Georgia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Our Law Firm Partners Are Here to Protect Injured Motorcycle Riders

Attorney Bob Goldwater founded The Goldwater Law Firm with one mission – to provide compassionate, effective legal aid to as many people as possible. To achieve that goal, he has built a nationwide network of personal injury lawyers dedicated to getting clients the money they need after an accident has turned their lives upside down. 

Our law firm partners will not stand by while insurance companies take advantage of the injured to increase their profits. They will aggressively pursue the maximum compensation possible and support you with respectful, empathetic, and dedicated legal assistance. 

A Georgia motorcycle accident lawyer can do the following to protect your rights and build your claim for compensation:

• Investigate your accident and collect evidence, including photographs, video, and debris from the crash site; surveillance, traffic cam, dash cam, or cell phone footage of the accident; police reports, medical records, and eyewitness testimony. 
• Call on our extensive network of experts, including physicians, crash reconstruction specialists, and economists, to provide reports and testimony when needed. 
• Handle paperwork, deadlines, communications, and other “red” tape so you can focus on healing and getting your life back on track. 
• Tirelessly negotiate for a full and fair settlement and protect you from bad-faith insurance tactics or accidentally saying or doing something that could hurt your claim. 
• Seek compensation with a lawsuit and represent you at trial if that is what it takes to get justice. 

A Georgia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Identify and Pursue Your Damages

Insurance companies improve their bottom line by denying claims and keeping settlements low. There are many strategies they can employ to accomplish this, including putting pressure on victims to accept a quick settlement that may be less than they qualify to receive. 

Working with a Georgia motorcycle accident attorney can send the message that you mean business and will not leave money on the table. A lawyer can help you identify current and future losses so that you do not pay out of pocket for someone else’s mistakes. Identifying losses can be especially vital in cases involving severe and catastrophic injuries that require ongoing medical care and a lengthy recovery. 

Our law firm partners can help you identify and pursue every cent owed for your personal injury. In general, compensation may include:

• Current and future medical bills: You can recover the cost of all reasonable and necessary medical treatment from your accident, including the cost of your future medical needs. Medical damages may include emergency transportation and treatment, medical procedures, hospitalizations, doctor’s office visits, medical testing, prescription drugs, mobility aids, physical therapy, and long-term nursing. 
• Lost income: You can pursue wages, earnings, and employment benefits lost due to your accident and injury. If you cannot return to work or perform your previous job, you may qualify for compensation for your lost earning capacity. 
• Motorcycle damages: You can seek the cost of repairing or replacing your motorcycle and any other damaged personal property. 
• Household services: If you can no longer perform household chores like cooking, cleaning, or home maintenance, you can pursue compensation for the value of these services. 
• Vehicle and home modifications: If you sustained a disabling injury that requires you to make your home and vehicle more accessible, you can seek renovation costs.
• Pain and suffering: You can recover monetary awards for intangible losses, including emotional suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, severe and chronic pain, disfigurement, scarring, and reduced quality of life. 
• Wrongful death of a loved one: If your loved one suffered a fatal motorcycle accident injury, a wrongful death lawyer can pursue damages on behalf of qualifying survivors. Awards may include medical costs, burial and funeral expenses, and the loss of your loved one’s income, benefits, services, advice, care, companionship, and counsel. 

To learn more about how our law firm partners can help you seek compensation, contact The Goldwater Law Firm online or call today for a free consultation. 

Motorcycle Accidents Can Cause Catastrophic and Fatal Personal Injuries

Recoverable compensation after a motorcycle accident varies based on the facts of each case. However, settlements for this type of collision can be high because motorcycle crashes may be more likely to result in catastrophic and fatal injuries. 

Motorcycle accidents can be severe because riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle cab, such as airbags and seatbelts. There is nothing to separate their physical bodies from the impact of a crash. They may take the brunt of the accident or get thrown from their bike. Severe and life-altering injuries can result, including:

• Brain injuries
• Broken bones
• Head, facial, and dental injuries
• Internal bleeding and organ damage
• Loss of a bodily function
• Loss of a limb
• Loss of mobility
• Severe bruising, scrapes, and lacerations (“road rash”)
• Shoulder, neck, and back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries

The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reports that motorcycle accident deaths in the state have risen annually over the past several years. In 2021, 194 riders died in collisions involving motor vehicles. In addition, even though motorcyclists account for only 6 percent of all licensed drivers, they represent 15 percent of driver fatalities. 

Negligence and Motorcycle Accidents

Georgia is an at-fault auto insurance state. According to the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety, drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 in bodily injury liability per person/accident and $25,000 in property damage liability to pay for crashes they cause. 

A Georgia motorcycle accident attorney can help you file a claim against a liable driver, but you must prove that their negligence led to the accident to recover a settlement. 

Examples of negligence include:

• Following a motorcycle too closely
• Not allowing a rider the use of the entire traffic lane
• Passing a motorcycle too closely
• Disobeying traffic signs and signals
• Drinking and driving
• Driving distracted
• Driving recklessly or aggressively
• Speeding 

In addition, many motorcycle accidents occur because vehicle drivers do not exercise enough caution around bikes and simply do not see riders. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 43 percent of motorcycle crashes happen at intersections when a driver fails to notice an oncoming motorcyclist and turns into their path. 

Determining Liability in Your Georgia Motorcycle Accident

In many cases, liability for a motorcycle crash rests with the driver involved in the car accident, but others can be at fault. If the collision involved negligent or dangerous road conditions or a defective vehicle or auto part, you may have a claim against a property owner, mechanic, or manufacturer. 

Sometimes, liable parties (and their insurers or legal representatives) will try to blame a victim for an accident to reduce their financial responsibility. Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence system that allows injured parties to seek compensation even if they are partially responsible for an accident. 

Under this system, the court assigns all parties a fault percentage. Your percentage will reduce your awards by a corresponding amount. So, if you win $100,000 but are 10 percent liable, you receive $90,000. If your fault meets or exceeds 50 percent, the court will bar you from any recovery. This rule will also affect insurance claims. A Georgia motorcycle accident attorney can protect you from allegations aimed at reducing your damages.

A Georgia Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Help You Act Before Time Runs Out

You have a limited time to act after a motorcycle accident. You should notify your insurance provider immediately about the collision and file claims with the at-fault party’s insurer as soon as possible. 

Acting fast will ensure you do not miss policy deadlines. It will also give your attorney the best chance to gather and preserve evidence and the longest possible window to build a case and negotiate a settlement. 

If a lawsuit is necessary to get fair compensation, O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 generally allows two years to file a personal injury case. If the statute of limitations expires, the court will likely bar your suit. If you cannot sue, you lose your insurance bargaining power.