Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Bloomington, IL

The exhilaration you feel when riding a motorcycle can be ripped away from you by the harm negligent drivers can do to you when they do not pay attention to your safety. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Bloomington, IL, reach out to the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT or contact us online for a no-risk, no-obligation case review.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Bloomington, 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 get your blood racing. You get a feeling of the open road that a car just cannot emulate. Regrettably, negligent drivers can turn that feeling into something horrific. Because motorcycles do not protect their occupants as well as enclosed vehicles, the consequences of a motorcycle accident can be devastating. When that happens to you, there are immediate hardships and you need someone to stand by your side and ensure you are treated fairly. You need to find an attorney that has demonstrated that they can full compensation in motorcycle collision claims in Bloomington, IL.

Burger Law has more than 70 years of combined experience winning cases in negotiations and in the court room. Our motorcycle accident lawyers will fight until you recover all of your damages and there is nothing left to fight. Do not talk to your insurance or the other side’s insurance without speaking to an attorney first. The insurance adjuster wants to minimize your financial settlement. We know how to fight insurance companies and ensure that they give the full compensation they owe our Bloomington, IL clients.

To find out more about how our personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, speak to an attorney at (312) 500-HURT to discuss your motorcycle accident claim for free.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Bloomington, IL?

Fourteen percent of traffic fatalities and four percent of injuries were sustained by motorcyclists, despite only barely over half a percent of vehicle traffic being motorcycles, according to data from the National Safety Council. In the United States, in 2020 there were 82,500 motorcycle accident injuries and 5,579 fatalities. In Illinois, there were 3,077 motorcycle accidents which caused 2,404 injuries and 152 fatalities, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Regrettably, the majority 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 caused by a car or truck driver not respecting motorcyclists on the road. Crashes are most common in urban areas, especially on arterial roads.

According to research from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, Illinois is eighth in the country with 280,322 registered motorcycles, and proportionately was eighth in the country in deaths in 2017.

Nearly half of fatal motorcycle collisions occur in the between June and September, and 50 percent occur between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Bloomington, IL

There are several steps you should take, both immediately following the accident and throughout the length of your claim process, to make sure your recover from your injuries both physically and financially.

At the Accident Site

While any wreck can be surprising and scary, it is vital to think rationally. Immediately after the crash, you should:

• Get to safety — If you are physically able, move out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leave your motorcycle where it is. We know it is your baby, but staying with the bike or trying to move it could make your injuries worse. If you believe your injuries may be catastrophic, stay still and wait for EMTs to arrive.
• Keep your gear on — Taking off your helmet or other gear could also exacerbate your injuries. Because of adrenaline, a serious injury may not always hurt as much at first.
• Call 911 — Because the injuries caused in a motorcycle wreck can be catastrophic, it may be a good idea to be looked over there instead of leaving and planning to seek medical attention later. Police know how to determine fault in an accident, and will make a police report.
• Gather evidence — Speak to the other driver and get their insurance information. Take pictures of all vehicles and the crash site from a variety of angles. Take more photos than you think you need. Something you do not think is that big of a deal may be useful to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Bloomington, IL when trying to prove who is responsible for your injuries in the future. Get the contact info of any eyewitnesses to the accident.

Finally, receive medical attention if you have not already.

What to Do Throughout the Claim Process

Once you have gotten medical treatment, notify the insurance company of everybody involved. Then, speak to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Bloomington, 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:

• Get the Full Medical Treatment You Need — This is obviously the best thing for your physical recovery, but aids your financial recovery as well. You need to prove how much that accident hurt you, and to do that you need to be able to point to medical records which detail all of the costs and treatments directly associated with the accident. The the higher your financial loss, the higher your pain and suffering compensation will be as well. Go to every every treatment and use all of the equipment and medication your doctor wants you to.
• Keep Track of Everything Related to Your Injuries — You are also owed a financial recovery for lost wages from time your injuries caused you to miss out from work, and any out-of-pocket expenses that were necessary, such as parking or Uber rides for going to medical appointments or hiring someone to help with household chores. Manage a file with all of your receipts and explanations for why those charges were due to your injury. You can also keep a daily journal showing how your injuries have affected you physically and emotionally for a record of your pain and suffering.
• Do Not Talk to the Insurance Company — Once you have notified the insurance company about your accident and hired a motorcycle accident lawyer, your attorney will will now be intermediary between you and the insurance. Insurance adjusters try to employ a lot of tricks to avoid paying claims, and it is better to leave communication up to an attorney who knows how to combat them.
• Resist Social Media — It is commonplace to want to share what is going on with your life with others. However, even an honest post can ruin 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 at your friend’s barbecue, they will use it to attempt to deny your claim.

