Cleveland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Helping Injured Bikers in Cleveland, OH

If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident that was caused by a driver’s negligence on the road, you might think that the insurance company would be fair and pay you the compensatory damages you deserve. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The truth is that insurance companies know that they can often get away with paying as little as possible on motorcycle injury claims. Hiring a Cleveland motorcycle accident lawyer can help.

Time and again, even the most carefully prepared evidence falls on deaf ears. Too many prospective jurors have a built-in prejudice against bikers, which insurance companies use to their advantage. Getting the settlement or verdict you deserve means educating jurors about responsible riding.

At Spangenberg Shibley & Liber, we understand the challenges you are up against — and we know how to combat them. Throughout our decades in practice, we have successfully secured over $1 billion for our clients. * Our motorcycle accident lawyers in Cleveland are ready to put our collective experience, skills, and resources on your side and advocate for the fullest compensation for you.

We have experience representing clients in all types of motorbike accident injury claims and fatal motorcycle accident cases, including those involving:

• Head injuries/traumatic brain injuries
• Back, neck, and spine injuries
• Burns, road rash, and severe scarring
• Amputation/loss of limbs
• Motorcycle crashes caused by negligent truck drivers
• Accidents caused by defective tires, parts, or systems
• Motorcycle accidents caused by drunk drivers

Contact us online or call 216-696-3232 now for a free consultation with our Cleveland motorcycle accident attorneys. There are NO fees unless we succeed in your case.

Ohio Motorcycle Accident Laws

Understanding Ohio’s motorcycle laws can be crucial for both preventing accidents and protecting your rights after a crash. Here are some key laws relevant to Cleveland riders:

• Helmet law. Ohio does not require helmets for riders over the age of 18 unless they are in their first year of having a motorcycle license or are riding with a passenger under 18. However, wearing a helmet is strongly recommended for safety and can impact injury claims.
• License requirements. Riders must have a valid motorcycle license or endorsement and must pass a written and skills test.
• Equipment regulations. Motorcycles must have working headlights, taillights, turn signals, and rearview mirrors.
• Lane splitting. Lane splitting is not legal in Ohio. Motorcyclists must follow standard lane usage rules.

If a negligent party claims you were violating motorcycle laws at the time of the crash, our attorneys can help protect your rights and argue your case under Ohio’s comparative negligence laws. According to these laws, you are still eligible to recover compensation for any injuries you’ve suffered, even if you were partially to blame for the accident. As long as you are determined to hold 50% or less of the fault, we can help you file a claim.

Compensation From a Motorcycle Crash

If someone else’s negligence caused your motorcycle accident, you may be entitled to significant compensation under Ohio law. Damages in a personal injury claim can include:

• Medical expenses. Hospital stays, surgeries, therapy, medication, and ongoing treatment.
• Lost wages. Income lost due to missed work and diminished earning capacity in the future.
• Pain and suffering. Physical discomfort, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life.
• Property damage. Costs to repair or replace your motorcycle and gear.
• Wrongful death. If a loved one was killed in a motorcycle crash, eligible family members can pursue damages for funeral costs, lost companionship, and more.

Wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims stemming from motorcycle accidents can be complicated. You need to work with a law firm that has extensive experience in handling motorcycle accident claims. That’s just what you’ll find when you work with our team. We have helped our clients recover millions of dollars in damages following car accidents, including motorcycle crashes.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident

Because riders have relatively little protection in the event of a crash, they often sustain serious, even catastrophic injuries when they are hit by larger, heavier vehicles. Because of this, many motorcyclists need immediate emergency attention after a crash.

If you were involved in a motorcycle accident and you or anyone else appears severely injured, call 911 right away. Your health and safety are of the utmost importance. Additionally, there are several things you can do to protect your rights, including your right to file a future personal injury claim and seek compensation for economic and non-economic damages.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident, try to do the following if you are able to:

• Call the police and have them come to the scene of the accident. Calling the police isn’t just a requirement for serious accidents. It will also give you access to both emergency medical services should anyone need them and, eventually, the police report that gets generated regarding the accident, which can serve as valuable evidence in your case.
• Get the name, contact info, and insurance info of everyone else involved. Don’t stop at getting the contact and insurance information for the driver you believe to be responsible for the crash. You should also get contact information for the other vehicle occupants and, if applicable, witnesses to the crash.
• Take pictures of the scene of the accident, damage to your bike, and your injuries. Capture images of everything from the damage to your bike and the car to the surrounding road conditions and street signs. You should also take pictures of any injuries you suffered before getting them treated.

Additionally, in the hours and days following the accident, you should:

• See a doctor, even if you believe your injuries are not that serious. Some motorcycle accident injuries take hours or even days to show symptoms.
• Follow your doctor’s orders, attend follow-up appointments, and take prescribed medications. This step isn’t just about ensuring an optimal recovery. You’ll also need to show that you adhered to the doctor’s orders to fully recover damages related to medical expenses.
• Contact your insurance company and notify them of the accident. Stick to the facts when you talk to your insurance company, and make sure that you don’t admit fault, even by saying something innocuous like, “I’m sorry about this.”
• Refrain from speaking to anyone from the at-fault party’s insurance company. You should also avoid speaking to unrelated third parties about the accident or posting about it on social media.
• Contact an attorney. The last point is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your rights after a motorcycle accident. Our Cleveland motorcycle accident attorney can explain your rights and options and help you determine if you have grounds for a case.

