If you were involved in a motorcycle accident in St. Louis, MO, you may be entitled to compensation. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers has over two decades of experience representing injured motorcyclists and recovered the largest motorcycle accident recovery in state history- $14,250,000.00. Contact our law office at (314) 400-0000 to schedule a free, no-commitment consultation with a St. Louis motorcycle accident lawyer to discuss how we can help you.
You have the right to hold a negligent or reckless motorist accountable for your lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills.
Our legal team also handles truck accidents, boating accidents, St. Louis wrongful death claims, brain injuries, lyft accidents in St. Louis, and more. Call our St. Louis law office to get started today.
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How Our St. Louis Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help
A motorcycle crash can leave you with lifelong injuries and an uncertain financial future. While you struggle to recover and move forward, you should not have to battle an uncaring insurance company trying to limit your claim. A personal injury lawyer in St. Louis at Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers will give you the robust legal representation you deserve.
Principal attorney E. Ryan Bradley began his legal career as an insurance defense attorney and brings this insight to your case. A member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, he has recovered some of the largest jury awards and settlements in St. Louis, Missouri, for his clients.
When you choose Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to represent you in your motorcycle injury claim, and we will:
- Offer the legal advice and guidance you need
- Carefully investigate your crash to gather and assess evidence
- Work with top experts to build a strong negligence case, calculate your long-term losses, and document the extent of your injuries
- Handle all negotiations, administrative aspects, and communications
We are prepared to take your case before a jury if the insurance company refuses to make a fair offer. Call Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation to discuss how we can help you.
Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers Has The Largest Motorcycle Accident Recovery in Missouri History
Ryan Bradley negotiated a settlement totaling $14,250,000 – the largest motorcycle accident injury claim in Missouri state history. After that motorcycle accident recovery, Bradley held an entire school district responsible when a school bus negligently pulled in front of an oncoming motorcycle rider, leading to the rider’s untimely death. Watch the video below to learn about the case and how Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers was able to secure such a monumental award for his widow.
How Common Are Motorcycle Accidents in St. Louis, MO?
While the number of motorcycle crashes is far less than passenger car accidents, the likelihood of being serious injured or killed is far higher, for obvious reasons. In 2022, there were 145 fatal motorcycle crashes compared to 784 deaths in passenger cars. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the likelihood of dying in a crash goes from 0.62% if you are in a vehicle to 5.33% if you are riding a motorcycle. For personal injuries, in 2022, there were 1658 injuries from motorcycle accidents compared to 31,525 from car crashes. However, the likelihood of being injured in a crash goes from 36.4% for vehicle accidents versus 87.23% if riding a motorcycle. Therefore, the data clearly demonstrates while motorcycle accidents are not as common as passenger car accidents, the likelihood of being injured is over double, and the likelihood of being killed is over 8 times as high.
Per the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the main cause of motorcycle accidents was speeding, followed by distraction, impairment, and choosing not to wear a helmet. Interestingly, the fatality by safety device data indicates the majority of people who died were actually wearing a DOT compliant helmet as compared to those with no helmet or a non-DOT compliant helmet.
The above data should not be taken out of context. One should not conclude you are more likely to die if you wear a DOT compliant helmet. This is an illogical conclusion. Rather, it is likely the 363 people who died were involved in crashes that were not survivable. As for the 134 that were not wearing a helmet, whether their lives could have been saved had they wore a DOT compliant helmet, is unknown.
Motorcyclist fatalities increased after the Missouri law allowed licensed motorcyclists 26 years or older and if they have health insurance, ride without helmets, resulting in 800% more helmetless deaths than last year according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
In 2019, there were 124 motorcycle crashes in St. Louis alone. Around 110 of these crashes resulted in injury, and there were 9 fatalities.
As for gender statistics, males are more than 10x are likely to die in a Missouri motorcycle accident.
What Is My Motorcycle Accident Case Worth?