From the first time you speak with us, we will be in contact with you every step of the way until you get the full financial recovery you are owed. Let us deal with the legal aspect of your case so you can spend your energy on on your physical and emotional recovery.

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

For some minor claims, where there is no discrepancy about who is at fault and your medical expenses are no more than a visit with your primary care physician, a lawyer may not be able to add much value to your claim. Give the insurance company your records and expenses, and see if they will throw some extra money on top for inconvenience. In a a settlement for a relatively small sum of money where their policyholder is clearly liable, the insurance company is not going to want to waste their time.

However, in the vast majority of cases, hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer will be the only way to get fair compensation in your injury claim. While in a a truly fair society insurance companies would fulfill their duty when someone is injured under their coverage, it usually takes a fair amount of fighting to get them to do it. You will probably need a motorcycle accident lawyer in Bloomington, IL if:

• Your injuries are severe — The more your medical bills and lost wages, the more the insurance company will be resistant to reimbursing you for it. If your injuries result in permanent disability, you will always need an attorney to convince the insurance company to pay for future damages as well.
• The insurance company is not being fair — If your damages are in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and the insurance company’s offer is no where close to that, they are trying to take advantage of you. If you enlist the services of an attorney, the insurance company will know that you mean business. In a recent case, Burger Law was able to turn a $3,900 offer into a $100,000 settlement.
• There is more than party at fault — With some cases, especially multi-vehicle accidents, there may be more than one liable party. For example, a driver may cut your off while not looking for you, causing you to take defensive action and hit a road hazard that a local government should have fixed. An aggressive Bloomington, IL motorcycle accident lawyer will conduct a full investigation into the crash and assign a portion of the damages to each liable party. Finding other people who are liable is imperative if you are owed more compensation than the at-fault driver’s policy limits.
• The insurance adjuster is trying to blame you for the accident — Blaming you for your injuries is a frequent trick insurance adjusters use to minimize your claim. When this happens, an attorney will fight back prove that is not the case. If it is true that you were responsible for a portion of the accident, you are not completely barred from compensation under Missouri’s comparative negligence rule. However, you will need an attorney to apply the rule of law and get you that compensation.

Your Bloomington, IL motorcycle accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to combat dishonest ploys insurance adjusters use. We have been doing it for more than three decades. We offer an initial conversation and investigation at no charge, so speak to an attorney today at (312) 500-HURT to see what we can do for your claim. We get to work from the second you hire us, and do not give up until you get every bit of compensation you are owed.

Recent Burger Law Bloomington, 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. A motorcycle accident lawyer saying they know how to get full compensation is one thing, but a lawyer with client testimonials and results to prove it is another thing. Click on the following links to see some recent Burger Law motorcycle accident victories and 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 Bloomington, IL?

If you want to file any Bloomington, IL injury claim, 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 mandates that “every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care,” so anyone else on the road automatically owes you a duty of care.
2. Breach of duty — Did they fail in that duty and cause an accident? Was the other driver speeding, texting and driving, drunk driving or otherwise not following the rules of the road?
3. Cause in fact — Were your injuries the direct result of the accident?
4. Proximate cause — Did the person’s breach of duty cause 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 the driver?.
5. Damages — Did you sustain losses because of your injuries, such as medical bills and pain and suffering? If your accident caused a few bruises or scrapes, but they healed without any medical treatment, it would be hard for you to file a claim.

If you were injured through another’s negligence, you have an injury claim. Speak to a motorcycle accident attorney now at (312) 500-HURT if you have any doubts about the validity of your claim.

How Much is My Bloomington, IL Motorcycle Accident Claim Worth?

