A motorcycle ride on the road of Seattle gives you a unique type of freedom. However, a motorcycle accident can change your life instantly. Your vehicle weighs less than cars, so even if you have a helmet on, you can still get injured significantly. A motorcycle accident can lead to serious financial effects. But, a Seattle personal injury lawyer can help you recover compensation for your injuries and losses.
How to Be Awarded Damages
If you have filed a motorcycle accident lawsuit, recovering damages takes both effort and expertise. Thus, you need a lawyer to represent you as soon as possible. In your lawsuit, your attorney will prove that the other party involved had a duty of care to drive their vehicle safely, that they failed to do this duty, and this failure has resulted in your accident, injuries, and financial losses. Your attorney will collect evidence related to your crash, injuries, and the expenses incurred.
Kinds of Damages You Can Seek
In a motorcycle accident lawsuit, you can recover the following damages:
- Economic damages. In a motorcycle accident lawsuit, you can seek economic damages such as medical bills and lost income. Your injuries can keep you out of work for a while, which also means that your medical bills could pile up. The medical bills you can get compensation for include emergency room visits, surgery, hospital stay, doctor’s services, tests, prescription medicines, rehabilitative service, and more. Moreover, your attorney will help you recover compensation for the income you lost while you deal with your injuries. If you still could not return to work by the time your case is finalized, you can also seek to recover damages for future lost income.
- Non-economic damages. Such damages include pain and suffering as well as loss of enjoyment. Often, more serious injuries will let you get higher non-economic damages.
What Could Get in the Way of Your Claim?
Some issues can impact your ability to recover damages. This includes the statute of limitations. The law in Washington State gives you a three-year window to file a personal injury lawsuit. Thus, when you file a lawsuit beyond this window, you will lose your chance to get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Moreover, comparative negligence is another issue that should consider. Under Washington State’s comparative fault, the court will evaluate the percentage of total responsibility every part should assume. Thus, you can still recover damages despite your contribution to the accident. However, the amount you will get will be reduced based on your percentage of fault.
