Motorcycles offer gas-friendly transportation and an exhilarating experience in the open air. Unfortunately, this same two-wheeled open design that makes riding a motorcycle thrilling also leaves the rider vulnerable to severe or catastrophic injuries in a crash.
The aftermath of a motorcycle accident is a painful and distressing time, especially when the accident was caused by someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions and could have been avoided if they’d taken reasonable care. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident caused by someone else’s negligence, call Steffens Law for a free consultation with a Kearney motorcycle accident lawyer who is ready to help.
Why Choose Us as Your Motorcycle Accident Law Firm In Kearney?
The legal team at Steffens Law has been dedicated to advocating for injury victims for decades, including in motorcycle accident claims, which often deal with insurance companies that hold bias against motorcyclists. With a Kearney injury attorney from our team behind your case, you have the following advantages:
- A personalized strategy based on the unique circumstances of your crash and injuries
- A well-executed legal process that prioritizes your best interests, seeking the maximum available compensation
- Our compassion and dedication to professional excellence mean we stay available to you throughout your claim process, including coming to you or using teleconference if your injuries prevent an office visit
- Our renowned reputation and history of exceptional results put a powerful voice behind your motorcycle accident claim
We offer a free case evaluation and no upfront fees. Instead, we use contingency-based payment, so you only pay us after we’ve succeeded in gaining compensation for you.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents In Kearney, NE?
Motorcyclists must carefully follow Nebraska’s motorcycle traffic laws and pay careful attention to surrounding traffic; however, no matter how careful and law-abiding a rider may be, they can suffer serious injuries in an accident caused by a driver’s negligence. The most common causes of motorcycle accidents in Kearney and elsewhere include the following actions of drivers who share the road with motorcyclists:
- Speeding or driving too fast in poor visibility conditions
- Distracted driving
- Tailgating, or following too closely behind a motorcycle
- Improperly passing a motorcycle
- Failing to yield the right of way in an intersection
- Making unsafe lane changes
- Carelessly making a left turn into the path of a motorcycle while focusing on traffic from the right
- Improper merging
- Opening a car door into the path of a motorcycle
- Drunk driving
In some cases, other parties contribute to the accident. For example, a negligent road maintenance agency that failed to repair a dangerous pothole, or neglected to remove loose sand and gravel after road construction. Nebraska’s modified comparative negligence law allows an injury victim to seek compensation from one or more parties that caused or contributed to their injuries. Under this law, even if a motorcycle accident victim contributed to the cause of the accident, they can still recover a portion of their damages, as long as they are less than 50% at fault.
Proving Liability In a Motorcycle Accident Claim
The state’s fault-based injury law allows an injury victim to recover compensation for their injury-related losses from the responsible party. The injury victim becomes the claimant in the case and has the burden of proof. The evidence must show that the negligent party meets the following legal standards of liability:
- They owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, such as a driver’s duty to follow traffic laws
- They breached this duty through negligence
- The breach of duty directly caused the injury
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
Damages add up quickly after a serious motorcycle accident. It takes compelling evidence of liability and the injury victim’s damages for a successful claim for full and fair compensation.
Understanding Motorcycle Accident Injuries In Kearney
Motorcyclists lack the protection of seatbelts and the surrounding structure of a car, causing direct impact with the road, vehicles, and obstacles in an accident. A motorcycle crash happens in an instant, but the effects of severe or catastrophic injuries can last for months or even cause permanent disability with lifelong damages. Common injuries in motorcycle accident claims include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Knee injuries
- Fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and torn ligaments
- Lacerations and contusions
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Facial and dental trauma
- Road rash (severe abrasions or friction burns)
- Internal injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputations
Although DOT-approved helmets prevent up to 37% of motorcycle accident operator fatalities and 41% of motorcycle passenger deaths, they cannot prevent all injuries, including TBIs, which may occur when a powerful impact causes the brain to bump against the inside of the skull.
What Damages Are Recoverable After a Motorcycle Accident In Kearney?
A motorcycle accident can cause injuries with lasting or even permanent consequences on earning ability and other aspects of life. These economic and non-economic effects are the damages in your claim. Common damages recovered include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket costs related to the injury
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss or reduced earning ability due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury costs (in cases of disability, disfigurement, loss of limb, loss of one of the senses, or diminished quality of life)
If you lose a loved one in a motorcycle accident caused by someone else, a wrongful death attorney can help you recover compensation for your losses under Nebraska Revised Statute 30-809.
Call or Contact Us Online About Your Motorcycle Accident In Kearney
A motorcycle accident and its after-effects can impact the entire family. In the worst cases, it could leave you facing an uncertain future. Unfortunately, the insurance company will not be on your side if you have a substantial claim and may assign you undue fault to reduce the compensation they have to pay you. Instead of leaving your case in the insurance adjuster’s hands, call the Kearney motorcycle accident lawyers at Steffens Law for assertive, compassionate legal representation throughout your claim.