Value Driver #1: The Evidence
Every injury claim is unique, and no calculator will perfectly determine the value of a case. Several factors come into play when assessing the money you may be owed for your motorcycle accident. The only way to truly estimate your claim’s potential value is through a thorough investigation of your crash.
These are some of the factors to be considered when evaluating a claim:
- Circumstances of the crash
- Whether you contributed to your accident or injuries
- The type and severity of your injuries
- The type of medical care you received
- Whether you were impaired, disfigured, or disabled by the crash
- How your injuries affect your quality of life, independence, and health
The largest value of your claim comes from what we call “non-economic damages.” These are things that can’t be easily valued, like pain and suffering, and have no clear financial value. However, calculating the value of future lost earnings and medical bills can also be challenging.
Value Driver #2: The St. Louis Motorcycle Accident Lawyer you Hire
When you suffer catastropic injurues or a family member dies, why would you trust your case to a lawyer without a track record of record-setting verdicts and settlements? Our lawyers have repeatedly secured tens of millions of dollars in motorcycle accident cases. How do we do it? We know how to immediately sercure crucial evidence, what things to request in discovery and how to present that evidence in a manner that results in top awards. We charge nothing to meet with us and discuss your case and can give you an idea what your case may be worth.
What Kind of Damages Are Available to Motorcycle Accident Victims?
A St. Louis motorcycle accident attorney can help you seek compensation for all the damages you suffered in your accident. These damages are usually divided into two categories: non-economic damages for psychological or emotional losses and economic damages for financial losses.
You may be entitled to compensation for:
- Current medical bills, including surgery, doctor’s visits, ER visits, medication, medical devices, physical therapy, and more
- Future medical care you will need, such as skilled nursing care, prosthetic or medical devices, and reconstructive surgery
- Property damage to your motorcycle
- Lost wages while recovering
- Lost or reduced future earnings and employment benefits if you are disabled
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members of someone killed in a motorcycle accident
Because of most motorcycle accidents’ serious nature, you may be entitled to claim compensation for many non-economic losses.
These are damages that arise from the accident but are harder to quantify and may include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish and emotional distress, such as depression, PTSD, sleep disturbances, and more
- Loss of enjoyment of life to compensate for your reduced ability to engage in or enjoy daily tasks, work, hobbies, child-rearing, and more
- Disfigurement
Punitive damages can be awarded by a jury in rare personal injury cases. These damages punish the defendant for egregious wrongdoing such as drunk driving that goes beyond negligence.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Motorcycle Accident in Missouri?
Because Missouri uses a pure comparative negligence rule, accident victims can share liability for damages resulting from an accident. You can recover compensation even if you are up to 99% to blame for the crash, but your share of fault will reduce your recovery.
As an example, if you were injured in a motorcycle accident and suffered $100,000 in damages, you will recover only $75,000 if you are found 25% at fault.
Insurers often exploit this rule to limit payouts. Our St. Louis motorcycle accident lawyers will help you fight back against these attempts to escape responsibility.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Motorcycle crashes often result in very serious, life-changing injuries, disability, and fatalities. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers understands the devastating effect your motorcycle accident has had on your life. We will fight for maximum compensation from the negligent party who caused your injuries.
We represent clients who have suffered motorcycle accident injuries, such as:
- Back injuries
- Brain injuries
- Road rash
- Traumatic amputation
- Spinal cord injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Fractures
- Whiplash
- Organ damage
- Crush injuries
Do not let the insurance company try to minimize the severity of your injuries and undervalue your claim. Contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to fight for the full compensation you deserve.
What Causes Most Motorcycle Accidents in St. Louis, Missouri?
The majority of motorcycle accidents in St. Louis, Missouri, are caused by driver error. It’s a common misconception that other motorists are usually to blame for motorcycle crashes; motorcyclists often share blame too.
The following are some of the most common behaviors and factors attributed to motorcycle crashes:
- Drunk driving is a factor in 27% of fatal motorcycle crashes.
- Lane splitting
- Speeding, attributed to 33% of fatal motorcycle accidents, particularly crashes involving sports bikes.
