Motorcycle accidents often leave riders and their passengers with catastrophic injuries. Accident victims can quickly and easily incur millions of dollars in losses stemming from their motorcycle accidents, which can impact their lives indefinitely. Not all law firms have the resources and experience needed to seek justice in these cases, but our team of Toledo motorcycle accident attorneys is more than able – and ready.
We have secured an unparalleled track record of successfully obtaining rightful settlements and verdicts for our clients and their families. We have won multi-million dollar verdicts in motorcycle accidents and wrongful death cases across the state of Ohio due to our personalized and aggressive approach to every matter we handle.
If you or a loved one were injured in a motorcycle accident, please reach out to us right away. We offer FREE, no-obligation consultations, and should you choose to hire our firm, we will represent you in your motorcycle case on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not be asked to pay any up-front fees or costs and will owe us nothing unless we win your case.
Motorcycle Crashes in Ohio
The Ohio State Highway Patrol found that last year, over 200 individuals within the state were killed in motorcycle accidents, and over 3,000 more sustained serious injuries.
Unlike occupants of cars and trucks, motorcyclists and their passengers have virtually no protection in the event of a crash. Therefore riders and passengers are at extremely high risk of sustaining catastrophic, if not fatal, injuries. The causes of these devastating crashes vary greatly. However, some of the most common causes include:
- Head-on collisions – Often, motorcycles are not seen by passenger cars or trucks and are hit head-on by the other driver. These accidents most often occur when a driver turns left into the path of an oncoming motorcycle or when they are passing another car on a two-lane road and don’t see the approaching motorcyclist.
- Speeding – Approximately a third of all traffic collisions are caused by speeding, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traveling at an excessively high rate of speed puts motorcyclists and drivers at a higher risk of losing control and causing a high-impact crash. Because motorcyclists have little protection, speeding accidents frequently result in devastating injuries and even death.
- Failure to yield – A frequent cause of motorcycle accidents is the failure to yield. Motorists often don’t pay enough attention to their surroundings and don’t correctly yield the right of way to the motorcyclist. Failure-to-yield accidents are also caused by aggressive driving, texting while driving, and driver impairment.
- Unsafe lane changes – One of the leading causes of motorcycle accidents occurs when a driver does not adequately check their blind spots or fails to signal before changing lanes and collides with a motorcycle.
- Driving under the influence – When a motorist or rider is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, their ability to assess their surroundings is drastically impaired. Those under the influence also have a significantly slower reaction time, putting themselves and others at risk of being involved in a collision.
All of the above motorcycle accidents causes can result in any of the following injuries:
- Road rash
- Burns
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Broken bones
- Skull fractures
- Whiplash
- Organ damage
- Internal bleeding
- Loss of limb/Amputations
- Spinal cord damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
Why Drivers Often Blame Motorcyclists for a Crash
Many motorists who are responsible for motorcycle collisions tend to blame the rider. Often drivers think that motorcyclists are risk-takers and that their thrill-seeking tendencies are to blame for the accident. However, most motorcyclists carefully abide by traffic laws and take all available precautions to prevent risks to themselves and those around them. Additionally, Ohio motorcyclists must have a valid motorcycle license, which means they must pass both a written test and a skills test.
If you are a motorcyclist and were involved in a crash, we will carefully investigate every aspect of the accident to ensure you are not falsely assigned blame. Often the details of motorcycle vs. automobile crashes can be complex. Therefore, if any element is unclear or there is a question of liability, we will work with a skilled accident reconstructionist to ensure fault is assigned only to those genuinely responsible for the accident.
Comparative Negligence in Ohio Motorcycle Accident Cases
Accidents frequently have more than one at-fault party. If you feel you are partly to blame for your crash, you still have the right to seek compensation under Ohio comparative negligence laws – as long as your percentage of responsibility is no more than 50%. However, your final amount will be reduced by your determined percentage of fault. For example, if you were awarded $100,000 but were found to be 25% at fault, your compensation would be reduced by $25,000. Therefore you would ultimately receive $75,000.
Seeking Compensation in a Toledo Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, you are likely experiencing significant emotional, physical, and financial turmoil. You are fighting to heal from your injuries while also seeking the compensation you need to recover financially from your crash. This is often too much for injured victims to take on by themselves.
That is where the Slater & Zurz legal team can help. Our skilled Toledo personal injury attorneys can immediately step in and handle all communication with the other party’s insurance company. We will thoroughly investigate how your accident occurred and identify all responsible parties. Our attorneys will also work closely with financial experts to accurately determine your total past and future losses and advocate aggressively to secure total compensation on your behalf. Damages that may be available to you include:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical care
- Lost wages/lost earning capacity
- Property damage
- Home and vehicle modifications
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Diminished quality of life
- Wrongful death damages
Consult with a Toledo Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
At Slater & Zurz, our motorcycle accident lawyers understand the many obstacles you face after a devastating crash. We know you are coping with severe injuries and mounting medical bills. The responsible party’s insurance company is likely trying diligently to deny liability to avoid paying you the compensation you need and deserve. But you can rest assured our attorneys will not let them get away with it. We know the tactics they use and, using our skills and resources will fight aggressively to hold them accountable and ensure you get total financial compensation for your losses. If you or a loved one sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident crash in Toledo, we urge you to contact our office to set up a FREE, no-obligation consultation. We will listen to your story attentively, discuss your rights, and carefully explain the available legal avenues. You can reach us any time, day or night, by calling (419) 658-7171 or contacting us online.