Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Denham Springs

A motorcycle accident can permanently change your life. The lasting effects of the injuries from your accident can haunt you for years—not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and even financially as well.

If your motorcycle crash injuries are the result of someone else’s negligence, you deserve remuneration for your injuries from the guilty party. This is where hiring an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer from Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys can get you the financial help you need to heal from your injuries and move on with your life.

At Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, we’re as passionate about our motorcycle accident injury clients as they are about their bikes. We’ll do everything in our power to help you recover the compensation you need after your motorcycle crash.

What Causes Motorcycle Accidents?

The main cause of motorcycle accidents is, tragically, driver negligence. Because of motorcycles’ smaller size, they take more work to notice on the road—and many drivers fail to do so.

All drivers have the responsibility to make the road a safe place for all other road users, and drivers who fail to meet this responsibility are guilty of negligent driving. When that lack of care impacts a motorcycle, it can take many shapes:

• Reckless or aggressive driving, including failing to yield, speeding, or tailgating
• Driving while drunk or otherwise intoxicated
• Driving while distracted
• Driving while drowsy or fatigued
• Suddenly swerving in front of a motorcyclist
• Changing lanes into a motorcyclist
• Failing to notice a motorcyclist at an intersection
• And more

Common Injuries from Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists are much more likely to be badly hurt or even killed in collisions, due to the smaller size and weight of motorcycles, as well as the relative lack of protection to riders. Motorcyclists can skid across asphalt for hundreds of yards, be ejected from their bikes, and worse.

If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle wreck, it’s possible you are suffering major medical expenses, surgeries, physical therapy, an inability to work, and a long road to recovery, if you ever recover fully. Injuries you could sustain in a Denham Springs motorcycle accident include the following:

• Bone fractures
• Limb amputation or other catastrophic injury
• Scarring and disfigurement from road rash
• Major scrapes or bruises
• Neck and back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries, including those leading to paralysis
• Traumatic brain injuries or other head injuries
• Wrongful death

Motorcycles account for 3% of all registered vehicles in the United States. However, motorcyclists are involved in 15% of all traffic fatalities—making them 26 times more likely than other drivers to die in a crash.

Ensure Your Rights to Recover: Follow Louisiana Motorcycle Laws

Even if your injuries are completely the fault of another person, judges, juries, and insurance companies will view your claim more favorably if you were following all of the rules yourself. Not only are the following laws requirements for riding a motorcycle in Denham Springs and the rest of Louisiana, they were written with your safety in mind:

Licensing

Before your first ride on your bike, you’ll need a motorcycle endorsement on your license, which you can receive by passing a motorcycle knowledge and skills test.

Taxes and inspection

Your motorcycle must be inspected by the state within 40 days of purchase in order to legally ride. You’ll also need to pay applicable state taxes, especially if you bought your bike from a private party.

Wear a helmet

In Louisiana, both operators and passengers of motorcycles are required to wear suitable helmets while they’re in motion. In order to be deemed suitable, a helmet must include adequate padding, lining around the head, an eye visor, and a chin strap that secures the helmet.

Protect your eyes

Your motorcycle must have a high windshield to protect you from eye injuries from the wind, debris, and bugs of the open road. If your windshield isn’t high enough to protect your face, you’ll need protective goggles or other eye-wear to ride your motorcycle.

Stay in your lane

In Louisiana, motorcyclists have the right to the entire lane, same as passenger vehicles. However, this also means that they must act like passenger vehicles on the road: motorcycles cannot be side-by-side in one lane, they cannot pass other vehicles in the same lane, and they cannot drive between traffic lanes (otherwise known as “lane splitting”).

If You’re the Victim of a Motorcycle Crash, Call Gordon Today

The first thing you should do after any traffic accident is move to somewhere relatively safe, like the side of the road, and call 911. Paramedics arriving on the scene will be able to document and treat your injuries. The police report generated by officers on the scene will serve as vital evidence in your claim.

As soon as you can after the accident, call an experienced motorcycle accident injury attorney with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys. We provide free consultations for our clients, and we won’t charge you a dime until we win or settle your case–that’s the G Guarantee. Call us today at 225.888.8888 to get started on your path to healing.