A motorcycle accident can be devastating. You don’t have the metal shell of a car to protect you during impact. In addition to your motorcycle being damaged, you may have serious physical injury that is affecting your daily life. Motorcycle personal injury cases are not handled in the same way auto accidents are. Here is what you should know.
Motorcycle Injury Case vs. Auto Accident Injury Case
People often ask about the differences between motorcycle cases and car accident cases. One of the major differences is the fact that motorcyclists are not covered by no-fault insurance. When you’re in a car, certain insurance coverage protects you when it comes to paying for medical expenses, replacing lost wages, and covering incidental expenses to a certain extent. With motorcycles, however, there is none of that because no-fault protection doesn’t apply. If you don’t have good health insurance of your own, you could be in big trouble as far as your medical problems are concerned.
The injuries related to so many motorcycle claims can be catastrophic. If you don’t have health insurance available to help you with these things, it could put you in a deep hole as far as your lawsuit is concerned, because the coverage on the other side may be limited. If you get hurt because of someone’s negligence, they may have only $500,000 in coverage – and your injuries are likely to be worth far more than that. If that’s the case, you may have so much in medical expenses that weren’t covered by insurance that you could be in a difficult situation. All people with motorcycles they should make it their number one priority to have proper health insurance in place. You can buy extra medical coverage on your motorcycle policy; however, it’s somewhat expensive.
The biggest thing, when it comes to coverage on your motorcycle is to carry supplemental coverage for your motorcycle. If you’re injured and the person who injured you has only minimal coverage – say $25,000 – as a motorcyclist, your supplemental insurance can be a lifesaver. I tell everybody to get up to half a million dollars in coverage and have half a million dollars in supplemental coverage.
Download Our Free Personal Injury Guide
If you’re on a motorcycle, you need to have that coverage just in case you are hit by somebody who doesn’t have a sufficient amount. Once you get the $25,000 from that other driver, you go back to your own company for the difference. That’s $475,000 you can get from your own insurance company to compensate you for your injuries. It’s very important that motorcyclists carry proper health insurance and that they include the proper supplemental underinsurance coverage.
Understanding Motorcycle Accident Injury Cases
If you are injured on a motorcycle, keep several things in mind. Number one is that the no-fault law in New York State does not apply. Most of the time, you’ll be on the hook for your own medical bills – unless you purchase specific coverage through your own insurance to cover your bike. We always encourage our clients who ride motorcycles – or who are frequent passengers on motorcycles – to make sure that they and their family members have adequate coverage in case of an accident. You should always wear a helmet and get on a bike only with someone who’s safe, knows how to operate the bike, and follows the rules of the road. Keep those things in mind.
If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, seek out experienced representation. You want an attorney who understand the complexities of your case. Contact our WNY office to find out how you can be compensated for your damages.