South Bend Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Motorcycling can be an exciting way to get around a scenic community like South Bend. Whether cruising alongside the St. Joseph River with the wind in your hair or simply running errands in the downtown area, a motorcycle can be an enjoyable, economical mode of transportation – though not always a safe one.

Because motorcycles provide considerably less shielding than cars and trucks, riders may be subjected to grievous bodily harm in the event of a motorcycle accident. In fact, 1,969 motorcyclists were hurt and 138 were killed in Indiana collisions just in 2020.

If you have been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, the South Bend motorcycle accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group will be here for you. We have been protecting the rights of hardworking Hoosiers since 1998 and are eager to make a difference for you and your family.

Please call or text us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation with a dedicated South Bend motorcycle accident lawyer today.

How Do Motorcycle Accidents Happen?

In order for you to have a viable personal injury case for your motorcycle accident, you will need to demonstrate that someone else was primarily responsible for it. Compensable motorcycle accidents may happen because of:

· Exceeding a safe speed

· Failing to yield the right of way

· Following too closely

· Improper turning

· Sudden lane changes

· Cutting a motorcycle off at an intersection

· Swerving

· Opening a door in front of a motorcyclist (dooring)

· Fatigue

· Distraction

· Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

· Improper phone use

Our South Bend motorcycle accident attorneys will analyze the circumstances leading up to your injury and determine the best course of action for your case.

Motorcycle Accidents Can Inflict Punishing Injuries

Many of the elements that make motorcycles so appealing – their smaller size, their lighter weight, the opportunity they afford to veer around obstacles and between lanes in traffic – are the same elements that make them so hazardous when something goes wrong.

With little separating motorcyclists from other vehicles and the road itself, motorcycle accidents can put them into direct physical contact with metal and asphalt, making punishing injuries all but inevitable. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that cyclists are hurt in approximately 80 percent of all motorcycle accidents, four times the rate of injury of passenger vehicle occupants. Moreover, riders are statistically 24 times likelier to die in a crash.

Similarly, though the compact size and low weight of motorcycles make them more maneuverable, these qualities give them significantly shorter stopping times, frequently resulting in rear-end collisions with inattentive drivers. Moreover, having two wheels instead of four reduces the overall stability of motorcycles, such that even minor jolts could tip cyclists over or throw them, thereby making a bad situation even worse.

Clearly, riders are more at risk than most car and truck drivers sharing the streets with them. For this reason, drivers have an obligation to accommodate their more vulnerable neighbors by watching out for motorcyclists, leaving them extra room, and slowing down more gradually in their presence.

Sadly, drivers may shirk this obligation, with cyclists experiencing the bulk of the consequences. When they do, Hensley’s South Bend motorcycle accident lawyers will be available to help.

How to Avoid a South Bend Motorcycle Accident

Certain precautions may allow you to either avoid a motorcycle accident entirely or lessen its impact. Before you go out for a ride, you should remember to:

· Increase your visibility – Drivers who can see you will generally not hit you. Increase your visibility to them by wearing brightly colored clothing and flashing your lights whenever you approach.

· Move at a safe speed – Speeding will only make motorcycle accidents more likely and more extreme, so observe posted speed limits and be prepared to dip below them if you encounter poor road or weather conditions.

· Pay attention – Distraction is the second largest contributor to auto accidents, so take pains to keep your mind on the task at hand when you are riding your bike.

· Maintain an adequate space cushion – Leaving adequate space between yourself and other vehicles will minimize the likelihood of rear-end collisions during stops.

· Merge carefully – You are more prone to be in a driver’s blind spot when changing lanes, so try to signal to or make eye contact with anyone in your intended lane to alert them of your intentions before merging.

· Exercise caution at intersections – Over a third of motorcycle accidents take place in intersections, so be sure to look both ways before proceeding forward.

· Stay sober – Drinking and riding is both highly illegal and incredibly foolish, yet 27 percent of deadly motorcycle accidents involve intoxication. If you value your life, only get on your motorcycle when you are completely sober.

· Get your rest – Also make sure that you are well rested before you ride, since a motorist who has gone more than twenty hours without sleep can be as impaired as one with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, the legal limit for intoxication in Indiana.

· Put on a helmet – The NHTSA reports that wearing a helmet can be 67 percent effective in preventing brain damage and 37 percent effective in preventing death during a motorcycle accident.

What a South Bend Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Do for You

Safe biking is of the utmost importance. Nevertheless, even if you follow every recommendation, motorcycle accidents may still occur, and the subsequent injuries can be devastating, overwhelming you with mounting medical bills while limiting your ability to go to work. Very quickly, it could become hard just to make ends meet, much less satisfy the new demands on your finances.

You need attorneys with the compassion to support you during the difficult journey ahead and the skill to bring it to a favorable conclusion. In short, you need the South Bend motorcycle accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, who are committed to getting justice for the innocent victims of negligence.

If you hire Hensley, we will carry out an exhaustive investigation into your motorcycle accident and everyone who may be culpable for it within the time permitted by law, taking swift action to secure the materials required to assemble your claim, including:

· Police reports

· Tickets and dispositions

· Crash site photos

· Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance footage

· Black box data

· Phone records

· Witness statements

· Driving histories

· Vehicular servicing logs

· Forensic analysis and accident reconstruction

If evidence of misconduct exists, our South Bend motorcycle accident lawyers will work tirelessly to find it.

Get Compensated for the Totality of Your Losses

After putting together an airtight case against all of the liable parties, we will enter into negotiations with their insurance companies. Insurers often attempt to exploit negative public sentiment about the perceived “recklessness” of the motorcycle community in an effort to settle a claim for less, but we won’t let them, striving instead to get you compensated for the totality of your losses, including:

· Medical expenses

· Lost income

· Pain and suffering

· Psychological and emotional trauma

· Diminished quality of life

· Scarring and disfigurement

· Permanent impairment

· Loss of consortium

· Punitive and wrongful death damages (if relevant)

And unlike some of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, step foot inside a courtroom, we are not afraid to go to trial if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your case.

No two motorcycle accidents are exactly alike, but we will do everything in our power to get you top dollar for yours.

You Won’t Have to Pay Unless We Win

If you are reluctant to spend more money at this moment, you should know that our firm works on a contingency basis, so you won’t have to pay us anything unless our South Bend motorcycle accident attorneys win your case.

You have enough to worry about trying to recover your health. Let Hensley worry about recovering the resources necessary to do it.

Standing Up for the Everyday People of Indiana

Hensley Legal Group personal injury attorneys have been standing up for the everyday people of Indiana for more than 25 years. If you have been injured through no fault of your own, explore your legal options with one of our knowledgeable South Bend motorcycle accident lawyers.

You can arrange a no-cost case review with an accomplished South Bend motorcycle accident attorney by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form.