Motorcycle Accidents

Every year there are an increasing number of motorcycle accidents on the road in Texas. In addition, the amount of large trucks and other vehicles on the road dramatically impacts the severity of these accidents. Statistics confirm that motorcycle riders run the highest risk of suffering an injury during a road traffic accident of all motor vehicle operators on roadways. The injuries that motorcycle riders suffer often require extensive and costly medical treatment. The most serious injuries include spinal cord issues resulting in quadriplegia and paraplegia, traumatic brain injury or head injury and even death. In addition, due to the severity of the accidents many motorcycle injuries lead to post injury emotional trauma which can cause stress disorder, anxiety and severe depression.

If you or someone you loved is the victim of a motorcycle accident, you should take the following actions immediately:

1. Call the police and get a police report at the scene: if the police issue you a traffic ticket (citation), it is your duty to sign it. This is not an admission of guilt. Remember to get the police officers’ names and identification.
2. Get the contact information from the other drivers involved
3. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses at the scene
4. Take pictures and write down key information: take photographs of both the accident scene and any vehicles involved in the accident.
5. Seek medical attention: it is vital to see a qualified medical professional for all of your bodily injuries immediately following your accident. This will provide Texas insurance companies with necessary documentation of your injuries for an insurance claim.
6. Do NOT sign any accident related documents: you should not sign any documents or other papers prior to retaining an experienced legal counsel like the Houston motorcycle accident attorneys at Thornton Esquire Law Group, PLLC. Such documents may act as a waiver of your rights in the future.
7. Do NOT discuss the accident with anyone at the site of the accident or any party with whom you are not intimately familiar: insurance companies or the other driver may seek to get information from you that could adversely affect your claims (just get their contact information).
8. Do NOT try to handle things with the insurance companies alone: remember the insurance companies are not on your side. The primary objective of insurance companies in Texas following a car accident is to deny or minimize your claim.

In the case of motorcycle accidents, it is imperative that the victim seek legal counsel immediately (or, if the victim is seriously injured or deceased the family should seek counsel immediately). Victims and their families deserve fair financial compensation to recover for their injuries. Unfortunately, insurance companies have become increasingly combative against claims involving injured motorcycle riders. Often, these adjusters will attempt to capitalize on the stereotypes associated with motorcycle riders, in an attempt to divert attention away from their drivers. This can include defense strategies that insinuate fault on riders for lane splitting, unsafe speeds, making unsafe lane changes, drunk driving, aggressive riding and other dangerous behavior.

The Houston motorcycle accident attorneys at Thornton Esquire Law Group, PLLC in Houston, TX can greatly improve your likelihood of success by properly preserving the evidence and acquiring the requisite witness statements and affidavits. Thornton Esquire Law Group, PLLC is well known throughout the area for its success in resolving motorcycle accident injury cases in Houston. Our firm works tirelessly to make sure that we obtain and preserve the evidence necessary to support our client’s claim. We then move ahead with all deliberate speed to make sure that our client receives the best possible care and treatment.