Branchburg, NJ Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
If you need a motorcycle personal injury lawyer after a motorcycle accident in or around Branchburg, NJ, then you’ve come to the right place. Jerry Friedman has extensive experience as a Branchburg, NJ motorcycle accident lawyer and can help you get compensation for your injuries.
We understand that a motorcycle accident can be a traumatizing event. You need to heal and recover, and you need a law firm that will fight for you while you do. Contact us today at 1-800-LAW-4-HOGS to set up a free case consultation and learn more about what your motorcycle accident injury claim might be worth and how to maximize the compensation you receive.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Crashes in Branchburg, NJ
Even if you do your best to follow safe riding practices, an accident can still occur if another driver on the road fails to follow safety standards. These accidents often happen when a driver doesn’t give proper right of way to a motorcycle rider or when drivers fail to treat motorcycle riders as equals on the road. In most cases, a motorcycle accident will be based on a concrete traffic violation that you can point to – such as drunk driving, distracted driving, or speeding – or it will be based on a driver’s unreasonable decisions behind the wheel.
Many motorcycle accidents are caused by certain types of accidents where other drivers are prone to ignore motorcyclists and accidentally cause a crash. One example is in lane-changing and merging accidents where the driver of a car or truck primarily looks for other cars and trucks when checking their mirrors. Drivers who merge into motorcyclists are often at fault for the crash. Another example of a common cause of motorcycle accidents involves drivers who fail to treat motorcyclists as equals on the road. Drivers who enter a motorcyclist’s area of the lane or try to pass them within the same lane can put motorcyclists’ lives in danger.
Proving a Motorcycle Accident Case in Branchburg
If you were injured in a motorcycle crash, the court is going to require you to prove your case before they can compensate you. As the “plaintiff” who brings a civil injury lawsuit, you must prove that the other driver – the “defendant” – breached a legal duty that they owed you, and that that breach of duty caused your injuries. As mentioned, the “legal duty” is usually one of the many duties contained in NJ’s traffic code, or it is the duty to drive reasonably.
To provide proof that the other driver was at fault, you and your lawyer will provide evidence. One of the best pieces of evidence is your personal testimony about what happened. This will help build the narrative and explain to the jury how the crash happened and what happened leading up to the accident. Any other testimony from passengers on your bike or other witnesses to the crash will also help you prove your claim.
“Hard evidence,” like photos of the accident scene, video of the accident happening, or other evidence of the damages and positioning of vehicles at the time of the accident will also be essential.
To prove your case, you must show the jury that it is more likely than not that your claim is true. This “burden of proof” is known as a “preponderance of the evidence” standard and is much kinder to the plaintiff than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard that criminal cases use.
Proving Damages in a Motorcycle Accident and Injury Claim in Branchburg, NJ
To get damages, you must also prove their value in court. The jury is only able to order damages for harms that you provided proof of, which can come in the form of…
- Photos and hospital records to prove physical injuries
- Mental health records and testimony from therapists to prove mental and emotional harm, such as PTSD symptoms
- Hospital bills showing the cost of healthcare after a crash
- Financial records showing other expenses to pay for the effects of the crash
- Pay stubs and financial records indicating wages lost because of your injuries
- Appraisals for motorcycle repair costs
- Your testimony about the pain and suffering of the crash
There may be other damages that your lawyer can help prove as well. If you have evidence under your control that indicates how much these damages are worth, we can use those records and documents to help prove the damages to the court, working to maximize the award the jury can give.
Some damages are extremely difficult to prove, like pain and suffering. No one else can get in your head and know what the pain felt like to you, but your testimony about the effects of the injury can help show the jury how severe the injury was. Typically, more severe injuries – especially injuries with permanent effects – often get higher pain and suffering damages than mild injuries.
In many cases, the injuries and harms you are claiming damages for include damages for the death of a loved one. This can often lead to substantial compensation for their end-of-life pain and suffering and medical care, as well as other damages for how the death affected your family. This can include damages for lost wages, lost household services, funeral and burial expenses, and more.
Call Our Branchburg, NJ Motorcycle Accident Lawyers for a Free Case Consultation Today
If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle accident in Branchburg, NJ or the surrounding areas, contact our lawyer today. Jerry Friedman is a Branchburg motorcycle accident lawyer who fights for victims of serious crashes and their families to help them get the compensation they need for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. Call us today at 1-800-LAW-4-HOGS to learn more about how we can fight for you.
