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Hurt as a Passenger in a Motorcycle Accident

October 20, 2015 Motorcycle Accidents

Your Rights When You are Hurt as a Passenger in a Motorcycle Accident

Motorcycle rider and passengerIt can happen in an instant—you go for a ride on the back of a friend’s motorcycle, another motorist is careless or your friend makes a bad choice and you have an accident. Unfortunately, with little between you and the road, you can get seriously hurt. What are your options when you’ve been injured as a passenger on a motorcycle?

First, it’s important to remember that you can always look to your medical insurance provider to cover any treatment you need. However, that won’t do much for lost wages, loss of consortium or pain and suffering. To cover those types of losses, you want to file a claim with the insurance companies of all negligent parties, including the operator of the bike you were on. Don’t be surprised, though, if you run into delays, denials or attempts to diminish the extent of your injuries. Insurance companies make their profit by minimizing the amount they pay out in claims, so they have a vested interest is paying little or nothing to you. That’s one of the areas where an experienced attorney can help.

Even if you have filed a claim with all appropriate insurance companies, you can also file a lawsuit in court asking for compensation for your losses. Typically, the lawsuit will allege carelessness or negligence by one or more drivers in the accident. Someone may have been speeding. Someone may have ignored traffic signals. Someone may have been drunk or under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.

There are a number of other potential defendants in a motorcycle accident lawsuit:

  • You can bring an action against the designer or manufacturer of a bike or its components if you can show that the design or production of the motorcycle was careless or negligent
  • You may be able to show that the accident resulted from negligence in designing or maintaining the road

Contact Our Office

At Barnard, Mezzanotte, Pinnie & Seelaus, LLP, we have provided thorough and effective legal counsel to clients throughout Delaware County in Pennsylvania since 1980. We offer a free initial consultation. To schedule an appointment, call us at 610-565-4055 or 302-594-4535 or contact us online.

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