Tampa Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

The Tampa area is a motorcycle enthusiast’s wonderland. The picturesque landscapes of the Gulf and Tampa Bay as you cruise around on your bike is satisfying whether commuting to and from work or simply taking a joyride. Yet, the satisfaction of a relaxing ride on your motorcycle can quickly get derailed when a reckless or negligent driver crashes into you. Careless motorists who drive while distracted, don’t get enough sleep, or get behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs can cause severe, sometimes fatal motorcycle accidents.

In their most recent yearly data, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) estimates more than 9,100 motorcycle accidents, including more than 500 fatalities. If you sustained injuries or lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident in the Tampa area as a result of another party’s careless actions, you deserve compensation for the losses incurred as a result of your losses. Contact an experienced Tampa motorcycle accident lawyer who can help you hold those who caused you harm accountable. A free case evaluation from Boohoff Law’s personal injury lawyers can help you learn how we can assist you in the wake of a motorcycle crash.

About Boohoff Law, P.A.

The skilled legal team at Boohoff Law, P.A. remains committed to helping clients get the compensation they deserve after suffering injuries, including those from involvement in a motorcycle accident. Our continued dedication to client advocacy has resulted in the recovery of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients. With ample experience in personal injury cases, our team knows how to investigate accidents, negotiate with insurance companies, and litigate cases when settlement isn’t an option. We cannot guarantee a specific outcome for your motorcycle accident claim, but we will go the extra mile to build the strongest case possible to give you the best chances of receiving maximum compensation for your claim.

We Handle Serious and Catastrophic Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle riders don’t have the same protection as those in passenger vehicles, making accidents dangerous, especially when they occur at high speeds. Sometimes bikers are fortunate enough to walk away from an accident or only experience a minor fender bender. These types of cases might require legal counsel, but when serious or catastrophic injuries occur, the injured biker needs a qualified motorcycle accident attorney to ensure he or she gets compensation for losses related to the accident and injury. Some common types of serious motorcycle accident injuries that require legal representation include:

• Fractured and crushed bones. Broken bones always hurt and require expensive, time-consuming medical treatment. When a biker suffers multiple fractures or crushed bones, however, it’s not uncommon to undergo surgery. Even after that, a biker might have to cope with the injury indefinitely and reconstruction might never return the site of the injury to what it was before the accident.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Florida requires bikers who are under 21 to wear a helmet, but those of legal age have the choice not to comply if they buy a separate $10,000 motorcycle insurance policy. With or without a helmet, a motorcycle might lead to a traumatic brain injury. Even a mild TBI, also known as a concussion, may never heal. Those who suffer a TBI might have to cope with a variety of challenges with memory, cognition, motor skills, and personality changes as well as residual headaches or migraines.
• Neck injuries. If a biker gets thrown from his motorcycle during a collision, he risks a neck injury. Neck injuries can include soft tissue damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the region, but they also include more severe injuries, such as cracked neck vertebrae, slipped discs, or bulged discs.
• Back injuries. A back injury, no matter the cause, can be one of the most painful injuries a person can experience. Even after one or more corrective surgeries or the implantation of a pain management device, back injury victims might spend the rest of their life in discomfort. If a biker is thrown from his motorcycle or gets pinned by a vehicle, he might suffer a severe back injury.
• Spinal cord injuries. Getting thrown from a bike or pinned by a car or truck might also result in spinal cord injuries. Minor spinal cord injuries can heal, restoring any lost function to the victim. Unfortunately, many spinal cord injuries cause permanent damage resulting in partial or full paralysis. The exact impact of a spinal cord injury is highly dependent on where along the spinal column the injury occurred. Those closest to the brain cause the most loss of function, with spinal cord injuries near the neck often resulting in tetraplegia, paralysis from the neck down.
• Road rash. This injury is unique to motorcyclists and others who don’t have the protection of a vehicle. Physics tells us that a body in motion stays in motion, which is why a biker can suffer road rash. If a vehicle strikes a motorcycle and the biker flies off, he will slide on the ground until he eventually stops. Bikers who aren’t wearing the right gear are especially at risk for excruciatingly painful road rash that might peel layers of skin off all the way down to the bone. Leather and other protective gear can help mitigate the injury, but when an accident occurs at high speeds, leather might not be enough to stop the injury from occurring.
• Amputation. Motorcycle accidents put bikers at risk for getting pinned under a vehicle or in between their bike and a vehicle. This can result in limbs getting crushed. Crushed limbs don’t get blood flow from the rest of the body and if left untreated often result in death. Emergency responders and doctors will do everything they can to restore blood flow, but sometimes might need to amputate to save an accident victim’s life. Amputees not only face the physical pain from losing a limb, but must endure months of therapy and rehabilitation, as well as the emotional trauma of their loss.

PIP Insurance in Florida Motorcycle Accidents

Florida is one of about a dozen states that requires those who register a motor vehicle to purchase a minimum amount of personal injury protection (PIP) coverage as part of the state’s no-fault insurance laws. After a traffic collision, this means each party files a claim under their own PIP policy to cover a portion of medical expenses and lost wages regardless of who caused the accident. PIP coverage also extends to pedestrians and bicyclists, so many assume it also covers motorcycle accidents. This is not the case. Your PIP coverage does NOT extend to your motorcycle, which means you will need to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s policy and contact a reputable motorcycle accident attorney to recover losses related to your injuries.

Recovering Losses After a Florida Motorcycle Accident

When you suffer injuries in a motorcycle accident, Florida law permits you to bring a lawsuit against any party who contributed to causing the accident as long as you take action within the four-year statute of limitations window. If your lawyer negotiates an agreeable settlement or the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, you might recover the following economic and non-economic losses related to your motorcycle accident:

• Medical treatment costs such as ambulance and emergency response services, emergency department visit, hospital stay, diagnostic imaging, surgery, aftercare, and medication
• Future medical expenses when a motorcycle accident leads to a severe or catastrophic injury requiring extensive recovery or ongoing treatment because of a permanent condition or disability
• Rehabilitation expenses including treatment from one or more specialists such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and psychologists
• Lost wages for time away from work as a result of the accident, hospitalization, treatment, and recovery
• Future lost wages when a catastrophic injury prevents a motorcycle accident victim from returning to work or from seeking gainful employment in the future
• Other expenses such as costs to modify an accident victim’s home to make it more accessible and costs for domestic replacement services that can include childcare, lawn care, cleaning, and other costs of maintaining a home
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional pain and suffering
• Loss of quality of life
• Loss of consortium with a spouse
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Punitive damages when the injury was a result of gross negligence or intentional harm

If you lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident, you might be eligible for compensation for your loss depending on your relationship to the deceased. Florida law allows eligible survivors to seek damages in a wrongful death suit. If survivors prevail in their case, they can recover some of the above damages, funeral expenses, and cremation or burial costs. Survivors might also receive compensation for non-economic losses such as loss of companionship or loss of parental support and guidance. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney can answer your questions about a wrongful death suit, determine your eligibility for compensation, and advise you on the best course of action for you and your family.

What Should You Do After a Motorcycle Accident?

The skilled attorneys at Boohoff Law understand the complexities of the civil court system and know the tricks and tactics insurance companies and defense legal teams use to avoid paying out large claims or verdicts. We will fight to get the best outcome for your claim, but you can take some extra steps to increase your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve. They include:

• Document your economic loss. Keep all medical bills and receipts to provide records for the court and insurance companies of economic loss related to your accident and injuries. This includes motorcycle repair bills, medical expenses, gas receipts for traveling to and from the hospital, and any other medically related expenses.
• Don’t accept a settlement offer. Shortly after your accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier might try to offer you a settlement to waive your right to sue for damages, especially if they know their policyholder is liable. These offers are typically much lower than you deserve, so consider them a starting off point for negotiations. Let your lawyer, who is a trained negotiator, handle communication with the insurance company and negotiate the best settlement possible for your situation.
• Don’t talk about your case with others or post on social media. Insurance investigators are trained to take anything you say or do, or that your family says about you, and find a way to twist it so they can devalue your claim. Only communicate with your attorney about your case, so you are protected from this trickery. Also, don’t post any personal pictures or details on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You can be sure investigators will try to take something out of context to argue you aren’t as injured as you claim or you are recovering faster than your prognosis. Once your case is settled or litigated you can return to social media in full force.

Hire Our Seasoned Tampa Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

At Boohoff Law, we understand the gravity of motorcycle accident injuries and the massive pain, emotional stress, and financial burden they carry. We are here to help you through this challenging time and build the strongest case possible against the defense to create the best leverage for negotiations. When settlement isn’t an option, we will take your fight to the courtroom. You deserve full compensation for your injuries when another party’s actions caused them. If you were injured or lost someone you love in a motorcycle accident, contact Boohoff Law online or at (877) 999-9999 for a free consultation to discuss the circumstances of your accident and injuries with one of our Tampa motorcycle accident attorneys. If you chose us to represent you, we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we deduct our attorney fees from any compensation we secure for you.

Boohoff Law 3351 W. Bearss Avenue Tampa, FL 33618 Phone: (877) 659-2417

Client Testimonial