What Is the Average Settlement for a Motorcycle Accident?

• December 15, 2022
• Sumwalt Anderson
• Motorcycle Accident

After you suffer injuries in a motorcycle crash that was not your fault, you may be wondering about the average settlement for a motorcycle accident in a personal injury case. Because every case has unique aspects to it and because the level of injuries differs from person to person, answering a question like this is impossible. Some motorcycle accident settlements may have six- or seven-figure settlement amounts, while others may not.

Generally, a motorcycle rider who has injuries that will be life-altering will have a greater chance of winning a larger settlement amount. Riders whose injuries heal after a couple of weeks and who only miss several days of work likely will end up with a smaller settlement. If the driver who hit you doesn’t have motor vehicle insurance, and if you do not have high uninsured motorist coverage on your own insurance, you could even end up without a settlement or with a far smaller settlement than you deserve. All these factors show why it is difficult to determine what an average settlement is for a motorcycle accident.

What Is a Good Settlement for a Motorcycle Accident?

One of the primary reasons victims of motorcycle accidents come to Sumwalt Anderson to discuss the possibility of a personal injury case is that they are unsure what is a good settlement for a motorcycle accident. On your own, you as a victim may receive a quick offer of a settlement from the insurance company, but you are hesitant to accept it. You do not want to accept an offer that is lower than you deserve to have, after all.

When you hire our team, we can study the facts in your case to give you advice on whether the insurer is treating you fairly. We have experience with settling motorcycle accident cases for amounts of nearly $1 million and as low as five figures. Even though there is a significant gap between those amounts, we believe that they represented good settlement amounts for our clients’ accidents. In other words, the facts in those cases that we were able to uncover helped us achieve a fair settlement amount.

What Is an Average Payout for a Motorcycle Accident?

If you went on Google trying to research what the average payout for a motorcycle accident is, we’re guessing you ended up with more questions than answers. The truth is that defining an average settlement for a motorcycle accident is far more complex than it might appear at first glance, for a number of reasons.

Motorcycle Accidents Are Far Different Than Motor Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle accident claims occur far more frequently than motorcycle accident claims because far more cars and SUVs are on the roads. Even though car crash settlements have more data available, you simply cannot use an average motor vehicle crash settlement amount and try to apply it to motorcycle crashes.

After all, the chances of serious and life-changing injuries occurring in a motorcycle crash are far higher than in a motor vehicle crash. Passengers and drivers in motor vehicles have numerous pieces of safety gear and technologies in place designed to limit the severity of injuries in a crash. Some of this safety gear simply isn’t possible in the design of a motorcycle. Related to the lack of safety gear, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that, per mile traveled, a motorcycle rider is 29 times more likely to die in a crash than someone in a motor vehicle.

Motorcycle Riders Are More Susceptible to Injuries, Too

Severe injuries for the motorcycle rider are more common than for someone in a passenger car as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that motorcycle injury rates per 100 million miles traveled ranged from 408 to 511 per year from 2011 to 2020 in the United States. The NHTSA’s overall national rate for all vehicles for injury rates per 100 million miles traveled from 2011 to 2020 was between 76 and 96 annually, showing the significantly higher chance of motorcyclists’ suffering injuries in crashes versus other motor vehicle operators.

Severity of Injuries Affects the Average Settlement for a Motorcycle Accident

The biggest reason why it is very difficult to select an average settlement for a motorcycle accident is that the potential list of injuries is so different from accident to accident. One motorcyclist could suffer broken bones and abrasions that look severe and that are extremely painful but that will heal fully in a few months. Another motorcyclist could end up with a brain injury that will never heal fully, affecting the victim’s life forever.

To ensure that you are receiving the greatest settlement amount possible, it is important for our team to show exactly how your injuries are affecting your life. With a brain injury, for example, you may no longer be able to work. You might not be able to enjoy the same activities you once did with your family. You may be facing a lifetime of bills for ongoing medical care and for prescription drugs. Any settlement we reach in a case like this must reflect these issues that will continue into the future, as well as any costs incurred to date.

Our team can study your medical records, speak with your doctors, and research the future you are facing. We then can determine whether a settlement offer is a fair one that truly reflects how your life will change going forward. This is an important aspect of our service. We also apply our experience in past cases similar to yours to help you determine whether a settlement is fair.

Let Our Team Help You Determine the Fair Value of Your  for Your Motorcycle Accident

At Sumwalt Anderson, we deal with cases involving motorcycle crashes on a regular basis. If you or a family member suffered injuries in a motorcycle crash, this hopefully is the first time you are going through a situation like this. You probably don’t have the experience to know whether a settlement offer from an insurance company is a fair one. But you can count on our motorcycle accident lawyers to study the facts in your case to figure out what’s a good settlement for your motorcycle accident. We can help you determine whether an offer truly compensates you for your pain and suffering, as well as any financial losses you experienced.

For a free review of your case, contact Sumwalt Anderson today at (704) 377-3770. Trust that we will fight hard to help you win a settlement amount and that we will not back down against an insurance company that is treating you unfairly.