- Distracted driving, particularly involving motorists using cell phones
- Left-hand turns are involved in 40% of accidents involving a motorcycle and passenger vehicle.
- Road defects and conditions like potholes, road debris, and ice
Sadly, many motorcycle accidents are attributed to a simple problem: motorists often fail to see and recognize motorcyclists on the road. This phenomenon is known as inattentional blindness when the brain automatically looks for other cars that pose a danger and registers a motorcycle as a non-car. It appears that motorcycles are a low priority for the brain when it’s automatically filtering data, and a motorist can fail to recognize a motorcycle in plain sight.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Motorcycle Accident in Missouri?
Our St. Louis motorcycle accident lawyers will conduct an intensive and thorough investigation into the causes of your accident to determine liability. We will gather evidence from various sources such as helmet or dash cam footage, witness statements, police reports, traffic citations and/or arrests, medical records, vehicle black boxes, and more.
When needed, we work with specialists in many fields to analyze this evidence and create expert testimony to strengthen your negligence claim. We may also subpoena cell phone records from the other driver if distracted driving is suspected.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a motorcycle accident in Missouri?
Missouri has a statute of limitations of 5 years from the date of the accident as described in the Missouri Code Section 516.120. This means that you have a strict 5-year deadline to file your personal injury claim that arose from your motorcycle accident.
If you file your claim after the 5 years from the date of the accident have elapsed, the court will dismiss your case unless you qualify for a rare exception. You will not be entitled to any sort of compensation for damages or injuries.
However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Suppose the injured person is either mentally incapacitated or under 21 years of age at the time of the accident. In that case, they will have the full five years once the period of disability has ended than the date of the accident.
Do not delay; contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to get started on your case. We will investigate to preserve evidence that may be lost if too much time passes.
Contact a St. Louis Motorcycle Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
When you suffer injuries and damages due to someone else’s negligence, they should be held financially accountable. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers will fight for the maximum compensation you deserve from all sources and to the fullest extent of the law. Contact our law office for a free consultation with a St. Louis motorcycle accident lawyer to discuss how we can help you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Motorcycle Accidents
Here are some frequently asked questions people ask our motorcycle accident lawyers:
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What should I do if I’m involved in a motorcycle accident? Follow the steps outlined in the “What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident” section to protect your rights and health.
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How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Missouri? You have five years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim in Missouri.
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Can I still receive compensation if I was partially at fault for the accident? Yes, Missouri follows a comparative negligence rule, allowing you to recover compensation even if you are partially at fault. Your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
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How much does it cost to hire Bradley Law for my case? Most motorcycle accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid if you receive compensation for your motorcycle accident injuries.
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What is the average bodily injury settlement for a motorcycle crash claim in Missouri? Settlement amounts vary widely based on the specifics of each case, including the severity of injuries, the extent of property damage, and the degree of fault. An experienced lawyer can provide a more accurate estimate based on your circumstances.
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How will my medical bills be paid? The medical expenses you incur from your health care providers will be billed to your health insurance. If you do not have health insurance, Missouri statute allows for them to assert a lien on personal injury lawsuits.
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What if the at-fault driver does not carry liability insurance? You can make a first party insurance claim for uninsured motorist coverage. This can be used to pay off your medical bills.
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What do I do if the insurance adjusters call me? Do not give them any information and instead tell them to call us directly.
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Who will take care of my property damage? Ordinarily your own insurance company will take care of those damages and seek reimbursement from the at-fault motorist.
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Should I post on social media about my motorcycle accident claim? No. You should not post anything online about your motorcycle accident injuries. Only discuss your case with your motorcycle accident lawyers.
By addressing these common questions, we aim to provide clarity and guidance for accident victims of motorcycle accidents. Our motorcycle accident attorney is only a phone call away and can provide you with a free consultation.
St. Louis Motorcycle Accident Client Testimonials
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St. Louis, MO Physical Therapists
- Mobile Physical Therapy – 1310 Papin St, St. Louis, MO 63103
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*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website.
