Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Kankakee, IL

Motorcycle accident lawyer in Kankakee, 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 respect your safety. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Kankakee, IL, call the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free consultation.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Kankakee, 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 the road and relax. There is a sense of freedom that is not possible in an enclosed vehicle. Unfortunately, negligent drivers can turn that feeling into catastrophic injuries. Because motorcycles do not protect their occupants as well as enclosed vehicles, motorcycle accidents can cause serious injuries. When that happens to you, it carries instant financial, physical and mental consequences and you need someone to stand by your side and get you the compensation you deserve. You need to find a lawyer with a proven track record of winning motorcycle collision claims in Kankakee, IL.

Our team has more than seven decades of combined litigation and trial experience. 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 limit your recovery. Our firm has a proven track record of successfully fighting the insurance companies and making sure that they give 100 percent of what they owe our Kankakee, IL clients.

To learn 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 case immediately.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Kankakee, IL?

Fourteen percent of motor vehicle deaths and four percent of injuries were sustained by motorcyclists, despite only only .06 percent of vehicle traffic being motorcycles, according to the National Safety Council. In the entire country, in 2020 there were 82,500 motorcycle accident injuries and 5,579 fatalities. In Illinois, of 3,077 motorcycle accidents, 2,404 caused injuries and 152 were deadly, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Unfortunately, over half of those occurred when a passenger car or truck collided with a motorcycle when the biker was driving in a straight line, which leads us to believe that the accidents were often due to a car or truck driver failing to notice motorcyclists. Crashes are most common in densely populated areas, especially around tolls.

According to data from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, Illinois is eighth in the country with over 280,000 registered motorcycles, and proportionately was eighth in the country in fatalities in 2017.

Just under 50 percent of deadly motorcycle accidents occur in the summer months, and half occur between Friday night and Monday morning.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Kankakee, IL

There are a number things you should do, both in the immediate wake of an accident 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 accident can be jarring, it is vital to think rationally. At the accident site, you should:

• Get out of harm’s way — If you are physically able, move out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leave the bike. It is obviously important to you, but trying to carry it could exacerbate your injuries. If you are seriously injured, stay still and wait for emergency medical services.
• Do not remove your safety gear — Removing your helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and other gear could also exacerbate your injuries. Adrenaline may hide how severe an injury actually is.
• Call 911 — As motorcycle accidents can cause severe injuries, it is probably a good idea to be looked over at the scene instead of trying to go to an emergency room yourself. Police will also be able to file a report relating who they believe is responsible for the accident.
• Gather evidence — Talk to any other drivers involved and request an insurance card. Take pictures of the accident, including damage to all vehicles involved and the surrounding areas. Take more photos than you think you need. Something you do not think matters much may be useful to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Kankakee, IL when trying to prove your case when you make your claim. Get the contact info of any eyewitnesses to the accident.

Finally, if you did not opt to get medical treatment at the crash site, do so as quickly as possible.

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 Kankakee, 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 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. Make sure you attend every follow up, chiropractic or physical therapy appointment your doctor wants you to.
• Keep Detailed Records — You are also entitled to a financial recovery for lost wages from time your injuries caused you to miss out from work, and any out-of-pocket expenses due to your injuries, such as transportation to and from medical appointments or hiring someone to help with housework. 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 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 enlisted the services of a motorcycle accident lawyer, let your attorney handle documentation and negotiation. Insurance adjusters utilize a lot of ploys to devalue claims, but your attorney will know how to hold the adjuster accountable.
• Stay off Social Media — It is normal to want to share what is going on with your life on the Internet. However, posting too much on social media can ruin your chances of being fully compensated. If you tell the insurance company that your injuries are keeping you from working, and the insurance finds out you have been at a bar, they will use it to attempt to devalue your claim.

From the moment you hire us, we will keep you completely in the loop until you get the full financial recovery you are owed. Let us deal with the investigation, documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can spend your energy on on healing.

