You might not be at fault for a motorcycle accident, but you can be severely injured when a vehicle crashes into you. However, there are safety measures to prevent motorcycle accidents in Sarasota that you can take to decrease your chances of getting into a collision and sustaining injuries.
The experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at Dannheisser Injury Law aim to help people recover the full value for any damages they may be entitled to after a collision. When you have been severely hurt in a motorcycle wreck, even though you employed safety measures to prevent it, call the firm to schedule a consultation with a tenacious attorney who will advocate for you.
There are several safety measures that people riding motorcycles can take to help avoid an accident in Sarasota. For instance, motorcyclists want other drivers to see them, and it is a common claim after an accident that a motorist did not see a biker. Wearing bright colors with reflective material can help bikers be spotted more easily.
Wearing a motorcycle helmet approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT) based on Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218 guidelines is critical to safety. All motorcyclists younger than 21 must wear helmets and eye protection. Although adult bikers must also wear protective eyewear, they do not have to wear a helmet if they carry at least $10,000 in medical insurance to cover the cost of injuries from accidents.
Make sure to adjust speed for weather and road conditions. Florida is known for its sudden summer downpours. Motorcyclists should pull over and wait out storms as a safety precaution and for legal reasons. When the weather is bad, and a motorcycle accident occurs, the offending motorist and their insurance company will try to share the blame by claiming the motorcyclist was negligent for riding in inclement weather.
Take a motorcycle safety class to understand proper safety on the road better. New drivers must complete a course to earn a special endorsement on their driver’s or motorcycle-only licenses.
Sometimes, the motorist is not the only person responsible for a motorcycle accident. As a result, the jury apportions blame by percentage to include motorcyclists who act unreasonably. Florida amended this law in its 2023 tort reform. Since the 1970s, under the pure comparative negligence doctrine, motorcyclists could recover a damages award even if they were 99 percent responsible for an accident, although the award was reduced by their percentage of fault.
Under Florida Statute Section 768.81, a modified comparative negligence law, motorcyclists cannot recover a damages award if they are more than 50 percent responsible for an accident. Awards continue to be reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to the person riding the motorcycle. Our Sarasota attorneys could help a person better understand the crucial role of enacting safety measures to prevent motorcycle accidents during a consultation meeting.
Although safety measures help avoid motorcycle accidents, crashes still happen. When they do, your injuries could be life-threatening, expensive to treat, and keep you from working. You will need help from a proven team of lawyers who, for decades, have fought hard to ensure that damages are just.
At Dannheisser Injury Law, we guide you through the stress of the litigation process and make sure you understand each phase of your case. When you sustained an injury despite taking the necessary safety measures to prevent motorcycle accidents in Sarasota, call our firm today to speak with our dedicated lawyers.
