Motorcycle Accidents
Crocker Law Firm helps people who have been hurt in motorcycle accidents and families of people who have been killed on motorcycles. Sadly, because bikers are so exposed, motorcycle accidents often result in catastrophic injury or death. You need a lawyer with experience in settling or litigating motorcycle accidents to deal with the unique challenges.
It is important to get help quickly while the motorcycle, skid marks, debris and other important evidence is still available. It also takes a huge burden from you and your family to have our help right away. Here are some of the things we can do:
- Gather the police report, witness statements, and scene photographs
- Deal with the insurance companies, taking over the paperwork and taking the calls
- Examine the vehicles, using an expert when needed
- Coordinate medical bill payments with car and health insurance
- Document and claim your wage loss
- Direct you to doctors who can help you and who will work with your insurance
- Gather your medical bills and necessary reports from your doctors
- In the event of a death, help set up the estate and pursue a wrongful death claim
What can you be awarded money for?
If you have been hurt in a motorcycle accident your damages may include:
- Property Damage
- Medical Expenses
- Future Medical Expenses
- Wage loss
- Future Wage loss
- Pain and Suffering
- Future Pain and Suffering
- Loss of Consortium
- Funeral Expenses
- Mental Anguish
- Punitive Damages
Kentucky No-Fault Insurance & Motorcycles
In Kentucky, after a car wreck, the first $10,000 of related medical bills and wage loss (up to $200 per week) is paid by insurance on the car you are in when a wreck happens. This money is paid no matter who is at fault and can be paid out before your liability claim is settled. This type of coverage is commonly called no-fault coverage. It is also called “personal injury protection” or PIP coverage. The statute calls the no-fault payments “basic reparation benefits,” or BRB.
Kentucky car insurance automatically includes no-fault coverage. Motorcycle insurance policies are NOT required to include no-fault coverage. This coverage is optional on a motorcycle – you have to ask for it. If you do not purchase no-fault coverage on your motorcycle you will not be able to collect the first $10,000 of your medical bills and wage loss from the at-fault driver. You will not be compensated for that loss at all.
A moped is not a motorcycle (see below). If you have a wreck on a moped, scooter, go cart, or ATV you will be treated as a pedestrian, which means that the no-fault coverage of the vehicle that strikes you is responsible for the first $10,000 of your medical bills.
Is Your Bike a Motorcycle or a Moped?
It may seem obvious that your bike is a moped or scooter, but you might be surprised to find that Kentucky law considers it a motorcycle. In Kentucky, the engine size is one of the factors that determines whether your bike is a moped or a motorcycle.
A moped is defined as a motorized bicycle with:
A cylinder capacity not exceeding 50 cc and rated not more than two brake horsepower
An automatic transmission not requiring clutching or shifting by the operator after drive system is engaged; and
Capable of going no more than 30 miles per hour
You may think of your bike as a moped, but if it does not meet the criteria above, the law will treat it as a motorcycle, requiring it to be registered, insured, and operated by a licensed driver.
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