Motorcycle Accidents

Jefferson Motorcycle Accidents

Have you suffered injuries in a motorcycle wreck in Jefferson, Wisconsin? If so, you may be struggling with catastrophic injuries that require expensive medical care and leave you unable to work or earn a living. If the crash occurred due to another driver’s negligence, you may have the right to pursue compensation for your harm and loss. Let a Jefferson motorcycle accident lawyer from LawtonCates help.

Since 1958, our firm has represented injured clients throughout South Central Wisconsin. Our founding attorneys built a tradition of excellence that has earned us recognition among our legal peers, including listing in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and an AV-preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Many of our attorneys have also received individual recognition from leading legal organizations such as Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers.

Find out why generations of clients have turned to us for help with the most important legal matters of their lives. Contact LawtonCates for a free, no-obligation initial consultation and case review. Learn how our motorcycle accident law firm will fight to secure compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Benefits of Hiring a Jefferson, WI, Attorney for Your Motorcycle Accident Claim

If a motorcycle accident has left you with catastrophic injuries, you deserve to focus on your medical treatment and rehabilitation, not on jumping through a lot of hoops to pursue the compensation you deserve. At the same time, without that compensation, you could be left paying out of pocket for financial and personal costs that weren’t your fault.

By hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer in Jefferson from LawtonCates, you’ll benefit from having an experienced legal advocate who can handle all aspects of your motorcycle accident claim. This way, you can devote your time and energy to where it needs to be: healing and getting your life back in order.

Our firm will use our collective knowledge and skills to:

• Investigate your case
• Document your injuries and losses
• Identify liable parties and options for financial recovery
• Aggressively pursue maximum compensation through a fair settlement
• Pursue your claims in court if the liable parties won’t make a reasonable offer

What’s more, we’ll do all this without charging you any upfront fees. We’ll only get paid if we recover compensation on your behalf, so there’s no risk in putting us to work on your behalf.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident

When you’ve sustained a motorcycle accident injury, taking the right steps can protect your right to recover compensation from the driver who hit you. Here are some tips to follow:

• Adhere to your doctor’s treatment recommendations and recovery instructions, and do not put off treating or rehabbing your injuries.
• Report the crash to your motorcycle insurance provider.
• Request a copy of the police accident report.
• Obtain copies of medical records of your treatment and rehabilitation.
• Keep all bills, invoices, or receipts for expenses you incur due to the accident.
• Gather your pay statements to calculate your lost wages.
• Avoid posting about the accident or your injuries on social media or posting photos or videos of yourself while undergoing treatment for your injuries.

Finally, contact a Jefferson motorcycle accident lawyer from LawtonCates to discuss the next steps you can take to pursue financial recovery for your injuries and losses.

How We Investigate Motorcycle Accident Cases

At LawtonCates, we know that a successful motorcycle accident case requires compelling evidence to prove the other driver’s or party’s fault for the crash. When you hire our firm to represent you in a motorcycle accident claim, you can expect us to seek out evidence such as:

We often work with accident reconstruction experts to analyze this evidence. Experts use their knowledge and experience to reconstruct the events of a motorcycle accident and identify the party or parties who caused the crash.

Compensation You Could Recover in a Motorcycle Accident Claim

If you’ve been hurt in a crash someone else caused, you can demand compensation from the liable parties for the ongoing and future expenses or losses you may incur due to your injuries. Your motorcycle accident compensation may include money for your:

• Medical treatment and rehabilitation costs
• Costs of long-term care services you need for prolonged or permanent disabilities
• Loss of wages/income due to time taken off work or reduced earnings while working in a modified-duty position during your injury recovery
• Loss of future earning capacity if you become permanently disabled from your job and other positions
• Physical pain and emotional trauma/distress
• Loss of enjoyment and quality of life because of permanent disabilities or disfigurement/scarring
• Costs of motorcycle damage repair or reimbursement for the value of your totaled bike

