Newport News Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
A Newport News motorcycle accident lawyer can help you recover the damages you deserve. In Virginia, you may be eligible to recover economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. These damages can total hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, depending on your losses. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers—The Car Crash Experts—are ready to help you fight for the compensation you deserve.
On This Page
- Why Should I Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer from Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers?
- Compensation For a Newport News Motorcycle Wreck
- What To Do After a Motorcycle Accident
- Do I Need a Lawyer After a Motorcycle Crash in Newport News?
- What Causes Motorcycle Accidents?
- What Are Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
- Virginia Motorcycle Laws
- Let Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers Fight for You
Little compares to the freedom you experience while riding a motorcycle down the open road. However, this freedom comes at a cost when other motorists fail to share the road safely. Anytime a motorcyclist is involved in an accident, that rider is exposed to great danger—whether riding on Denbigh Boulevard, Oyster Point Road, or Jefferson Avenue in Newport News.
While motorcycles account for only 0.6 percent of all vehicle miles traveled in the United States, motorcycle drivers accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2021. Over the last decade, motorcycle death rates have increased by 19 percent, while nonfatal injuries increased by 5 percent. The majority of motorcycle fatalities occurred:
- In good weather – 83 percent
- On urban roads – 67 percent
- When wearing helmets – 59 percent
Notably, 72 percent of motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes were not under the influence of alcohol.
These numbers show that even when you take all precautions, wear proper safety gear, and follow the rules of the road, accidents can happen, resulting in devastating injuries.
If you or a loved one were hurt in a crash, turn to a Newport News motorcycle accident lawyer for help. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, the Car Crash Experts, can help you with your legal needs. We can work with you to gather important evidence, identify the liable parties, and demand fair compensation for your losses. The sooner you call us, the sooner we can get to work for you.
Why Should I Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer from Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers?
After a motorcycle accident, you want to focus on your physical and mental recovery. Hiring a Newport News personal injury lawyer can help you recover significant damages you may otherwise forfeit while still allowing your recovery to remain your priority.
Here are seven ways a car accident expert can help your legal claim:
- Provide a free consultation to answer your questions and offer a preliminary analysis of your legal claim
- Investigate your crash
- Speak with the insurance companies on your behalf
- Calculate your future medical costs and damages to ensure all possible damages are accounted for
- Estimate your total overall damages
- Negotiate a fair settlement
- Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to make an adequate offer
Why choose Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers? Here are eight compelling reasons:
- We have achieved impressive case results, recovering tens of millions in damages for thousands of clients. Recently, attorneys Griffin O’Hanlon and John Baker secured a $7 million dollar settlement for a motorcycle accident victim who suffered a traumatic amputation of their foot.
- We have decades of experience with accident lawsuits and insurance company settlements.
- We were awarded the CoVaBIZ Best of Business award for Best Law Firm Overall in 2023.
- Our partners have nearly a century’s worth of experience.
- Founding partner John Cooper alone possesses over 30 years of experience.
- The courts awarded our firm the second-highest car accident verdict in Virginia in 2022 — $6.5 million.
- You pay nothing unless we win. We work on a contingency basis with no upfront costs to you.
Selecting the right attorney for a motorcycle accident in Newport News is imperative. Pick the law firm focusing exclusively on personal injury law and motor vehicle accidents, Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers.
Compensation For a Newport News Motorcycle Wreck
Hiring the right attorney can result in significantly more compensation in damage awards than hiring a less experienced lawyer or attempting to navigate the process alone.
Your Newport News car crash expert should investigate all reasonable avenues of compensation and determine all possible damage awards. Your damages could include economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. In most personal injury cases in Virginia, economic and non-economic damages are uncapped; however, there is an exception for medical malpractice damages.