We can also begin immediately to gather evidence to support your claim, work with the insurance company so you don’t have to, and ultimately work to negotiate a favorable settlement on your behalf. If we are not able to reach a fair settlement with the insurance company, our team is fully prepared to take your case to trial.

Specific Causes of Motorcycle Accidents and Crash Dynamics

Motorcycle accidents can happen for all kinds of reasons, but there are some issues that come up more frequently than others. They include:

• Left turn collisions. Cars may fail to yield the right-of-way at busy intersections like East 116th Street & Kinsman Road while motorcycles are making unprotected left turns at intersections. One 2021 study shows that left turn collisions are the most frequent cause of motorcycle accidents, accounting for 26% of all crashes.
• “Dooring” incidents. In busy urban areas like Downtown Cleveland and Tremont, drivers opening their car doors into oncoming traffic can pose a serious danger to motorcyclists.
• Blind spot and lane change errors. Careless merging on major highways like I-90 can lead to sideswipe accidents, causing catastrophic injuries to motorcycle riders traveling at high speeds.
• No-contact accidents. Also called phantom vehicle accidents, these situations arise when motorcycle riders are forced to lay their bikes down or swerve off the road to avoid reckless drivers. There is no collision in a no-contact accident, but the rider can nevertheless sustain serious injuries.

It doesn’t matter what type of accident you got into. If it was caused by another driver’s negligence, you may be able to recover compensation with the help of a motorcycle accident lawyer.

Advanced Evidence Gathering

While it’s true that you’re not legally required to obtain legal counsel prior to filing your claim, it’s highly recommended that you contact a lawyer. Our team has extensive experience in assisting clients with every aspect of their cases, including advanced evidence gathering and litigating cases in court should they need to go to trial. We’ll help you with:

• Accident reconstruction. We utilize accident reconstruction experts to recreate crash scenes, calculating vehicle speeds and analyzing the specifics of the crash to prove the other driver was at fault.
• Digital evidence. We can retrieve digital evidence such as traffic camera footage from local Cleveland intersections, dashcams, and black box data from commercial vehicles. All of that additional information can give us a clearer idea of what happened and make it easier to prove the other driver’s fault.

• Overcoming biker bias in court. One of the primary pitfalls of going to trial for motorcycle accident claims is a form of implicit bias often referred to as biker bias. We’ll combat that bias by correcting statements from authorities, first responders, and witnesses, providing relevant documentation, and conducting a thorough case evaluation that proves the other driver to be unambiguously at fault. Facts are the most powerful tool to eliminate biker bias.

It’s true that riding a motorcycle is dangerous. The chances of a fatality in a motorcycle accident are around 30 times higher than they are in the average car accident, and these crashes have an 80% death or injury rate. However, that doesn’t mean motorcycle riders are liable for their own injuries or deaths. The drivers of passenger vehicles that cause accidents still hold liability for them, even if riders know that they face greater dangers than car occupants.

FAQs

Q: How Long Do I Have to File a Claim in Ohio?

A: You have a limited amount of time to file a claim in Ohio. Under Ohio Revised Statutes Section 2305.10, Ohio has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims, starting from the date of the accident. Waiting too long can prevent you from recovering compensation, so don’t put off contacting a personal injury attorney. Hire a Cleveland motorcycle accident attorney now while the details of the crash are still fresh in your mind.

Q: What if I Wasn’t Wearing a Helmet?

A: You should still speak with a lawyer and file a motorcycle accident claim if you weren’t wearing a helmet. You can still pursue a claim, but the defense may argue that your injuries were worsened by not wearing a helmet. Ohio’s comparative negligence rules may reduce your compensation if you’re found partially at fault.

Q: Who Is at Fault in Most Motorcycle Accidents?

A: Passenger car drivers are found to be at fault in most motorcycle accidents. In most cases, the crashes occur due to driver error or negligence, including engaging in unsafe driving behaviors such as making improper left turns, failing to yield to motorcyclists who have the right of way, and opening doors without checking for approaching motorcycles.

Q: Can I Still Recover Damages if I Was Partially at Fault?

A: You can still recover damages if you were partially at fault. Ohio follows a modified comparative negligence rule, meaning you can recover damages as long as you are less than 51% at fault for the crash. However, your final settlement will be decreased by the percentage of fault you are assigned for the accident.

Q: How Much Is My Motorcycle Accident Claim Worth?

A: It is difficult to say how much your motorcycle accident claim is worth without knowing the details of the case. The value of your claim depends on factors like the severity of your injuries, medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. We can provide a personalized estimate after reviewing your case.

Hire a Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Cleveland, OH

Motorcycle accident claims are not like typical car accident cases. Often, juries have implicit bias against motorcyclists, believing them to be risky, unsafe drivers. Although we know that this is simply not true, insurance companies use this bias to their advantage. They know that many injured motorcyclists fear not receiving any compensation at all and are, therefore, more likely to accept a lowball settlement than risk going to trial and losing.

Spangenberg Shibley & Liber has been a leading Ohio personal injury law firm for injured riders and their families for over 80+ years. Our Cleveland motorcycle accident attorneys have the financial resources needed to aggressively argue your case, as well as a network of independent experts who can help gather and evaluate the evidence needed to obtain a favorable settlement or jury verdict.

You should always hire a motorcycle accident lawyer to assist with claims. Insurance companies know that when we bring an accident case to the negotiating table, it is thoroughly investigated, strategically laid out, and has the merit to bring to trial if necessary. Let us leverage our knowledge of motorcycle accident laws and experience in negotiations to get you a favorable outcome in your motorcycle accident case. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation today.

*Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own merits.