How a Motorcycle Accident Differs from a Car Accident

Pursuing a motorcycle accident claim may involve unique challenges that do not arise in car accident cases. Some of the obstacles that an injured rider can face in their motorcycle accident case include:

• Riders Frequently Suffer Severe Injuries – Motorcyclists are directly exposed to the force of a collision, which puts them at greater risk of serious injuries. As a result, an injured rider may require substantial financial compensation, potentially complicating settlement negotiations if an at-fault driver and their insurance company balk at paying higher compensation amounts.
• At-Fault Drivers May Not Have Sufficient Insurance Coverage – When they carry the minimum liability insurance required by state law, drivers may have insufficient financial resources to fully compensate an injured motorcycle rider, forcing the rider to pursue other avenues for financial relief.
• Drivers and Insurers May Rely on Biases/Stereotypes to Shift Blame for the Crash – Some people have a mental image of bikers as “outlaws” or “rebels” who don’t follow the law. An at-fault driver and their insurer may try to play to this stereotype, telling a judge or jury that a rider engaged in careless or reckless behavior immediately before the crash in an effort to avoid liability. This ploy might force an injured rider to secure additional evidence to conclusively show that the accident occurred due to the driver’s negligence.

Parties Who Could Be Held Liable for a Motorcycle Wreck

When a driver hits a motorcycle rider, they typically bear liability for the rider’s injuries and losses. However, other parties may also share liability for a motorcycle wreck under certain circumstances. For example, if the at-fault driver hits a motorcyclist while driving for work, the driver’s employer will bear vicarious liability to the injured rider.

If the at-fault driver doesn’t own the vehicle, the vehicle’s owner may bear liability for a motorcycle rider’s injuries, provided the owner negligently entrusted the vehicle to the driver. An example of negligent entrustment would be if the owner let a visibly intoxicated or unlicensed person drive the vehicle.

Further, if a motorcycle wreck results from a defect in the bike or another motorist’s vehicle, the vehicle manufacturer (and a third-party manufacturer of a defective auto part) may bear responsibility for the crash and the motorcyclist’s injuries.

Could You Recover Compensation if You’re Partly to Blame for a Motorcycle Accident?

You may still have the right to compensation even if you were partially to blame for the motorcycle accident. In injury claims, Wisconsin uses a modified comparative negligence rule. Under this rule, you can pursue a motorcycle accident claim if your share of fault for the accident does not exceed the other driver’s share of fault.

However, the rule also diminishes your financial recovery in proportion to your percentage of fault for the motorcycle crash. Therefore, if the other driver tries to blame you for the crash, you need an experienced Jefferson motorcycle accident lawyer. When you turn to LawtonCates, we will fight to protect your interests and seek maximum compensation for you.

How Long Do You Have to File a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit in Wisconsin?

Under Wisconsin’s statute of limitations, you generally have three years to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit after getting into a crash due to another party’s negligence. There can be exceptions to this deadline, so you should contact an attorney at LawtonCates to find out the filing date specific to your case.

If you file your lawsuit after the limitations period expires for your motorcycle accident claim, you may lose the opportunity to seek compensation if the court dismisses your case. You can protect your legal rights to financial recovery by contacting a motorcycle accident lawyer in Jefferson immediately after a collision. This will give you the best chance of filing your claim on time.

Common Types and Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

At LawtonCates, our firm advocates for the rights and interests of motorcycle riders who have suffered injuries in accidents such as rear-end, head-on, sideswipe, and T-bone collisions. In many cases, a motorcycle collision occurs due to the negligence of another motorist, such as:

Typical Injuries Resulting from a Motorcycle Collision

Due to their exposed position, bikers are at heightened risk of severe injuries in a motorcycle wreck, such as:

Contact a Jefferson, WI, Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today

Were you or a loved one hurt in a motorcycle crash in Jefferson, Wisconsin? Then you need knowledgeable legal counsel who can help you stand up for your right to compensation for your injuries and losses. Contact LawtonCates today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Jefferson motorcycle accident attorney to discuss your legal options for pursuing justice.