Have you or has a loved one been involved in a motorcycle accident in Oklahoma that was caused by the negligence of another driver?
Are you now struggling to survive the aftermath of injuries, medical bills, or the grief after the loss of your loved one?
Do the insurance companies not seem to understand your claim, or have they offered you a settlement that is unfairly low?
Have you been unable to get anyone to listen to your side of the story?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you may be eligible for compensation for your damages and for your pain and suffering. A motorcycle accident lawyer can help.

There’s nothing like the freedom and exhilaration of riding a motorcycle, and if you’ve been riding for any amount of time at all, you know how scary it can be when other drivers don’t see you, don’t acknowledge your existence, or act as if you’re a stable, four-wheeled vehicle rather than a two-wheeled one that requires your balance to stay upright.

It’s not always the case that motorcycle accidents are caused by the other driver, but it happens more frequently than it should. Furthermore, the motorcycle rider is almost always the victim of far greater injuries.

In a report recently released by the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO), it was stated that there were over 1,700 accidents in Oklahoma that involved motorcycles—with over 77% of riders being injured as a result of those collisions (approximately 1,350 victims). Statistics like these reinforce the dangers that motorcycle riders face whenever they are on our roads.

Needless to say, when a car accident involves a motorcycle, the motorcyclist is at a severe disadvantage. Riders are often seriously injured simply due to the lack of protection that a motorcycle offers—especially when compared to that of car or truck.

Here at the Edwards Law Firm, our motorcycle accident attorneys have the knowledge and experience to represent all those who have been injured in motorcycle wrecks in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. We understand that complexities of personal injury lawsuits, and can help guide you past the obstacles that can arise during litigation.

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Motorcycle Accident Injuries

It's important to note that approximately 3,000 people die each year due to motorcycle accidents in the United States. Here in our home state of Oklahoma, over 90 riders were killed in 2011 alone.

In more than 80 percent of collisions involving a motorcycle, the motorcyclist was not at fault, which illustrates that other motorists are just not aware of the riders that are on our roads.

While the injuries that motorcyclists can receive in crashes are often wide and varied, some typical injuries include (but are not limited to):

Negligence in Motorcycle Accident Cases

Getting compensated after a motorcycle accident isn’t always easy. The main thing that you should understand about your motorcycle accident is the concept of negligence. The money for your motorcycle accident injury claim will typically come from insurance. However, in order for you to be entitled to compensation for your injuries, damages, or pain and suffering, you must be able to prove the following points to the insurance company:

The other driver was at fault
The accident was caused by the other driver’s negligence
The personal injuries you have suffered are a direct result of that accident

Deciding which driver is at fault is typically the job of the police officer who makes the accident report. Be sure not to admit fault if you are in the circumstance of just recently having suffered an accident. However, determining negligence is a subjective matter that is open to interpretation, and that’s ultimately up to the court to decide. The more compelling an argument your lawyer can make, the more likely you will be to pull the court to decide in your favor. Therefore, it’s a big plus to have an experienced lawyer on your side.

Understanding Negligence

If a driver hits you while you’re riding your motorcycle, but there’s absolutely no way that a reasonable person could have avoided the accident, you probably won’t be able to prove negligence.

The essence of negligence is what a “reasonable person” wouldn’t have done.

Reasonable people take precautions.
They pay attention while they’re driving.
They minimize distractions.
They don’t speed.
They don’t text and drive.
They don’t follow too closely when they’re behind a motorcycle.
A reasonable person knows that you can’t drive too close to the side of a motorcycle when passing.
They realize that wet conditions are particularly dangerous for motorcyclists.

(Don’t we wish all drivers were reasonable people!?)

If the driver who hit you in an accident was being negligent, that’s when you probably have a case. However, just because you have a case doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll be granted the compensation that you’re entitled to. The case has to be argued, and that’s where your motorcycle accident lawyer comes in. Hiring a lawyer still doesn’t guarantee that you’ll win (and you should be suspicious of any attorney who claims that they can guarantee any outcome on any case), but it helps to improve your chances.

The motorcycle accident attorneys at the Edwards Law Firm are here to fight for justice for our clients who have suffered injury or loss due to a motorcycle accident. Get experienced, skilled counsel on your side when you work with the Edwards Law Firm. Ask for our FREE case review now!

Do’s and Don’ts If You’ve Been Involved in a Motorcycle Accident

After any motorcycle accident, the motorcyclist is lucky to be able to get up and walk away from it. You may not be able to do any of these steps after your accident. If you’re hurt, the best thing to do is to just focus on getting helped by the emergency responders. However, if you’re able, your attorney may find the following items helpful when it comes time to argue your case.

