When riding your motorcycle, you have the same rights on the road as other drivers. While you may be obeying all the laws, that’s not always the case with others, thus putting you at risk. A negligent driver can be particularly dangerous for a motorcycle rider because an accident on a motorcycle can result in serious injuries. When you are a motorcycle accident victim, our attorneys want to ensure you receive compensation for your damages.

At The Hawk Firm, we value transparency, compassion, loyalty, and wisdom with our clients and provide them the legal care they need to rebuild their lives. An Augusta motorcycle accident lawyer at our firm can identify the liable parties and represent you throughout the legal process. Contact The Hawk Firm today for your free consultation.

Why Choose The Hawk Firm for Help with Your Motorcycle Accident Case?

There are many law firms in Augusta, and we understand that choosing the best one for you is a huge life decision. At The Hawk Firm, our mission is to serve our clients and help them receive what they deserve after getting hurt in an accident.

We Offer Free Consultations and Work on Contingency

We don’t charge our clients anything unless we help them settle. Yet, even when we do, we just take a percentage of the winnings, so you do not end up paying us anything from your pocket.

By offering free consultations, we allow you to meet with us and determine if we are the right fit for you. When you elect to have us represent you, we do not charge you because we care about our clients and are confident in our ability to reach a fair settlement for them.

Our Augusta Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Lead Your Case from Start to Finish

By working with our lawyer, you have someone knowledgeable in Georgia law fighting on your behalf. We may review police reports, take eyewitness testimonies, go over medical records, and keep you updated on everything related to your case.

In addition, we can speak with insurance companies for you. Most accident victims don’t have experience going back and forth with the insurer, and they can harm their chances of a large settlement by saying the wrong things to these companies.

While we work for you, you can take the necessary time to recover from your injuries to get back to your preferred way of life. Rushing back from an injury or not having enough time to recover can lead to more problems down the line. With us on your side, you don’t have to worry about that.

We Have Decades of Experience

The Hawk Firm has served Georgia residents since 1984. During that time, we have seen a lot of cases, so we know how to help you secure a fair settlement. Our trial attorneys have committed themselves to seeing our clients recover physically, mentally, and financially following an accident.

Additionally, if your case needs to go to trial, we are more than willing to represent you. We have been doing this for nearly 40 years, and we are not afraid to fight on your behalf for every dollar you deserve.

Obtaining Compensation Following a Motorcycle Accident in Georgia

Motorcycle accidents can result in severe and sometimes even deadly injuries.

Common injuries that riders suffer include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Whiplash
• Lacerations
• Internal bleeding
• Organ damage
• Disfigurement
• Loss of limb
• Back injuries
• Broken bones
• Abdominal injuries

These injuries can require long hospital stays, surgeries, and continued treatments for years.

No matter how minor or severe your injuries seem, get medical care as soon as possible. Not only does it help ensure your health is in check, but it also links your injuries to the motorcycle crash. This way, the insurance company may not have enough room to blame your injuries on something else.

Recovering Damages

How much and which compensation you can seek after a motorcycle crash depends on your injuries, prognosis, and other ways the accident has affected your life. You can obtain compensation for economic (monetary) and non-economic (intangible) damages.

You can collect economic damages for:

• Past and future medical bills: For the ambulance ride, medication, surgeries, medical devices, hospital stays, diagnostic tests, and ongoing care
• Lost income: For the money you would have earned had you not been injured
• Lost future earnings: For the money you won’t earn in the foreseeable future because your injuries keep you from returning to your previous job at full capacity
• Property damage costs: For the repairs for your motorcycle

Non-economic damages you could pursue include:

• Pain and suffering: For the physical and emotional distress you experience from your injuries and the crash
• Loss of companionship: For the changes in the relationships with your loved ones
• Disfigurement: For the scarring stemming from your accident-related injuries

Your attorney can compile your economic and non-economic damages to determine what your settlement should look like. Discuss it with your attorney if you don’t know if you can recover a specific item. Generally speaking, you may claim anything that was not present before your accident that hurts your life.

Proving Liability for a Motorcycle Accident in Augusta

The injured party must prove that the other party was negligent in their actions, thus leading to their injuries.