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

For accidents involving minor injuries, where fault is clearly established and your medical expenses only include an urgent care visit, you may not need an attorney to get fair compensation. Give the insurance company proof of your financial losses, and ask for a little more for inconvenience. In a smaller settlement where their policyholder is clearly liable, the insurance company will only lose money if they try to deny your claim.

However, more likely than not 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 responsibility when someone is injured by their policyholders’ negligence, it usually takes a fair amount of fighting to get them to be fair. Situations where you will need a motorcycle accident lawyer in Kankakee, 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 require future medical treatment or prevent you from earning a living as you used to, you will always need an attorney to convince the insurance company to pay for future damages as well.
• The insurance company’s offer is not close 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 to take advantage of you. If there is an attorney on the case, 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 injuries, 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 an improperly cordoned-off construction zone. A talented Kankakee, IL motorcycle accident lawyer will be able to investigate the crash and assign a portion of the damages to each liable party. Identifying everyone who is liable is crucial if you are owed more compensation than the at-fault driver’s policy limits.
• You are being blamed for the accident — Trying to say your injuries are your own fault is a classic tactic insurance adjusters use to minimize your claim. If the insurance company say your injuries are your own fault, an attorney use their investigate skills and network of experts to conclusively demonstrate how the other party was negligent. If you were indeed 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 Kankakee, IL motorcycle accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to combat tricks insurance adjusters use. We have been doing it for over three decades. Our consultations are free, so speak to an attorney now at (312) 500-HURT to see what we can do for your claim. We get to work from the second you hire us, and fight until there is nothing left to fight.

Recent Burger Law Kankakee, IL Motorcycle Accident Victories

With any type of legal claim, results matter. You want to know that you are giving your case to 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 will fight for you, but a lawyer with client testimonials and results to prove it is another thing. Check out 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 Kankakee, IL?

In order to have a valid claim in Kankakee, 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 have a responsibility 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 not following the rules of the road?
3. Cause in fact — Were your injuries the direct result of the accident?
4. Proximate cause — Whose breach of duty caused 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 your injuries lead to losses, such as medical bills and pain and suffering? If your accident caused a few small cuts and bruising, 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 have an injury claim. Consult with a motorcycle accident attorney immediately at (312) 500-HURT if you have any doubts about the validity of your claim.

How Much is My Kankakee, 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
• In some rare cases, you can 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 typically lead to higher economic and noneconomic damages
• Whether or not you were partially to blame for your injuries
• If you sustained permanent disfigurement or disability
• The impact the injuries have had on your ability to enjoy life

At Burger Law, we know how to calculate the full value of someone’s injury claim and demanding the liable party takes responsibility for all of it. If your injuries lead to future economic damages like lost earning capacity or future surgeries, we will ensure you also get money to pay for that, including accounting for inflation.

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

Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the time limit for motorcycle accident injuries in Kankakee, IL is two years. That means the clock starts ticking on the date you were injured to file a lawsuit in court. There are some 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 liable party leaves the state of Illinois for a period, that period is not included in the two years

While two years may seem like a long time, investigating and developing a legal strategy for your claim takes time. Do not hesitate to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer after you were hurt in a motorcycle accident in Kankakee, IL. Call us immediately at (312) 500-HURT.

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

Motorcycles are not as easy to spot on the road, being smaller. As a result of something referred to as “inattentional blindness,” it is harder for drivers to see a motorcycle — even when they are looking for one. This is because most drivers have programmed their brains to look for larger vehicles, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness contributes to many motorcycle accidents in Kankakee, IL.

The most common causes of motorcycles accidents are:

• Left-hand turns — The Motorcycle Legal Foundation reports that almost half of all fatal motorcycle crashes involve a car turning left while the motorcycle was going straight. These crashes can be the result of a car driver’s intoxication, speeding or simple inattention.
• 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 — Uneven pavement, potholes, animal carcasses, gravel or other debris on our streets often do not have much of an impact on a car. However, motorcycles do not have the same level of stability and these hazards can cause a motorcyclist to spin out.
• Defective 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 Kankakee, IL?

