Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Tazewell County, IL

Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Tazewell County, IL

The thrill of riding a motorcycle can be canceled out by the injuries negligent drivers cause when they do not respect your safety. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Tazewell County, IL, reach out to the motorcycle accident lawyers of Burger Law immediately at (779) 800-HURT or complete our online form for a free case review.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Tazewell County, 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 give yourself a sense of peace. There is a sense of freedom that a car just cannot emulate. Unfortunately, this freedom also comes with a high price. Because of their relative lack of protection, the consequences of a motorcycle accident can be devastating. When you are injured, it carries instant financial, physical and mental consequences and you need someone to fight for you. You need to find a lawyer with a proven track record of winning motorcycle crash claims in Tazewell County, IL.

Burger Law has more than 30 years of experience getting full financial recoveries for our clients. 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 treat our Tazewell County, IL clients fairly.

To discover more about how our personal injury law firm will defend your rights, speak to an attorney at (779) 800-HURT to discuss your motorcycle accident claim for free.

How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in Tazewell County, IL?

Despite the fact that motorcycles account for less than one percent of total vehicle miles traveled in the country, they made up four percent of all injuries and 14 percent of total deaths in traffic-related accidents in 2020, 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, there were 3,077 motorcycle wrecks which resulted in 2,404 injuries and 152 deaths, according to the Illinois 2020 Crash Facts and Statistics. Sadly, the majority of those happened when the motorcycle was driving straight, insinuating that the accidents were often because of a car or truck driver failing to notice motorcyclists. Crashes are most common in urban areas, especially on arterial roads.

According to 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 on the weekends.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Tazewell County, IL

There are several steps you should take, both in the immediate wake of an accident and in the days and weeks that follow, to ensure you make both a physical and financial recovery.

At the Accident Site

While any collision is jarring, try to stay as calm as possible. At the accident site, you should:

• Get out of harm’s way — If you can, move out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leave the bike. It is obviously important to you, but staying with the bike or trying to move it could put you at risk of further harm. If you suspect you have a spine or head injury, stay still and wait for emergency personnel.
• Do not take off your protective gear — Taking off your helmet, gloves, boots, jacket and other gear could also make serious injuries even worse. 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 is probably best to be looked over at the scene instead of trying to go to an emergency room yourself. Police are trained 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 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 Tazewell County, IL when trying to prove someone else’s negligence down the road. See if there are eyewitnesses who can corroborate your side of the story.

Finally, receive medical attention if you have not already.

What to Do in the Days, Weeks and Months Afterwards

Once you have gotten medical treatment, notify both your insurance company and the other driver’s. Then, speak to a motorcycle accident lawyer in Tazewell County, 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 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 show all of the treatments and related expenses directly associated with the accident. The more medical expenses you have, the higher your pain and suffering compensation will be as well. Make sure you attend every every treatment and use all of the equipment and medication your doctor orders for you.
• Keep Detailed Records — You are also owed a financial recovery for lost wages from time when you were unable to work due to your injuries, 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 keep a daily journal showing 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 enlisted the services of a motorcycle accident lawyer, your attorney will handle all communication with the insurance. Insurance adjusters try to employ a lot of tricks to minimize claims, but your attorney will know how to hold the adjuster accountable.
• Do Not Post on 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 your friend’s barbecue, they will use it to attempt to deny your claim.

From your initial consultation, we will keep you completely in the loop until we reach a successful resolution. Let us handle the legal aspect of your case so you can focus on healing.

Do I Need a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Tazewell County, 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, you may be able to get compensation on your own. Supply the insurance company with proof of your financial losses, and see if they will throw some extra money on top for inconvenience. In a smaller settlement where not much is disputed, the insurance company is not going to want to waste their time.

