Boston Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Like automobile accidents, motorcycle accidents are a leading cause of injury in the United States. The injured victims of motorcycle accidents often times suffer not only from physical injury, but also from economic loss due to lost wages and medical bills. Many injured victims also suffer from associated mental anguish, including a decreased enjoyment of life.

When a motor vehicle, such as a car or truck, forcefully collides with a motorcycle on the roadway, it is usually the motorcyclist who suffers the more serious injuries in the accident. The motorcyclist can be knocked to the ground and suffer numerous serious and debilitating injuries that usually require a significant amount of costly medical treatment. This is especially true if the motorcyclist is not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. In many instances, motorcycle crashes can even result in one or more fatalities.

When a motorcyclist is injured in an accident, he or she will almost always require medical treatment. The motorcyclist might also have to miss time from work in order to treat and recover from their injuries.

Regardless of how you feel immediately following a motorcycle accident, you should seek the counsel of an experienced Boston motorcycle accident lawyer right away. Certain injuries may not manifest themselves until days after the accident and, by this time, important physical evidence can be lost and witnesses may become harder to find. Also, even minor aches and pains can often times be an indication of a more significant injury. Therefore, even if you think your injury may be minor in nature, it is important that you seek medical attention right away.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident that occurred in or around Boston, it is important that you have a knowledgeable team of skilled motorcycle accident lawyers in your corner and advocating for you every step of the way. The experienced and compassionate Boston motorcycle accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. are ready to help you with every aspect of your personal injury claim or lawsuit. Their legal team can help with investigating the cause of your accident, filing a claim or lawsuit, and pursuing monetary compensation on your behalf.

For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a knowledgeable and experienced Boston motorcycle accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C., please call (617) 357-8600 or contact us online. We can handle your motorcycle accident claim or lawsuit from beginning to end, and seek maximum compensation on your behalf.

 

If you've been injured in a motorcycle accident, take these important steps to protect your interests:

• Immediately contact an experienced Massachusetts motorcycle accident attorney to help protect your rights.
• Do not make any statements to the insurance company or sign any insurance documentation without first consulting with an attorney.
• If you feel any pain or discomfort after the accident, go to the hospital immediately in order to get appropriate medical treatment.
• Follow any advice given by medical professionals, including follow-up visits and treatment.
• If you are going to miss any time from work, be sure to obtain a medical note explaining that you were advised by a doctor to take the time off.

Most important of all, consult with a Boston motorcycle accident attorney in order to make sure that you are aware of your legal rights related to the accident and your injuries. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. will not charge you for an initial consultation and you have nothing to lose by talking to us about your accident and your injuries.

 

What Makes Motorcycles So Dangerous?

Motorcycles are inherently dangerous vehicles, and people who are injured while riding them can suffer extremely serious injuries and damages. These injuries are sometimes permanent in nature and can impact the accident victim’s ability to function for the remainder of his or her life.

Motorcycles are dangerous vehicles because they offer their riders extremely limited protection. Unlike car and truck drivers and passengers, motorcyclists do not have an outer metal shell surrounding them at the time of an accident. Instead, the force of an impact to the motorcycle can cause the rider (or any passengers) to fall to the ground and suffer serious injuries including, but not limited to, cuts and scrapes, abrasions, scarring, broken bones, spinal cord damage, head injuries and sometimes even death.

Even when motorcyclists are wearing their helmets, and/or other protective gear, they can still suffer serious injuries. If the force of an impact causes the motorcyclist (or passenger) to fall to the ground, his or her helmet can crack, and protective gear can tear or break, resulting in traumatic injuries. Head and brain injuries, as well as body fractures, are especially common in motorcycle accidents.

Even when motorcyclists are taking all of the necessary precautions, like wearing a helmet and other protective gear, serious accidents and injuries still happen. In those instances, the injured motorcyclist (or passenger) may be in a position to pursue a personal injury claim against the insurance company for any other at-fault driver. The experienced Boston motorcycle accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. can explain your legal options to you and help you decide on the best way to proceed with your motorcycle accident case. You can rest assured that their experienced and aggressive motorcycle lawyers will advocate for your legal interests at every stage of the claim and pursue maximum monetary compensation on your behalf.

 

Where Do Motorcycle Accidents in the Boston Area Typically Occur?

A motorcycle accident in or around Boston can happen anywhere – even on a small side road or in a parking lot or parking garage where other motor vehicles are present. However, busy highways in the Boston area are the most common locations for motorcycle accidents, likely because of the high traffic volume.

Many motor vehicle accidents, including motorcycle accidents, tend to happen on Massachusetts Route 24. For example, as recently as May of 2021, a motorcyclist suffered serious injuries in a crash that occurred on Route 24. The collision was so serious that both the West Bridgewater and Bridgewater fire departments were called in to the scene to respond. In June of 2020, a man from Walpole suffered a fatality when a motorcycle and SUV collided on a merge lane leading onto Route 24.

If you have been involved in a motorcycle crash, the most important thing that you can do is to seek immediate medical treatment at a hospital emergency room or at an urgent care center that is located in the area. You should do this even if you are unsure of the seriousness of your injuries. In many cases, injury symptoms do not manifest themselves until days later, and you want to make sure that you get treated before your problems potentially get worse.

