[Transcript]
What insurance coverage do you need in the event of a motorcycle accident? My name is Kenneth Berger and I represent people who've been involved in motorcycle collisions in Columbia and across South Carolina. I made this video because a lot of times motorcycle crashes result in very serious injuries, and unfortunately, the drivers who caused them rarely have enough insurance to cover all your losses. So if the person driving the car or truck who swerves into your lane, strikes you from behind, or cuts in front of you only has, say, minimum limits of $25,000, but your medical bills are $100,000 or more, you need to be protected. The least expensive way to do so is to make sure you've got a heck of a lot of what's known as underinsured motorist coverage. Lawyers call that UIM, and underinsured motorist coverage is there to protect you in the event that you've got more medical bills and more damages than the at-fault driver has insurance coverage. Your UIM coverage kicks in after the at-fault policy is exhausted. So you might be able to get, say, $25,000 from the at-fault driver but then receive an additional $50,000, $100,000, or even $250,000 from your own UIM policy to protect you against all of your losses. If you're riding a motorcycle, make sure you've got enough UIM coverage. Please, if you have questions about motorcycle accidents or any type of insurance coverage in South Carolina, I'm here to answer those questions. Feel free to contact us for a free consultation, request free copies of the books on the website, or click on the live chat feature on the site. No matter how you choose to contact us, please know that we look forward to hearing from you providing as much guidance as possible, and doing everything we can to help guard your legal rights going forward.
South Carolina Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Devastating motorcycle accidents can happen to even the most careful riders, leaving the injured person and their families with questions about liability and how medical costs and other expenses from the crash are going to be paid.
If you were hurt in a motorcycle accident, our Columbia injury lawyers are here to help you navigate the legal system and ensure your legal rights are protected. Below we’ve answered common questions people have after a collision, and we are also available via chat, contact form, or telephone to speak with you and schedule a free consultation.
Compensation After a Motorcycle Accident in Columbia, SC
Whether your collision occurred on a busy road, interstate, or back road, South Carolina law dictates that you have a right to seek recovery for any harm another driver caused you. That said, after being injured in a crash, a motorcycle accident lawyer in Columbia can help you seek compensation for:
- Medical bills and treatment costs (current and future);
- Damages to your motorcycle or other property;
- Pain, suffering and mental anguish;
- Current lost wages or income;
- Future lost income (if the injury has affected your earning capacity);
- Permanent disfigurement or impairment; and
- Loss of consortium (if the injury has affected the quality of your relationship or companionship).
In cases in which the at-fault driver was particularly careless, you may be due punitive damages. These seek not to compensate victims for damages, but to punish the at-fault party for malicious or reckless behavior and to discourage such behavior in the future. For instance, punitive damages are not uncommon in drunk driving cases.
Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Since motorcyclists aren’t protected by the frame of their vehicle like a car or truck driver is, severe injuries can result from what would otherwise be a minor collision between two four-wheeled vehicles. Some of the most common motorcycle injuries are:
- Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are extremely common, even when riders are wearing helmets.
- Neck or spinal cord injuries are also common as a result of impact with a vehicle or the ground.
- Leg and foot injuries can result from a side impact when a vehicle crushes the leg against the bike or when the bike falls to the pavement with the rider’s leg underneath.
- Broken bones are a common injury due to the violent impact of a rider hitting the ground or another car.
- Road rash is a friction-based injury caused by the rider’s body sliding or skidding across the roadway after being knocked from the bike and can cause permanent scarring or disfigurement. Wearing the appropriate gear may help protect the rider to an extent, but there is no gear that can fully prevent road rash.
Other types of motorcycle injuries that are common include muscular damage, nerve damage, chest or abdominal injuries, and internal bleeding or other organ damage. All of these injuries typically require specialized medical treatment and weeks of rehab that can leave the injured person with mounting medical expenses. A personal injury attorney can help you identify and secure insurance coverage from the at-fault party to help cover the costs of the treatment needed after a motorcycle crash.
Every motorcycle sold in South Carolina comes with liability insurance. The problem is, liability insurance is not designed to protect riders - only people they might injure. In order for riders to protect themselves and their finances, it is important to purchase plenty of underinsured and uninsured accident coverage.
These types of insurance will help pay for a rider's medical bills in the event of an accident caused by someone else. For example, if a negligent driver turns left in front of you, and you end up with $200,000.00 in medical bills, but the at-fault driver only has $25,000.00 in liability coverage, your underinsured policy could be the difference between a fair financial recovery and bankruptcy.
Contact a Columbia, SC Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
With our central location in Columbia and a second office location in Myrtle Beach, we are able to help injured riders across the entire state of South Carolina. Our goal is to protect your legal rights and ensure that no injured person is taken advantage of by dangerous drivers and the insurance companies that represent them.
If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident in South Carolina, our motorcycle accident attorney team will review your individual situation and help you decide on the right course of action in order to receive full compensation for medical bills, rehabilitation, property damage, lost time and wages, pain and suffering, and more.
If you have any questions about how to obtain the maximum amount of insurance money after a motorcycle accident, I am glad to provide you with a free consultation. I cannot guarantee results, but I will help you identify every potential source of recovery in hopes of achieving justice and fair compensation. Call my Columbia, SC office today at 803-790-2800.