Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Riding a motorcycle through Hallandale Beach shouldn’t amount to risking your life, but unfortunately, sometimes that’s how things turn out.
In traffic on Ocean Drive, at Dixie Highway intersections, and on multi-lane stretches of Three Island Boulevard, motorcyclists encounter risks and dangers that barely register with other motorists. A car turning left, an unmarked construction zone, or a truck that changes lanes without signaling, can spell disaster on a motorcycle.
Riders and passengers who get hurt in Hallandale Beach motorcycle accidents often face severe physical, emotional, and financial pain. So do their families. In the aftermath of a wreck that leaves them injured, or worse, motorcyclists and their families need someone to turn to who can help them obtain compensation for the harm they have suffered.
Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident lawyer, Jared Spingarn can help. He and his team represent Hallandale Beach motorcyclists who have suffered severe injuries in crashes and families of riders who tragically died in an accident. Contact The Law Offices of Jared Spingarn, P.A. today to learn how we can help you get the money you deserve after a Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident disrupts your life.
About Us
Jared knows a thing or two about suffering injuries in a violent traffic accident. When he was just 18, a pickup T-boned his car at an intersection, sending him to the hospital with a severe head injury. The driver of the pickup didn’t have insurance, and even after hiring a lawyer, Jared ended up with barely any compensation for an accident that came within inches of killing him. After he healed, Jared went to law school, vowing to make sure other accident victims did not suffer a similar fate.
Today, the Law Offices of Jared Spingarn, P.A. represent victims of preventable accidents, including motorcycle crashes, in Hallandale Beach and throughout Florida. Jared and his team have recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. In one recent case, Jared secured a $975,000 settlement on behalf of a motorcyclist who suffered serious injuries when a motor vehicle drifted over the center line and struck his bike head-on.
Jared can’t guarantee the same results in every case he handles. But, based on his track record of success, his clients can rest assured that they have a lawyer who knows how to deliver for them during their most difficult times.
The Toll of Motorcycle Accidents in Hallandale Beach
Like any city of its size in Florida, Hallandale Beach sees its share of motorcycle accidents. According to data collected by Signal Four Analytics for the Florida Department of Transportation, between 30 and 50 motorcyclists die and hundreds suffer serious injuries every year in Broward County motorcycle crashes.
Many of those accidents happen in Hallandale Beach, which has seen accidents on major thoroughfares like Hallandale Beach Boulevard, I-95, and Federal Highway, as well as on lesser in-town streets. Sadly, not a year goes by without someone getting seriously or fatally hurt in a Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident.
Causes of Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Crashes
Most Hallandale Beach motorcycle accidents are preventable. They happen because someone—usually someone other than the motorcyclist—makes a careless, reckless, or intentional decision that creates the conditions for a crash.
Ride a motorcycle for long enough in Florida, and you’re sure to experience for yourself the hazards that can all too easily lead to motorcycle accidents. Jared can help riders and passengers recover compensation for motorcycle accidents no matter what the cause, but here are some of the most common scenarios that lead to Hallandale Beach bike wrecks.
Failure to Yield the Right-of-Way to a Motorcycle
Many motorcycle accidents happen when a car, truck, or bus turns or pulls out in front of a motorcycle, even though the motorcycle has the right-of-way. These instances frequently occur when cars enter an intersection or turn left across a lane of oncoming traffic, directly into the path of an approaching motorcycle.
In the wreck that follows, the rider often either lays the bike down and risks sliding underneath the larger vehicle, or gets thrown over the vehicle after the bike collides with it. In either scenario, bikers can, and sadly do, suffer catastrophic or fatal injuries in these accidents.
Of course, most motorists do not intentionally try to cause an accident with a motorcycle. Frequently, the accident happens because the driver did not see the motorcycle, or, despite seeing the motorcycle, failed to register its presence (a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness). Those are explanations, however, not excuses. Drivers must keep a lookout for motorcycles, just as they do for vehicles of all other shapes and sizes.
Improper Motor Vehicle Lane Changes
Motorcycle crashes also frequently occur when cars and trucks change into a lane that’s already occupied by a motorcycle. Like the failure to yield the right-of-way accidents, these preventable wrecks often happen because drivers do not check their blind spots, or simply do not register seeing a motorcycle reflected in their rear-view or side mirror.
A motorcyclist confronted with a vehicle making a sudden, unexpected lane change may end up running off the road, laying the bike down, or rear-ending the larger vehicle. As above, in the resulting crash, the biker faces a risk of serious or fatal injury.
