Experienced Phoenix Motorcycle Accident Lawyer – Free Consult

When you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident involving your motorcycle, you need an experienced lawyer with a strong reputation for results who can help you get the compensation you deserve. The lawyer should handle more than motorcycle accidents because you want your lawyer to have an extensive and diverse background. A diverse background is what helps your lawyer anticipate insurance adjuster nonsense, skillfully manage your accident claim, and obtain the best results possible.

Make sure the lawyer has handled motorcycle accident claims, is familiar with applicable state laws (including helmet laws), and is not afraid to take your case to trial. The last person you want handling such an important matter is a settlement mill who avoids trial. In fact, you want a lawyer who treats all cases as though they are going to trial.

Gage Mathers Law Group is an award winning firm that gets great results for our clients. Clients appreciate the individualized attention and honest communication. We work hard to take the burden off your shoulders so you can focus on your health and wellbeing. We do not back down and we fight to get our clients the compensation they deserve.

You’ve been in a motorcycle accident. Now what? Here are 6 important steps to take to protect yourself and assist with your personal injury claim.

1. Do NOT Move Until it is Safe

The moments after a motorcycle crash can be confusing, not only for you but other drivers on the road. You might be loaded with adrenaline or endorphins. Quickly assess your situation and check your surroundings. Are you in a safe place? Can you move safely if you are not? Find a safe space to protect yourself. Call out for help so people know you are alive and need medical attention (i.e., no matter what, even if you think you are okay, you should get medical attention since you might have a head injury or internal bleeding).

2. Collect Information

You will need to provide a driver’s license and proof of insurance to the police, so make sure you have those on hand. You will also want to get this information from the other drivers. If you are able to, we recommend you take a photo of the other driver’s license and insurance card. You should also take pictures of the accident scene, the vehicles, the people involved, and your injuries. Photographs help tell a story and are valuable pieces of evidence. We also recommend taking video of witnesses, if possible, where they identify themselves, their contact information, and their description of what they saw. This will be very helpful in proving the motorcycle crash was not your fault. Memories fade, but video is forever.

3. Call the Police

In Arizona, state law requires you to immediately notify the local police, sheriff, or highway patrol if you are involved in an accident causing injury or death.⁵ It is also good to do because the responding officer will complete an Arizona Crash Report that identifies who was involved in the crash, who owns the vehicles, which automobile insurance companies are involved, and what happened in the crash. It will also include citations if any driver violated Arizona driver’s laws. This will help establish liability in your injury case.

4. Get Medical Care

Even a minor crash can cause serious injuries from muscle or ligament tears to concussions. With the initial adrenaline rush, you might not realize you were injured. Most people experience pain the night or morning after the crash. Some people also suffer emotional symptoms, including a fear of getting back on a bike. This is all normal and it is all treatable. Before rushing back to work or school, or dealing with other issues in your life, you should see a doctor to check for injuries. Best case, the doctor tells you everything is okay and gives you peace of mind that there is nothing to worry about. Worse case, the doctor identifies something that requires additional attention. Listen to your doctor, but also listen to your body. If the doctor says you are fine but you are not feeling better after the crash, or if the doctor says you need treatment but you feel okay, see a different doctor for a second opinion.

5. Keep Track of Everything

• Maintain a Pain Journal to help your doctors and lawyer understand what you are experiencing.
• Keep a list of all your providers (e.g., ambulance, hospital, PCP, chiropractor, physical therapist, etc.).
• Document time away from work, or school, whether or not covered by sick leave.
• Note any missed promotions or raises that you might have qualified for.
• Keep a list of activities you could not do or that you did with pain (e.g., difficulty sleeping, difficulty performing daily household activities or caring for family members, inability to exercise, impact on personal relationships, change in mood).

6. Call Gage Mathers Law Group

Gage Mathers is an elite personal injury firm with significant experience helping motorcycle accident victims. We have helped thousands of clients obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for their crash injuries and damages.

In theory, it should cost you nothing to hire a Phoenix motorcycle accident lawyer. The difference arises in fees at the end of your case. Gage Mathers Law Group, PLLC works on a contingency-fee basis. This means we do not get paid unless we obtain a settlement or jury verdict in your favor. We also offer free attorney consultations, so you have nothing to lose. Find out how an attorney can help you today.

