Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Suffolk County

Helping Clients Make a Full Financial Recovery After Suffering Serious Injuries

Motorcycle crashes can be terrifying experiences for the victim and their loved ones. Injuries sustained can include head trauma, internal injuries, crushed and broken bones, road rash, lacerations, and more. In the worst wrecks, the victim may lose their life.

As someone suffering from a Long Island motorcycle accident, you may be eligible for compensation for your severe injuries. This includes past and future medical treatment, lost wages, emotional distress, and pain and suffering. However, insurance companies often ignore the compensation that motorcycle accident victims need in their motorcycle accident claims. 

If you think you might be eligible for compensation and want more than the lowball settlement the insurance adjuster offers, please call our law firm immediately. Our motorcycle accident lawyers understand the importance of having the money you need to make a full recovery. We’ll take the worry and burden off your shoulders and protect your legal rights at every step.

Whether you are grieving a loved one and need to bring a wrongful death claim or are pursuing compensation for your own injuries, the personal injury attorneys at Rizzuto Injury Firm can help. We’ll work tirelessly as we try to negotiate with the insurance company, get a fair settlement, or pursue compensation in a motorcycle accident lawsuit. Call 516-604-5496 now to see what we can do for you. 

What Are Some Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Suffolk County?

Long Island motorcycle accidents occur for many reasons. Sadly, many motorcycle crashes could have been prevented if drivers took more care while on New York roadways. In some cases, the accident occurs because both drivers were acting negligently. 

To determine the cause of your Long Island motorcycle accident, please reach out to our motorcycle accident attorneys right away. We have decades of experience handling motorcycle accident cases and will leverage our knowledge, skill, and honesty in getting you the compensation you deserve.

Some examples of causes we commonly see in motorcycle accidents are:

• Distracted driving, including eating or drinking behind the wheel and cell phone use while driving
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Reckless driving, such as speeding or following too closely
• Violating traffic signs and signals
• Improper left turn
• Failure to watch for smaller vehicles like motorcycles
• Poor weather conditions, such as fog, snow, heavy rain, or driving at night

Too many victims are severely injured because of someone’s negligence. Our motorcycle accident lawyers are ready to defend your rights and prove that someone else engaged in behavior that led to your serious injuries. Call now to talk with our compassionate, capable legal team about the details of your case.

How Is Liability Determined in a Motorcycle Crash?

Determining liability is crucial when seeking compensation for personal injuries in a Long Island motorcycle accident. Liability refers to the responsibility for the crash and depends on a few factors. These include duty of care, failure to uphold the duty of care, causing the accident, and causing severe injuries.

Duty of Care

The first point that must be proved in motorcycle accident claims is that the other party owed the victim a duty of care. In motorcycle accident cases, this refers to the drivers’ responsibility to drive safely and follow traffic laws. If a driver violates the law or drives recklessly, they may be liable for causing an accident that harms someone else.

Violation of Duty of Care

Once you’ve established that the other driver owed you a duty of care, you must also prove that they violated that duty. On the road, this could look like speeding, drunk driving, driving while texting or talking on the phone, failing to use a turn signal, not yielding the right of way, and many other violations.

Causing the Crash

The next aspect of determining liability is showing that the other party’s negligence directly caused the crash. If you contributed to the accident in any way, your compensation could be reduced or eliminated according to New York’s liability laws. Please don’t risk losing out on the money you deserve. Talk to a trusted Long Island motorcycle accident lawyer for help proving liability in a successful motorcycle accident claim.

Severity of Injuries

The final requirement for a successful claim or personal injury lawsuit is showing that your injuries were severe enough for you to recover compensation. Your injury lawyer can help by collecting evidence like accident reports, medical records, expert testimony, journal entries, and more to show that you have suffered enough to merit compensation.

What Injuries Do Motorcycle Victims Typically Suffer?

Motorcycle riders often suffer extreme damage in a crash for several reasons. First, unlike a passenger car, the motorcycle itself offers little to no protection for the driver. Additionally, motorcycle accidents may occur because the other driver doesn’t see the motorcyclist at all, meaning these crashes can happen at high speeds.

Some examples of motorcycle injuries include head trauma, neck and spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, broken bones, and skin injuries.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

One of the most serious forms of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident is brain injuries. TBIs can be difficult to diagnose, making it crucial for you or your loved one to get immediate medical treatment after suffering a crash. Some symptoms of a TBI include vision loss, nausea, dizziness, unconsciousness, and memory issues.

If you or a loved one suffered a TBI in a Long Island motorcycle wreck, you may be eligible for compensation. Some damages that can result from TBI include memory loss, mood disorders, learning disabilities, and death. Call now to see how an experienced attorney at our firm can help you.

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

Damage to the spinal cord is another example of injuries that can cause a victim extreme pain and suffering. Bulging discs, herniated discs, sprains, fractures, and nerve damage can all cause the injured rider to miss work or lose out on enjoyable recreational activities.

A successful personal injury claim or lawsuit can help recover damages for medical expenses, future costs, medical equipment, lost wages, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and more.

Internal Injuries

Internal injuries are another major cause of pain and suffering among injured motorcyclists. Because internal injuries can be challenging to detect, victims should get immediate medical care to prevent lasting damage or death. Some examples of internal injuries include crushed or lacerated organs and internal bleeding.

Act now to get yourself to safety and protect your legal rights. Seek medical treatment to ensure you get any internal damage diagnosed quickly. Once you’re recovering, you can call our personal injury law firm to speak with our motorcycle accident lawyers about your unique case.

