Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Beach Park, IL

Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Beach Park, IL

The sense of freedom a motorcycle comes with can be ripped away from you by the injuries negligent drivers cause when they do not follow the rules of the road. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Beach Park, IL, call the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a no-risk, no-obligation case evaluation.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Beach Park, or anywhere in Illinois, find out how much your claim may be worth by using our free personal injury calculator.

Motorcycles are an ideal way to enjoy yourself and build a camaraderie with people who share your passions. There is a sense of freedom that a car just cannot emulate. Unfortunately, there is a potentially dangerous trade-off. Because of their relative lack of protection, the consequences of a motorcycle accident can be devastating. When you are injured, there are instant economic, physical and emotional consequences and you need someone to fight for you. You need to find a law firm with a proven track record of winning motorcycle collision lawsuits in Beach Park, IL.

Our attorneys and paralegals have more than seven decades of combined experience winning cases in negotiations and in the court room. Our motorcycle accident lawyers will tenaciously pursue your claim to ensure you get the medical care and financial recovery that you are owed and that you deserve. Always speak to a lawyer before agreeing to a settlement. The insurance adjuster wants to minimize your compensation. Our firm has a proven track record of successfully fighting the insurance companies and making sure that they treat our Beach Park, IL clients fairly.

To learn more about how our personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call a lawyer at (779) 800-HURT to discuss your motorcycle accident case now.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Beach Park, IL?

Even though motorcycles make up only .06 percent of all vehicle miles traveled in the United States, they made up four percent of all injuries and 14 percent of all deaths in traffic-related accidents in 2020, according to the National Safety Council. Nationwide, in 2020 82,000 people were injured and 5,579 perished in motorcycle crashes. In Illinois, there were 3,077 motorcycle wrecks which resulted in 2,404 injuries and 152 deaths, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Unfortunately, over half of those happened when a passenger car or truck collided with a motorcycle when the biker was driving in a straight line, which means the accidents were often because of a car or truck driver was not looking out for bikers. Wrecks happen most frequently in densely populated areas, especially around tolls.

According to data from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, Illinois is eighth in the country with close to 300,000 registered motorcycles, and fittingly was eighth in the country in deaths in 2017.

The most common season for motorcycle crashes is summer, and half of all wrecks happen between Friday night and Monday morning.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Beach Park, IL

There are a number steps you should take, both at the accident site and throughout the length of your claim process, to ensure both your health and the chances of a successful claim.

At the Accident Site

While any crash is surprising and scary, it is vital to think rationally. At the accident site, you should:

• Get to safety — If possible, move out of the way of other vehicles coming down the street. Leave your motorcycle behind. We know it is your baby, but staying with the bike or trying to move it could exacerbate your injuries. If you believe your injuries may be catastrophic, stay still and wait for EMTs to arrive.
• Keep your gear on — Taking off your helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and other gear could also make serious injuries even worse. Because of adrenaline, a serious injury may not always hurt as much at first.
• Call 911 — As motorcycle accidents can cause severe injuries, it is probably a good idea to get medical attention there instead of trying to go to an emergency room yourself. Police know how to assign fault in an accident, and will make a police report.
• Gather evidence — Talk to any other drivers involved and get their insurance information. Take pictures of the accident, including how the vehicles are positioned and the surrounding areas. Take as many pictures as possible. Something that may seem unimportant at first may help a motorcycle accident lawyer in Beach Park, IL prove who is responsible for your injuries in the future. Get the contact info of any eyewitnesses to the accident.

Lastly, receive medical attention if you did not already do so.

What to Do in the Ensuing Weeks and Months

After you first seek medical care, notify both your insurance company and the other driver’s. Then, speak to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Beach Park, IL about your case. If your injuries are significant, you will likely need one to get full compensation. While communicating with your attorney, it is important to:

• Continue Medical Treatment — This is obviously the best thing for your health, but aids your financial recovery as well. In order to prove your damages, you need to complete copies of medical medical records which show all of the treatments and related expenses you incurred because of your injuries. The the higher your financial loss, the higher your non-economic damages compensation will be as well. Go to every every treatment and use all of the equipment and medication your doctor orders for you.
• Keep Detailed Records — You are also owed reimbursement for lost wages from time spent recovering, and any out-of-pocket expenses that were necessary, such as transportation to and from medical appointments or hiring someone to help with housework. Keep all of your receipts and notes about why you needed to pay those expenses. You can also keep a daily journal detailing how your injuries have affected you physically and emotionally for a record of your pain and suffering.
• Leave the Insurance Company up to Your Attorney — Once you have filed your claim and hired a motorcycle accident lawyer, your attorney will will now be intermediary between you and the insurance. Insurance adjusters use a lot of ploys to avoid paying claims, and it is better to leave communication up to a lawyer who knows how to combat them.
• Resist Social Media — It is normal to want to share what is going on with your life on social media. However, even an honest post can hurt your chances of being fully compensated. If you tell the insurance company that your injuries prevent you from working, and the insurance sees pictures of you going out on the weekends, they they can say your injuries are not actually that severe.

