Houston Speeding Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
You might be entitled to compensation from a speeding driver if their actions caused your injuries in a motorcycle accident. At Gibson Hill Personal Injury, we have a legal team that will dedicate their time and attention to your case to reach a favorable outcome. We know the financial burden you might face while treating your injuries. Our team of Houston personal injury lawyers will fight for justice against the negligent party and work tirelessly to hold them liable.
Motorcycle accidents can turn a person’s life upside down. You have a physical injury, and you must get treatment from your doctors. You may experience daily pain or other struggles. If you can’t perform at work, you might not earn your usual wages. That could create medical debt as you’re trying to recover from the accident. The expenses you incurred should be the other driver’s responsibility.
Speeding often causes debilitating injuries and can result in permanent damage. If you need ongoing medical treatment or daily household assistance, the costs could add up over time. You shouldn’t be the one to pay for those expenses when someone else was at fault for the motorcycle crash.
The Houston motorcycle accident attorneys of Gibson Hill Personal Injury can meet with you for a free consultation to review your case and discuss the options you have to seek compensation. Contact us now at (713) 659-4000 to get started.
Injuries Motorcyclists Commonly Sustain In Accidents
A speeding vehicle can have catastrophic consequences for a motorcyclist if they collide. The impact is typically violent, throwing the rider from their bike and onto the pavement or into a stationary object. The physical harm a motorcycle rider can suffer when another person crashes into them at high speeds could potentially be fatal.
The most common injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents involving speeding are:
- Whiplash
- Traumatic brain injury
- Crush injuries
- Loss of limb or amputation
- Road rash
- Lacerations
- Facial disfigurement
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Physical or mental disability
The result of a motorcycle accident involving excessive speeds can be permanent. Some injuries lead to chronic pain and might require lifelong treatment. Accident victims can develop a disability and need someone to assist them with their daily tasks, such as showering or dressing. It becomes an economic burden when the medical bills continue to pile up from medically necessary treatment that lasts for months or even years.
Seeking Compensation After A Motorcycle Accident In Houston
If another driver was responsible for causing your injuries, Texas’s fault system could hold them liable. They must provide the financial compensation necessary to cover the injured party’s medical expenses, property damage, and other past and future losses.
The at-fault driver’s auto insurance company could offer a settlement amount to compensate for those losses. Every vehicle owner must purchase liability insurance with minimum limits of $30,000 for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage. When you file a liability claim through the other driver’s insurance, you can seek compensation for the following losses:
- Loss of household services
- Medical costs
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disability or disfigurement
- Physical impairment
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
You might also be entitled to punitive damages. Instead of compensating for the losses you suffered, these damages are intended to punish the at-fault party for their actions. A jury will only provide this monetary award if you can prove, using clear and convincing evidence, that the other driver acted with gross negligence, fraud, or malice.
Punitive damages can be challenging to win in a lawsuit, so it would be in your best interest to hire an experienced Houston motorcycle accident attorney. Gibson Hill Personal Injury has experience litigating cases and understands the necessary evidence to show that you deserve this form of compensation if the circumstances justify pursuing it.
Filing A Claim With Your Insurance Company
It’s also a legal requirement for motorcyclists to purchase liability insurance. However, you don’t have to purchase uninsured/underinsured (UM) insurance. It’s optional coverage offered by insurance companies. If you chose to buy UM motorist coverage, it can be used when the at-fault driver doesn’t have liability insurance or high enough limits to cover an injured person’s losses.
If you have UM coverage on your policy, you could file a claim to compensate for the following losses:
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
Gibson Hill Personal Injury knows how confusing it can be to navigate insurance claims. It’s especially stressful if you don’t understand state laws. You have a right to a settlement if there’s evidence that another motorist was at fault for an accident and resulted in your injuries.
Unfortunately, insurance companies rarely play fair. They will try to find any reason to deny your claim or offer a low settlement amount. If you don’t know the maximum compensation you’re entitled to, you might be tempted to accept their low offer so you can put some money in the bank and pay off some of your medical bills.
This is where an aggressive and dedicated Houston speeding motorcycle accident attorney is beneficial. We can negotiate with the insurance company for the full and fair settlement you deserve. We will gather all the critical evidence we need to prove the amount of compensation you need. If all else fails and the insurance company refuses to settle for adequate compensation, we could file a lawsuit.
Take Legal Action After A Motorcycle Accident To Secure the Compensation You Need
If you get hurt in an accident because of a speeding driver, don’t wait too long before hiring a lawyer or seeking medical treatment. There are strict deadlines that could prevent you from recovering any amount of compensation if you miss them. Contact Gibson Hill Personal Injury so we can begin working on your case and collecting evidence. While we’re taking care of the legal aspects, you should focus on treating your injuries.
Right after the accident, make sure someone calls 911 to report it. Request an ambulance if your injuries are severe. If you can drive yourself, go to the hospital.
If the emergency room physician recommends that you follow up with other doctors, you should listen to them. Ongoing medical treatment is crucial in proving the injury you sustained and how serious it is. If you only provide the insurance company with records showing a few treatment dates, you likely won’t receive the compensation you need to cover your total losses.
Continue with the recommended treatment plan until your medical providers release you from their care or you make a full recovery. Gibson Hill Personal Injury can request copies of all documentation associated with your medical care and submit them to the insurance company during a claim. The more evidence there is to show the extent of your injuries, the better.
We need to ensure there’s proof that you deserve a specific settlement amount, so you don’t end up paying for any expenses yourself. That could include the estimated cost of future treatment if you develop a disability and require ongoing medical care or assistance in your daily life.
Don’t Make These Common Mistakes While Pursuing A Case
Merely stating that the other driver was speeding isn’t enough to prove that they were actually at fault for the accident. You must provide sufficient evidence of what you’re claiming happened. Since the insurance representative likely won’t be on your side, they will look for any opportunity to disprove your version of events so they can deny the claim.
You should avoid saying or doing anything that might give the insurance company valid reasons not to provide a large settlement payout. Follow this advice:
- Don’t sign anything from the at-fault driver’s auto insurance company. You could unknowingly sign away your rights to the maximum available insurance coverage. Let your Houston speeding motorcycle accident attorney review any documentation the insurance company sends you and determine if you need to complete them.
- Don’t admit fault for the crash. Even if you believe your actions partially contributed to the accident, don’t say anything to anyone. During a lawsuit, a jury will review the facts of the case and assign fault to each person involved. If they discover you were even partly to blame for the injuries you suffered, they could reduce your compensation by the percentage of assigned fault. This is known as modified comparative negligence or proportionate responsibility.
- Don’t agree to a recorded statement. The other motorist’s auto insurance representative might ask you to provide a recorded statement detailing the circumstances of the accident. If you say the wrong thing, they could use your words against you to offer a lower settlement than you deserve or deny your claim entirely.
At Gibson Hill Personal Injury, we know how easy it is to encounter obstacles while pursuing compensation and the pitfalls that could negatively impact the outcome of your claim. We will guide you through the entire process so you don’t make a mistake that could diminish the value of your case.
Contact Gibson Hill Personal Injury
The Houston motorcycle accident attorneys of Gibson Hill Personal Injury will treat you as a priority from start to finish of your speeding accident case. You will not be alone during this stressful and confusing time in your life. You can depend on us to advocate for your rights and fight for you until the end.
If you were in a motorcycle accident caused by another person who was speeding, call a Houston personal injury attorney from Gibson Hill Personal Injury now at (713) 659-4000 to schedule a free consultation.
