Average Motorcycle Accident Settlement in Florida
There is no average motorcycle accident settlement in Florida because every claim is different. Recoverable compensation will depend on the facts of the case and other unique variables.
Our team’s motorcycle accident lawyers can use their legal experience and our firm’s resources to identify all of your losses and pursue the maximum compensation possible, ensuring you do not leave money on the table.
What Is the Average Settlement for a Motorcycle Accident In Florida?
As stated, motorcycle accidents in Florida do not have a set value to them. The unique circumstances and variables of your accident and injuries will influence the value of your settlement. The variables that can affect how much personal injury compensation you may recover include such things as:
- The severity of your injury
- The cost of your current and future medical treatment
- The extent of your physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering
- The effect your injury has on your daily life and activities
- How long your injury prevents you from working
- Whether you can return to your previous job
- Your current age and wages
- The value of your property damages
- Involved insurance policies and their limits
- The strength of your case
How Much Are Most Motorcycle Accident Settlements?
Motorcycle accident settlements can range from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly even more. In some catastrophic injury cases, claimants have been known to recover over $1 million in damages.
Our firm’s motorcycle accident case results in Florida include a $1.45 million settlement for a client who suffered a leg injury resulting in amputation.
What Types of Motorcycle Accident Damages Can You Recover?
Motorcycle accident compensation generally falls into two categories: economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are your actual, out-of-pocket expenses, and noneconomic damages are for intangible losses.
We can help you identify all of the compensation you are eligible to recover, which may include:
- Medical expenses, including ambulance transportation, emergency department treatment, hospitalizations, surgeries, medical devices and equipment, mobility aids, prescription drugs, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and long-term nursing
- Lost income, including wages, employment benefits, lost future earnings, and reduced earning capacity
- Property damages, including the cost of repairing or replacing your bike and motorcycle equipment
- Household services, including assistance with transportation, cooking, cleaning, and childcare
- Pain and suffering, including severe and chronic pain, disfigurement, scarring, permanent and disabling injury, mental anguish, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment, and reduced quality of life
If your loved one sustained a fatal injury, we could seek wrongful death compensation on behalf of their estate and survivors. Awards may include medical bills, funeral and burial costs, loss of your loved one’s services and financial support, and survivors’ mental pain and suffering.
Who Is Financially Liable for a Motorcycle Accident?
Drivers of four-wheeled vehicles in Florida must follow the state’s no-fault insurance system. Under no-fault, motorists must have personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to pay for their medical treatment after an accident, regardless of who caused the crash. Drivers usually cannot seek compensation from an at-fault party unless they have severe injuries and expenses exceeding their PIP policy limits.
However, motorcycle drivers are exempt from no-fault insurance coverage and do not have to have PIP insurance. Injured motorcycle riders have the unrestricted right to pursue fair compensation from liable drivers, including awards for pain and suffering. They do not have to turn to their own insurance first.
A driver is liable if their negligent actions led to the collision. Negligence includes:
- Driving drunk
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Speeding or driving too fast for road or weather conditions
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Failing to stop at a red light or stop sign
- Following a motorcycle too closely (tailgating)
- Passing a motorcycle too closely
- Driving distracted
- Driving drowsy
- Driving recklessly or aggressively
Depending on the circumstances of the accident, there could be liable parties in addition to a driver, including a property or roadway owner or a vehicle or auto parts manufacturer.
Proving Negligence in Your Motorcycle Accident
To prove a driver or other liable party acted negligently, you must support your claim for compensation with evidence. Proof in a motorcycle accident claim may include:
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Eyewitness statements
- Physical debris
- Photographs of the scene
- Cell phone, dashcam, traffic camera, or surveillance video of the collision
- Testimony from crash reconstructionists, medical professionals, and other relevant case experts
How Long Do You Have to Pursue a Motorcycle Accident Settlement in Florida?
You should notify your insurance company about your accident and file claims with the at-fault driver’s insurance company as soon as possible. Doing so will prevent you from missing policy deadlines.
If you must take legal action to recover a full and fair motorcycle accident compensation, you have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, according to Florida Statutes § 95.11. If the statute of limitations expires, the court will likely throw out your case, even if you have solid proof of negligence.
Do You Need a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
No law requires you to hire a personal injury lawyer, but working with an attorney from our firm can give you a legal advocate who will fight for your rights and future.
While you focus on healing and getting life back on track, we can:
- Investigate the motorcycle accident and collect evidence
- Prepare and file insurance claims and lawsuits
- Identify and pursue all of your losses
- Track and manage deadlines
- Communicate with involved parties on your behalf
- Represent your best interests, protect you from pressure, and defend you from bad-faith tactics
- Aggressively negotiate for the maximum settlement possible
- Pursue your case in civil court and represent you at trial if necessary
- Answer your questions and keep you informed with frequent and timely updates
Contact Meldon Law About Your Florida Motorcycle Accident
Meldon Law is a force to be reckoned with, inside and outside the courtroom. Our attorneys care about our clients. We will take on your fight like it is our own and work tirelessly to secure the fair settlement you deserve.
Contact us online or call today for a free consultation, and connect with a motorcycle accident lawyer near you.
