Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Coleta, IL

Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Coleta, 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 Coleta, IL, speak to the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a no-risk, no-obligation consultation.

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

Motorcycles are a great way to get your blood racing. You get a feeling of the open road that you do not get in an enclosed vehicle. Regrettably, this freedom also comes with a high price. 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 financial, physical and mental consequences and you need someone to stand by your side and ensure you are treated fairly. You want an attorney that has demonstrated that they can get great results in motorcycle collision lawsuits in Coleta, 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 is out to minimize your recovery. We know how to stand up to insurance companies and ensure that they give 100 percent of what they owe our Coleta, IL clients.

To discover more about what we can do for you, call our team at (312) 500-HURT to discuss your motorcycle accident case today.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Coleta, IL?

Even though motorcycles make up barely over half a percent of total vehicle miles traveled in the country, they accounted for four percent of all injuries and 14 percent of total fatalities in traffic-related accidents in 2020, according to the National Safety Council. In the United States, in 2020 there were 82,500 motorcycle accident injuries and 5,579 deaths. In Illinois, of 3,077 motorcycle collisions, 2,404 caused injuries and 152 were deadly, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Sadly, over 50 percent of those happened when the motorcycle was going in a straight line, which leads us to believe that the accidents were often because of a car or truck driver failing to notice motorcyclists. Most of the crashes occurred in densely populated areas, especially around tolls.

According to findings from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, Illinois is eighth in the country with over 280,000 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 Coleta, IL

There are several steps you should take, both at the accident site and throughout the process of recovering from your injuries and seeking compensation, to ensure both your health and the chances of a successful claim.

Immediately After The Accident

While any wreck is surprising and scary, it is important to keep a clear head. At the accident site, you should:

• Get to safety — If you can, move out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leave your motorcycle behind. It is obviously important to you, but trying to carry it could put you at risk of further harm. If you are seriously injured, it may be best not to move; instead wait for emergency personnel.
• Keep your gear on — Taking off your helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and other gear could also make injuries 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 may be best to be looked over there instead of leaving and planning to seek medical attention at urgent care or a doctors’ appointment. Police will also be able to file a report stating who they believe is to blame for the accident.
• Gather evidence — Speak to the other driver and request an insurance card. Take photographs of the accident, including damage to all vehicles involved and the surrounding areas. Take as many pictures as possible. Something that may seem unimportant at first may be useful to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Coleta, IL when trying to prove someone else’s negligence when you make your claim. Get the contact info of any eyewitnesses to the accident.

Lastly, if you did not seek medical treatment at the scene, do so immediately.

What to Do Throughout the Claim Process

After you first seek medical care, inform both your insurance company and the other driver’s. Then, speak to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Coleta, 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:

• Keep Going to Your Medical Appointments — This is not only vital for your health, but aids your financial recovery as well. You need to prove that you sustained financial losses, and to do that you need to complete copies of medical medical records which detail all of the treatments and related expenses 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 follow up, chiropractic or physical therapy appointment your doctor prescribes.
• Keep Track of Everything Related to Your Injuries — You also deserve compensation for lost wages from time your injuries caused you to miss out from work, and any out-of-pocket expenses you incur, such as parking or gas money for going to medical appointments or hiring someone to help with chores around the house. Manage a file with 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.
• Do Not Talk to the Insurance Company — Once you have filed your claim and hired a motorcycle accident lawyer, let your attorney handle documentation and negotiation. Insurance adjusters utilize a lot of tactics to avoid paying claims, but your attorney will know how to hold the adjuster accountable.
• Resist Social Media — It is commonplace to want to share what is going on with your life on social media. However, even a well-meaning post can hurt your case. If you say your injuries are debilitating, and the insurance sees pictures of you at a bar, they they can say your injuries are not actually that severe.

From the moment you hire us, we will be in contact with you every step of the way until we attain the great results you deserve. Let us handle the legal aspect of your case so you can spend your energy on on your medical treatment.

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

For accidents involving minor injuries, where fault is clearly established and your medical bills are no more than an urgent care visit, a lawyer may not be able to add much value to your claim. Give the insurance company proof of your financial losses, and see if they will throw some extra money on top for inconvenience. In a smaller settlement 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 it would be nice if insurance companies fulfilled their obligations when their policyholders injure someone, it usually takes a fair amount of fighting to get them to be fair. Situations where you will need a motorcycle accident lawyer in Coleta, IL include:

• Your injuries are significant — The more your medical bills and lost wages, the more the insurance company will fight back against your claim. If your injuries require ongoing treatment, you will always need an attorney to hold the insurance adjuster accountable for all of your damages.
• The insurance company is not being fair — If your damages are in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and the insurance adjuster is only offering a few thousand, they are trying to take advantage of you. If you enlist the services of an attorney, the insurance company will know that you are serious about getting the full compensation you deserve. Burger Law has added hundreds of thousands of dollars to claims, including turning 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 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 experienced Coleta, IL motorcycle accident lawyer will conduct a full investigation into the crash and determine all liable parties. 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 your injuries — Blaming you for your injuries is a frequent trick insurance adjusters use to avoid paying you. If the insurance company say your injuries are your own doing, an attorney can step in and prove how the other party was negligent. If it is true that you were responsible for a portion of the accident, 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 Coleta, IL motorcycle accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to fight back against tricks 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 start working from the second you hire us, and fight until there is nothing left to fight.

