Bucks County Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
While many Feasterville residents enjoy riding motorcycles for recreation as well as for transportation, motorcycle accidents can result in severe and sometimes fatal injuries. Given that motorcyclists are not as protected as passengers in motor vehicles, a collision with an automobile can be devastating. When another driver’s negligence causes a motorcycle accident, the rider can suffer the consequences. At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we know how difficult it can be to sustain serious injuries caused by another driver’s careless behavior. When you get hurt on the road, you may require weeks, months, and sometimes even years of medical treatment and rehabilitative therapy. For some motorcycle accident victims, the crash leaves them permanently disabled and unable to work. If you cannot work, you cannot earn an income to cover your medical expenses, and the losses associated with the crash are compounded.
You should not have to deal with the consequences of a motorcycle accident on your own. An aggressive Feasterville motorcycle accident lawyer can assist with your case. At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we have years of experience helping clients to seek compensation from negligent parties. An advocate at our firm can discuss your options with you today.
Common Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents
At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we regularly represent clients who have suffered serious and debilitating injuries in motorcycle accidents. A report from RideApart.com cites the following types of injuries as among the most frequent in motorcycle accidents:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and other head trauma;
- Injuries to the neck, including spinal cord injuries (SCIs); and
- Injuries to the legs and feet, including amputations.
Motorcycle accidents frequently result in disabling injuries. As such, it is very important to learn more about filing a claim for compensation and holding the responsible party accountable.
Motorcycle Accidents On the Rise in Pennsylvania
It is especially important for Feasterville residents to consider motorcycle safety and to hold negligent drivers accountable given the recent rise in motorcycle fatalities across the state. As a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explained, while motorcycle accident deaths in the U.S. have declined in recent years, Pennsylvania has seen an increase in motorcycle crash fatalities.
What can Feasterville riders do to lessen the risk of a debilitating or fatal accident? The report suggests that states with universal helmet laws have a lower rate of serious and deadly motorcycle accidents. As such, even though many Feasterville riders are not required by law to wear a helmet, making the decision to wear a helmet regardless may save the life of a rider.
Understanding Motorcycle Helmet Laws in Feasterville, PA
What are Pennsylvania’s motorcycle helmet laws? According to a fact sheet from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Penn DOT), Pennsylvania law requires that “any person who operates or rides a motorcycle . . . must wear protective headgear unless he or she is over 21 years of age or older and has either two years of riding experience or has completed a motorcycle safety course approved by PennDOT or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.”
In other words, only persons who fall into the following categories are required to wear a motorcycle helmet:
- Riders under the age of 21; and
- Riders over the age of 21 with fewer than two years of riding experience unless the rider has completed an approved safety course.
As you might imagine, there are many riders over the age of 21 who are not required by law to wear a helmet. Can helmets really save lives? A fact sheet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites the following motorcycle safety statistics concerning helmets:
- Each year, helmets prevent more than 1,600 deaths and save around $2.8 billion in economic losses;
- If all motorcycle riders had worn helmets in the year 2013, the U.S. would have saved approximately $1.1 billion;
- Studies show that helmets reduce the risk of a fatal accident by 37 percent; and
- Studies also show that helmets reduce the risk of a traumatic brain injury or other head trauma by 69 percent.
Filing Your Lawsuit On Time
How long do you have to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit? Under Pennsylvania law, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years. This means that, if you plan to seek compensation for your losses by filing a motorcycle accident claim, you must file that claim within two years from the date of the accident.
You do not want to lose the opportunity to file a claim. If you got hurt in a motorcycle accident, you should reach out to a Feasterville motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible.
Understanding Comparative Negligence and How It May Impact Your Claim
What will happen if a motorcyclist was partially to blame for the accident? Or what happens if the motorcyclist’s actions resulted in a more serious injury in a collision? To understand the answers to these questions, it is important to know about “comparative negligence” in Pennsylvania.
If you think you may have been partially responsible for your injuries, you still may be able to recover damages. Pennsylvania law follows a “modified comparative negligence” theory, which means that, as long as a plaintiff is not 51 percent or more to blame for his or her injuries, she can still recover damages. The only catch is that her damages award will be reduced by the percentage by which she was liable. In other words, the plaintiff’s fault must be less than the fault of the defendant or the defendants.
For instance, if a jury decides that a motorcyclist was 20 percent responsible for her head injuries because she failed to wear a helmet but awards $100,000 in damages, that award will be reduced by 20 percent and the motorcyclist still will recover $80,000 in damages.
Discuss Your Case with a Feasterville Motorcycle Accident Attorney
Were you recently injured in a motorcycle accident? You should not have to bear the costs of another driver’s negligence or wrongful act. At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we are committed to helping Feasterville residents to seek compensation for their losses in serious accidents. An experienced Feasterville motorcycle accident attorney can speak with you today about your case. We provide personalized representation to each client and advocate tirelessly on behalf of injury victims. Contact The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers today to learn more about our services.