Potential entities who could be to blame in a motorcycle crash include:

• A government agency
• A driver
• A parts manufacturer
• A mechanic
• A pedestrian, bicyclist, or another road user

Some accidents are simple to prove, such as if you were rear-ended. In this case, the party who crashed into you would usually be responsible for your accident. However, in other instances, another party may try to claim that you hit them or that you were breaking the law while riding your motorcycle. That’s where evidence of the crash and your injuries can come into play.

Evidence You May Use to Establish Liability

Your Augusta motorcycle accident attorney can help you prove liability by presenting evidence like:

• Traffic camera footage
• Photographs of the crash scene
• Medical records
• The police report
• Eyewitness testimony

Once your attorney has determined who’s responsible for the crash, they can speak with your medical team to see whether your injuries directly stem from the accident. Afterward, they can better understand what related damages you sustained.

Other Reasons to Act Quickly Following a Motorcycle Crash in Augusta

On top of meeting the applicable deadline, acting quickly benefits the validity of your case. For example, businesses that could have captured the accident on video may erase the footage within a few days.

Alternatively, witnesses may forget important details of what happened after a while. If you wait a few weeks or months to take their testimony and they don’t include certain key information, the other side may claim that your version of events doesn’t add up. In that case, they could delay or devalue your case.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycles are some of the smallest vehicles on the road, making riders more vulnerable to serious accidents. With that, other road users must be extra cautious when sharing the road.

Unfortunately, they may fall short of this obligation and cause a crash. Common causes of motorcycle accidents include:

Speeding

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that speeding accounted for nearly a third of all deadly motorcycle accidents in 2017. To put that into perspective, speeding caused 18 percent of fatal car accidents and 14 percent of fatal truck accidents.

When drivers speed and have to suddenly slow down or stop, they don’t have as much time to react and thereby may cause a severe collision.

Drunk Drivers

Drivers who operate their vehicles under the influence of alcohol pose a serious threat to everyone on the road, as alcohol impairs visibility and judgment.

Motorcyclists may be particularly at risk. That is, you have less protection than if you were driving in a car. If a drunk driver doesn’t see you and hits you, you are much more likely to suffer severe injuries than someone with the added protection offered by other motor vehicles.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving comes in many forms, such as:

• Texting
• Talking on the phone
• Putting on makeup
• Changing the radio station

When a driver partakes in one of these negligent behaviors, they are less likely to notice a motorcycle nearby. Distracted driving is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous road habits in the United States. If a distracted driver injures you in a crash, you may have grounds to recover compensation for your injuries.

Motorcycle Accident Statistics

In Augusta, the weather is nice enough to ride your motorcycle for most of the year. These increased motorcycle rides, unfortunately, increase the risk a motorcyclist has of being involved in an accident.

According to NHTSA, motorcyclists were four times more likely to sustain injuries than someone in a car accident and were about 28 times more likely to die in an accident than those in a car.

These statistics exemplify the dangers associated with driving a motorcycle. An activity that should be enjoyable can quickly become a life-or-death situation when a motorcyclist shares the road with a negligent driver.

Georgia Motorcycle Accident Statistics

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) revealed alarming numbers for Georgia’s motorcyclists.

Motorcyclists made up:

• 2 percent of registered vehicles in the state
• 11 percent of total traffic fatalities in the state
• 21 percent of total driver fatalities in the state

In addition to these statistics, which show the disproportionate danger to motorcyclists compared to other vehicle operators, Georgia motorcycle fatalities increased in the last three years.

Georgia saw 3,948 motorcycle crashes statewide. For every 100,000 registered motorcycles, Georgia saw 1,941.5 motorcycle crashes. That means about 2 percent of all registered motorcycles were in a crash that year.

Contact The Hawk Firm for Help With Your Augusta Motorcycle Accident Case Today

The time following a motorcycle accident can be stressful. If you suffer severe injuries, you may find yourself out of work while medical bills pile up. While this may concern you, you have options to recover compensation and get back to your preferred way of life.

At The Hawk Firm, we are committed to our clients’ health, safety, and financial recovery. We can work on your behalf to determine liability, identify the damages you can recover, and help you file your claim or lawsuit. Team up with our Augusta motorcycle accident lawyers when you contact our team for a free consultation today. You can reach us at (706) 724-8537 or contact us through our website. For more information, reach out to an Augusta personal injury lawyer.

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“Best Law Firm in the CSRA! Thank you Hawk Firm for handling all of my legal needs with outstanding professionalism! Highly recommend The Hawk Firm to anyone in need of legal services!” -Rob W.