Recent Burger Law Coleta, IL Motorcycle Accident Victories

You need a lawyer who has shown they can get maximum compensation in your type of claim before. Any motorcycle accident lawyer can say they will fight for you, but a lawyer with client testimonials and 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 Coleta, IL?

In order to file any Coleta, IL injury claim, you must have sustained an injury that was caused by another person’s negligence. There are five elements to proving negligence in a personal injury claim:

1. Duty of care — Did the other person have an obligation to keep you safe? 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1 states 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 did that breach lead to an accident? Was the other motorist speeding, texting and driving, drunk driving or otherwise breaking 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 negligence cause the accident? If the other driver’s brakes were malfunctioning, the person who needs to compensate you may be a manufacturer and not the driver?.
5. Damages — Did you sustain losses because of your injuries, such as medical expenses and mental anguish? If your accident caused some bruises or scrapes, but it was not serious enough to seek medical treatment, you likely do not have a claim.

If you were injured through another’s negligence, you need to file an injury claim. Speak to a motorcycle accident attorney now at (312) 500-HURT if you are unsure if you have a claim.

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

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

• Economic damages, such as lost wages, medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses
• Non-economic damages, such as mental anguish, scarring and pain and suffering
• While not common, you may be able to recover punitive damages if the liable party’s behavior was especially egregious, such as if they were drunk driving

Factors that might make your compensation higher or lower include:

• The severity of your injuries; more significant injuries tend to lead to higher medical bills and more pain and suffering
• Whether or not you were partially at fault 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, we are experts at calculating every dime you are owed and insist 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 calculating for inflation.

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

Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the statute of limitations for motorcycle accident injuries in Coleta, IL is two years. That means you only have two years from the date you were injured to file a lawsuit in court. Illinois has three exceptions:

• If you or your loved one was a minor at the time of accident, they have until their 20th 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 leaves the state of Illinois for a time, 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 reach out to a motorcycle accident lawyer after you were hurt in a motorcycle accident in Coleta, IL. Call us today at (312) 500-HURT.

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

Motorcycles are not as easy to spot on the road, being smaller. As a result of a phenomenon referred to as “inattentional blindness,” it is harder for drivers to see a motorcycle — even when they are looking for one. This is because we train our brains to be aware of other cars, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness is a leading cause of motorcycle accidents in Coleta, IL.

Most motorcycle accidents occur because of:

• Left-hand turns — According to data from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, almost half of all motorcycle accidents that result in fatalities involve a car turning left while and hits a motorcyclist in an intersection. These crashes can be the result of a motorist’s drunkenness, reckless driving 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 collide with fixed objects more than any other type of driver, which is not always the motorcyclist’s fault.
• Road hazards — Cracked pavement, potholes, dead animals, wet or icy roadways or other debris on our streets 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 lose control.
• 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 result in motorcycle accidents.

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

Almost all motor vehicle accidents are caused by human error. So, most likely, you will make a claim against another driver. However, depending on the specifics of your case, you may also be able to make a claim against:

• A governmental agency or contracting company for road hazards
• A motorcycle designer, manufacturer or vendor for a defective product
• A employer if their employee injured you while driving, for example in a commercial truck accident

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

States and municipalities are supposed to keep their roadways safe for citizens to travel on, and when obstruction or other objects in the road cause an accident, the agency responsible for the neglect can be held liable for the motorcycle accident. However, suing a government entity in Illinois has added complications. Our motorcycle accident lawyers in Coleta, IL can handle your claim and guide you through the complexities of local and state laws to secure you the compensation you deserve.

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

Motorcyclists are not only at higher risk of a catastrophic injury, but are more likely to perish in a crash. If you were touched by tragedy and a loved one passed away in a motorcycle crash, you can make a recovery through 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 your loved one died, not the date that they were first injured.
• Three groups of people related to the deceased can file a wrongful death claim in Illinois. In order of priority, they are:
  1. Members of the nuclear family, such as a spouse, children, grandchildren and grandparents
  2. When there are no immediate family members, siblings and siblings’ descendants can bring a suit
  3. If no family remains, 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 passing
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of financial support from the deceased, including any benefits related to their employment
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of instruction, education and moral training the deceased would have provided
  • Survivors’ grief, sorrow and mental suffering

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

In addition to motorcycle accidents, other personal injury claims we take on and win in Coleta, 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 Coleta, IL Today

Our Coleta, IL motorcycle accident lawyers will fight until you get the maximum compensation you are owed; that is our guarantee. 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 Coleta, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (312) 500-HURT or contact us online for a no obligation consultation.