Motorcycle accidents are often caused by the actions of another driver. A typical scenario involves an oncoming driver that did not see the motorcycle and turned right in front of it. Another situation involves a car or truck moving into traffic from a driveway or parking lot and not seeing an approaching motorcycle. This is dangerous even at relatively low speeds, but it becomes catastrophic at highway speeds. A motorcycle accidents lawyer can help a person who was seriously injured because another driver did not see the motorcycle and caused a collision. Collisions between motorcycles and other vehicles tend to be very dangerous for the motorcyclist because there’s no enclosure to protect this individual.
A motorcycle accidents lawyer can help a person when the other driver’s insurance company disagrees with the claimant. This may happen if the injured person was partly at fault for the severity of the injuries. For example, helmets are required of motorcyclists in Vermont. If someone chooses to ride without one, it can lead to a more severe head injury during an accident. In another situation, a motorcyclist may have been riding while having a blood alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit. This is relatively common in motorcycle crashes.
Nevertheless, an insurer should not deny a claim for either of these reasons. Vermont state law recognizes the legal concept of comparative negligence, in which a person who is partly to blame in an accident still deserves a certain amount of compensation, even if that compensation is reduced from what would otherwise have been paid. The fundamental question regarding a particular accident is whether it occurred because of the negligence or carelessness of the other driver. A motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet could be more seriously injured, but this person did not cause the passenger vehicle to turn in front of the motorcycle. A motorcyclist with a BAC above 08 may not have been able to react as quickly to a driver making a hazardous move, but again, they were not the fundamental cause of the accident. A person who was injured during a motorcycle collision may contact a law firm such as Affolter Gannon through the website domain URL.
