What to Do if I’m Injured at Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally

The Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally draws hundreds of vendors and entertainers, plus tens of thousands of bikers, to Panama City Beach twice each year. If you get involved in a bike crash at the rally, you can protect your health and your rights by getting immediate medical assistance and seeking legal help from a Florida motorcycle accident lawyer.

Seek Medical Attention After a Bike Crash at the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally

Protecting your health is your top priority when you’re involved in a motorcycle collision, whether at the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally or elsewhere. If you’re severely injured, those around you should call for help. If your injuries don’t appear serious, you should still protect yourself by visiting a medical professional as soon as possible.

The severity of an injury isn’t always apparent. X-rays and ultrasounds are some of the tools that allow doctors to discover injuries that aren’t immediately obvious. Pain and discomfort may also alert you to a problem a day or two after the crash.

Getting checked out even if you feel fine can prevent an undiagnosed injury from doing more damage to your body. A medical visit also starts the paper trail you may later rely on if you seek a compensation settlement or judgment.

How to Build Your Case and Pursue Compensation After a Motorcycle Crash

If you believe someone else was at fault for the accident that caused your injury, your bike crash lawyer can guide you in building your compensation claim.

Documentation and Evidence

Your legal team will:

• Collect the medical records that detail your injuries, treatment, and prognosis
• Speak with eyewitnesses and obtain their accounts of the incident
• Gather police and ambulance reports
• Obtain copies of CCTV footage and images capturing the incident from multiple sources
• Take pictures of your injuries and the damage to your bike
• Inspect the accident site for physical evidence and any anomalies that might have contributed to the accident, such as potholes or broken traffic signals

Compensation Claim and Negotiation

After reviewing the evidence, your Florida personal injury lawyer can help you determine whether negligence played a part in your injuries and establish who is liable for your damages. Your attorney can help you account for all your losses and file a compensation claim with the liable party’s insurance company.

The insurance company’s representative and your motorcycle accident attorney will then negotiate for a fair settlement. They may also file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf if they feel it will benefit your claim.

Going to Court

Negotiations with the insurance company may falter if they disagree about liability or the costs associated with your losses. If your attorney cannot reach a fair compensation settlement or the insurance company denies your motorcycle accident claim, going to court may be the only way to recover damages.

While most cases settle outside of court, your lawyer will prepare your case and represent you at trial if necessary to get the financial compensation you deserve.

What Types of Compensation Might You Recover for Your Bike Crash Injuries?

Your compensation settlement depends on several factors, such as the severity of your injuries, your age and income at the time of the accident, etc. In general, you may be eligible for the following economic and non-economic damages:

• Medical care, including ambulance, emergency room, hospital stay, surgery, treatment, medical devices and equipment, in-home care, rehab, physical therapy, long-term care, transportation to medical appointments, and adaptation of your home or vehicle, should your physical needs require it
• Future medical needs
• Loss of income during your recovery and in the future, should your employment options be reduced due to your injury
• Loss of future earnings if your injuries prevent your return to work
• Property damage, including repairing or replacing your motorcycle and any other personal items that were damaged during the accident
• Pain and suffering you have experienced since the accident or are expected to experience in the future
• The mental anguish, depression, anxiety, or PTSD that often accompanies a traumatic event such as a bike crash
• Loss of or change in relationships

You Must Meet the Deadline if You Wish to File a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit

Florida’s statute of limitations restricts the amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit against the defendant. You have two years from the accident date to begin legal action, per Florida Statutes § 95.11 This may seem adequate, but it may take months to gather evidence and begin negotiations with the insurance company, only to find that the two parties cannot agree on a settlement.

If you do not file your lawsuit on time, you may be unable to seek a compensation judgment or verdict for your losses.

What Happens if You Are Found Partially At Fault for the Bike Collision?

Per Florida Statutes § 768.81, you may be eligible for damages even if you’re partially at fault for the motorcycle accident. Florida follows the modified comparative negligence rule, which allows you to recover some damages if you are 50% or less at fault for the crash. The amount you recover will be reduced by your percentage of fault.

If you are more than 50% at fault, you may not recover compensation for your losses.

Call Chalik & Chalik Injury Lawyers if You Are Injured at the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally

Our personal injury law firm has spent more than two decades championing the rights of those injured due to another’s negligence. We offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to evaluate your case and advise you on your best course of action.

If you choose to work with a bike crash lawyer from our team, you will pay no fees until we successfully recover a compensation settlement or judgment for you. If we don’t win, you don’t pay. Call today to schedule your free case review. We are always ready to fight for you and your family.

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