Hickory, NC, Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Because the motorcycle is smaller than a motor vehicle or truck, it may seem like you as the motorcycle operator should always be the victim and should have an easy time winning your claim. However, just because you suffered injuries while riding your motorcycle, or just because your motorcycle is smaller than the car that hit you, this does not guarantee that you will win your claim.

These types of claims can have some complexity to them. Insurance companies rarely will simply make the payment you are seeking. The insurance company may not accept 100% fault on the part of its driver who hit you. The insurer may try to introduce evidence that shows you are partially at fault for the crash, which would negate your chance to receive a settlement in North Carolina. You may need to defend your rights to seek an award from the driver who hit you. Our Hickory motorcycle accident lawyers are ready to work on your behalf, introducing facts that show you did not do anything to cause the accident.

Our Hickory, NC, Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Will Start By Proving Who Caused the Crash

Before we can win your motorcycle accident claim against another driver, we have to show that the other driver caused the accident through negligent or reckless actions. We will investigate the facts behind the crash to show that you did not do anything wrong and that the other driver is entirely at fault. Some of the methods our Hickory, NC, motorcycle accident lawyers may employ to try to show fault on the part of the other driver include:

• Reviewing police reports and traffic tickets issued
• Studying the accident scene
• Interviewing witnesses
• Reviewing any video of the crash
• Discussing the cause of your injuries with your doctor
• Consulting with an accident recreation expert.

You may have a greater level of interest in learning how much you can win in your settlement than you do about this type of investigative work. However, when the insurance company is trying to blame you for the crash in an effort to reduce its payment or to avoid paying anything, our investigative work is the key to helping you avoid these potential setbacks to win your claim.

Our Hickory, NC, Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Work Only for You, Seeking the Best Financial Judgment

As you recover from your injuries after the motorcycle accident, you may hear from the insurance company representing the driver who hit you. Having to field questions from an insurance adjuster while you are in pain and may not be thinking clearly is challenging. Although you can choose to represent yourself when negotiating with the insurer, this can be a difficult road to travel. Should you say the wrong thing without realizing it, the insurance company would not hesitate to use this information against you when you bring a personal injury claim against the driver and the insurer.

The insurance company may promise to take care of you and to help you receive the largest possible settlement. However, such promises rarely end up being true when it comes time to actually pay you for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Always remember that insurance companies are for-profit entities. The company’s primary goal is to maximize those profits. Consequently, the insurer wants to limit the amount of money it pays to victims in settlements, regardless of what the insurance adjuster may tell you about how the insurance company will take care of you.

You can trust that our motorcycle accident lawyers in Hickory, NC, will defend you against the practices that the insurance company tries to deploy. We know that recovering from a motorcycle accident with injuries can be a challenging process. You don’t need the added stress of having an insurance company try to prevent you from receiving the settlement amount that you should have.

How Much Could My Motorcycle Crash Award Be Worth?

Our Hickory, NC, Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Will Seek the Settlement You Deserve

Although we cannot guarantee that you will win a certain amount in your motorcycle accident claim, as such guarantees would be unethical for us to make, we can tell you that past cases involving motorcycle injury accidents in North Carolina have involved amounts ranging from four figures to eight figures. Our team of Hickory, NC, motorcycle accident lawyers at Sumwalt Anderson litigated a motorcycle injury case that resulted in a nearly $1 million settlement. Trust that we will work extremely hard to help you win the biggest possible settlement.

That settlement amount will depend in large part on the severity of your injuries. If you have life-altering injuries, you have a better chance at a larger settlement to compensate you for the way your life will be different than it was before the accident. Should you be able to return to a relatively normal life after recovering from your injuries, your settlement amount probably will be smaller.

We talk to some potential clients who don’t believe they have serious injuries. However, when we begin discussing the ways their lives are changing as they try to deal with the consequences of those injuries, they realize that their injuries are more serious than they initially thought. Call us today at (704) 377-3770 for a free case review.

Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in Hickory, NC, Take Pride in Our Responsiveness to Clients

Our clients often are going through the process of filing a personal injury claim for the first time when they hire us. After a motorcycle crash with injuries, filing a claim can be a confusing process. Our motorcycle accident attorneys in Hickory are constantly available to our clients to answer questions and to discuss the case. Some of the most common questions we hear include the following.

Do I really need to hire Hickory, NC, motorcycle accident lawyers after my crash?

The decision to hire representation after your crash primarily depends on your personal situation. If you were able to recover within a couple of days from the injuries you suffered in the accident and if you only miss a day or two of work, you probably can settle this simple type of claim yourself without the need to hire our motorcycle accident lawyers in Hickory, NC. However, if your injuries will require weeks of care and if you may have pain and suffering well into the future, our team will work tirelessly to help you receive the settlement amount you should have.

Will you guarantee that I will win my motorcycle crash settlement?

We cannot guarantee that you will win your motorcycle crash claim. That would not be in keeping with our professional ethics. Any attorney who guarantees that you will win your claim is not being truthful with you. We cannot control what a jury or a judge will find in your claim, should it go to trial. All we can control and guarantee to you is that we will work hard and do everything we can to try to win the fairest possible award in your claim. Our Hickory, NC, motorcycle accident attorneys have decades of collective experience representing victims. We use that experience to deliver outstanding representation for our clients. Our level of preparation and hard work often leads to the outcomes our clients are seeking, but there is no guarantee.

Do I have to go to trial for my motorcycle accident claim?

When you hire our motorcycle accident attorneys in Hickory to represent you against the insurance company, we will make recommendations about how we should move forward with the case. We will represent you during the negotiation phase. Should negotiations fail, we may recommend that we take the case to trial to try to win the settlement we believe you should have. However, the decision on whether to go to trial will be one that we make together. After discussing the pros and cons of going to trial, if you remain adamant that you do not want to go to trial, we will honor this request and try to find the best way forward through negotiations.

What if I was speeding before the motorcycle crash occurred?

If you were violating the law before your crash occurred, and if the insurance company can prove it, this could harm your chances of winning damages, as discussed in North Carolina statute § 1-139.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim after my motorcycle crash?

North Carolina statute § 1-52 gives victims of motorcycle crashes up to three years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. Our team will make sure that your claim meets all of the rules in the state, including fitting within the three-year statute of limitations.