What are the Differences Between Motorcycle Accidents and Car Accidents From A Legal Standpoint?
Check out the following educational legal that details the differences between motorcycle accidents and car accidents and what’s important to know when injured in either type of accident in New York State.
Download Our Free Motorcycle Accident Resources
People have asked me about the differences between motorcycle cases and car accident cases, and one of the major differences is the fact that motorcyclists are not covered by no-fault insurance. We’ve talked about this before. 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.
My experience has shown me that the injuries related to so many motorcycle claims can be very, very catastrophic. If you don’t have health insurance available to help you with these things, it could put us 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 we could be in a difficult situation. I tell all people with motorcycles that 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 – as we’ve talked about before with regard to auto cases – 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.
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.
When you have been involved in a motorcycle, the injuries are often more severe than a car accident. If you have questions regarding the differences between motorcycle accidents and car accidents, contact one of our experienced Hamburg accident lawyers at Chiacchia & Fleming to schedule a free case review. Our trial team is aggressive and determined when it comes to making our clients whole.
Download Our Free Motorcycle Accident Resources
Related Motorcycle Accident Injury Videos
Out of Town Legal Resources
The other day, a young man called our office looking for help with a motorcycle injury case in Florida. We practice in New York, but we found these personal injury attorneys in St. Petersburg, FL that did a great job with their online guides and videos. If you or someone you know is unfortunately injured in a motorcycle accident in Florida, take a look at their online motorcycle accident resource page.