per year, but your accident left you unable to secure more than part-time work valued at $28,000 per year, you lost $32,000 in earning capacity (multiplied by the remaining years left before normal retirement age). This calculation is moot should the victim succumb to their injuries, in which case a wrongful death action will be more appropriate.
  • Economic and noneconomic damages. Your accident had predictable losses (medical bills, a wrecked motorcycle, lost wages, lost employment benefits) and unpredictable losses (pain and suffering, loss of consortium). Calculable losses are easy to list, while pain and suffering may require extra proof (psychological evaluation, family testimony).
  • Insurance limitations. Most policies have restrictions on how much accident claims can pay out. While insurers have the means to pay these claims, surplus amounts may not be covered or payable if juries award excessive amounts to the injured victim, and the at-fault party lacks the means to pay a judgment. Therefore, in some cases, settlements are based on the limitations of the insurance policy.

Your attorney will take the figures from the calculations above, come up with a fair settlement amount, and approach your insurer’s counsel. They can accept, reject, or request an amendment prior to acceptance.

Many attorneys have access to settlement and verdict data, and while they usually won’t base your claim on historical data, they can get an idea of the settlement range from similar cases.

How Long Do You Have to File a Claim After a Motorcycle Crash in GA

In Georgia, the statute of limitations for filing personal injury actions including motorcycle injury claims is two years. After that period has ended, the courts will usually turn cases away unless they qualify for a very narrow exception.

Tips for Dealing with an Insurance Company After a Motorcycle Accident in Douglasville

Close-up of a motorcycle, crushed by a severe accident.If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle crash, it is important to remember that the insurance company is not on your side. Like any business, the insurer is out to make money, despite what their commercials might portray. They will likely look for any reason to deny your claim or will try to get you to accept a settlement for as little money as possible out of their pockets.

This is why it is critical to have an experienced attorney on your side to help guide you through the claims process. It is also crucial to remember the following tips for dealing with your insurer:

  • Remember that the insurance representative is not your friend. While insurance company representatives may seem friendly and may act like they are interested in your wellbeing, it is important to remember that they have a job to do. They are tasked with protecting the company’s bottom-line, not taking care of you and your family. There is usually a significant gap between what you deserve and what the company wants to pay. That’s why it is a good idea to approach every interaction with insurance company representatives with caution.
  • Never negotiate alone. Insurers want you to discuss settlements without an attorney. Injured persons are often desperate for something, and adjusters know this. The sooner they can get you to settle, the better for them. For these reasons, never negotiate alone behind closed doors or sign any legal document without the benefit of advice from your own attorney.
  • Never give recorded statements. You may be asked to give an oral statement recorded by the adjuster or the insurer’s counsel.  These recorded statements are usually designed to implicate you as the faulty party, not their client. Politely decline, and let your attorney do the talking for you.
  • If possible, avoid them altogether. You’re under no obligation to do anything, apart from reporting the accident to your insurance company. Retaining a lawyer for every activity that is expected to transpire is well within your consumer and legal rights. Insurers may make you believe an attorney is powerless to negotiate your settlement, but that’s not true. There’s no better supporter an injured person could ask for than an experienced motorcycle attorney.
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Contact an Experienced Douglasville Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today

The Georgia motorcycle injury lawyers of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., represent people who have been hurt in motorcycle crashes in Douglasville and surrounding areas. With more than 85 years of combined experience, we know how to seek results for you and your loved ones. We are committed to helping our friends and neighbors pursue the justice and fair compensation that they are owed.

Experience, dedication, and knowledge of insurance law are what our attorneys bring to every case we handle.

If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident in Georgia, don’t let insurers bully you into an unfair settlement. Contact us today, and we’ll review your case and discuss your legal options during a free consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t owe us anything unless and until we recover compensation for you.

There is a reason why so many people in Douglasville, GA trust us to help them in their time of need. Call us or fill out a contact form to speak with an expert motorcycle accident lawyer on our team today.