When motorcycle accidents are not fatal, they could be permanently life-altering. Victims whose injuries cause them medical damages, emotional distress, and lost wages may seek compensation for these damages and more in lawsuits against negligent or reckless drivers.
Victims should always report motorcycle crashes to the police so that law enforcement can write accident reports and we can obtain copies. In addition to pooling photographic evidence, involving qualified expert witnesses, and interviewing eyewitnesses for their firsthand accounts, we will get all medical records proving your injuries, required treatment, and medical damages. Hospital expenses could be the most distressing economic damages for victims, who may also experience harmful lost wages and distressing non-economic damages. We can tally these damages as necessary so victims know their deserved recoveries upon entering lawsuits.
Call 1-800-529-4464 for motorcycle accident lawyer Jerry Friedman to review your case for free.
Responding to Motorcycle Accidents in River Edge, NJ
Responding to motorcycle accidents appropriately can help ensure victims’ fair and fast recoveries from negligent drivers. We can help victims navigate accidents’ aftermaths, ensuring we preserve important evidence, involve the most useful witnesses, and obtain all medical records generated throughout victims’ physical recoveries.
Reporting to the Police
Reporting motorcycle accidents to the police accomplishes several tasks. First, it allows victims to document incidents and allows law enforcement to facilitate getting a negligent driver’s information and processing the scene. Officers may note the apparent property damage to involved vehicles, potential contributing factors to the accident, and their general impressions about the collision. Though inadmissible in lawsuits, police reports allow Jerry to understand accidents and involved parties’ actions better, so reporting is always crucial. Motorcycle accident lawyer Jerry Friedman can help victims get this report and review it for new or important information in the days following an accident in River Edge.
Preserving Evidence
Accident scenes do not remain intact indefinitely, and victims’ only opportunity to preserve physical evidence could be immediately afterward. To keep the motorcycle accident scene intact, photograph it. During case preparation, our lawyers may give these photos and others obtained from the police or eyewitnesses to accident reconstruction experts. These professionals can determine liability after examining pictures of property damage, debris, impact points, and tire marks on the road and reviewing other evidence.
Businesses or private homes in River Edge may have surveillance systems capable of filming traffic accidents, and we can survey crash sites to locate and obtain potential footage before it is erased. Footage can be consequential evidence in motorcycle accident claims, particularly when negligent drivers argue comparative fault. Video footage might undermine assertions you contributed to the crash, ensuring your full financial recovery from a negligent party.
Interviewing Eyewitnesses
Eyewitness testimony can tip the scales in victims’ favor, so do not hesitate to speak to witnesses you see near the crash site. Victims who cannot talk to witnesses because of their injuries can ask responding police officers to get their contact information to ensure it is included in the crash report we eventually obtain. Interviewing eyewitnesses will be one of our top priorities when preparing your lawsuit, as memories could fade with time.
Building Medical Evidence
You can start building crucial medical evidence for your case immediately after the accident. Waiting to go to the hospital when injured only undermines victims’ compensation claims. If paramedics arrive on the scene after you call 911, accept their assistance, particularly if you need transportation to the hospital. While you continue to get the appropriate treatment, which may include surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications, and other rehabilitative care, we can obtain records from providers. This will enable us to present a clear timeline of your injuries and physical recovery if your case goes all the way to trial. In addition to proving your injuries exist, medical records help prove much of your economic damages. Gaps in medical records could harm lawsuits, so do not stop your treatment against doctors’ advice.
Compensation for Motorcyclists Injured in River Edge, NJ Accidents
Accidents that might be minor if they only involved passenger cars could be devastating when they involve motorcycles. Motorcyclists face some of the biggest risks of injury out of everyone on the road, often incurring substantial economic and non-economic damages from accidents. We can ensure accurate calculation of your losses so your ultimate recovery is fair, whether it comes from a jury award or out-of-court settlement.
Economic Damages
When we tackle your economic damages, that will primarily include medical expenses and lost wages. Victims are entitled to compensation for all necessary hospital care for an injury, including emergency room treatment, extended hospital stays, major or minor surgery, specialists’ care, follow-up appointments, and wheelchair costs, among others. While all medical damages incurred to date are compensable, so are future costs not yet incurred. We can get experts to corroborate compensation requests for future damages, including lost wages from a diminished earning capacity.
Using income statements, we can estimate your lost wages and consider other economic damages from an accident, such as home modifications to accommodate permanent injuries. After an accident, report all new expenses to our lawyers, and we can confirm if they are due to the defendant’s negligence.
Non-Economic Damages
Because New Jersey’s no-fault insurance rules and personal injury protection policies do not extend to motorcycle accidents, victims may recover non-economic damages without suffering serious injuries. Still, many motorcyclists do sustain debilitating injuries that come with mental and emotional consequences. The reduced quality of life and general pain and suffering victims experience are compensable, and Jerry can work with the appropriate experts to quantify the intangible damages in your case. This is crucial to ensure you do not accept a lowball settlement that barely covers your emotional distress and mental anguish.
Call Jerry to Discuss Your Motorcycle Crash in River Edge, NJ
Call 1-800-529-4464 for motorcycle accident lawyer Jerry Friedman to assess your case for free.