However, in most cases, hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer will be the only way to get fair compensation in your injury claim. While in a perfect world insurance companies would fulfill their duty when their policyholders injure someone, they usually have to be convinced to. You will probably need a motorcycle accident lawyer in Tazewell County, IL if:

• Your injuries are significant — The higher your damages, the more the insurance company will be resistant to reimbursing you for it. 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’s offer is far below your damages — 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. By hiring an attorney, the insurance company will know that you will not back down without a fight. 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 injuries, especially multi-vehicle accidents, there may be more than one liable party. For example, a driver may merge into your line 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 Tazewell County, 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 essential if you are owed more compensation than the at-fault driver’s policy limits.
• You are being blamed for the accident — Blaming you for your injuries is a classic move insurance adjusters use to avoid paying you. When this happens, 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 are not completely barred from compensation under Missouri’s comparative negligence rule. However, a lawyer is likely necessary to get you the most possible compensation.

Your Tazewell County, 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 (779) 800-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 all of compensation you are owed.

Recent Burger Law Tazewell County, IL Motorcycle Accident Victories

You need a lawyer who has shown they can get maximum compensation in your type of claim before. A motorcycle accident lawyer saying they know how to get full compensation is one thing, but a lawyer whose former clients will vouch for them and who has the 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 Tazewell County, IL?

In order to have a valid claim in Tazewell County, IL, 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 owe you an obligation to keep you safe? 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1 stipulates 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 cause an accident? Was another driver speeding, texting and driving, drunk driving or otherwise breaking the rules of the road?
3. Cause in fact — Did the accident cause your injuries?
4. Proximate cause — Did the person’s negligence cause 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 bills and mental anguish? If your accident caused some bumps and bruises, 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 can to file an injury claim. Speak to a motorcycle accident attorney immediately at (779) 800-HURT if you have any doubts about the validity of your claim.

How Much is My Tazewell County, 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 mental anguish, disfigurement and pain and suffering
• In some rare cases, you can recover 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 contributed to the accident
• If the accident led to 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 liable party takes responsibility for 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 Tazewell County, IL?

Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, the time limit for motorcycle accident claims in Tazewell County, IL is two years. That means you only have two years from the date the accident occurred to file a lawsuit in court. There are some exceptions:

• If you or your loved one was a minor when the injuries occurred, 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 person responsible for your injuries leaves the state of Illinois for a time, that period does not account against the two years

While two years may seem like a long time, it takes time to properly build your case. Do not hesitate to call a motorcycle accident lawyer after you have been injured in Tazewell County, IL. Call us now at (779) 800-HURT.

What Are Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Tazewell County, IL?

Motorcycles are harder for drivers of enclosed vehicles to see, as they take up less space. As a result of something 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 other cars, but not for motorcycles. Inattentional blindness contributes to many motorcycle accidents in Tazewell County, IL.

Most motorcycle accidents occur because of:

• Left-hand turns — According to data from the Motorcycle Legal Foundation, 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, reckless driving or generally not paying close enough attention to the road.
• Other collisions — Head on collisions also occur frequently between motorcycles and passenger cars. A car may also not see a motorcyclist when merging or changing lanes. Motorcycles also collide with fixed objects more than any other type of motorist, which may be due to a negligent construction company or governmental entity.
• Road hazards — Cracked pavement, potholes, animal carcasses, gravel or other roadways debris often do not have much of an impact on a car. 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 result in motorcycle accidents.

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

More than nine out of 10 auto accidents are caused by driver error. So, most likely, you will make a claim against another driver. However, other parties that may be held accountable include:

• A governmental body or construction 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, such as in a commercial truck accident

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

Governmental entities are tasked with keeping their roadways safe for citizens to travel on, and when there are road hazards that 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 Tazewell County, IL can pick up 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 Tazewell County, IL. What Are My Legal Options?

Motorcyclists are not only at higher risk of a catastrophic injury, but are more likely to be in a fatal accident. If you were touched by tragedy and someone you love died 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 hardships 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. If there are no immediate family members, siblings and siblings’ descendants can file a claim
  3. If no family remains, the court can designate 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 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, education and moral training the deceased would have provided
  • Survivors’ grief, sorrow and mental suffering

Burger Law’s Tazewell County, IL wrongful death attorneys are not just skilled 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 take on and win in Tazewell County, 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 Tazewell County, IL Today

Our Tazewell County, IL motorcycle accident lawyers will not stop fighting until there is nothing left to fight; that is our guarantee. 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 Tazewell County, IL personal injury law firm will fight for your rights, call our team at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a no obligation case evaluation.