Do:

Take your own pictures of the accident scene. A personal cell phone is fine to use for this. Get as many angles as you can, and photograph the details that will be important later, such as skid marks that will eventually be worn off the road.
Get a police report. This should go without saying, but we’re constantly amazed at the number of people who went on their way after an accident without getting a police report. This is a crucial piece of evidence, and without it, you will have difficulty getting the other driver’s insurance company to listen to your side of the story. It’ll be your word against theirs.
Get the name, address, and insurance information of the other driver.
Get names & addresses of witnesses. If you can, get a statement from each witness at the scene.

Don’t:

Do not admit fault while you are at the scene. If you do, it will make it very difficult for you to recover damages afterward. Even if you’re an honest person and you believe you really are at fault, let the police officer make that judgment call in the accident report. Many honest people admit fault in good faith, only to have it used against them later when more facts are uncovered. Don’t take more blame than necessary upon yourself.
Don’t give out your insurance information.
Don’t get into a fight with the other driver. You may have a reasonable cause to be angry — after all, you’re hurt and your bike is wrecked — but this is a time when it’s better to remember your mother’s words: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Silence is the safer way to go; play the long game and have your lawyer say your piece in court.

Involving a Lawyer After Your Motorcycle Accident

Many people hesitate to involve a lawyer after an accident, often because they figure it will be a lot of hassle and expense to go that route. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real hassle is struggling to work and pay all the bills from your accident because you didn’t get compensation that you were entitled to.

Our motorcycle accident attorneys do everything in our power to take the load off your shoulders and make the whole thing as easy as possible for you. We understand that our clients have often gone through the most traumatic and scary experience of their whole lives. You may be dealing with stress, grief, pain, nightmares, and anxiety on a daily basis. The last thing you need is to try to navigate the legal process yourself.

However, it’s understandable to be apprehensive of what the process will involve if you’ve never dealt with a legal case before. Here are a few tips that should help you to be confident as you go about the process of hiring an attorney.

Contact a motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible after your accident.

In Oklahoma, there’s a time limit, called the Statute of Limitations, for filing your case. If you file after the deadline, they won’t hear your case. For accidents, you have two years from the date of the accident to file your claim. However, you don’t want to wait until 22 or 23 months have passed before you contact an attorney. The sooner you can involve legal counsel, the more likely it is that vital evidence for your case will still be available.

For instance, perhaps a nearby security camera caught the accident on tape, but that company only keeps one month of footage and deletes any footage older than a month. Getting an attorney involved quickly can mean the difference between obtaining that footage and having it permanently lost. Also, the memories of your witnesses will be clearer (and it’ll be less likely that your witnesses will have moved away or changed phone numbers).

Contact a motorcycle accident attorney who charges on a contingency fee basis.

Lawyers who charge on a contingency fee model are essentially saying, “You don’t owe us any legal fees upfront. If we win the case, we’ll get paid. If not, you’re off the hook.”

Banish the thought of the horror stories you’ve heard, where someone paid a lawyer hundreds of dollars per hour, only to have the case drag out for an eternity. The only winner in that scenario is the lawyer, and only the very wealthy can afford that kind of thing to begin with.

The Edwards Law Firm charges on a contingency fee basis because we want to make our legal services available to protect anyone who is the victim of another driver’s negligence in a motorcycle accident, not just the wealthiest individuals in our community. Plus, since we only get paid if we win a settlement for you, it’s that much more incentive for us to work harder on your behalf.

Count on the Edwards Law Firm for your Motorcycle Accident Case

At the Edwards Law Firm, our attorneys have over 50 years of combined legal experience representing injury victims just like you in the various areas of personal injury law.

If you have been injured in an Oklahoma motorcycle crash that was caused due to the negligence of another motorist, you may be eligible to receive compensation for any injuries you may have sustained—including loss of wages, outpatient treatment costs, and other related expenses.

With over $100 MILLION in verdicts and settlements that we have won for our clients, we have the resources and determination to help fight for your MAXIMUM compensation benefits. We are aware of the tactics that insurance companies employ on injury victims and their families, and can help to guide you through the litigation process.

As responsible members of our local communities, we strongly believe that everyone should be entitled to comprehensive legal counsel. With that in mind, we work on a contingency-only basis. What that means is that we only charge you for our fees and services if we obtain a verdict or settlement for your case.

For those that are unsure if they have a case or not, we also offer a 100% FREE case review, which allows potential customers to tell our attorneys about their incident, which our team will then review to determine if there are grounds to file a lawsuit.

If so, we will then advise on the best way to move forward with proceedings.

Contact Our Oklahoma Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today

Motorcycle accidents often affect more than just those involved in the actual crash. Family members and other dependents often rely on accident victims as their source of income and other services that they provide to their families and communities.

At the law offices of The Edwards Law Firm, we understand the difficulties that many families endure after a loved one has been seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, and are prepared to fight for the rights of injury victims throughout Oklahoma.

To find out how we can help, please contact us on (833) 387-5945 and a member from our intake staff will collect some information about your case, and then quickly refer you to one of our attorneys to talk about the merits of your claim.