Alcohol Use
Vacationers come to Hallandale Beach and its environs to let their hair down, unwind, and enjoy the sun, sand, and water. For many, that means consuming alcohol. Unfortunately, some of them, and some Hallandale Beach residents too, make the tragic decision to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking. The results are deadly, particularly for motorcyclists who have the misfortune of sharing the road with a drunk driver.
Consuming alcohol impairs decision-making, visual acuity, motor control, and judgment of speed and distance. That makes a car with an intoxicated driver more likely to turn in front of a motorcycle, cut a motorcyclist off on the road, or simply collide with a motorcycle head-on.
Distracted Driving
Like consuming alcohol, getting distracted behind the wheel in Hallandale Beach has a host of dangerous consequences that pose extreme danger to local motorcyclists. Distracted driving consists of a driver’s hands leaving the wheel, eyes leaving the road, or mind leaving the task of driving safely.
These days, cell phone use accounts for a lot of the distraction that causes motorcycle accidents. Drivers who try to send a text or scroll social media behind the wheel often drift out of their lane or fail to see stopped traffic up ahead. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to getting rear-ended or struck head-on by a car driven by a driver who is distracted.
Motorcycle Accident Injuries in Hallandale Beach
Motorcyclists face risks of severe or fatal injuries if they crash. They can wear protective gear (especially a helmet) to limit those risks as much as possible, but the fact remains that in a wreck, chances are the motorcyclist gets thrown from the saddle. Here are some common injuries bikers suffer in motorcycle accidents for which Jared can help obtain compensation.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Motorcyclists frequently hit their heads in a wreck. The impact can cause their brains to shift, twist, or deform, resulting in physical damage and chemical changes that disrupt normal brain function—a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Wearing a helmet significantly reduces the probability and severity of a TBI, but it can’t eliminate it. Riders and passengers who suffer TBIs may face long-term physical, emotional, and cognitive impairments, permanent loss of consciousness, or even death.
Severe Road Rash
There’s a saying among motorcyclists: Dress for the slide, not the ride. Why? Because when a crash sends a rider sliding along the pavement in Hallandale Beach, anything but heavy-duty protective gear will get worn away by the friction, exposing skin and causing the severe abrasion known as road rash.
Like a third-degree burn, road rash destroys tissue, is extremely painful, and leaves extensive scarring. Unlike a burn, road rash features a wound with dirt, grime, and debris embedded in it, resulting in a high risk of a deadly infection.
Spinal Cord Injuries
The impact of a motorcycle wreck can damage the spine and the delicate bundle of nerves inside it known as the spinal cord. An injury to the cord disrupts the flow of messages between the brain and the body, often resulting in permanent paralysis.
Victims of spinal cord injuries may never ride a motorcycle again. They may lose the use of their legs and other limbs entirely. And, they will inevitably face high, unexpected costs—often climbing into the millions of dollars—associated with treating and adapting to their injuries.
Broken Bones and Other Orthopedic Injuries
If you wreck your bike, chances are high that you will at least sustain a fracture, torn ligament, dislocated joints, or other injury that immobilizes you temporarily and causes significant discomfort. Those injuries may heal in time if you get proper care, but they can still leave you in chronic pain and battling disability. Sadly, for many bikers, these injuries can also be the origin of a destructive dependence on prescription painkillers.
Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident FAQ
If you’ve suffered injuries in a Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident, you need an experienced motorcycle accident attorney. Your lawyer can advocate for you to get the compensation you deserve from the liable person or another party responsible for your accident and injuries.
You might not know what comes next, so discussing your case with a lawyer will give you the chance to determine the best path forward for your circumstances. Until you have the chance to meet with an attorney, the answers to the following frequently asked questions about Hallandale Beach motorcycle accidents provide a broad overview of the process of recovering damages after suffering injuries.
Can I File a Claim Under My Florida Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Policy After a Motorcycle Accident?
No, you cannot file a Florida PIP claim after a Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident. Florida’s mandatory PIP coverage applies to those who register motor vehicles and does not extend to those riding a motorcycle. If you want to recover damages from motorcycle accident injuries caused by another party, you must file a claim under their insurance policy and/or sue the responsible driver.
How Long Do I Have to Take Legal Action After a Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident?
Under Florida law, motorcycle accident victims have four years to file a personal injury lawsuit against a driver who caused the accident and their injuries. Florida’s four-year time limit—referred to as the statute of limitations—is generous compared to many other states. Although some situations exist that give the court grounds for extending the time limit, it’s rare for a Florida court to pause the time clock.
If you suffered severe motorcycle accident injuries that left you hospitalized and unable to take action because you were incapacitated, a Florida court might pause the statute of the limitations time clock. However, these situations are rare, especially in Florida, which has among the longest statute of limitations for personal injury claims. Therefore, it’s best to consult with an attorney as soon as possible to ensure you meet all deadlines and do not miss the opportunity to recover compensation for your Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident injuries.
