Motorcyclist on a mountainous highway, cold overcast weather,

Why a Smart Rider Choses to Lay Down Motorcycle to Avoid Additional Injuries

Most experienced riders understand that when riding a motorcycle, they may need to choose to lay the bike down to avoid a severe accident. These choices come when facing a pending crash with a bigger vehicle. The motorcycle rider has to make an awful decision. The driver must chose to get injured one way or get more severely injured another way. Although the choice is difficult, laying down the bike may be the best option.

Your West Virginia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help.

As experienced West Virginia motorcycle accident lawyers, we get asked this question all of the time. What happens when a motorcycle rider is in an accident where they lay down their bike to avoid additional injuries? We see this technique used all the time, especially in cases of auto drivers cutting off motorcyclists or when the driver does an illegal lane change.

The insurance company in almost every instance has tried to place the blame on the rider and does not want to pay their medical bills let alone any additional compensation. When this happens, it is the job of a motorcycle accident attorney to show the insurance company that had the rider not laid his bike down, the injuries, and therefore the cost would have been much more significant.

The Motorcycle Insurance Company Does Not Want to Pay for an Injury Claim.

Insurance companies sometimes do not recognize that laying down a motorcycle is an added defense mechanism for catastrophic injuries. The adjuster just views it as the rider playing a part in their overall injuries he or she received. With the U.S. Department of Transportation reporting that almost 15% of all deadly roadway accidents in the United States involve motorcycle riders, who would blame a rider from trying to avoid a severe injury at all costs.

Riding a motorcycle and sharing the roadway with larger vehicles will always create dangerous situations. Auto drivers do not pay attention or claim not to see motorcycle riders before they cut them off. Sometimes riders are placed in positions where accidents are unavoidable. If that is the case, do not allow the insurance company to twist the story and attempt to put any blame on you as the rider, even if you need to take emergency avoidance maneuvers, including laying your bike down.

What to do After a Motorcycle Accident, Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer.

If you are in a situation where you are in a motorcycle accident and had to put your bike down to avoid additional injuries, it might be in your best interest to get in touch with an attorney. The difficulty of filing accident claims, especially involving motorcycles, continues to increase. Insurance companies work diligently to reduce the amount that they are held liable for, don’t let it be your motorcycle injury claim that is affected.

Author Bio

Tim Miley is the Founder of Miley Legal Accident Injury Lawyers, a West Virginia personal injury law firm he formed in 2006. With more than 30 years of experience in personal injury law, he is dedicated to representing clients in a wide range of personal injury cases, including car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, brain injuries, wrongful death, and other personal injury matters.

Tim received his Juris Doctor from Duquesne University and is a member of the West Virginia State Bar and the Harrison County Bar Association. He has helped his clients win more than $10 million in personal injury verdicts and settlements and has further served the people of West Virginia by filling legislative roles in the state’s government since 2004.

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