Nevada Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

A Nevada Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Fight for Your Rights and Future

At The Goldwater Law Firm, we know that our clients have families and communities that rely on them. This knowledge inspires us to work tirelessly to get results. We take the trust put in us seriously and strive to provide everyone who seeks our help with the respect, empathy, and dedication they deserve. 

We are one of the country’s most widely recognized law firms and partner with some of the biggest and most successful firms in the nation. We firmly believe that someone else’s mistakes should not jeopardize your finances or future. Our co-counsel can help you build a solid case and prove your compensation claim. 

A Nevada motorcycle accident attorney can do the work necessary to prove that a negligent party owes you damages. You can rest and recover knowing your case is in good hands. 

Motorcycle Accidents Can Cause Severe Injuries and Significant Damages

Motorcycle riders do not have seatbelts, airbags, or a vehicle cab to shield them from the impact of a crash. Because of this, their bodies often take the brunt of the collision, and they are sometimes ejected from their bikes. Severe injuries often result, including:

• Bone fractures
• Severe cuts, scrapes, and soft-tissue injuries 
• Sprains and strains
• Head and facial injuries
• Dental injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Loss of a limb
• Loss of mobility or paralysis
• Loss of bodily function
• Internal injuries
• Fatalities

The severity of the injuries involved in a motorcycle collision can lead to expensive medical bills and other tangible and intangible losses. In general, a Nevada motorcycle accident lawyer can help pursue full and fair compensation for the following:

Economic Damages

Economic damages compensate for actual, out-of-pocket expenses, including:

• Medical bills. You can recover the cost of current and future medical treatment, including emergency transportation, emergency department care, surgeries, hospitalizations, mobility aids and prosthetic devices, doctor’s visits, physical therapy, rehabilitation, long-term nursing, and life care. 
• Lost income. Lost income includes wages from work missed due to your injury. It also includes compensation for future earnings and lost earning capacity if you suffered a permanent or disabling injury that prevents you from working or performing your previous job. 
• Miscellaneous expenses. You can seek the cost of repairing or replacing your bike if the damages are a total loss. You may also qualify for compensation to make medically necessary home or vehicle modifications. 

Non-economic Damages

Non-economic damages compensate for pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life. You could recover monetary awards for scarring, disfigurement, chronic and severe pain, emotional distress, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment. 

Wrongful Death Damages

According to the 2023 Nevada Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety report, 19 percent of the state’s traffic fatalities resulted from motorcycle accidents. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that per mile traveled, motorcycle riders are 24 times more likely to die in a crash than vehicle occupants. 

If your loved one was fatally injured, a Nevada wrongful death lawyer can pursue compensation for economic damages caused by their accident, injury, and death, including medical costs, funeral, and burial expenses, and the loss of your family member’s financial support and services.  

A lawyer can also seek non-economic damages for your loved one’s conscious pain and suffering and survivors’ grief and sorrow. 

How To Seek Motorcycle Accident Compensation

Nevada is an at-fault insurance state, meaning drivers must carry liability insurance to pay for accidents they cause. According to the Nevada Division of Insurance (DOI), motorists must have $25,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 in property damage coverage. 

Most motorcycle accident cases begin with an insurance claim. However, if the at-fault driver’s insurance refuses to offer a fair settlement, a Nevada motorcycle accident attorney can help you seek compensation with a personal injury lawsuit. You have two years to file your case, according to Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190. If the statute of limitations runs out, you likely cannot take legal action and may be forced to accept a lowball offer or nothing at all. 

To learn more about your legal options and how a lawyer can manage your claim or lawsuit, contact the Goldwater Law Firm online or call today for a free consultation. 

A Nevada Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Prove a Negligent Party Was At Fault

A Nevada motorcycle accident lawyer can investigate your crash and build a case proving that a negligent party owes you damages. Evidence in a motorcycle collision claim may include:

• Eyewitness statements
• Surveillance, traffic cam, or dashcam footage
• Police reports
• Medical records
• Photographs, video, and physical debris from the accident site
• Receipts, bills, estimates, pay stubs, and additional proof of losses

The Goldwater Law Firm also has a wide network of specialists and experts we can call on to provide evidence and testimony, including medical professionals, crash reconstructionists, and economists. 

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Because of their smaller size, other drivers can have difficulty seeing motorcycles and gauging their speed and distance away. Bikes can also become hidden in a vehicle’s blind spot. For these reasons, the following locations and situations commonly contribute to motorcycle crashes:

• Urban roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), two-thirds of motorcycle accidents happened on urban roads in 2021. City streets require vehicles and bikes to travel in close proximity to one another, often in traffic. 
• Outside of intersections. NHTSA reports that nearly two-thirds of motorcycle crashes happened outside intersections in 2021. 
• Left-hand turns. NHTSA also found that 43 percent of 2021 motorcycle collisions with another vehicle occurred when a motor vehicle made a left-hand turn into the path of a motorcycle traveling straight. 

Often, the underlying reason for a crash is the negligent actions of a liable driver. Examples of driver negligence include:

• Driving distracted (including texting and driving)
• Driving drunk
• Driving fatigued
• Speeding 
• Tailgating
• Crowding a motorcycle’s lane
• Passing illegally
• Making an improper turn
• Failing to stop at a traffic signal or sign

Nevada Motorcycle Riders’ Rights and Responsibilities

According to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, motorcyclists, moped riders, and bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other drivers. Therefore, vehicle operators have a legal obligation to safely share the roadway with motorcycles as they would with any other car and must grant riders the use of a full lane of traffic. 

In addition, the Nevada Motorcycle Operator’s Manual states that motorcyclists:

• Must wear a helmet
• Must have a face shield, goggles, or a windshield/screen on their bike
• May not pass or ride next to a vehicle in the same lane
• May not drive between vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes (lane split)
• May drive side by side (two abreast) with another motorcycle with the consent of the other motorcyclist

How Your Actions During the Crash Could Affect Your Claim

Some people view motorcycle riding as a dangerous hobby and may use this perception to blame you for the collision. This could lessen your compensation or negate your right to recover damages. A Nevada motorcycle lawyer can stand up to allegations that you acted negligently or caused the accident.

According to Nev. Rev. Stat. § 41.141, which outlines the state’s modified comparative negligence system, injured parties can seek compensation even if they are partly liable for their accident. The court will reduce their damages by the fault percentage it assigns. So, if you have $100,000 in damages but the court finds you 20 percent liable, you would receive $80,000. 

When an injured party’s degree of fault is greater than 50 percent, the court will bar them from collecting any awards. Insurance companies know the law, so insurance adjusters will apply this principle when determining a settlement offer. They may look for reasons to blame you for the crash to reduce their financial responsibility. A lawyer can defend you from these tactics.