Motorcycles can be cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and invigorating transportation alternatives, and the great year-round weather in Florida makes this form of travel even more appealing. It comes as no surprise that Florida is a destination year after year for countless motorcycle enthusiasts who travel to our state for the scenery, warm temperatures, beaches, and more. Still, even so, Florida is routinely found to be one of the most dangerous states in the country in terms of motorcycle accidents, both fatal and non-fatal. There are several reasons that this could be the case, such as that riders can operate motorcycles all year (as opposed to northern states with a limited riding season). Florida repealed helmet requirements for riders over the age of 21 in 2000.
Regardless of the “why” of what makes Florida a dangerous state for motorcycle accidents, the reality remains: each time you pull out onto a public roadway in Tallahassee on a motorcycle, you face a 29x higher likelihood of being killed in an accident versus someone operating a passenger vehicle or light truck.
Exercise Your Right To a Tort Claim
After an accident that someone else caused, a victim or their surviving loved ones may have a right to seek personal injury damages through a personal injury or wrongful death claim. There are several complex steps to this process. Each of them provides an opportunity for insurance companies or defense attorneys to convince claimants to accept a settlement for far less than what they are rightfully owed. Working with a personal injury attorney during this stressful and challenging period of time is one of the best ways to improve your chances of getting a fair settlement or having experienced legal support if you must file a lawsuit.
Finding an attorney can be difficult, especially while trying to focus on recovery after a serious accident. Unfortunately, this means that many people choose to file an insurance claim without hiring an attorney, whether because they believe they do not need one or simply do not have the capacity to take on another administrative step. Fortunately, finding a lawyer has never been easier than with 1-800-Injured.
Contact 1-800-Injured To Find a Tallahassee Motorcycle Lawyer With Ease
1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. Instead of taking on the process of finding a lawyer on your own, we will find an attorney in your area who is ready to take your personal injury or wrongful death case and connect you for a free consultation. During your consultation, you will be able to get answers to the many questions you likely have about your legal options and what the future may hold for your unique situation, and this conversation can provide tremendous relief for one of the many different responsibilities that this type of accident imposes on victims and loved ones alike.
Personal injury law is complicated and stressful, and insurance companies use it to their advantage. They work towards settling claims for as little as possible and typically as quickly as possible. Once a claimant signs a release in exchange for a settlement payment, they waive their right to any future legal action regardless of whether additional information arose. Before committing to anything with an insurance company, you should connect with a lawyer to at least review the terms of your settlement offer.
To connect with a lawyer without reaching out to countless law firms and hope to hear back from an attorney, contact us as soon as possible.
Calculating a Settlement After a Motorcycle Accident in Tallahassee
The central question in an insurance claim is about damages: how much does the claimant deserve in a settlement based on the damages they have suffered following a motorcycle accident? The most obvious damages are things like medical bills and impacts on a victim’s earnings. Still, there are many other damages that are either less obvious or more difficult to calculate, and insurance adjusters will happily gloss over these damages to avoid increasing the amount of money it takes to settle. A victim unfamiliar with tort law — and focusing on recovering from serious injuries or a tragic loss — may not realize that these other damages exist or may not understand how to calculate the dollar value of such abstract damages as “depression” or “pain and suffering.”
Personal injury claims seek “compensatory damages,” meaning that the damages are intended to compensate for measurable losses and impacts that the victim has suffered. Compensatory damages are further divided into two distinct categories: economic damages and non-economic damages. Each category is equally important for a comprehensive settlement but requires completely different approaches to reach a fair figure.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the basis of any personal injury claim and seek repayment for impacts that have set and measurable market values. These include things like the cost of medical care, as well as impacts to a victim’s earnings such as short-term lost wages, long-term impacts to their earning ability, any sick leave of vacation time used to cover missed work, and more.
Other economic damages include things like the repair or replacement cost for property damage, as well as the cost of goods or services that a victim or their loved ones must pay for to assist them with tasks or duties they would have otherwise been able to handle themselves, were it not for the accident. A detail-oriented personal injury attorney will take the necessary time to identify all of these damages and include them in their demand letter to ensure that their client is fighting for every dollar they deserve.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more difficult to calculate because they seek financial compensation for impacts that do not have readily measurable market values. The most common and well-known non-economic damage is called “pain and suffering” and seeks financial compensation for these very real impacts of a severe injury. There are a variety of other non-economic damages as well, each of which your lawyer will identify and measure as part of their investigation.
Since non-economic damages are so subjective, there are several accepted methods that personal injury lawyers use to calculate a dollar value for such abstract impacts. One method uses a scale — typically between 1.5 and 5 — to indicate the severity of these damages and then multiplying this number against the total economic damages. This means that for every dollar of economic damages reported; a victim may additionally seek between 1.5x and 5x that amount in additional damages depending on the severity of these separate impacts.
It is crucial to work with an attorney who understands how to calculate and then defend these calculations during negotiations accurately. Many victims find that the insurance company is unwilling to entertain conversations about non-economic damages when presented by a claimant and not a lawyer. Contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible to fight for what you deserve, not just what the insurance company hopes to pay.