The Utah Department of Public Safety states that motorcycle crashes were 9.9 times more likely to result in death than other crashes. Recent statistics also point out that motorcyclists accounted for 1% of persons in crashes and 15% of deaths. They lack the protective devices in cars and trucks, such as seatbelts and airbags, and are more vulnerable to harm. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident and negligence is to blame, you deserve to recover compensation for your losses.
At Valiente Mott, an experienced personal injury lawyer will handle all aspects of your claim, from investigating the cause of the accident to identifying the liable party to negotiating for fair and reasonable compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation with a Salt Lake City motorcycle accident lawyer.
What Happens After You File a Motorcycle Injury Claim
Once you decide to pursue compensation, the process typically unfolds in stages. First, we sit down with you to understand exactly how the wreck happened and what you have been through physically and financially. From there, we gather the evidence needed to support your claim — crash reports, witness accounts, photos of the scene, and records from your medical providers.
As your treatment continues, we track your recovery so your claim reflects the full scope of your injuries, not just the initial diagnosis. Once your condition stabilizes or your doctors can reasonably project your future care needs, we put together a formal demand package for the insurance company. Many claims resolve through negotiation at this stage, but if the insurer refuses to offer a fair number, we are prepared to file a lawsuit and take your case through litigation.
Common Injuries in a Motorcycle Accident
The average passenger vehicle weighs about 4100 pounds, while the heaviest motorcycles are 700 pounds. In a collision, the motorcyclist almost always takes the brunt of the damage. As noted above, they are relatively unprotected and do not have the advanced safety features of modern cars and trucks.
Due to this combination of factors, riders often suffer severe injuries that require extensive and ongoing medical treatment, which can include the following:
- Head injuries: While helmets are effective at protecting motorcyclists, they do not eliminate the risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). A severe blow to the head during a motorcycle crash can result in long-term issues such as memory loss and impaired cognition. These symptoms of TBI can affect the ability to work and partake in hobbies and may even affect personal relationships.
- Spinal cord injuries: The spinal cord sends neural signals from the brain to the arms, legs, and rest of the body. When an injury to the back or neck disrupts this flow of information, the victim can suffer a wide range of issues ranging from loss of sensation to permanent paralysis. Spinal cord injuries, such as herniated discs, can be excruciating and difficult to treat.
- Scarring and disfigurement: Cyclists who are flung from their motorcycles often suffer severe abrasions, commonly known as “road rash,” after sliding across asphalt or other hard surface. Road rash, cuts from broken glass, and fractures can leave permanent scars and disfigurement.
- Fractures: Broken bones can have consequences beyond six weeks in a cast or splint. A fracture can cause lasting nerve damage, impaired mobility, loss of sensation, and other problems that can linger for years.
Compensation for Motorcycle Accident Victims
While the consequences of motorcycle accident injuries are often serious, the law offers victims an opportunity to recover compensation for their losses and damages, which could include:
- Medical treatment: Compensation for medical bills includes any care and treatment you received and will continue to require due to the negligence of the person who caused your motorcycle accident.
- Wage loss: If your injuries have left you disabled and unable to work, you may seek compensation for those financial losses.
- Future earning capacity: Perhaps you can rejoin the workforce, but not in the same capacity. Your income can decrease by half, and your damages award could reflect that difference.
- Property damage: You are entitled to compensation for bike repairs or replacement.
Finally, you may be eligible to recover non-economic damages, which are the soft costs not easily verifiable by receipts, including pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of enjoyment in life. Non-economic damages may be more challenging to assess, but an attorney in Salt Lake City can help secure them to increase the value of your motorcycle accident claim.
Factors That Shape the Value of Your Motorcycle Accident Claim
Claims need to be valued on the specific details, and several elements determine how yours may be valued. The severity and permanence of your injuries carry significant weight — a fracture that heals in weeks is valued differently than a spinal injury with lifelong effects. Your medical expenses, both what you already paid and what future treatment will cost, factor heavily into the total.
