Indiana Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Riding a motorcycle is exhilarating and economical, and more than a quarter-million Hoosiers own a motorcycle for everything from weekend rides to daily commutes. Experienced riders are practiced in the art of safe riding, yet every time they get on their bikes, they know the risks they face from negligent, aggressive, and distracted drivers. But motorcycle accidents can be serious, requiring the assistance of an Indiana motorcycle injury lawyer to fight for compensation.
At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, our experience as Fatal Alcohol Crash Team leaders and crash accident litigators give our clients an advantage in their claims for compensation. Wielding litigation skills founded on years of crash accident litigation experience, we help clients maximize their potential damages
Find an Indiana Motorcycle Injury Lawyer with Experience that Gives You the Advantage
Motorcycles are involved in a small percentage of all traffic collisions in Indiana. However, these accidents account for a significantly higher percentage of fatal crashes in the state. Indiana sees several thousand motorcycle accidents every year, and far too many of these crashes cause severe or fatal injuries to the rider.
The Indiana motorcycle accident attorneys at Keffer Hirschauer LLP,are former prosecutors who investigated and charged drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes in Indianapolis. Attorneys Bradley Keffer and Tom Hirschauer have been on the scenes of the most serious collisions imaginable. They have investigated the fine details of countless motor vehicle accidents and have developed a keen eye for the facts of motor vehicle accidents, including motorcycle accidents in Indiana, which helped them criminally prosecute drivers who were criminally negligent in accidents.
You will not find an Indiana motorcycle injury lawyer with this experience at many other personal injury firms. Our Indiana motorcycle accident attorneys’ experience on the prosecutor side of the courtroom provides their motorcycle injury clients a high level of skill to help motorcycle crash victims and their families get the compensation they need to deal with their significant injuries, damages, and the harm to their lives caused by another driver’s negligence or misconduct.
The Increased Danger Associated with Motorcycle Accidents in Indiana
Occupants of motor vehicles benefit from improvements in safety technology every year, many of which are required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, yet little changes in the way of safety for a motorcycle rider. People in a vehicle are protected by the doors and body of a vehicle, seat belts, air bags, lane deviation notifications, automatic breaking, among other continuous improvements. Motorcycle operators do not have these same safety luxuries.
Motorcycle riders are almost completely exposed in a crash. An Indiana motorcycle injury lawyer knows they have little more than a helmet, riding leathers, and the bike itself offering any protection from contact with the road or another vehicle. Bearing this out, studies have found that motorcycle riders are more likely to die in a crash than the occupant of a passenger car. Even in non-fatal accidents, motorcycle riders are more likely to be subject to traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other catastrophic and life-altering injuries.
An Indiana Motorcycle Injury Lawyer Explains the Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents happen for a number of reasons. A motorcycle accident in Indiana can be caused by speeding or reckless driving by the motorcycle operator. More often, however, motorcycle accidents happen because of factors outside of the rider’s control. These can include roadway hazards, defective design, or improper road maintenance. Additionally, in many situations, the behaviors of drivers of other vehicles are to blame for causing a crash that leads to severe injuries or wrongful death of a motorcycle rider.
The following explains some of the most common causes of accidents, injuries, and fatalities of motorcycle drivers that an Indiana motorcycle injury attorney will find in their investigations.
Left-Turn Accidents
The most frequent motorcycle accident in Indiana happens when a motorcycle is approaching an intersection and a driver in the opposite lane executes a left turn across the motorcycle’s path. These drivers misjudge the speed or distance of the oncoming bike, fail to observe the motorcycle at all, or make an ill-timed and aggressive maneuver that too often results in the motorcycle having no opportunity to avoid crashing with the car.
Blind Spots
Every car has blind spots, and every driver has a duty to visually check their blind spots before turning or changing lanes. Unfortunately, many drivers ignore this responsibility if they don’t sense a vehicle around them at the time. Now, with the advent of blind-spot monitoring systems, drivers are even less likely to bother checking their blind spots. This is bad news for motorcycles that may be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Drunk Driving
Motorcycles are harder to spot than other vehicles due to their smaller size, and, since there are fewer of them on the road, an Indiana motorcycle injury lawyer realizes that even sober drivers don’t always see motorcycles on the road around them. This situation is even worse for drunk drivers, who tend to drive with tunnel vision, ignoring objects in their peripheral vision. Other drunk driving behaviors, such as weaving and drifting out of the lane, are especially dangerous for motorcycle riders in the midst.
Distracted Driving
Texting while driving, talking on the phone, checking social media updates, tuning the radio, and other distracted driving behaviors take a driver’s eyes or attention off the road long enough to get into a crash when traffic ahead slows down or another vehicle makes an emergency or even an indicated maneuver. As noted, motorcycles are harder to detect in the best of scenarios; a driver’s distraction puts motorcycle riders in the vicinity especially at risk of a collision.
How does an Indiana Motorcycle Injury Lawyer Help after a Motorcycle Accident?
Motorcycle accidents can be especially challenging cases for an Indiana motorcycle injury lawyer. If a case goes to trial, juries may be inclined to place at least some of the blame for the accident on the rider. Most jury members have no personal experience with motorcycles, and many may engage in stereotyping motorcycle riders as dangerous, reckless, or aggressive drivers. Insurance companies are aware of this bias and exploit it to their advantage, whether in court or during settlement negotiations.
At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, our attorneys have significant knowledge and experience investigating crashes. We put forward the facts and present a strong case that convincingly proves when the other driver is responsible for the collision. With the facts in front of them, jury members don’t have an excuse to unfairly blame the motorcyclist, and insurance companies can’t bully our clients into accepting less than their claim is worth.
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, gain the advantage by engaging an Indiana motorcycle injury lawyer from Keffer Hirschauer LLP to fight for compensation for you. For a free consultation, use our online contact form to reach out to one of our experienced attorneys, or call us at (317) 455-4043 to have our team in your corner after a motorcycle accident in Indiana.