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As with all other types of personal injury claims, compensation for injuries and damage from a motorcycle accident typically falls into four main categories:

• Medical expenses include both past and future expenses for surgery, hospital stays, doctor’s visits, physical/occupational/speech therapy, medication, durable medical equipment, and even renovations made to the home to accommodate disabilities caused by injuries suffered in the accident.
• Lost wages include both past and future income lost while a motorcycle accident victim is out of work for recovery from injuries. Additionally, if the victim must return to work with fewer hours or in a job with lower pay than before the accident, he or she may be entitled to recover the difference in income.
• Pain and suffering damages are intended to compensate the victim for pain suffered as a result of the injuries, as well as for the loss of the ability to participate in activities that the victim enjoyed prior to the accident, such as sports and recreation.
• Loss of companionship damages may be available depending on the victim’s family and marital status. The spouse and/or family may be entitled to claim compensation for the loss of the victim’s companionship, society, and service to the family as a result of injuries.

Other damages you may be able to claim include the costs to repair or replace your motorcycle if it was damaged or destroyed in the accident, along with any other personal property that may have been damaged or destroyed.

If you take your motorcycle accident case to trial and a jury finds by clear and convincing evidence that the other driver acted maliciously, intentionally, fraudulently, or recklessly in causing the accident, you may be awarded punitive damages, which are intended to punish egregious behavior and deter future conduct. Under Tennessee law, punitive damages may not exceed the greater of two times the total amount of compensatory damages or $500,000, except in unique circumstances.

There is a time limit for filing a lawsuit for personal injury claims arising from your or your loved one’s motorcycle accident, known as the statute of limitations. In Illinois, you generally have one year from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit for your injuries or for the wrongful death of a loved one killed in a motorcycle accident.

As a general matter, if you fail to file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations, you will forever lose your ability to collect compensation through a claim.

Investigating a crash and building a strong case for maximum compensation take time. That’s why it is crucial to speak with a knowledgeable Memphis motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible to get started on your case.

More than drivers of passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses, motorcycle riders must be extremely vigilant to avoid becoming the victim of an accident. Unfortunately, even when riders take every necessary precaution, they can still be hurt in a serious accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some of the common causes of motorcycle accidents include:

• Lack of visibility
• Other motorists turning into the path of a motorcycle
• Other motorists changing lanes into the path of a motorcycle
• Other motorists failing to give the full lane to a motorcycle
• Poor road surface conditions
• Intoxicated driving

• Distracted driving
• Aggressive driving
• Failing to yield the right of way
• Speeding
• Violation of traffic laws
• Motorcycle malfunction

If you or a loved one has been involved in a motorcycle accident, you may soon be contacted by adjusters from the other driver’s insurance company, or even from your own insurance company. They may offer you a check right now so that you can pay off the medical bills you have incurred and help defray income you’re missing from lost work. Or they may tell you that you need to sign paperwork to begin processing your claim.

Often, insurance adjusters are trying to get you to sign away your legal rights for little or no money. Insurance companies are in business to make money, and they can maximize their profits by paying out as little as possible in claims. The insurance companies will try to leverage the fact that you may be in a difficult financial situation to accept the first offer of money that’s put in front of you.

Before you sign any paperwork from the insurance company or accept any money, you should speak with an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in Chicago. An attorney can help you understand if you are signing away any legal rights, and whether the compensation the insurance company is offering you is a fair approximation of the value of your claim.