Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Lafayette, LA

Many people in the Lafayette area enjoy riding motorcycles on I-10, I-49, and smaller local roads. Still, every rider of every experience level must acknowledge the risks they face on their bikes. Motorcycles offer no physical protection in an accident, so most of these accidents result in severe injuries. The law firm of Gauthier & Granger serves victims of motorcycle accidents in Lafayette, LA and all throughout Acadiana. If you or a loved one has been injured, it’s important to speak with a Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer at Gauthier & Granger as soon as possible.

Representing Injured Motorcycle Accident Victims in Lafayette

The attorneys at Gauthier & Granger have successfully helped many vehicle accident victims recover in Lafayette and the surrounding areas of Louisiana. Motorcycle accident cases can be challenging to resolve, not only due to the complex questions of liability these cases might raise, but also due to the severity of resulting damages.

If you or a family member recently sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident that you believe resulted from another party’s negligence or misconduct on the road, the first steps you take after the accident are crucial. You need to consult an experienced Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible so they can help you determine your optimal path to recovery and start building your case.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Lafayette

The National Safety Council reports that the risk of catastrophic or fatal injury is much greater in a motorcycle accident than in most other vehicle accidents. In 2023, motorcycles only accounted for about 3% of all registered vehicles in the US. However, motorcyclists accounted for nearly 16% of all traffic accident fatalities that year.

Motorcycle accidents can happen for the same reasons that all other vehicle accidents happen in Lafayette. However, since motorcycles are smaller and harder to see than most other vehicles, motorcyclists are especially vulnerable in certain situations. Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents in the Lafayette area include:

• Speeding. Exceeding the speed limit can be dangerous. Not only does this increase the risk of an accident happening, but it also increases the severity of resulting damages. If a driver caused an accident by excessive speeding, they could be charged with reckless driving as well as face civil liability for the damages they caused to others.
• Distracted driving. Texting while driving and other distractions are inherently dangerous and can easily result in serious accidents. Your attorney may be able to collect the cell phone records of other drivers as evidence that they were distracted by their phones when they caused your accident.
• Moving violations. Accidents can happen because of failure to yield the right-of-way where appropriate, illegal turns, running stop signs or red lights, or because of illegal passing on certain roads. Motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles and can therefore be overlooked or pass into other drivers’ blind spots very easily.
• Intoxicated driving. Unfortunately, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a pervasive issue in Louisiana and throughout the US. If a driver causes an accident this way, they not only face criminal prosecution and civil liability for the victim’s damages, but their penalties in their criminal case could increase dramatically if they caused severe bodily harm or death.

These are some examples of how motorcycle accidents can happen in Lafayette. Road conditions are another common factor in the number of accidents that happen in the area each year. Driving is inherently more dangerous at night and during severe weather, but motorcyclists are especially vulnerable in these situations, especially when other drivers do not exercise reasonable care when driving conditions are less than ideal.

Get Legal Support

Before you can claim compensation for your damages, you will first need to prove how the accident happened and identify the party responsible for causing it. Some of the evidence you may need will not be obtainable for very long, so it is important that you hire legal counsel you can trust at your first opportunity, so your attorney can start building your case.

Recovering Compensation With Auto Insurance After a Motorcycle Accident

All drivers in Louisiana are required to have auto insurance. The fault rule for vehicle accidents dictates that when another driver has caused an accident and injured you, you can file a claim to their auto insurance carrier seeking compensation for your damages.

It is important to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer before attempting to file your insurance claim. Do not wait for an insurance carrier to deny or devalue your claim to speak with an attorney; when you have legal counsel assisting you, the insurance carrier is more likely to process your claim in good faith and deliver a reasonable settlement offer in an acceptable timeframe.

Your Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer at Gauthier & Granger can negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf. We know the tactics insurance companies often use against injured drivers in their efforts to avoid paying out settlements, and how to get a fair settlement offer for our client.

Filing a Personal Injury Claim for a Motorcycle Accident

If you must file a personal injury claim to recover from your accident, you could potentially recover compensation for all the economic and non-economic damages you suffered because of the defendant’s actions:

• You can claim compensation for your vehicle repair or replacement costs. Your attorney can help you accurately calculate these losses, including the actual cash value of your vehicle if it was damaged beyond repair.
• You can seek full repayment of all your medical bills resulting from the accident. Motorcycle accidents have a very high chance of causing severe injuries that often require extensive ongoing medical treatment. If this has happened to you, you have the right to seek compensation for both immediate and future medical treatment costs resulting from the accident.
• If you cannot work due to your injuries, the defendant may be liable for any income that you cannot earn during this time. If you have suffered any injury that has caused a permanent disability and you cannot return to work in the future, you could seek compensation for your lost earning capacity. A skilled attorney will know how to calculate these projected losses accurately.
• A plaintiff has the right to seek compensation for their pain and suffering. You may find it hard to attribute a monetary value to intangible losses like physical pain and psychological distress. Still, your attorney can help you determine a fair amount that reflects the scope and severity of the harm you suffered. More serious injuries typically yield greater pain and suffering compensation.

In addition to your economic and non-economic damages, you may also qualify to receive punitive damages if the defendant broke the law, causing the accident. These are awarded at the court’s discretion and are meant to punish the defendant and discourage similar behavior in the future. Your attorney can advise you as to whether this is likely to come into play in your case.

It is also important to remember that your recovery could be diminished if you are found partially liable for the accident under Louisiana’s comparative fault rules. It’s common for at-fault drivers to cast blame on others in their efforts to avoid liability for the damages they caused, and a skilled attorney can help you resolve any disputes of liability that arise in your case, preserving your ability to claim compensation for your damages.

A Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

The right attorney is an invaluable asset to have on your side in the aftermath of a motorcycle accident in Lafayette. The Gauthier & Granger legal team has years of experience helping injured clients navigate vehicle accident cases, and we know the unique challenges you might encounter when you attempt to seek compensation for your recent motorcycle accident.

As soon as you hire our firm to represent you, we will immediately begin gathering the evidence you need to prove fault for the accident. We will assess the scope and severity of your damages, determine who is responsible for causing the accident, and discern your most viable path to recovering compensation as efficiently as possible. Our goal in every personal injury case we work is to help victims recover the maximum amount of financial compensation available.

Our Legal Team

If you are concerned about the potential cost of hiring a lawyer, this is no cause for alarm when you choose Gauthier & Granger as your legal team. We take personal injury cases on contingency, meaning we will only charge our client a fee after we have won their case, and we charge a percentage of the total amount recovered on their behalf. If there is no recovery, there is no fee, so there is no risk in choosing our firm to represent you.

Ultimately, the aftermath of a motorcycle accident can be confusing and traumatic, and you likely have many questions that you cannot answer without an attorney’s help. Our team is confident we can guide you to the recovery you deserve. Contact us today to schedule your consultation with an experienced Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer. We look forward to helping you pursue accountability and compensation for your damages.