Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer Discusses Motorcycle Injuries

Good afternoon. Welcome to another edition of Claim Your Justice Facebook Live. My name is Keith Shindler.  These live sessions aim to give you, our viewers, and the rest of the Facebook community valuable and helpful information on personal injury cases. We are here to answer any personal injury questions you may have to help you Claim Your Justice.  Visit us at ClaimYourJustice.com or call us at 847-434-3555. 

When you or a family member get injured in a motorcycle accident, the injuries can be traumatic. It makes sense as car versus motorcycle, truck versus motorcycle, motorcycle never wins. Injuries can include burns, road rash, and often much more severe injuries, from broken bones to loss of limbs and even death.

Loud Pipes Save Lives

First, as a shout-out to the motorcycle-driving community, I believe in the saying “loud pipes save lives”. I learned it from a friend of mine who owns a motorcycle. Why do loud pipes save lives? Loud pipes help to let other people know you’re out there. 

The reality is car and truck drivers sometimes don’t care about the motorcycles on the road. Their vehicle is larger, and sometimes they act like they own the road. A driver can tailgate you or abruptly change lanes without checking their blind spots. Never a good thing. 

Stay In Your Lane

Now, of course, some motorcycle drivers will split the lanes when driving. It’s not anything I recommend and I believe this is very dangerous. As a lawyer, I know if a motorcyclist is injured while splitting the lanes like that, it’s difficult to achieve a good outcome when you try and make a personal injury claim. That’s not the design of the roads and this type of driving violates the Rules of the Road. That’s not how the highways are prepared and designed. So stay in your lane. 

Secure Evidence Quickly

As we have discussed in the past, the general rule is that I want to secure evidence as quickly as possible. I want to gather the evidence as soon after the accident as possible. The same rule applies to motorcycle cases. 

We had a case where a motorcycle driver crashed his motorcycle into a concrete median because he couldn’t navigate and handle the curve. He went “splat” right into the concrete median and was seriously injured. His passenger was even more seriously injured. 

The problem is that I want to be able to secure the motorcycle to preserve the evidence for my client’s case. It’s not an easy process. It’s a very technical process, and it can be expensive. However, there are benefits to securing the motorcycle as soon as possible. What are the reasons? 

• The first reason is the damage will allow me to show, not just by pictures. I could demonstrate to an insurance adjuster just how serious the accident was. 
• The second reason is that I can bring the motorcycle into a courtroom if there’s a jury trial. I could physically bring it into court and show it to the jury, which has many impacts. The impact that this can have on a jury and helping me maximize my client’s recovery cannot be understated. 
• The third reason is that many motorcycles are in storage all winter long. Before they come out, they may get maintenance. They may get some repairs and the repairs could be faulty which lead to the accident. 

Have The Motorcycle Examined By An Expert Mechanic

Suppose I can preserve the motorcycle soon after an accident. In that case, I can have that motorcycle examined by an expert mechanic to determine proper repairs or maintenance on the vehicle. If they determine that the manufacturers improperly designed a part on the motorcycle or if a mechanic did not perform the proper maintenance on the motorcycle, my client has another target that I can pursue to claim additional money for my client. 

Please drive safe this summer. If you get injured in an auto accident, work injury, trip and fall, medical malpractice, or wrongful death, let us help you Claim Your Justice. Call 847-434-3555, or visit us at ClaimYourJustice.com. Thank you, and have a successful rest of your week.