Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Saybrook, IL

The exhilaration you feel when riding a motorcycle can be made moot 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 Saybrook, IL, speak to the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT or contact us online for a no-risk, no-obligation case evaluation.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Saybrook, 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 give yourself a sense of peace. You are connected to the road and your motorcycle in a way that a car just cannot emulate. Unfortunately, this freedom also comes with a high price. Because of their relative lack of protection, motorcycle accidents can cause serious injuries. When you are injured, there are financial, physical and emotional consequences and you need someone to stand by your side and ensure you are treated fairly. You need to find a lawyer that has demonstrated that they can full compensation in motorcycle collision cases in Saybrook, IL.

Burger Law has more than seven decades of combined experience winning cases in negotiations and in the court room. Our motorcycle accident lawyers will tenaciously pursue every legal avenue to make sure justice is served. 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 recovery. We know how to fight insurance companies and ensure that they treat our Saybrook, IL clients fairly.

To find out more about how our personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, speak to a lawyer at (312) 500-HURT to discuss your motorcycle accident case immediately.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Saybrook, IL?

Even though motorcycles make up barely over half a percent of total traffic miles traveled in the United States, they made up four percent of all injuries and 14 percent of total deaths in traffic-related accidents in 2020, according to data from the National Safety Council. In the United States, in 2020 82,000 people were injured and 5,579 passed away in motorcycle crashes. In Illinois, of 3,077 motorcycle wrecks, 2,404 caused injuries and 152 were deadly, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Sadly, over 50 percent of those occurred when the motorcycle was driving straight, which means the accidents were often due to another driver failing to notice motorcyclists. Most of the crashes occurred in densely populated areas, especially around tolls.

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

Almost 50 percent of deadly motorcycle collisions occur in the summer months, and 50 percent happen on the weekends.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Saybrook, IL

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

At the Accident Site

While any collision is jarring, it is important to keep a clear head. At the accident site, you should:

• Get out of harm’s way — If you can, get to the side of the road and away from other vehicles coming down the street. Leave your motorcycle where it is. We know it is your baby, but trying to carry it could exacerbate your injuries. If you are seriously injured, it may be best not to move; instead wait for emergency personnel.
• Keep your gear on — Removing your helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and other gear could also make serious injuries even worse. Adrenaline may hide how significant 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 are trained to assign liability in an accident, and will make a police report.
• Gather evidence — Speak to the other driver and get their insurance information. Take photographs of all vehicles and the crash site from different positions. Take as many pictures as possible. Something you do not think is that big of a deal may be useful to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Saybrook, IL when trying to prove who is responsible for your injuries 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 scene, 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 Saybrook, 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. 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 more medical expenses you have, the higher your ultimate compensation will be as well. Go to every follow up, chiropractic or physical therapy appointment your doctor prescribes.
• Keep Detailed Records — You also deserve a financial recovery for lost wages from time spent recovering, 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. Keep all of your receipts and notes about why those charges were due to your injury. You can also write down your every day experiences detailing the non-tangible impact of your injuries and your pain and suffering.
• Do Not Talk to the Insurance Company — Once you have notified the insurance company about your claim and hired a motorcycle accident lawyer, let your attorney handle documentation and negotiation. Insurance adjusters try to employ a lot of tactics to minimize claims, and it is better to leave communication up to an attorney who knows how to hold the adjuster accountable.
• Resist Social Media — It is normal to want to share what is going on with your life on social media. However, posting too much on social media can hurt your claim. If you say your injuries are debilitating, and the insurance finds out you have been at your friend’s barbecue, they will use it to try and devalue your claim.

From your initial consultation, we will keep you completely in the loop until we attain the great results you deserve. Allow us to deal with the legal aspect of your case so you can focus on your medical treatment.

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

For some minor claims, where there is no discrepancy about who is at fault and your medical bills only include an urgent care visit, a lawyer may not be able to add much value to your claim. Give the insurance company your records and expenses, and ask for a little more for inconvenience. In a smaller settlement where not much is disputed, the adjuster will only lose money if they try to fight your claim.

