How Are Damages Valued After a PA Motorcycle Accident? (2024)

The compensation you can recover after a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident will depend on several factors, including the circ*mstances of the crash and the severity of your injuries. Ongoing injuries and the expenses you incurred are also considered when determining your compensation.

Your payout amount is generally determined during settlement negotiations or litigation. Working with a Pittsburgh motorcycle accident lawyer offers an opportunity to identify, document, and recover your current and future financial losses. Most personal injury law firms provide a free consultation. Speak to an attorney about your case today.

What Factors Affect the Value of a Pennsylvania Motorcycle Accident Case?

No two motorcycle accident cases are the same. Each has its own facts and details, including damages. There is no way to assign a one-size-fits-all estimate on how much a settlement or court verdict might be worth. Instead, your attorney will consider many factors to determine a possible settlement range for the case or document your damages for trial. They include:

• Severity of injuries: The extent and severity of your injuries affect the value of your case because more serious injuries generally require additional medical treatment and rehabilitation.
• Duration of treatment: Many motorcycle accident victims suffer serious or catastrophic injuries. They could require long-term or ongoing medical care and support.
• Permanent disabilities or disfigurement: Accidents that cause permanent disabilities or disfigurement cost more to treat and manage. This affects both economic and non-economic damages.
• Work missed: When you cannot work temporarily or permanently, you can pursue compensation for the lost income.
• Property damage: These costs depend greatly on the expenses related to repairing or replacing your motorcycle.
• Liability: Determining fault in the accident is crucial for recovering fair compensation. You must show that the at-fault driver is liable before their insurance carrier will pay for your damages.
• Insurance coverage: The insurance policies available will affect your payout. This focuses primarily on the other driver’s auto liability coverage but could include other policies.

Identifying the Damages Recoverable After a PA Motorcycle Crash

Working with a car accident attorney on your crash case makes it more likely that you identify, properly value, and pursue the wide range of expenses and losses you incurred because of your crash injuries. Lawyers who regularly handle traffic accident cases understand the most common types of recoverable damages and how to pursue fair compensation based on them.

The recoverable damages that could comprise your motorcycle accident recovery include:

• Current medical bills and related expenses
• Future and ongoing care and support costs
• Lost income
• Diminished earning capacity for lasting impairments
• Repair or replacement of your motorcycle and other personal property
• Related expenses with receipts
• Pain and suffering and other non-economic damages

When a motorcycle crash victim dies from their injuries, their loved ones can seek compensation based on their wrongful death. The recoverable damages differ somewhat in these cases. However, you can still count on your attorney to manage the process, including establishing a fair settlement range before negotiating with the insurance carrier or litigating the case.

Contact an attorney today to learn more during a free consultation.

Building a Strong Case Plays a Key Role in Pennsylvania Motorcycle Accident Compensation

While identifying and documenting expenses and losses is essential to determining how much a motorcycle accident case might be worth after a Pennsylvania crash, it is only half the equation. You must also have a strong case showing the accused motorist acted negligently and caused the crash. Compelling evidence to document their role in the accident is necessary to convince their insurance carrier or a judge and jury of liability.

Four elements are present when negligence occurs. These include:

1. Duty of care, or the at-fault party’s responsibility to keep you safe
2. Breach of duty, such as violating a traffic law
3. Causation
4. Damages, possibly including physical, emotional, and financial harm

To hold a driver accountable for a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident, you must document that these four factors occurred. For example, imagine a driver failed to yield when turning left. They had a duty to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to pass. Instead, they turned in front of you, causing a T-bone collision. You suffered serious injuries.

Types of Evidence Used to Prove Your Right to Compensation in a Motorcycle Accident Claim

In the above example, you know all four elements of negligence are present. However, you must preserve, analyze, and present evidence to show what happened. The evidence available could include:

• The accident report filed by the responding police officers
• Video of the collision
• Eyewitness statements
• A survey of the crash scene
• Accident reconstruction
• Medical records
• Analysis from medical professionals and other expert witnesses
• Documentation of damages

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help With Your Motorcycle Accident Case?

Motorcycle accident victims often find it challenging to manage their claims alone. This is especially true when they suffer serious or catastrophic injuries and require intensive treatment, support, and rehabilitation. Working with a personal injury attorney who handles these cases regularly comes with many benefits, including peace of mind knowing their claim is in knowledgeable, experienced hands while they heal.

Hiring an attorney to manage your Pennsylvania motorcycle accident case gives you someone on your side who has the time and legal knowledge to develop an effective case strategy, gather compelling evidence, and fight for the settlement or verdict you deserve based on the case facts. With a lawyer handling your case, you do not have to worry about how to determine the possible value of your case or how to negotiate or litigate to recover this money.

Personal injury lawyers in Pittsburgh, PA, generally work on a contingency-fee basis. There are no upfront fees or costs paid to take on your case. Instead, all attorney’s fees come from the compensation recovered. You only pay after they secure a payout in your case.

Discuss Your Pennsylvania Motorcycle Crash Injuries With Our Team

At Berger and Green, we provide free consultations to injured victims and their families in the greater Pittsburgh area. Let our team assess your legal options and explain how our motorcycle accident lawyer can help you get justice.

Contact us now to get started.