Georgia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

In the State of Georgia, the statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims is two years. In the case of motorcycle accidents, that two-year window begins on the date of the accident itself.

That may seem like plenty of time to file a lawsuit, but bear in mind that motorcycle accidents can be complex cases that require time to gather evidence and documentation in preparation for filing a lawsuit. Not to mention, your medical bills and other out-of-pocket expenses will not wait two years to be paid. That two-year window goes faster than you may think, and once the statute of limitations is up, it is too late to seek compensation.

For that reason, we recommend contacting us as soon as possible after the accident happens to help prepare a solid case and stay well within the window of opportunity for filing the lawsuit.

At Scholle Law Firm, we understand your motorcycle accident has already been extremely costly, so we believe there should be no up-front fee to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer. The final cost depends on many factors, including how complex your case is, whether we need to go to court, and how long it takes to settle your claim.

However, we never take a fee unless and until we win your case, so you will never have to pay up-front for a motorcycle accident lawyer. Additionally, the amount our clients receive in settlements minus the attorney fees is usually exponentially higher than if they simply accept the insurance company’s first settlement offer. So, in the end, the fee is infinitely worth it.

First and foremost, you are not alone. The truth is, there are relatively few personal injury cases involving motorcycles or other vehicles where one party is determined to be one hundred percent at fault.

Part of the process for determining settlements in personal injury cases is to assign fault as a percentage. For example, if you were distracted or speeding when another motorist drifted into your lane and sideswiped you, the other driver might be assigned 80 percent of the fault while you are assigned 20 percent. Scenarios like these are quite common in vehicle injury accident cases.

Second, and this is important: Being partly to blame for your accident does not mean you forfeit your right to receive a settlement. Being assigned a percentage of the fault may prompt the insurance company to negotiate for a reduced settlement based on that percentage, but it does not mean they do not have to pay. Even if you were partially to blame for your accident, that does not necessarily mean you are partially to blame for the injuries you incurred in that accident or that those injuries were not caused by someone else’s negligence.

It’s your attorney’s job to get deep into these details and to fight on your behalf so the insurance company or the defendant can’t play the “blame game” as an excuse to keep from paying you what you deserve.

Bottom line – don’t worry if you believe you were partly responsible for your motorcycle accident. It doesn’t exempt you from getting help and the evidence may show that you aren’t at fault as much you think.

If a family member has died in a motorcycle accident, you may be eligible for compensation through a wrongful death claim. The idea behind a wrongful death claim is to compensate those who relied on the deceased financially or emotionally and who will suffer direct loss as a result of the death.

Georgia law prioritizes who may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit, starting with the spouse of the deceased, who may also file a claim on behalf of any children under 18. If there is no spouse and no children, the parents of the deceased may file the suit. Finally, the deceased’s estate representative may file a wrongful death claim and distribute the settlement among the next-of-kin.

As with personal injury lawsuits, a wrongful death lawsuit may seek economic and non-economic damages, including lost wages and benefits, medical costs, burial expenses, loss of companionship, etc.