You should hire an award-winning firm like Gage Mathers Law Group who has a national reputation for fighting and winning. But do not wait to hire an accident lawyer and file a claim. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the sooner you have a professional looking out for your best interests. Also, in Arizona, you only have two years⁷ to either settle your claim or file a lawsuit; however, that time limit is significantly shortened if the claim involves a public entity (e.g., the State of Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents, or City or County) or a public employee of one (e.g., an EMT or health care provider, police officer, or teacher). If that is the case, a Notice of Claim must be served on the appropriate entity(-ies) within 180 days of the date of injury, with the claim needing to be settled or a lawsuit filed within one year of the date of injury.⁸

There are many factors that contribute to a motorcycle accident. Even single vehicle crashes can have multiple at-fault parties. For instance, poor road maintenance, reckless road design, or inadequate warnings can cause a single motorcyclist to lose control or crash. The motorcycle manufacturer may be responsible for failing to sell you a bike with brake systems that help prevent skidding and crashes. The motorcycle manufacturer could also be responsible for designing the bike in such a way that it virtually guarantees significant injury in the event of a frontal impact. Otherwise, the most common people at fault for motorcycle accidents are other drivers, usually automobile and truck drivers, and you. Even if you are at fault, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney might be able to help you get compensation from other at-fault drivers, their employers, municipalities, or the bike’s manufacturer.

Have you been treated after a motorcycle accident? Now you need to call Gage Mathers Law Group and get a motorcycle accident lawyer to fight for you.

For motorcycle cases that go to trial, the average recovery is $73,700. The vast majority of accident cases settle before trial. Statistics are not available for those cases because they are usually confidential between the settling parties. Our firm has seen everything from tens of thousands of dollars for minor bumps and bruises to millions of dollars for permanent, catastrophic injuries.

Ultimately, the value of your motorcycle accident injury claim will depend on the severity of your injuries, the amount of you injury-related medical bills, the amount of your lost wages, and other factors. Gage Mathers Law Group, PLLC will work to get you the maximum compensation possible for your claim. We know how to get you the money you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.  You can also see our free settlement calculator for general information.

The time it takes to resolve your claim and get you money, from the date of the crash, depends largely on the extent of your injuries and necessary treatment. You only get one chance at compensation so you want to make sure your claim includes all potential injuries, complications, and damages. The length of time could also depend on the amount of insurance available to compensate you for your injuries and damages. Importantly, your injury claim is subject to a time restriction called a statute of limitations, that begins running the moment the accident occurs. Generally, you have two years to bring a lawsuit or settle your claim. If you need to file suit, that could extend the amount of time it takes to resolve your claim.

Here are 7 things to remember:

1. Do NOT leave the scene of the wreck, under any circumstances!
2. Do NOT yell, accuse, or assault the at-fault driver.
3. Do NOT refuse to be seen by EMTs when you are injured.
4. Do NOT refuse to give information to the police.
5. Do NOT refuse to exchange insurance information with the at-fault driver.
6. Do NOT attempt to chase a driver who flees the scene of the wreck.
7. If a claim has been opened, Do NOT speak to the adjuster before calling us!

Insurance adjusters will consider the following in valuing an injury claim:

1. Did the wreck cause your injuries or make your preexisting injuries worse?
2. How much reasonable and necessary medical care did you get for your accident injuries?
   • This includes ambulance/EMT transport, ER, ICU, surgeries, physical/occupational therapy, primary care physicians, chiropractic/massage therapy, pain specialists, and many more!
3. How permanent are your injuries?
   • Can your injury heal on its own (minor bruises and cuts) or will it impact your life forever (paralysis, severe burns, and traumatic brain injuries)?
4. How much physical pain and/or emotional suffering have you endured?
   • This includes pain, discomfort, suffering, disability, disfigurement, and anxiety already experienced, and reasonably probable to be experienced in the future as a result of the injury.
5. Have you missed out on wages due to your injuries?
6. Will you continue to miss work due to your injuries?
7. Have you experienced loss of love, care, affection, and companionship in your marital and/or parental relationships?
8. Have you experienced a loss of enjoyment of life?

Yes. Motorcycles can move between stopped cars to get in front of the traffic line at a stoplight. This should allow bikers to get around more safely and cut down on motorcyclists getting hit from behind by drivers not paying attention. However, the law does not give bikers free rein; there are caveats: