Tampa Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Fights for Bikers’ Injury Recoveries
Attorney skilled in common causes of motorbike accidents
Motorcycle accidents in Florida decreased a bit over the past few years, falling about 6 percent between 2016 and 2017, from 10,331 to 9,707, according to a Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles department study. But with the three-year average sitting at about 10,000 motorcycle crashes per year, the figures are still too high. Florida motorcycle fatalities averaged about 525 deaths per year for the same time period, spelling disaster and heartbreak for far too many families. Since 1991, the Law Offices of Bill Dickey, P.A. have worked to help Tampa Bay area motorcycle accident victims determine who may be liable for their injuries, and hold the responsible party accountable.
Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents in Florida are:
- Lack of visibility
- Drivers not noticing bikers
- Bikers tailgating cars or other bikers
- Lane splitting
- Drunk or distracted drivers
Motorcyclists are at particular risk of suffering serious injury and they are 16 times more likely to die as the result of a motor vehicle collision than are drivers or passengers of other types of vehicles. This is because motorcyclists lack the external protection of an enclosed vehicle and because a motorcycle is often struck by the force of a vehicle many times its size. We help motorcyclists seek the compensation they need when facing staggering medical bills as a result of their extensive injuries.
Tampa Bay accident lawyer helps motorcyclists protect themselves on the road
Hurt motorcyclists face excruciating and often disabling injuries. They include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis, road rash burns requiring extensive surgery and skin grafts, broken and shattered bones and extremities, nerve and muscle damage, severe bruising, lacerations, internal bleeding and organ rupture.
Wearing a helmet is the foremost precaution a biker can take to guard against serious injury. Other protective gear should be worn, such as kneepads, gloves, and reinforced leather clothing and outerwear. Motorcyclists can also protect themselves by obeying traffic laws, and traveling with fellow, experienced motorcyclists who refrain from risky and reckless behavior.
Tampa Bay motorcycle accident attorney familiar with helmet laws
Florida’s helmet law is somewhat unusual.. In 2000, the state repealed its universal helmet laws in favor of a tiered approach, requiring helmets only for riders under age 21 and for older adult motorcyclists who lack medical insurance coverage of more than $10,000. This significantly increased motorcycle accident fatalities in the years following the law change, with a 71 increase following the repeal, as found by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study. Even when a biker’s lack of helmet is not illegal, it is possible that courts may consider failure to wear a helmet as evidence of the driver’s negligence in causing or exacerbating injuries, which can reduce recovery of damages. This is true even when another party’s negligence is more responsible for the accident.
Aggressive Tampa Bay accident lawyer well-versed in Florida’s comparative negligence rules
Under Florida’s pure comparative negligence rules, victims may recover compensation for their injuries even when their own negligence is the greater cause of their accident. While this rule is considered generous to plaintiffs — some states bar recovery for victims who are even 1 percent at fault —damage recovery will still be reduced by the percentage of fault the plaintiff bears.
Seasoned attorney helps clients know what to do and not do after a motorcycle accident
If you are involved in a motorcycle accident, your first priority should be immediately seeking necessary medical treatment. Once your condition is stable, however, it is important to take steps to preserve evidence of what happened and to consult with an experienced motorcycle accident injury attorney who can help you protect any claims you may have. The Law Offices of Bill Dickey, P.A. can begin working with you right after your motorcycle accident, to investigate what happened, to make sure that you do not inadvertently say or do anything to put your claim in jeopardy, to help you take photos of your injuries and to establish a medical record of your physical condition following the accident. We also work with the insurers involved, including your own motor vehicle and medical policy providers, as well as the insurer of the other party responsible for the accident.
Consult an experienced Tampa Bay accident law firm for a free initial consultation
Our personal injury firm fights for motorcycle accident victims to obtain the compensation they deserve. To schedule your free initial consultation at our Tampa or Clearwater office, call the Law Offices of Bill Dickey, P.A. at 813-835-3800 or contact us online.
