Mediapolis Motorcycle Accident Injury Attorneys

Motorcycles are associated with freedom of the road, exhilaration, and fun, but they are also linked to a much higher likelihood of serious injury and death in a collision. Riders near Mediapolis who go down in a crash often face road rash, disfiguring wounds, and an insurance company that is quick to undervalue their claim. The Mediapolis motorcycle attorneys at Walker, Billingsley & Bair want local riders to understand these injuries and how an attorney works to secure the compensation they deserve.

Motorcycle Road Rash After an Accident

A common injury associated with motorcycle accidents is road rash, which results from skin being scraped across the road surface, causing lacerations and abrasions. Much like burns, road rash is categorized by degree of severity. More serious cases require medical intervention to facilitate healing, while less serious cases can often be treated successfully at home. Wearing protective clothing such as leather gear while riding can decrease the possibility of serious road rash if the bike goes down.

Degrees of Motorcycle Road Rash

First-degree, or minor, road rash involves skin redness and probably does not warrant major medical treatment, since home treatments like cleaning and antibiotic ointment often suffice. Second-degree road rash is more serious, as the skin breaks, and may involve more discomfort and pain but can typically still be treated at home. Third-degree road rash is a serious injury that affects all skin layers, exposing the tissue beneath and even damaging muscles and other structures. Medical intervention, such as skin grafting, is a common surgical treatment for third-degree road rash.

Skin Grafting to Treat Road Rash

Skin grafting is a surgical procedure performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. Recovery can be lengthy and difficult, requiring weeks in the hospital for observation of the donor and graft sites and to ensure the body does not reject the transplanted skin. Movement can remain limited for weeks after release from the hospital as the graft site heals, making a return to work or normal activity difficult for some time.

Seeking Compensation for Road Rash

If you were involved in a motorcycle accident with another vehicle and the other party is at fault, you may be entitled to compensation by filing a motorcycle accident claim. You may be able to recover damages including medical expenses, property damage, lost wages during treatment and recovery, and pain and suffering. Proving fault is a key element of a successful case, as is proper documentation of your losses. Keep meticulous records of all medical treatments, bills, and lost time from work, obtain your police report and any witness statements, and provide your attorney with any photos or notes from the scene or afterward.

Disfiguring Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents Near Mediapolis

Riding a motorcycle is a risky business. With ever-increasing traffic and frustrated commuters behind the wheel, a motorcyclist not only has to learn to drive defensively, but must also learn to anticipate and react to the poor or aggressive driving of other motorists sharing the roads around Mediapolis. The best way to reduce risk is to follow the rules of the road and wear a helmet, but even the most cautious riders have accidents, and if you suffered disfiguring injuries in a crash, you may pursue compensation for your damages.

Check Your Insurance Policy and Consider a Third-Party Claim

It is a good policy to keep complete coverage on your bike, since not all accidents involve other vehicles, and you need to be able to cover medical and living expenses while you recuperate. If you have been seriously injured or disfigured due to weather conditions or unintentional driver error, you may be entitled to collect money from your own insurance company if you purchased the right type of coverage. You may also file a third-party claim against another driver's liability insurance if that driver caused your accident.

Hire an Attorney Immediately

It is important to talk to an attorney as soon as possible after the accident, and never settle with an insurance company until you obtain professional legal advice. Insurance companies have lawyers and experts on staff, and it is in their best interest to offer a quick settlement, which is usually not in the victim's best interest. Even if a settlement sounds fair, you are not in the physical or emotional condition to make sound judgments right after a crash.

Types of Compensation for Disfiguring Injuries

Victims who suffered serious or disfiguring injuries may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, hospitalization and long-term care, the hiring of caregivers, physical therapy, and any loss of earnings, both current and future. An accident victim may also be entitled to pain and suffering and emotional distress related to disfiguring injuries. In the case of extreme scarring, a person may need both emotional and physical therapy to help heal, and there could be long-term complications and future issues that need to be addressed when discussing compensation.

How an Attorney Strengthens Your Motorcycle Accident Case Value

When you have been injured in a motorcycle accident near Mediapolis, the insurance company's first offer rarely reflects the true value of your claim. Without proper legal representation, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.

Getting the True Value of Your Case

A personal injury attorney increases case value by obtaining doctors' reports and medical opinions when necessary to prove causation between your injuries and the accident, and by securing expert opinions on the cost of future medical care, since insurance adjusters often focus only on current bills and ignore long-term financial impact. Years of experience with similar Iowa injury cases allow an attorney to get a realistic sense of your case's worth once all the facts and medical opinions have been gathered, and to reject a lowball settlement that fails to account for all your losses.

Investigation and Handling the Insurance Company

An attorney manages subrogation claims made by your health insurer seeking reimbursement from your settlement, and reviews and challenges liens asserted by doctors, insurance companies, or employers. By handling all communication with the insurance company, your attorney protects you from common tactics designed to reduce your compensation, and conducts a thorough investigation, gathering police reports, medical records, and bills, and hiring investigators when necessary to interview witnesses and collect additional evidence such as photographs of the motorcycle and accident scene.