Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in River North, IL

The sense of freedom a motorcycle comes with can be ripped away from you by the harm careless drivers can do to you when they do not follow the rules of the road. If another driver injured you in River North, IL, call the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT or complete our online form for a no-risk, no-obligation case evaluation.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in River North, 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 are connected to the road and your motorcycle in a way that you do not get in an enclosed vehicle. Unfortunately, there is a potentially dangerous trade-off. Because of their relative lack of protection, motorcycle accidents can cause serious injuries. When you are injured, there are immediate economic, physical and mental consequences and you need someone to stand by your side and get you the compensation you deserve. You want a law firm with a proven track record of winning motorcycle crash lawsuits in River North, IL.

Our team has more than 30 years of experience getting maximum compensation for those injured through the negligence of another. Our motorcycle accident lawyers will fight until you recover all of your damages and there is nothing left to fight. Always speak to a lawyer before agreeing to a settlement. The insurance adjuster is out to devalue your recovery. We know how to fight insurance companies and ensure that they treat our River North, IL clients fairly.

To find out more about what we can do for you, speak to an attorney at (312) 500-HURT to discuss your motorcycle accident claim today.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in River North, IL?

Despite the fact that motorcycles make up only .06 percent of all traffic miles traveled in the United States, they accounted for four percent of all injuries and 14 percent of all fatalities in traffic-related accidents in 2020, according to data from 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 accidents, 2,404 caused injuries and 152 were deadly, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Sadly, over 50 percent of those crashes came when a passenger car or truck collided with a motorcycle when the biker was driving in a straight line, insinuating that the accidents were often due to a car or truck driver not respecting motorcyclists on the road. Wrecks happen most frequently in urban areas, especially major city streets.

According to data from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, Illinois is eighth in the nation in terms of both registered motorcycles and motorcycle crash fatalities.

The most common season for motorcycle crashes is summer, and half of all wrecks happen between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in River North, 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.

Immediately After The Accident

While any accident is surprising and scary, try to stay as calm as possible. At the accident site, you should:

• Get out of harm’s way — If you are physically able, get to the side of the road and away from other vehicles coming down the street. Leave the bike. It is obviously important to you, but trying to carry it could make your injuries worse. If you suspect you have a back or head injury, stay still and wait for emergency medical services.
• Do not take off your protective gear — Taking off your helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and other gear could also make serious injuries even worse. Adrenaline may hide how bad an injury actually is.
• Call 911 — As motorcycle accidents can cause severe injuries, it is probably best to be looked over at the scene instead of trying to seek medical attention at urgent care or a doctors’ appointment. Police are trained to assign fault in an accident, and will make a police report.
• Gather evidence — Speak to the other driver and request an insurance card. Take photographs 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 help a motorcycle accident lawyer in River North, IL prove your case down the road. See if there are eyewitnesses who can back up your claim.

Finally, if you did not seek medical treatment at the crash site, do so immediately.

What to Do in the Ensuing Weeks and Months

After you first seek medical care, notify the insurance company of everybody involved. Then, speak to a motorcycle accident lawyer in River North, 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 costs and treatments directly associated with the accident. The the higher your financial loss, the higher your ultimate 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 also deserve reimbursement 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 household chores. Manage a file with detailed receipts and explanations for why those charges were necessary. It may also be a good idea to write down your every day experiences showing the non-tangible impact of your injuries and your pain and suffering.
• Do Not Talk to the Insurance Company — 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 tricks to minimize claims, and it is better to leave communication up to an attorney who knows how to make the adjuster be honest.
• Stay off Social Media — In this day and age, many of us want to share details about our life with others. However, posting too much on social media can hurt your case. If you say your injuries are debilitating, and the insurance finds out you have been at a bar, they will use it to attempt to devalue your claim.

From the first time you speak with 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 investigation, documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can focus on your medical treatment.

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

For minor and clear-cut accidents, where the liable party is obvious and your medical bills are no more than a visit with your primary care physician, a lawyer may not be able to add much value to your claim. Supply the insurance company with proof of your financial losses, and see if they will throw some extra money on top for the trouble. In a smaller settlement where not much is disputed, the adjuster will only lose money if they try to fight your claim.

However, in most cases, you will need the assistance of a motorcycle accident attorney for your injury claim. While in a perfect world insurance companies would fulfill their duty when their policyholders injure someone, it usually takes a fair amount of fighting to get them to do it. You will probably need a motorcycle accident lawyer in River North, IL if:

• Your injuries require ongoing treatment — The more your medical bills and time spent off work, the more the insurance company will fight back against your claim. If your injuries require future medical treatment or prevent you from earning a living as you used to, you will absolutely need an attorney to precisely value 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 there is a lawyer working on your claim, 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 parties at fault — With some cases, especially crashes involving more than one vehicle, there may be more than one person who was negligent. For example, a driver may merge into your line because they did not see you, causing you to take defensive action and hit a road hazard that a local government should have fixed. An aggressive River North, 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 key 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 classic trick insurance adjusters use to avoid paying you. If the insurance company say your injuries are your own doing, an attorney use their investigate skills and network of experts to prove how the other party was negligent. If it is true that you were partially to blame, you are not completely barred from 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 River North, IL motorcycle accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to combat tactics insurance adjusters use. We have been doing it for over three decades. Our consultations are free, so call us at (312) 500-HURT to see if we can add value to your claim. We start developing our legal strategy from the moment you hire us, and fight until there is nothing left to fight.

Recent Burger Law River North, 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 past clients will vouch for them and who has the 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 River North, IL?

If you want to file any River North, IL injury claim, you must have been injured 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 keep you safe? 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1 states that “every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care,” so other drivers always owe you a duty of care.
2. Breach of duty — Were they neglectful 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 not working, 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 lost wages and mental anguish? If your accident resulted in a few small lacerations and bruising, but they healed without any medical treatment, you likely do not have a claim.

Any time somebody else’s carelessness or recklessness injures you, you need to file an injury claim. Speak to a motorcycle accident attorney immediately at (312) 500-HURT if you are unsure if you have a claim.

How Much is My River North, 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 emotional distress, disfigurement and pain and suffering
• In some rare cases, you can be awarded punitive damages if you were injured by extreme recklessness, such as 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 you sustained permanent disfigurement or disability
• How your life has changed because of your injuries

At Burger Law, our injury attorneys know how to calculate every dime you are owed and insist the insurance company pay all of it. If your injuries lead to future economic damages like lost earning capacity or future surgeries, that will also be part of your settlement or verdict, including accounting for inflation.

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

Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the time limit for motorcycle accident injuries in River North, IL is two years. That means the clock starts ticking on the date the accident occurred 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 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 period, that period is not included in 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 wait to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer after you were hurt in a motorcycle accident in River North, IL. Call us immediately at (312) 500-HURT.

What Are Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in River North, IL?

Motorcycles are harder for drivers of enclosed vehicles to see, as they take up less space. Because of something called “inattentional blindness,” it is harder for drivers to see a motorcycle — even if they are doing their best to be careful. This is because most drivers have programmed their brains to be aware of larger vehicles, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness contributes to many motorcycle accidents in River North, IL.

The most common causes of motorcycles accidents are:

• Left-hand turns — According to data from 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 be due to a motorist’s intoxication, speeding or simple inattention.
• Other collisions — Head on collisions are also common between motorcycles and passenger cars. It is also common for a car to fail to see a motorcyclist when merging or changing lanes. 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 debris on our streets usually do not affect a car or truck very much. However, motorcycles are less stable and these hazards can cause a motorcyclist to fall.
• Defective components — Manufacturers and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall dozens of motorcycles annually. If bikes or parts that are defective are allowed to stay on the market, it can cause motorcycle accidents.

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

More than nine out of 10 auto accidents are due to 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 entity or construction company for not repairing or negligent repairing a road
• A motorcycle manufacturer in a product liability claim
• A employer if their employee injured you while driving, such as in a commercial truck accident

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

Governmental bodies are supposed to keep their roadways safe for use by everyone on the roads, and when there are road hazards that cause an accident, the municipality can be held responsible for the motorcycle accident. However, the state of Illinois does not make it easy to hold them accountable. Our motorcycle accident lawyers in River North, IL can handle your claim and take the fight to city hall to get you the compensation you deserve.

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

The dangers of motorcycles mean that bikers have a higher death rate than people in enclosed vehicles. If your worst nightmare came true and a loved one died in a motorcycle crash, you can make a recovery through a wrongful death claim. While no settlement or verdict can fill the whole that is left, it can bring a sense of justice and ease some of the difficulties associated with their 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.
• Three groups of people related to the deceased can file a wrongful death claim in Illinois. Beginning with who has 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 nieces and nephews can file a claim
  3. If no family remains, a judge 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 personal injury damages incurred by the deceased before their death, for example their medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of financial support from the deceased, including any benefits related to their employment
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of instruction, guidance and moral training the deceased would have provided
  • Survivors’ grief, sorrow and mental suffering

Burger Law’s River North, IL wrongful death attorneys are not just experts 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 we have had great success with in River North, 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 River North, IL Today

Our River North, IL motorcycle accident lawyers will fight until you get the maximum compensation you are owed; we promise. You deserve to be financially compensated for your motorcycle accident. You do not have to pay for someone else’s mistakes. To learn more about how our River North, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (312) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation.