Rockford Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

You may still have a path forward to being covered.

Illinois follows a theory of comparative negligence. This means that the court or jury can look at how much each party contributed to an accident.

If a bike is going slightly over the speed limit but a car runs a red light and pulls out in front of a biker with a green light. The trier of fact can apportion blame in a percentage fashion – if you are less than half responsible for the crash occurring you can still receive financial compensation.

So, if a jury finds that your injuries for bodily injury/medical bills, pain, and suffering are $100,000.00 but they believe that you are 20% responsible for the crash occurring. You would be awarded $80,000.00. If the Jury believed you were 51% responsible for the crash then you would not receive anything.

Because of these issues you should ALWAYS AVOID SPEAKING TO INSURANCE COMPANIES AFTER A CRASH OCCURS. They will 100% use your statements to try and undermine your claim. Even if you say, “I am sorry, it might be my fault”, that admission can be used against you and can severely undercut a future claim on your behalf. Instead, contact us, 24/7/365 to talk about your rights PRIOR to making any statements to insurance providers.

In the moments after a crash, you likely feel confused and unsure of what to do. But right after the incident, even at the scene itself, issues will come up that can make or break your claim in the future. Remember these five things to do right after your motorcycle crash:

• Get medical attention – take care of yourself (that is 100% the most important part of any injury-related case)
• Report the accident to law enforcement if you’re able to
• Gather evidence, if you are able to take photos or videos of the scene
• Contact an attorney
• DO NOT TALK TO AN INSURANCE COMPANY

Our purpose is to take charge over your financial recovery so that you can focus on your treatment and physical recovery. Illinois law allows an injured motorcyclist to possibly recover financial compensation based on the following types of damages:

• Pain and Suffering: An injured biker or his/her passenger can recover from pain and suffering related to an initial injury as well as residual pain related to the injury and any surgeries or other treatment they may have to endure during the pendency of a treatment plan.
• Medical Expenses: All medical bills stemming from treatment related to the crash. This includes ongoing care, emergency room treatment, ambulance trips, doctor bills, hospital bills, surgical bills, rehabilitation center bills, physical therapy bills, assistive medical devices, nursing care, and any medications.
• Lost Income: You may recover lost wages if you are temporarily or permanently prevented from working in the same capacity you did prior to the crash. For example, if you are disabled and cannot return to a job where you previously were physically active such as a roofer, or other labor-intensive career and you were making $80,000 per year, and you are expected to work another 20 more years, your wage claim for lost wages would be 1.6 million dollars less any projected income you could earn doing a less physically taxing line of work (if possible).
• Disability: You may receive compensation for the things that you are unable to do that you enjoyed doing prior to your accident if your injuries prevent you from doing them again in the future. So someone that has an affinity for hunting or fishing where they are using their arms or legs in their hobby would have a claim to disability if they could not do those activities any longer. Likewise, if someone is a runner but has suffered a significant knee or leg injury they can make a claim to disability based on not being able to pursue that hobby any longer.
• Wrongful Death: The family of a person killed in a motorcycle accident or who later dies from injuries related to a motorcycle-related crash can pursue damages under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act. The act allows for recovery for financial and emotional support that the deceased provided to the survivors. (more on that under our section for Wrongful Death Cases).