However, more likely than not you will need a motorcycle accident attorney for your injury claim. While in a perfect world insurance companies would fulfill their responsibility 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 Saybrook, IL if:

• Your injuries require ongoing treatment — 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 always need an attorney to convince the insurance company to pay for future damages as well.
• Your damages and the insurance company’s offer are way too far apart — 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 on the case, 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 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 pothole that a local government should have fixed. An experienced Saybrook, 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 imperative if your damages exceed the at-fault driver’s policy limits.
• You are being blamed for the accident — Blaming you for your injuries is a frequent trick insurance adjusters use to devalue your claim. If the insurance company say your injuries are your own fault, an attorney use their investigate skills and network of experts to prove that is not the case. 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, a lawyer is likely necessary to get you the most possible compensation.

Your Saybrook, IL motorcycle accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to combat tricks insurance adjusters use. We have been doing it for more than 30 years. Our consultations are free, so call us at (312) 500-HURT to see what we can do for your claim. We start working from the moment you hire us, and do not give up until you get every bit of compensation you are owed.

Recent Burger Law Saybrook, IL Motorcycle Accident Victories

With any type of legal claim, results matter. You want to feel confident 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 are the best, 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 Saybrook, IL?

If you want to have a valid claim in Saybrook, IL, you must have been injured 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 says that “every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care,” so other drivers always owe you that duty.
2. Breach of duty — Were they neglectful in that duty and did that breach lead to an accident? Was another driver 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 — Whose breach of duty caused the accident? If the other driver’s brakes were not working, the liable party may be a manufacturer and not another motorist?.
5. Damages — Did your injuries lead to losses, such as medical expenses and pain and suffering? If your accident resulted in some bumps and bruises, but you did not need any medical treatment, it would be hard for you to file a claim.

Any time somebody else’s carelessness or recklessness injures you, you have an injury claim. Consult with a motorcycle accident attorney now at (312) 500-HURT if you are unsure if you have a claim.

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

Your compensation will be a combination of:

• 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 mental anguish, disfigurement 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 determine how much you will recover include:

• The severity of your injuries; more significant injuries tend to lead to higher economic and noneconomic damages
• 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 demand that the insurance company 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 adjusting for inflation.

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

Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the time limit for motorcycle accident injuries in Saybrook, IL is two years. That means you only have two years from the date of the accident 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 their 20th 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 leaves the state of Illinois for a period, that period does not account against the two years

While two years does not sound like it should give you a sense of urgency, it takes time to properly build your case. Do not wait to call a motorcycle accident lawyer after you were hurt in a motorcycle accident in Saybrook, IL. Call us today at (312) 500-HURT.

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

Motorcycles are harder for drivers of enclosed vehicles to see, being smaller. Due to a phenomenon called “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 be aware of larger vehicles, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness contributes to many motorcycle accidents in Saybrook, IL.

Most motorcycle accidents occur because of:

• Left-hand turns — The Motorcycle Legal Foundation reports that over 40 percent of all motorcycle accidents that result in deaths occur when a car turns left while and hits a motorcyclist in an intersection. These crashes can happen because of a car driver’s intoxication, reckless driving or generally not paying close enough attention to the road.
• Other collisions — Head on collisions also occur frequently between motorcycles and cars or trucks. 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 may be due to a negligent construction company or governmental entity.
• Road hazards — Cracked pavement, potholes, dead animals, slick surfaces or other roadways debris usually do not affect a car or truck very much. However, motorcycles are less stable and these hazards can cause a motorcyclist to fall.
• Malfunctioning components — Dozens of motorcycles are recalled every year, either by the manufacturer or by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If bikes or parts that are defective are allowed to stay on the market, it can result in motorcycle collisions.

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

More than nine out of 10 auto accidents are due to driver 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 road hazards
• A motorcycle designer, manufacturer or vendor for a defective product
• A company if someone they hired injured you while driving, such as in a commercial truck accident

Can I Sue For My Saybrook, 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 municipality 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 Saybrook, IL can handle your claim and guide you through the complexities of local and state laws to get you a full financial recovery.

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

Motorcyclists are not only at increased risk of a serious injury, but are more likely to be in a fatal accident. 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 some of the difficulties associated with their 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 of the accident.
• 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. If there are no immediate family members, siblings and nieces and nephews can file a claim
  3. If no family remains, the court can designate a plaintiff ad litem to file a claim
• 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 passing
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of financial support from the deceased, 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 Saybrook, IL wrongful death attorneys are not just tremendous at securing full compensation. We are understanding and kind and have helped many families get through the sorrow, anger and confusion that comes after a fatal auto accident.

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

Our Saybrook, 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 did nothing to deserve being in this situation, and you should not have to pay for it. To learn more about how our Saybrook, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (312) 500-HURT or complete our online form for a complimentary case review.