How Can I Afford a Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
Some motorcycle accident victims do not take action or choose to represent themselves because they assume they cannot afford an attorney. Fortunately, this is a false assumption. Everyone who needs an attorney to help them after suffering injuries, including motorcycle accident injuries, can afford to hire a personal injury attorney.
When you meet with a lawyer, they will review the facts of your motorcycle accident and determine whether you have grounds to bring a claim against another driver or other party. If you have a viable claim and hire a lawyer, you likely will sign a contingency agreement. You do not have to pay an upfront retainer like a tax attorney or real estate lawyer when you enter a contingent fee agreement.
Personal injury law firms offer free consultations or case evaluations for potential clients. If they can help a client recover damages for their injuries, they take new cases on contingency. A contingency agreement means that whether you pay attorney fees depends on the outcome of your case. If you prevail in your motorcycle accident injury claim, your lawyer will deduct attorney fees and other costs of representation from your settlement or jury award.
What Should I Do if an Insurance Provider Contacts Me for a Statement?
Once you file a claim against a driver or another party to seek compensation for your motorcycle accident injuries, their insurance company will investigate the accident. Insurance providers do not stay in business by paying out each claim they receive. Their goal is to avoid as much financial responsibility as possible for the policyholder. If an insurance provider contacts you for a statement, you need to give them one.
However, you should watch for two things:
- Recorded statement. Do not agree to let the interviewer record your statement. The company will review the recording repeatedly and find a way to twist your words and use them as justification to devalue or deny your claim. Answer their questions honestly but do not provide additional information.
- A full release of medical history. Your medical records serve as valuable evidence to prove your motorcycle accident injuries. You should release any records related to the accident to the insurance provider. However, some companies try to get you to release your entire medical history to them. They want to come through your previous medical records to find a way to devalue your claim because of previous injuries or conditions. You do not have to give them access to your full medical history.
Ultimately, it’s in your best interest to consult with a lawyer before you give a statement to an insurance company. Your attorney can guide you on what aspects of your motorcycle accidents and injuries you need to share and protect you from saying something that could negatively impact the outcome of your claim.
Should I Accept an Early Settlement Offer From the Insurance Company?
You should never accept a settlement offer without consulting with a lawyer, and you should never accept the first offer you receive. Insurance companies want to avoid paying large claims. They reduce the amount they payout by offering early settlement offers to accident victims who have suffered injuries. These offers typically are much lower than the value of the claim and prevent them from paying a larger settlement or court-awarded damages later on, especially when they are certain their policyholder is liable for damages.
Motorcycle accident victims and their families suffer great economic loss after severe injuries. In addition to medical bills rolling in, many victims lose income because they cannot work. Insurance companies prey on these situations. They figure if they make an attractive offer that gives some cash to desperate victims experiencing financial hardship, they can get off the hook for paying fair compensation.
You face two related problems if you choose to accept an early settlement offer from the other side’s insurance carrier. First, your acceptance of the offer requires that you waive your right to seek further compensation for the same accident and injuries in the future. Second, these offers typically come before accident victims know the full extent of their injuries. If you suffer a permanent disability or experience long-term complications from your motorcycle accident injuries, you’ve signed away your right to more compensation. As a result, you could leave yourself without the funds you need to get the proper care or treatment for your injuries.
How Much Is My Motorcycle Accident Claim Worth?
Various factors influence how much your motorcycle accident claim is worth. Additionally, if you settle with the insurance company, you might choose to accept an amount lower than your claim’s full value. Your lawyer will review your case and add up your economic losses, such as medical bills and lost wages. The other part of your motorcycle accident claim includes non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and other ways your injuries have impacted your life.
Factors that impact the value of your economic and non-economic losses include:
Nature and Extent of Injury. The nature and extent of an injury impact the economic and non-economic losses an accident victim suffers. In most cases, claims involving more severe injuries are worth more. Similarly, motorcycle accident claims involving catastrophic or debilitating injuries also have higher values. For example, a broken finger and a broken leg are both fractures. However, a broken leg impedes mobility and requires more medical treatment, making it a more costly injury.
Likelihood of a Full Recovery. Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident victims who make a full recovery usually have lower value claims than those who face permanent injuries. Sometimes motorcycle accident victims suffer severe injuries that lead to paralysis, permanent brain damage, coma, or a vegetative state.
Full recovery is doubtful in these scenarios, and sometimes victims need around-the-clock care in a long-term nursing care facility. