Rochester Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Riding in Rochester means sharing busy city streets and major routes such as I-390 and I-490 with cars, trucks, and other vehicles. When another driver makes a mistake, a motorcyclist has very little physical protection from the impact, which can turn a seemingly ordinary traffic error into a life-changing crash.
If another driver, business, or other party causes your motorcycle accident through negligence, you may be able to pursue compensation for your injuries and resulting losses. Motorcycle claims work differently from ordinary car accident cases in New York, however, particularly when it comes to insurance coverage and no-fault benefits.
Finkelstein & Partners, LLP has represented injured New Yorkers since 1959, and we serve clients out of our Rochester office at 104A Metro Park #8. If you or a loved one were hurt in a motorcycle accident, contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our Rochester motorcycle accident attorneys. We can help you understand what legal options may be available to you.
You can reach out to us by calling 585-639-3534 .
Who Pays for Medical Bills and Other Losses After a Motorcycle Accident in Rochester, NY?
New York’s no-fault insurance system means that after a car accident, drivers’ and passengers’ first source of compensation is generally the auto insurance policy covering their vehicle, regardless of who caused the crash. This system does not apply to motorcycle riders and motorcycle passengers. In these situations, pursuing compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other harm caused by the accident involves filing a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver or other party. The key difference is that you must be able to prove that someone else was responsible for your injuries.
Why You Need a Lawyer After a Motorcycle Accident
Even when it seems clear that someone else was responsible for your motorcycle crash, it is important not to assume that an insurance company will handle your claim fairly. Motorcyclists are often unfairly viewed as “risk-takers” who speed, weave between vehicles, or otherwise take unnecessary risks. Those assumptions can be used to shift some of the responsibility for the collision onto you even when the evidence tells a different story.
Serious injuries can create another area of dispute. An insurer may question whether all of your treatment is related to the crash, argue that future care is unnecessary, or minimize the effect your injuries have on your ability to work and function day to day.
Both of these issues can directly affect how much compensation you are able to recover after an accident. When you work with a motorcycle accident lawyer in Rochester, they can help you build the evidence needed to prove how the crash happened, push back against unsupported claims of fault, and make sure your claim reflects the full medical, financial, and personal impact of your injuries.
How the Rochester Motorcycle Accident Lawyers at Finkelstein & Partners, LLP Can Help
At Finkelstein & Partners, LLP, our personal injury attorneys have been representing clients for more than 65 years, and we have recovered more than $3 billion in verdicts and settlements. We have proven experience in motorcycle accident cases, and some of our past results include:
- A $28.75 million settlement for an 18-year-old rider who was left paralyzed after a commercial van failed to yield
- A $5.9 million settlement for an injured motorcycle passenger
- A $1.25 million full-policy recovery for a motorcyclist struck by a driver who ran a stop sign
When you work with our Rochester motorcycle accident lawyers, we can help:
- Investigate how the crash happened: We review the scene, police report, photos, video, witness accounts, vehicle damage, and other evidence to determine how the collision occurred.
- Identify every responsible party: Liability may extend beyond the other driver to an employer, vehicle owner, manufacturer, government entity, or another party.
- Challenge attempts to blame you: We use the evidence to push back when an insurer argues that your speed, positioning, or other conduct contributed to the crash.
- Identify available insurance coverage: This may include liability coverage and, when applicable, uninsured or supplementary underinsured motorist coverage.
- Document the full extent of your losses: We account for medical expenses, lost income, future needs, permanent limitations, and other effects of your injuries.
- Work with qualified experts when needed: Accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, vocational specialists, and economists may help address disputed issues.
- Move the claim forward: We handle filings, deadlines, settlement negotiations, and litigation when a fair resolution cannot be reached.
By building the claim around the evidence, applicable coverage, and full impact of your injuries, we can put you in a stronger position to pursue the compensation available for what the crash has cost you.
How Motorcycle Accidents Happen in Rochester?
Many motorcycle crashes are not simply unavoidable accidents. They occur because a driver, business, manufacturer, or other party failed to act with reasonable care, and identifying that failure can help establish who should be responsible for the resulting injuries.
Examples of negligence that can lead to motorcycle accidents include:
- Failing to yield
- Unsafe lane changes
- Distracted driving
- Following too closely:
- Speeding or aggressive driving
- Opening a vehicle door into a rider’s path (dooring)
- Impaired driving
- Defective vehicles or parts
- Dangerous road conditions
The cause matters because it determines where the investigation should focus and which people or organizations may ultimately be responsible for compensating you.
How Do You Prove Negligence in a Motorcycle Accident Case?
Motorcycle cases often come down to what the rider and other driver were doing in the seconds immediately before impact. Statements made after the crash are important, but physical and independent evidence can provide a much clearer picture of whether someone failed to yield, changed lanes unsafely, followed too closely, or committed another driving error.
Evidence that may help establish negligence includes:
- Police crash reports
- Photographs and video from the scene
- Witness statements
- Traffic-camera or surveillance footage
- Damage to the motorcycle and other vehicles
- Skid marks, debris, and other roadway evidence
- Cellphone records when distracted driving is suspected
- Vehicle or electronic data
- Medical documentation connecting your injuries to the collision
- Accident reconstruction evidence when the circumstances are seriously disputed
Strong evidence can do more than establish what the other driver did wrong. It can also challenge unsupported claims that you were speeding, riding improperly, or otherwise responsible simply because you were on a motorcycle.
How Does Shared Fault Affect a Rochester Motorcycle Accident Claim?
New York generally applies comparative fault to ordinary motorcycle accident claims. If you contributed to the crash, your share of responsibility can reduce the amount you recover, but being partly at fault does not necessarily eliminate your ability to receive compensation.
For example, if you were found 20% responsible because you were traveling above the speed limit, but the other driver was 80% responsible for turning across your path, your compensation would generally be reduced by your 20% share of fault. That makes it important to challenge unsupported claims that your speed, positioning, or reaction to the danger contributed more to the crash than the evidence actually shows.
What Types of Compensation Can You Recover Through a Motorcycle Accident Claim?
The compensation available after a motorcycle crash depends on the injuries and losses the accident actually caused.
Depending on your circumstances, a claim may include compensation for:
- Medical expenses: Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, specialist treatment, medication, and rehabilitation
- Future care needs: Additional treatment, therapy, assistance, or medical support expected because of your injuries
- Lost wages and earning capacity: Income already lost as well as reduced ability to earn in the future
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for the physical pain and disruption caused by your injuries
- Permanent impairment or disability: Lasting limitations affecting movement, cognition, independence, or other areas of your life
- Emotional and psychological effects: Anxiety, trauma, and other emotional consequences resulting from the crash and injuries
- Loss of enjoyment of life: The effect your injuries have on hobbies, relationships, recreation, and other activities
- Property damage and other financial losses: Damage to your motorcycle and other recoverable crash-related expenses
What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Rochester
What happens immediately after a motorcycle crash can affect both your health and the information available later when fault is investigated. If you are physically able to do so, several steps can help protect you and preserve useful information:
- Get to a safe location if you can do so without putting yourself at further risk.
- Call 911 and report the accident.
- Seek medical attention, including for symptoms that do not initially seem severe.
- Exchange information with the other driver without arguing about fault.
- Photograph the scene if you are able, including the motorcycle, vehicles, road, debris, signs, and visible injuries.
- Get witness information from anyone who saw the collision.
- Preserve your motorcycle, helmet, riding gear, and other damaged property rather than repairing or discarding them immediately.
- Keep records of medical treatment, missed work, expenses, and other effects of your injuries.
- Be cautious when speaking with insurance adjusters, particularly before giving a recorded statement or accepting a settlement.
- Speak with a motorcycle accident lawyer about the circumstances and available insurance coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rochester Motorcycle Accident Cases
Contact Our Rochester Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Today
Recovering from a motorcycle crash can mean dealing with painful injuries, missed work, medical expenses, and insurance questions all at the same time. You should not also have to defend yourself against unfair assumptions about motorcyclists or figure out on your own how to prove what happened.
Finkelstein & Partners, LLP has represented injured people since 1959, recovered more than $3 billion for clients across our practice areas, and obtained significant results for injured motorcyclists. If you were injured in Rochester because of someone else’s negligence, contact our local office for a free case evaluation and speak with a Rochester motorcycle accident lawyer about your options.
Finkelstein & Partners’ Rochester Law Office
The Finkelstein & Partners Rochester Personal Injury law firm is located at 104A Metro Park #8 Rochester, NY 14623.
You can call us at 585-639-3534 for a free case evaluation.