In any personal injury claim, you are owed compensation for:

• Economic damages, such as money you lost out on from time off work recovering, medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses
• Non-economic damages, such as emotional distress, scarring and pain and suffering
• In some rare cases, you can be awarded punitive damages if the liable party’s behavior was especially egregious, such as if they were drunk driving

Factors that determine how much you will recover include:

• The severity of your injuries; more significant injuries usually lead to higher economic and noneconomic damages
• Whether or not you were partially at fault for your injuries
• If you sustained 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 are experts at calculating every dime you are owed and insist the liable party pay all of it. If your injuries require ongoing medical care, that will also be part of your settlement or verdict, including adjusting for inflation.

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

Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the time limit for motorcycle accident injuries in Bloomington, IL is two years. That means you only have two years from the date the accident occurred to file a claim. Illinois has three exceptions:

• If you or your loved one was a minor 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 at the time of accident, they have until two years after the disability ended
• If the person responsible for your injuries is outside of the state of Illinois for a period, that time does not account against the two years

While two years does not sound like it should give you a sense of urgency, investigating and developing a legal strategy for your claim takes time. Do not hesitate to call a motorcycle accident lawyer after you were hurt in a motorcycle accident in Bloomington, IL. Call us today at (312) 500-HURT.

What Are Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Bloomington, IL?

Motorcycles are harder for passenger car drivers to see, being smaller. As a result of a phenomenon referred to as “inattentional blindness,” it is harder for drivers to see a motorcycle — even if they are doing their due diligence. This is because most drivers have programmed their brains to look for larger vehicles, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness is a leading cause of motorcycle accidents in Bloomington, IL.

The most common causes of motorcycles accidents are:

• Left-hand turns — The Motorcycle Legal Foundation reports that 42 percent of all motorcycle accidents that result in deaths occur when a car turns left while the motorcycle was going straight. These crashes can happen because of a motorist’s drunkenness, speeding or generally not paying close enough attention to the road.
• Other collisions — Head on collisions are also common between motorcycles and passenger cars. It is also common for a car not 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 — Uneven pavement, potholes, animal carcasses, slick surfaces or other roadways debris usually do not affect a car or truck very much. However, motorcycles do not have the same level of stability and these hazards can cause a motorcyclist to spin out.
• Malfunctioning parts — Dozens of motorcycles are recalled every year, either by the manufacturer or by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When dangerous bikes and components are not recalled, it can cause motorcycle collisions.

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

More than nine out of 10 motor vehicle accidents are due to human error. So, most of the time another driver is liable. However, other parties that may be held accountable include:

• A governmental agency or construction company for not repairing or negligent repairing a road
• A motorcycle designer, manufacturer or vendor in a product liability claim
• A company if their employee injured you while driving, such as in a commercial truck accident

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

States and municipalities are tasked with keeping their roadways safe for citizens to travel on, and when there are road hazards that cause an accident, the agency responsible for the neglect may have to compensate you for your injuries. However, the state of Illinois does not make it easy to sue them. Our motorcycle accident lawyers in Bloomington, 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 Bloomington, IL. What Are My Legal Options?

The dangers of motorcycles mean that bikers have a higher death rate than people in passenger cars. If you were touched by tragedy and someone you love 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 burden that come with your loved one’s passing. 740 ILCS 180/, the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, details the laws surrounding wrongful death claims:

• A wrongful death claim can be made when some dies because of another’s negligence or wrongdoing.
• The Illinois statute of limitations for wrongful death claims is two years from the date of your loved one’s death, not the date of the accident.
• Three groups of people related to the deceased can file a wrongful death claim in Illinois. Beginning with who has 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 file a claim
  3. If there are no family members, the court can appoint a plaintiff ad litem to bring a suit
• Your compensation will 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 Bloomington, IL wrongful death attorneys are not just experts at getting our clients full recoveries. We are empathetic and have helped many families navigate the sorrow, anger and confusion that comes after a fatal auto accident.

In addition to motorcycle accidents, other injury cases we we have had great success with in Bloomington, IL include:

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

HIRE BURGER LAW

Speak to a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Bloomington, IL Today

Our Bloomington, IL motorcycle accident lawyers will not stop fighting until there is nothing left to fight; 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 Bloomington, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (312) 500-HURT or complete our online form for a free consultation.