From your initial consultation, we will keep you completely in the loop until you get the full financial recovery you are owed. Allow us to deal with the investigation, documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can spend your energy on on your medical treatment.

Do I Need a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Beach Park, IL For My Claim?

For accidents involving minor injuries, where there is no discrepancy about who is at fault and your medical expenses only include an emergency room visit, you may not need an attorney to get fair compensation. Supply the insurance company with proof of your financial losses, and see if they will throw some extra money on top for the hassle. In a smaller settlement where not much is disputed, the insurance company is not going to want to waste their time.

However, more likely than not you will need the assistance of a motorcycle accident attorney for your injury claim. While it would be nice if insurance companies fulfilled their responsibility when their policyholders injure someone, it usually takes a fair amount of fighting to get them to do it. Situations where you will need a motorcycle accident lawyer in Beach Park, IL include:

• Your injuries are severe — The higher your damages, the more the insurance company will be resistant to reimbursing you for it. If your injuries result in permanent disability, you will absolutely need an attorney to precisely value your damages.
• The insurance company’s offer is far below your damages — If your damages are starting to creep up into the tens of thousands, and the insurance company’s offer is no where close to that, they are trying convince you that you do not know how what fair compensation means in your case. If there is a lawyer working on your claim, the insurance company will know that you are serious about getting the full compensation you deserve. In a recent case, Burger Law was able to turn a $3,900 offer into a $100,000 settlement.
• There are multiple liable parties — With some cases, especially multi-vehicle accidents, there may be more than one person who was negligent. For example, a driver may merge into your line while not looking for you, causing you to take defensive action and hit a pothole that a local government should have fixed. A knowledgeable Beach Park, IL motorcycle accident lawyer will be able to investigate the wreck and assign a portion of the damages to each liable party. Finding other people who are liable is crucial if you are owed more compensation than the at-fault driver’s policy limits.
• You are being blamed for the accident — Blaming you for your injuries is a well-known tactic insurance adjusters use to minimize your claim. When this happens, an attorney can step in and conclusively demonstrate how the other party was negligent. If it is true that you were partially to blame, you can still receive some compensation under Missouri’s comparative negligence doctrine. However, you will need an attorney to apply the rule of law and get you that compensation.

Your Beach Park, IL motorcycle accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to fight back against tactics insurance adjusters use. We have been doing it for more than 30 years. Our consultations are free, so call us at (779) 800-HURT to see if we can add value to your claim. We start working from the moment you hire us, and do not give up until you get every bit of compensation you deserve.

Recent Burger Law Beach Park, IL Motorcycle Accident Victories

With any type of legal claim, results matter. You want to know that you are putting your case in the hands of the best possible lawyer, and that they are going to fight hard to make sure you get 100 percent of the recovery and compensation you deserve. Any motorcycle accident lawyer can say they are the best, but a lawyer whose former clients will recommend them and who has the results to prove it is another thing. Here are several of our most recent victories as well as client testimonials:

• $495,000 Uninsured Motorcycle Accident Verdict
• $327,000 Motorcycle Accident Settlement
• $250,000 Policy Limits Settlement
• $100,000 Motorcycle Liability Claim
• Maximum Recovery Obtained for Motorcycle Accident

Do I Have a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Beach Park, IL?

In order to have a successful claim in Beach Park, IL, you must have sustained an injury that was caused by someone else’s negligence. There are five elements to proving negligence in a personal injury claim:

1. Duty of care — Did the other person owe you a duty to protect you from unreasonable harm? 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1 says that “every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care,” so anyone else on the road automatically owes you that duty.
2. Breach of duty — Were they neglectful in that duty and cause an accident? Was another driver speeding, texting and driving, drunk driving or otherwise breaking the rules of the road?
3. Cause in fact — Did the accident cause your injuries?
4. Proximate cause — Whose negligence caused the accident? If the other driver’s brakes were malfunctioning, the person who needs to be held accountable for your injuries may be a manufacturer and not another motorist?.
5. Damages — Did you sustain losses because of your injuries, such as medical bills and pain and suffering? If your accident caused some small lacerations and bruising, but they healed without any medical treatment, it would be hard for you to make a claim.

Any time somebody else’s carelessness or recklessness injures you, you have an injury claim. Consult with a motorcycle accident attorney today at (779) 800-HURT if you have any doubts about the validity of your claim.

How Much is My Beach Park, IL Motorcycle Accident Claim Worth?

Your compensation will be a combination of:

• Economic damages, such as lost wages, medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses
• Non-economic damages, such as mental anguish, disfigurement and pain and suffering
• While not common, you may be able to recover punitive damages if you were injured by extreme recklessness, such as drunk driving

Factors that might make your recovery higher or lower include:

• The severity of your injuries; more significant injuries usually lead to higher medical bills and more pain and suffering
• Whether or not you were partially to blame for your injuries
• If the accident led to permanent disfigurement or disability
• The impact the injuries have had on your ability to live the life you are used to

At Burger Law, our injury attorneys know how to calculate the full value of someone’s injury claim and demanding the insurance company pay all of it. If your injuries require ongoing medical care, we will ensure you also get money to pay for that, including adjusting for inflation.