In addition to seeking prompt medical treatment following a motorcycle crash, it is also important that you follow up with a knowledgeable Boston motorcycle accident attorney. The Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. has been successfully handling and resolving motorcycle accident cases for over two decades. While you focus on recovering from your injuries, their experienced litigation team can handle all of the legal aspects of your case, collect necessary evidence to support your claim, and take steps to begin the claims-filing process on your behalf. The Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. will work quickly and efficiently to bring your claim to a prompt, and successful, resolution.

 

Common Causes of Boston Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents that occur on roadways in and around Boston, Massachusetts can happen for a number of different reasons. One of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents is negligence, recklessness, and carelessness on the part of another motor vehicle driver. Motor vehicle operators have a duty to operate their vehicles in a safe, prudent, and careful manner at all times. Whenever a driver violates this duty of care and an accident occurs, the driver can be held responsible for the accident.

Safe motor vehicle operation involves following the rules of the road, as well as traffic signs and signals. Drivers must also be sure to abide by speed limits and refrain from tailgating other vehicles (including motorcycles) and aggressively weaving in and out of traffic. When the drivers of cars and trucks do this, they increase the chances that they will collide with another vehicle, such as a motorcycle.

In addition to operating a motor vehicle in a safe and careful manner, and in accordance with the prevailing traffic laws and regulations, drivers must also refrain from distracted driving. Distracted driving occurs when a motor vehicle operator pays attention to a cellular phone, tablet, or other electronic device, instead of focusing his or her attention on the road where it should be. Even when a motor vehicle operator turns his or her head away from the road for one or two seconds, that is a sufficient amount of time for a collision with another vehicle, such as a motorcycle, to occur.

In addition to negligent and distracted driving, another common cause of motorcycle accidents is intoxicated driving. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a driver is per se intoxicated when he or she has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher. Stricter standards apply for minors who are under 21 years of age, as well as commercial motor vehicle drivers. Alcohol and drugs can alter a driver’s perception, delay the driver’s reaction time, and distort the driver’s vision. Therefore, an intoxicated motor vehicle driver may not be able to appreciate distances or the closeness of another motor vehicle, resulting in a collision with that vehicle. Since drunk and intoxicated drivers are usually not aware of their speed, the force of impact in a resulting collision – most especially with a motorcycle – can be severe.

In some instances, however, motorcycle accidents are not the fault of a negligent, distracted, or intoxicated motor vehicle driver. Sometimes, these accidents happen because of roadway defects, such as in a construction zone. Whenever there are deep potholes or cracks in the road, a motorcycle operator could be dislodged from his or her bike, fall to the ground, and suffer serious and debilitating injuries that require extensive medical treatment. When that happens, the city or municipality, construction company, or other entity could be liable for the accident and resulting injuries.

Finally, motorcycle accidents and collisions sometimes happen because of defective motorcycle parts, including steering mechanisms and brakes. If the accident victim is able to demonstrate that the collision occurred because of a defective motorcycle component, then he or she might be able to pursue legal action against the manufacturer or distributor of the part or mechanism.

If you have suffered one or more injuries in a Boston motorcycle accident that happened because of another person’s negligence, you have legal options that are available to you. The experienced Boston motorcycle accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. can explain your options to you and will zealously advocate for your right to recover monetary compensation in your personal injury motorcycle accident case.

 

Typical Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents

The injuries that a person suffers in a Boston motorcycle accident depend upon various factors. The force of the impact, and whether or not the motorcyclist falls to the ground during the collision, plays a large role in the extent of the injuries that the accident victim ultimately suffers.

Injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents often require a large amount of medical treatment. Following a motorcycle accident, the accident victim should follow up at a local urgent care center or hospital emergency room as soon as possible to get checked out. The doctors there can recommend follow up treatment, such as consulting with a primary care doctor or other medical specialist.

In addition to this initial medical treatment, the accident victim might need to undergo a surgery or other medical operation. This is especially true if he or she suffered a bone fracture, spinal cord damage, or a head injury. Motorcycle accident victims may also require ongoing physical therapy treatment or chiropractic care, depending upon the severity of the injuries sustained. All of this medical treatment can be expensive and the bills often pile up very quickly. Some of the most common injuries that motorcycle accident victims suffer include the following:

• Neck sprains and strains
• Spinal cord injuries, including various types of paralysis
• Arm and leg injuries
• Scarring and/or disfigurement
• Internal organ damage
• Traumatic head and brain injuries
• Soft tissue injuries
• Death

If you have suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident that happened in or around Boston, the experienced team of motorcycle attorneys at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. can help. Their legal team can gather any relevant evidence, collect all of your medical records and bills, and pursue a favorable personal injury settlement on your behalf.