Almost all motor vehicle accidents are due to human error. So, most of the time another motorist is responsible for your injuries. However, other parties that may be held accountable include:

• A governmental entity or contracting company for not repairing or negligent repairing a road
• A motorcycle manufacturer in a product liability claim
• A company if their employee injured you while driving, for example in a commercial truck accident

Can I Sue For My Kankakee, 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 state may have to compensate you for your injuries. However, the state of Illinois does not make it easy to hold them accountable. Our motorcycle accident lawyers in Kankakee, IL can handle your claim and take the fight to city hall to secure you a full financial recovery.

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

The dangers of motorcycles mean that bikers have a higher death rate than people in enclosed vehicles. If tragedy struck and a family member died 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 bring a sense of justice 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:

• 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 of the accident.
• Three groups of people related to the deceased can file a wrongful death claim in Illinois. Beginning with who has the first chance to file, 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 nieces and nephews can bring a suit
  3. If no family remains, the court can appoint 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 the deceased incurred from their injuries before their death
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of financial support from your loved one, 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 Kankakee, IL wrongful death attorneys are not just skilled at securing full compensation. We are compassionate and have helped many families navigate 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 Kankakee, 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 Kankakee, IL Today

Our Kankakee, 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 do not have to pay for someone else’s mistakes. To learn more about how our Kankakee, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (312) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a no obligation consultation.

Client Reviews

What our clients are saying about us

Juanita Matthews

Year of 2023

This law firm is absolutely amazing. They took on my case, when nobody else would! They fought hard for me when it seemed there was no hope. They kept me informed and always asked for my input before making decisions on my case. Gary puts himself into every case unlike most law firm owners. Gary and his team really care about every one of their clients, and fights hard to get you a fair settlement. They actually won my case out of court, and then reduced my fees to make sure I could get my car fixed and be able to get back to some normality. I would recommend Burger Law over and above any other firm! If you go somewhere else you aren’t getting the best!

Shaunda S.

7 months ago

I am very happy with the staff at Burger Law. I mostly worked with Michael Sheldon, and he did an amazing job. I trusted him completely with my case, and he did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this team if your ever in need of good attorneys.

Emelia M.

3 months ago

Burger Law Firm is fantastic. Laura and Genevieve were so amazing and helpful throughout the entire process. They helped me with my personal injury case every step of the way and succeeded at getting me the results I desired.

Helen L.

a year ago

We had a great experience with Burger Law for representing us after a serious car accident. Truly impressed by how professional and supportive the entire team is. And, many thanks to Genavieve and Laura – you are amazing!

Judy M.

a year ago

They did an amazing job on my case! Communication with them was great!!! Kept me informed and in the loop with everything that was going on!!! Will definitely be the 1st ones I’ll call if ever I’m in another accident!!! Thank you very much!!!

Chelsea C.

5 months ago

Let me tell you something about Burger Law.. they are so attentive and kind. Jennifer is my savior!! I love the whole team!!! They are truly a miracle team!! I appreciate their business and would recommend it to others.

David D.

2 months ago

Absolutely the best law firm in the St. Louis area. No matter the size of your case you are treated as if you are the only client on the roster. Will explain anything thoroughly and they work around your availability. Very impressed and appreciative of the service.

Lisa B.

11 months ago

Gary and Casey took great care of me for 2.5 years as my lawsuit was finally settled. I feel he helped me achieve justice for me and my 4 children after their father died from medical malpractice and neglect. Thanks to Gary, my kids now have a great start to their college and adult lives. Thank you Gary and Casey, for fighting for us so hard at our most trying and difficult time in our lives thus far. Love and God bless from my family to yours!

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