How Long Do I Have to File a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Beach Park, IL?

According to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the time limit for motorcycle accident claims in Beach Park, IL is two years. That means the clock starts ticking on the date of the accident to file a claim. There are some exceptions:

• If you or your loved one was under the age of 18 at the time of accident, they have until two years after their 18th birthday
• If you or a loved one was under a legal disability when the injuries occurred, they have until two years after the disability ended
• If the negligent party is outside of the state of Illinois for a period, that period does not account against the two years

While two years may seem like a long time, it takes time to properly build your case. Do not hesitate to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer after you have been injured in Beach Park, IL. Call us immediately at (779) 800-HURT.

What Are Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Beach Park, IL?

Motorcycles are harder for passenger car drivers to see, as they take up less space. Because of something known as “inattentional blindness,” drivers are less likely to see a motorcycle — even if they are doing their best to be careful. This is because we train our brains to be aware of other cars, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness contributes to many motorcycle accidents in Beach Park, IL.

The most common causes of motorcycles accidents are:

• Left-hand turns — According to the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, 42 percent of all fatal motorcycle crashes involve a car turning left while the motorcycle was going straight. These crashes can happen because of a motorist’s intoxication, reckless driving or distracted driving.
• Other collisions — Head on collisions also occur frequently between motorcycles and other types of vehicles. A car may also to fail to see a motorcyclist when turning in front of them. Motorcycles also have the highest rate of collisions with fixed objects, which is not always the motorcyclist’s fault.
• Road hazards — Cracked pavement, potholes, animal carcasses, wet or icy roadways or other roadways debris usually do not affect a vehicle with more than two wheels very much. However, motorcycles are less stable and these hazards can cause a motorcyclist to spin out.
• Defective components — Manufacturers and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall dozens of motorcycles annually. When dangerous bikes and components are not recalled, it can result in motorcycle collisions.

Who is Liable for My Motorcycle Accident Injuries in Beach Park, IL?

More than nine out of 10 auto accidents are the result of driver error. So, most of the time another motorist is liable. However, other parties that may be held accountable include:

• A governmental entity or construction company for not repairing or negligent repairing a road
• A vehicle manufacturer for a defective product
• A employer if someone they hired injured you while driving, such as in a commercial truck accident

Can I Sue For My Beach Park, IL Motorcycle Accident if it Did Not Involve Another Vehicle?

Governmental agencies are tasked with keeping their roadways safe for use by everyone on the roads, and when obstruction or other objects in the road cause an accident, the agency responsible for the neglect can be held accountable for the motorcycle accident. However, suing a government entity in Illinois has added complications. Our motorcycle accident lawyers in Beach Park, IL can take on your claim and guide you through the complexities of local and state laws to secure you a full financial recovery.

A Loved One Was Killed in a Motorcycle Crash in Beach Park, IL. What Are My Legal Options?

Motorcyclists are not only at increased risk of a serious injury, but are more likely to perish in a crash. If tragedy struck and a loved one passed away in a motorcycle crash, you can make a wrongful death claim. While it is impossible to put a monetary value on your loved one’s life can help provide some sense closure and ease the financial hardships that come with your loved one’s passing. 740 ILCS 180/, the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, details the laws surrounding wrongful death claims:

• You can make a wrongful death claim for negligence, just as your loved one would have made an injury claim if they were injured.
• The Illinois statute of limitations for wrongful death claims is two years from the date of your loved one’s death, not the date that they were first injured.
• There are three categories of people who can file a wrongful death claim in Illinois. In order of priority, they are:
  1. Immediate family members, such as a spouse, children, grandchildren and grandparents
  2. If there are no immediate family members, siblings and nieces and nephews can bring a suit
  3. If there are no family members, a judge can designate a plaintiff ad litem to bring a suit
• The damages you can recover include:
  • Under 755 ILCS 5/27-6, the Illinois Survival Act, the economic and noneconomic damages your loved one incurred from their injuries before their death
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of financial support from your loved one, including any work-related benefits
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of instruction, guidance and moral training the deceased would have provided
  • Survivors’ grief, sorrow and mental suffering

Burger Law’s Beach Park, IL wrongful death attorneys are not just skilled at getting our clients full recoveries. We are empathetic and have helped many families get through the sorrow, anger and confusion that accompanies a fatal auto accident.

In addition to motorcycle accidents, other injury cases we take on and win in Beach Park, IL include:

• Truck Crash Lawyers in Illinois
• Wrongful Death Lawyers in Illinois
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Illinois
• Car Accident Attorney in Illinois

Speak to a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Beach Park, IL Today

Our Beach Park, IL motorcycle accident lawyers will fight until you get the maximum compensation you are owed; we promise. You are owed a recovery for your motorcycle accident. You did nothing to deserve being in this situation, and you should not have to pay for it. To learn more about how our Beach Park, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a no obligation case review.