 

Filing a Personal Injury Claim or Lawsuit Arising from a Motorcycle Accident in Boston

With motorcycle accidents, the accident victim can file a third-party claim against the person or entity who is at fault for the accident. The at-fault person or entity could include another motor vehicle driver or a municipality, such as the City. As part of this third-party claim, the accident victim will need to demonstrate that the at-fault person or entity acted unreasonably under the circumstances and that, as a result, he or she suffered one or more injuries.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident that occurred in the Boston area, the knowledgeable and compassionate motorcycle accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. can assist you with filing your third-party personal injury claim. In the event the at-fault person, entity, or insurance company, is not willing to offer you the compensation that you deserve for your injuries, their legal team can litigate your case in the court system in order to bring it to an efficient and successful conclusion on your behalf.

 

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim or Lawsuit Arising from a Boston Motorcycle Accident?

Victims of motorcycle accidents in Boston do not have an unlimited period of time in which to file a claim or lawsuit seeking damages in their case. Pursuant to the personal injury statute of limitations for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, under almost all circumstances, a motorcycle accident victim has only three years from the date of the accident in which to file their lawsuit in court. This statute of limitations is extremely unforgiving. Therefore, if the accident victim is even one day late in filing his or her lawsuit, they will not be entitled to pursue or recover monetary damages for the injuries they suffered in their motorcycle accident.

Given the extremely short time frame that an accident victim has to pursue compensation, it is essential that you have a knowledgeable attorney on your side as soon as possible.

The experienced Boston motorcycle accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. can assist you with your personal injury claim right away. Their legal team will ensure that any claim or lawsuit is filed in a timely manner and well within the applicable three-year statute of limitations. Once your claim or lawsuit is filed, they will zealously advocate for your legal interests and pursue maximum monetary compensation on your behalf.

 

Insurance Company Claims Following a Motorcycle Accident

Following a Boston motorcycle accident, you may be able to file both a ‘first-party’ and a ‘third-party’ claim arising from your injuries. In a first-party insurance claim, you will be pursuing monetary compensation from your own insurance company (for things such as MedPay coverage for medical bills). However, do not assume that your insurance company is going to do you any favors. In fact, when you file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against your insurance company, they oftentimes become your worst enemy. This is because insurance companies do not make money by paying out large personal injury settlements and judgments. Instead, they make and keep money by collecting premiums from their insureds and paying out as little as possible on accident claims. Due to this, recovering monetary compensation from an insurance company is oftentimes an uphill battle, and the insurance company will almost always do everything it possibly can to avoid issuing a large payout, or any payout at all, in your case.

The process starts by filing a personal injury claim with the proper insurance company after your accident. As part of the claim, your attorney will typically include a settlement demand package which includes a monetary demand for the settlement of your motorcycle accident case. In cases where there are serious and debilitating injuries, the initial monetary demand may be for the available insurance policy limits of coverage. Your personal injury lawyer and the insurance company adjuster who is assigned to your case will oftentimes need to negotiate back and forth until a reasonable offer is made.

In order to assist the adjuster with evaluating a case, personal injury attorneys typically include various documents along with the demand letter. Those documents may include copies of medical records and bills, procedural notes, police diagrams, photographs of the injuries sustained, lost wage documentation, and witness statements.

If your lawyer and the insurance company are unable to reach a settlement that fully and fairly compensates you for your injuries, then your attorney may need to file a lawsuit on your behalf in the court system. However, this does not necessarily mean that you will have to go to trial and testify. In fact, a majority of motorcycle accident cases settle long before the appointed trial date. In addition, there may be other options available to you besides taking your case to trial, including mediation or arbitration.

In the event your motorcycle accident case does go to a jury trial, it will be up to the members of the jury to decide all disputed issues of fact in the case, including what damages you are entitled to recover. If the case goes to mediation, a neutral, third-party mediator will help to facilitate settlement discussions in your case. Conversely, if the matter goes to arbitration, a neutral arbitrator will listen to the evidence and make a determination about what damages you are entitled to receive.

The experienced Boston motorcycle accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. will explain all of your legal options to you and help you decide on the legal option that best suits your case and end goals.

 

Possible Monetary Compensation and Damages in a Boston Motorcycle Accident Case

Victims of motorcycle accidents who sustain injuries are entitled to recover monetary compensation for everything that they had to go through. This is especially true if the accident was caused by the carelessness of a negligent motor vehicle operator. The amounts, type, and extent of damages to which you may be eligible depend upon how severely you were injured, the extent of your medical treatment, and the cost of that medical treatment. Generally speaking, the more serious the injury, and the more medical treatment you had to undergo, the higher the value of your personal injury case from a monetary perspective.

The experienced and compassionate Boston motorcycle accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C. will be able to determine the approximate value of your case and will pursue the maximum amount of damages that you deserve for your motorcycle accident injuries.

 

Speak with a Boston Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today about Your Personal Injury Legal Matter

At the Law Offices of Christopher Sullivan, P.C., we make it our priority to offer clients knowledgeable, skilled, and result-oriented legal representation in their personal injury cases. We understand the frustration and inconvenience that is often associated with being involved in a motorcycle accident. Therefore, from the very beginning, we will zealously advocate for your rights and pursue the monetary damages that you deserve.

For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a Boston motorcycle accident lawyer, please call us at (617) 357-8600 or contact us online for more information.