Broken Bones

In motorcycle accidents where the victim collides with another vehicle, the motorcycle does little to protect the body from breaks and fractures. Fractured bones can cause a great deal of pain and often require lengthy recoveries. Severe cases may mean the victim will need surgery to correct the fracture. Call now to learn how we can help you get maximum compensation for your broken bone.

Skin Injuries

Finally, skin injuries are often unique to injured bikers because the person can so easily be thrown onto the pavement from a motorcycle. These wrecks can cause the person to suffer from what is known as road rash. This devastating injury occurs when the person’s body is dragged along on the pavement and gets severely scraped.

Road rash can quickly become infected and may result in severe pain and suffering. Severe cases can lead to scarring that impacts the person’s self-image and quality of life. For help covering medical costs, pain, and emotional distress for your road rash, call our personal injury firm today.

What Should I Do if I’ve Been in a Motorcycle Wreck?

Motorcycle crashes are usually serious accidents that result in severe injuries and emotional trauma. If you have been in a motorcycle accident, please take the time to protect yourself and get help from someone who understands the legal process. Our Long Island motorcycle accident team helps accident victims get full and fair compensation following a wreck that causes severe injury. You can rely on our counsel and representation to make a full and complete recovery.

Some steps Long Island motorcycle riders can take to ensure they recover physically and financially include:

• Report the incident to the authorities. Calling 911 and getting police on the scene quickly can protect your legal rights and provide valuable evidence if you bring a personal injury claim
• Get immediate medical attention. Getting checked out by a trusted medical professional can help you avoid permanent injuries and prove to the insurance companies that your injuries were severe
• Gather evidence. You can take action to collect evidence by taking photos or videos of the accident scene, getting contact information and insurance information from other drivers, and collecting contact information for eyewitnesses
• Consult with a Long Island motorcycle accident lawyer like those at Rizzuto Injury Firm for legal counsel and protection

Relying on the insurance company for a fair payout almost always leaves victims disappointed and with less funding than they need to cover future medical expenses and other damages. When you hire our New York motorcycle accident lawyers, you’ll get advice based on decades of experience. We’ll also provide aggressive representation as you seek justice and compensation for your serious injuries.

How Can I Prevent a Motorcycle Collision?

Motorcyclists and other drivers can take action to prevent crashes before they happen. With the severity of most motorcycle accidents, taking a little extra caution on the road could save someone’s life. A serious motorcycle accident might also cause catastrophic damage that haunts the victim and their family for years. Please consider taking the time to drive safely and educate others about motorcycle accident prevention.

Some ways drivers can avoid an accident include:

• Looking carefully to ensure no vehicles are in oncoming lanes before entering a roadway, turning, or changing lanes
• Refusing to engage in distracted driving, including putting on make-up, eating or drinking, or using a cell phone behind the wheel
• Never driving while under the influence of alcohol or mind-altering drugs, including some prescription drugs
• Obeying speed limits and traffic safety laws
• Obeying stop signs and stoplights
• Not following too closely behind other vehicles, including motorcycles

If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a bike crash, please get in touch with our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys right away. We’ll help identify the reason for your crash and hold responsible parties responsible. We’ll also use our honed negotiating skills to get maximum compensation from the insurance companies. Our legal team also has experience handling many other personal injury cases, including motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, dog bites, and medical malpractice.

How Much Compensation Are My Serious Injuries Worth?

Motorcycle accident claims are often highly valuable because of the extensive damages done to victims in the crash. However, to know the value of your unique case, you should talk to a Long Island motorcycle accident lawyer like those at Rizzuto Injury Firm. We’ll go over the details of your case, including whether you share any liability for the incident and how severe your injuries are.

In most motorcycle accident claims, the victim and their family are eligible for economic and non-economic damages. Some cases may result in punitive damages, such as drunk driving claims where the other party engages in criminal behavior.

Economic Damages

Economic damages refer to items that you’d pay money for. These damages are easily calculable and are often what victims are offered in a settlement from the insurance companies. However, insurers typically ignore some economic damages, such as future medical expenses.

Some economic damages you could receive in a successful motorcycle accident claim include:

• Past and future medical bills
• Doctor visits
• Hospital stays
• Emergency transportation, such as life flights or ambulance rides
• Rehabilitative care, including chiropractor visits and physical therapy
• Mental health services related to the accident
• Lost wages, salary, bonuses, and other lost income
• Lower income capacity due to injuries from the accident
• Medical equipment, such as a wheelchair
• Funeral and burial expenses, to a certain degree
• Property damage

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic items are more complicated to calculate because they don’t have an exact monetary value. However, these losses are crucial for suffering victims and their families.

Some non-economic damages for a motorcycle accident include:

• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Catastrophic injuries, such as amputation, blindness, or paralysis
• Wrongful death
• Loss of companionship and consortium
• Emotional trauma
• Mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD
• Punitive damages, when appropriate

Should You Hire Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Suffolk County?

When you or a loved one is in a severe crash involving a motorcycle, you need representation from experienced New York motorcycle accident lawyers who understand the law and will fight for you. At Rizzuto Injury Firm, our motorcycle accident attorneys have decades of combined experience helping victims and their families recover from motorcycle accidents.

We know how to get results, and it starts with finding evidence to back up your case. We’ll gather accident reports and expert witness testimony, such as from doctors and accident reconstructionists, to build a strong case in your favor. We will do everything possible to hold liable parties responsible and get the compensation you deserve from the insurance companies.

When you are suffering because of the actions of a negligent driver, you deserve someone on your side who will guide you and fight for you. Please let our law firm handle the legal aspects of your case so you can obtain compensation and focus on resting and recovering from your injuries.

Call Rizzuto Injury Firm at 516-604-5496 to discuss your case and learn how we can help you maximize your compensation and protect your legal rights.