Fort Wayne Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Whether you are zipping through dense rush hour traffic or cruising alongside one of Fort Wayne’s three major rivers on a lazy Sunday afternoon, motorcycles can be an enjoyable way to get around town – though certainly not the safest one, with Fort Wayne recording 129 motorcycle accidents in 2022 alone.

Moreover, the relative lack of protection that your motorcycle provides could leave you struggling to cope with severe injuries in the event of a motorcycle accident, sometimes requiring extensive medical treatment at a cost that you may be unable to manage on your own.

But you won’t have to be on your own if you turn to the Fort Wayne motorcycle accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group, where we have been making a difference in the lives of hardworking Hoosiers since 1998.

To schedule a free consultation with an accomplished Fort Wayne motorcycle accident attorney, please call or text us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form at your earliest convenience.

Why Motorcycles Are So Dangerous

Motorcycles are perhaps the most dangerous passenger vehicles in the United States today, and injuries are the rule, not the exception, whenever a motorcycle accident happens. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that motorcyclists are four times as likely to be injured and 24 times as likely to die in a crash as other passenger vehicle occupants.

Why are motorcycles so dangerous? The truth is that many of the aspects that a rider may find so appealing about a motorcycle are the very same aspects that will put that rider in jeopardy if there should be a motorcycle accident. For example, their compact frames and lower weights give motorcycles significantly shorter stopping times, thereby increasing the chances of rear-end collisions.

Similarly, riders have little to shield them from other vehicles and the road, which might feel pleasant as the wind whips past them but will feel far less pleasant if they collide with metal and asphalt at high speeds. Even having two wheels rather than four greatly reduces a motorcycle’s overall stability, with even the slightest jolt potentially throwing or tipping a cyclist over.

Given how much more vulnerable motorcyclists are, other drivers have a duty to accommodate them by keeping a lookout, giving them extra space, and decelerating more gradually in their presence. If this duty is disregarded, however, a rider may need the assistance of a skilled Fort Wayne motorcycle accident lawyer to deal with the consequences.

How to Avoid a Motorcycle Accident

In light of how badly a motorcycle accident could injure you, it is vital to do everything within your power not to get into one in the first place. With that in mind, you may be able to avoid a motorcycle accident entirely or lessen the harm you might sustain from one if you remember to:

Be as visible as possible – A driver who can see you will typically not hit you, so try to be as visible as possible when you are on the road. Put on brightly colored clothing, attach reflectors to your motorcycle, and flash your lights if you encounter other vehicles.

Travel at an appropriate speed – Observe posted speed limits and be ready to travel even slower in the face of inclement weather or road hazards, since speeding could make motorcycle accidents more probable and more destructive.

Stay alert – Distraction is second only to speeding when it comes to all kinds of motor vehicle accidents. Stay alert to your surroundings and focus intently on what you are doing when you are on your bike.

Approach intersections with care – A cyclist is never more exposed to injury than in an intersection, the location of more than a third of motorcycle accidents, so be sure to approach them with the utmost care.

Keep your distance – Do not crowd other vehicles, as encroachment upon their territory could subject you to side- or rear-impact collisions.

Merge prudently – Signal to or make eye contact with other drivers to notify them of your intentions before you switch lanes, since merging could all too easily put you in their blind spots.

Remain sober – Despite the success of initiatives against drinking and driving, intoxication factors into more than a quarter of fatal motorcycle accidents. Remain sober when you ride so that you don’t end up as just another statistic.

Get sufficient rest – Being well rested could be as important as being sober, with studies revealing that going more than twenty hours without sleep can induce a comparable level of impairment as a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent.

Wear a helmet – The next best thing to averting a motorcycle accident is wearing a helmet, which can be 67 percent effective in preventing brain damage and 37 percent effective in preventing death.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

As useful as these precautions can be, a motorcycle accident may still occur, and you must show that someone else was responsible if you hope to recover compensation for it. Common causes of compensable motorcycle accidents may include:

Speeding

Following too closely (tailgating)

Turning improperly

Neglecting to yield the right of way

Changing lanes abruptly

Swerving

Cutting off a motorcycle at an intersection

Opening a door in front of a cyclist (dooring)

Distraction

Illicit cellphone usage

Drowsiness

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol

No matter what the specific cause of your motorcycle accident is, Hensley’s Fort Wayne motorcycle accident attorneys can determine the best course of action if you have grounds to pursue a personal injury case.

How Our Fort Wayne Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Can Help

A motorcycle accident can change your life in an instant, overwhelming you with mounting medical bills while removing your ability to go to work to pay for them. Just making ends meet could quickly become a challenge, much less meeting the new demands on your finances.

This is where our Fort Wayne motorcycle accident attorneys can help. If you choose to hire Hensley, we will launch a comprehensive investigation into your motorcycle accident and everyone who may be liable for it within the time permitted by law, acting swiftly to amass the materials to build your claim, such as:

Police reports

Citations and dispositions

Witness statements

Crash scene photos

Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance footage

Black box data

Phone records

Driving histories

Vehicular servicing logs

Accident reconstruction and forensic analysis

After putting together an airtight case against all of the defendants, we will enter into negotiations with their insurance companies, who might otherwise attempt to take advantage of unfavorable public sentiment about the perceived “recklessness” of the motorcycle community to settle your claim for less. We won’t let them, instead working tirelessly to get you compensated for the full spectrum of your losses, including your:

Medical expenses

Lost wages

Pain and suffering

Mental and emotional anguish

Scarring and disfigurement

Mobility restrictions

Diminished quality of living

Loss of consortium

Punitive and wrongful death damages (if applicable)

And if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your case, we are not afraid to go to trial for a verdict that is, unlike many of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, venture into a courtroom.

No two motorcycle accidents are exactly alike, but our Fort Wayne motorcycle accident lawyers will always strive to maximize the value of yours.

What Does It Cost to Retain Hensley Legal Group?

We realize that you may be reluctant to agree to more expenditures when you may least be able to afford them, but you should know that Hensley Legal Group works on a contingency basis. This means that you will not have to pay us anything unless our Fort Wayne motorcycle accident attorneys win your case.

We took you on as a client because we believe in you, and we are willing to assume every risk involved in making you whole again.

Reach Out to Our Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been fighting for the innocent victims of negligence for more than 25 years. If you have been hurt through no fault of your own, we invite you to reach out to our Fort Worth motorcycle accident lawyers to explore your legal options.

You can schedule a no-cost case review with a dedicated Fort Wayne personal injury attorney by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form now.