Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle on public roads quickly grows familiar with the phrase “I just didn’t see you.” It’s a common refrain usually uttered after an accident involving a car changing lanes into one occupied by a motorcyclist. If you or someone you love has been hit by a car changing lanes while you were riding your motorcycle, DeMayo Law Offices can help.
The Charlotte motorcycle accident attorneys of DeMayo Law Offices have decades of experience helping motorcycle accident victims get compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses that result from their accidents. Call DeMayo Law Offices toll-free at (704) 333-1000 today for a free consultation. Let us help you get started down the road to recovery.
Why Choose DeMayo Law Offices for My Lane Change Motorcycle Accident?
For nearly three decades, DeMayo Law Offices has built a solid reputation in and around Charlotte for getting results for their clients. These results speak for themselves: over $1 billion awarded and 92,000 clients helped since 1992. In 2015 alone, DeMayo Law Offices helped motorcycle accident victims and their families get over $3,000,000 in compensation and damages. Though we can’t guarantee a positive outcome for your case, we will work tirelessly to secure the full and fair compensation for your accident that you deserve.
What Is a Lane Change Motorcycle Accident?
A lane change accident occurs when a car and a motorcycle share a multi-lane roadway. If the car changes lanes without adequately checking for other vehicles or signaling, or they do check for vehicles but do not register what they see, when they hit the motorcycle in the second lane, it results in a lane change accident.
This type of accident is dangerous because of the difference in size of the vehicles and because of how unprotected the motorcycle rider is. A typical motorcycle weighs around 500 pounds, whereas a typical passenger vehicle can weigh upwards of 5,000 pounds. A motorcycle very rarely has safety equipment, such as airbags and seatbelts. The chance of injury for the rider is far greater than that of the occupants of a car equipped with a safety cage and airbags. A motorcycle is far less stable than a car, and even a small impact can send a motorcycle sliding off the road.
Common Injuries from Lane Change Motorcycle Accidents
Even with motorcycle safety gear, the chances you’ll be injured on a motorcycle are higher than if you were in almost any other vehicle on the road. Motorcycles can be small and difficult to see, especially at night.
Possible injuries from lane change accidents Include:
- Abrasions (road rash)
- Broken limbs
- Concussion
- Spinal injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Whiplash
- Internal bleeding
- Facial fractures
- Disfigurement
- Burns
Steps to Take Following a Lane Change Motorcycle Accident in Charlotte
If you’ve just been in a Lane Change Motorcycle Accident, here are a few steps you can take to keep yourself safe and protect your claim.
- Get off the road: Clear the roadway as soon as possible to avoid being hit by passing traffic. Get to a median or the side of the road to safely assess the situation.
- Don’t move vehicles: Unless the accident was minor and there was little or no damage to either vehicle, don’t move the vehicles from their location without first taking photographs of the accident.
- Get medical attention: Immediately contact emergency medical services and submit to full evaluation once they arrive, even if you don’t have visible injuries. After you leave the scene, go to your doctor as soon as you can for a full check-up and have them prescribe a course of treatment so you can begin to heal. That visit will create a record to document your injuries for your claim.
- Keep quiet: Don’t discuss the accident or surrounding circumstances with the other motorist or motorists. Even an apology can be taken as an admission of fault in court, so don’t talk about the accident with anyone.
- Get insurance info: Get all pertinent insurance documentation from the other motorist as soon as possible. If they don’t have insurance, get their contact information, such as their name, address, and phone number.
- Start documentation: If possible, start documenting the accident immediately. Take photos of all the vehicles involved, any damage on each, the road conditions, emergency personnel on site, or photos of any injuries obtained. This will help build your personal injury claim later on.
It’s also important to remember not to sign anything from the other motorist’s insurance company without first retaining an attorney that can advise you on the proper course of action. You may accidentally sign away your rights to the full compensation you deserve.
How Much Does a Lane Change Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Charlotte Cost?
Being in an accident is traumatic. You’re dealing with the accident itself, the damage to your motorcycle, your injuries, unexpected medical bills, and possibly time off work. It’s unlikely that you budgeted to have enough money to cover an accidental hospitalization or other course of treatment, and you may be wondering where the money will come from. Hiring an attorney for your case can seem completely out of reach.
When you hire DeMayo Law Offices to represent you in your lane change motorcycle accident case, you pay nothing upfront. We believe that everyone deserves quality legal representation, regardless of the condition of their checkbook. We work on a contingency-fee basis, which means that you pay us nothing at all until the end of your case. If we win compensation for you in the form of a settlement or a verdict, then we get paid. If you get nothing, you owe us nothing.
Call DeMayo Law Offices for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been injured in a lane change motorcycle accident in Charlotte, don’t wait any longer. DeMayo Law Offices has over 100 legal professionals with over 150 years of combined experience standing by to help you get justice for you and your family. We will take the time to listen to you and your needs and help you build your case. We will stand up for your rights and work to get you the full and fair compensation you deserve after you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Call us toll-free at (704) 333-1000 today for a free consultation.