Piscataway, NJ Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Motorcycle accidents are responsible for the deaths and injuries of thousands of people in New Jersey each year. While some of these accidents are single motorcycle crashes, many others are caused by negligent drivers in cars or trucks that crash into motorcyclists. If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle accident in Piscataway, NJ caused by another driver’s negligence, call Jerry Friedman today.
Jerry is a Piscataway, NJ motorcycle accident lawyer who represents injured riders and their family members in injury lawsuits. To learn more about how to file your claim and what your potential case might be worth, call us today at 1-800-LAW-4-HOGS to set up a free case consultation.
Suing for Motorcycle Accidents in Piscataway
If you were injured in a crash, you might be entitled to compensation for the medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering you faced. In many cases, victims think that they need to file an insurance claim to get the compensation they seek. In some cases, New Jersey auto insurance laws might require that, but most cases involving serious long-term injury can be filed as a lawsuit instead. This is true even if you have limited tort insurance.
In a lawsuit, you usually have more options for damages to claim. Insurance payouts often exclude damages for pain and suffering, so you cannot usually get these damages by filing with your insurance. Moreover, if you file a claim with your own insurance company, you might need to pay a deductible, and limits on what percentage of damages you can claim might keep you from getting full compensation.
Instead of settling for these reduced damages, you might be entitled to file your case in court. A jury can award damages for any injuries and harms you faced from the crash, including economic damages like lost wages and medical expenses as well as noneconomic damages like pain and suffering.
Proving Fault in a Piscataway, NJ Motorcycle Crash
If you were injured in the crash, that fact alone does not prove that the other driver was at fault. Many accidents are caused by a combination of factors, and the other driver will often claim that they did nothing wrong and that you actually caused the crash. To fight this, it is important to present evidence about what happened leading up to the crash, how the crash occurred, and what happened in the aftermath of the accident.
Leading up to the crash, there may have been traffic control devices or signs that should have stopped the other driver. Moreover, evidence that the driver was speeding or swerving would also help the jury to see that the driver was about to do something wrong. Evidence of what happened during the crash could include details you witnessed, like the at-fault driver running a stop sign, changing lanes without signaling, or failing to slow down or hit the brakes. What happened after the crash could also indicate fault; the other driver might have said things like, “I’m so sorry I did that,” or they might have tried to flee the scene of the crash.
Your lawyer can help you focus on the details that will help prove your case and guide you through how to testify in a way that helps the jury see that the other driver was at fault. Your lawyer can also help gather evidence from police reports, photos and footage of the accident scene, and depositions with drivers, passengers, and witnesses.
Calculating Damages in Motorcycle Accident Cases in Piscataway, NJ
As mentioned, damages for motorcycle lawsuits often include lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering damages. Your lawyer can help you calculate these damages and help you understand what your case should be worth.
Lost Wages
Damages for lost wages can usually include both the wages you missed if you spent time in the hospital as well as ongoing wages you will continue to miss because of your injury. In many cases, injured motorcycle riders face permanent disabilities that require them to take a lower-paying job or stop them from being able to work. In these cases, the lost earning capacity and lost future wages can be claimed at their projected value. These damages can cover lost wages from the date of the accident and might continue through to your projected date of retirement from before the crash.
Medical Bills
Damages for medical expenses can be severe. While you might have health insurance to help pay for some of the treatments you need, there is no reason that you should be responsible for costs and out-of-pocket payments for injuries that you did not cause. Instead, the at-fault driver can be held liable for the full value of these care costs.
Pain and Suffering
Damages for pain and suffering are not based on any economic factors, but instead are ordered to pay back victims for the experience they faced. This could include substantial payments for serious injuries and additional money for the mental and emotional effects. Each case is unique, so calculating these damages often requires going over specific facts. For instance, the effect that the injury had on your enjoyment of certain activities can help your lawyer argue for increased pain and suffering damages.
Call Our Piscataway Motorcycle Accident and Injury Lawyer for a Free Case Consultation
If you or a loved one was injured in a serious motorcycle crash in the Piscataway area, call Jerry Friedman today. Jerry is a motorcycle rider himself, and he understands the fear and potential danger involved in a crash. Jerry fights for injured motorcyclists and their families against negligent drivers who cause serious crashes and severe injuries. For a free legal consultation, call our Piscataway, NJ motorcycle accident lawyer today at 1-800-LAW-4-HOGS.