Economic damages refer to quantifiable monetary losses, including the following:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Future medical bills
- Lost future wages
Non-economic damages compensate for the more difficult-to-quantify effects on your life. They include the following:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium, or benefit of a family relationship
- Mental anguish
- Loss of opportunity
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Depression and anxiety
Courts award punitive damages as punishment for particularly egregious behavior. In Virginia, the courts cap punitive damages at $350,000.
What To Do After a Motorcycle Accident
Your health and safety should be your primary concern immediately after a motorcycle accident. The steps you should take include:
- Ensure you have not sustained serious injuries.
- Check others for serious injuries.
- Alert emergency medical services if necessary.
- Call the police.
If you are not seriously physically injured, there are other measures you can take, including:
- Photograph the scene, including the vehicles, skid marks, location, faults in the road, missing signage, and other potentially relevant details.
- Get other involved parties’ names, contact details, and insurance information.
- Gather the names and contact details of eyewitnesses.
Afterward, visit a medical center for a post-accident medical check. This can help document any latent injuries related to your crash. You may feel completely healthy only to have an injury surface days or weeks later. It can often be difficult to prove such latent injuries are connected to your accident without a post-accident examination. It is best to have the check-up as soon after the accident as possible.
It is also wise to consult an attorney following your motorcycle crash, no matter how minor. You should contact a motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible, as you have limited time—generally two years from the accident date—to seek legal damages.
Book a free consultation with a car crash expert to learn more about your options and plan a legal strategy.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Motorcycle Crash in Newport News?
You are not required to hire a motorcycle lawyer. However, it is a smart decision. Your lawyer can help you navigate the post-accident process. The insurance company is motivated by its bottom line and will not look out for your best interests. It will use tactics to avoid liability and minimize your recovery.
A savvy lawyer knows those tactics and the best strategies to combat them to help you secure a significantly larger settlement. Additionally, they take on the stress and workload so you can focus exclusively on your recovery.
What Causes Motorcycle Accidents?
Motorcycle accidents occur in various ways, including the following:
- Distracted driving
- Challenging weather conditions
- Tailgating
- Drunk driving
- Road rage
- Poor road maintenance
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving
- Speeding
- Improper turns
- Failure to yield right-of-way
In Newport News, Virginia, more than one party can share fault for your motorcycle accident. Virginia is one of the few states following a pure contributory negligence rule, meaning you can’t pursue damages if you have any fault whatsoever. A motorcycle crash expert can help you determine the liable parties.
What Are Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
Possible injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents include:
- Road rash
- Traumatic brain injury
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injury
- Burns
- Abdominal injury
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Each of these injuries is eligible for damage awards. Your Newport News motorcycle accident lawyer will help you document your losses.
Virginia Motorcycle Laws
Some important Virginia laws and regulations impacting motorcycles include:
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-833: Motorcycle drivers can carefully proceed through nonresponsive red lights after 120 seconds or two complete traffic light cycles, whichever is shorter.
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-909: You may only have passengers if your motorcycle is designed to carry more than one person.
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-910: You must wear a protective helmet and goggles or an eye shield while operating a motorcycle.
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-1038: Motorcycles are not required to have turn signals.
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-1050: You must equip your motorcycle with a working muffler or another sound-dissipative device.
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-1080: Your motorcycle must have a working speedometer.
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-1082: All motor vehicles in Virginia must be equipped with proper mirrors to drive on highways. The statute does not exclude motorcycles.
If you have questions regarding motorcycle laws in Newport News, you should speak with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer.
Ask The Car Crash Experts -What laws must motorcyclists obey when driving in Virginia?
Bill O'Mara, Personal Injury Lawyer
“When driving in Virginia, motorcycles have all the same rights, duties, and obligations as someone riding in a car on Virginia highways. So, you have to obey all the same rules of the road that a car would have to obey if you’re driving down the street.”
Let Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers Fight for You
Acting quickly following a motorcycle accident is important, as you have limited time to recover damages from your losses. Choose the local Newport News attorneys who understand motorcycle accidents. Choose the Car Crash Experts at Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers. Get your free case evaluation now.
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