Lost income matters too, including any reduction in your ability to earn going forward if your injuries limit the work you can do. How clearly the other driver’s negligence caused the crash also plays a role — the stronger the liability evidence, the harder it is for an insurer to dispute your claim. Finally, available insurance coverage can put a practical ceiling on what is recoverable, which is why identifying every liable party matters.
The Danger of Negligent Drivers
Cars, trucks, and other passenger vehicles remain a leading cause of motorcycle accidents, which can consist of:
- Merging into traffic without looking and side-swiping a motorcycle
- Taking a left turn into the path of an oncoming rider who has the right of way
- Speeding and running red lights
- Reckless, drunk, and distracted driving
An experienced Salt Lake City motorcycle accident attorney will thoroughly investigate the incident and uncover crucial evidence such as surveillance and dashcam videos, witness testimony, police and medical records, and traffic data from GPS and navigation services to prove liability.
Understanding Fault-Sharing Rules for Riders
Insurance adjusters sometimes try to pin part of a crash on the motorcyclist, even when the passenger vehicle driver caused it. Utah law allows a rider who was partly responsible for a crash to still recover damages as long as their share of fault does not reach 50 percent. If you are 30 percent at fault, for example, your award is reduced by that same percentage. Cross the halfway mark, though, and Utah law bars recovery entirely. This is exactly why insurers often lean on stereotypes of reckless riders to inflate your share of blame — doing so shrinks or eliminates their payout obligation. Part of our job is making sure the evidence tells an accurate story of who caused your crash, so unfair assumptions do not cost you compensation you are owed.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
There are several types of bias against motorcyclists, including that they are too difficult to see, drive too fast, and are generally young and reckless. This affects the safety of everyone on the road, as well as insurance negotiation settlements. Despite the prevailing bias, we are committed to helping our clients overcome all the legal and financial challenges they face after a motorcycle crash.
Our lawyers in Salt Lake City will painstakingly assemble the facts and evidence of your motorcycle accident and resulting injuries to negotiate from the strongest possible position. While we have successfully obtained favorable settlements for victims of motorcycle crashes, truck wrecks, and other types of collisions, we are always prepared to fight for our clients’ rights in court.
Missteps That Can Undermine Your Motorcycle Accident Claim
Certain decisions in the days after a crash can quietly weaken an otherwise strong claim. Skipping or delaying medical care is one of the most damaging, since gaps in treatment give insurers room to argue your injuries weren’t serious or weren’t connected to the wreck. Giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company before speaking with us is another, as these calls are often designed to get you to downplay your injuries or accept blame.
Posting about the crash or your recovery on social media can also backfire, as insurers regularly comb through profiles for anything that contradicts your claim. Finally, waiting too long to get legal guidance can mean losing access to evidence, like surveillance footage, that disappears within days or weeks of a crash.
Making Roads Safer for Motorcyclists
The incidence of fatal motorcycle accidents in Utah doubled between 2020 and 2023. Advocacy organizations are helping new and seasoned riders hone their skills to curtail the alarming rise in fatalities. Some of the safety exercises include practicing stopping quickly, merging in and out of traffic, and managing curves. Despite the efforts of safety organizations, dangers still abound on roads in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah–all it takes is one reckless driver to change a motorcyclist’s life.
Schedule Your Free Initial Consultation With a Salt Lake City Motorcycle Accident Attorney
Suffering a traumatic injury because of another party’s negligence can turn your life upside down. In our experience helping the people of Nevada and Utah, we have won substantial personal injury settlements that will pave the way for a brighter future. Whether you need a skilled Salt Lake City motorcycle accident lawyer, we can help.
If we take on your motorcycle accident case, we begin by explaining state laws and procedural rules that apply to your circumstances. We initiate thorough investigations to determine the cause of your injury and identify all liable parties. Schedule a free consultation today. Since we work on a contingency basis, there are no upfront legal fees.
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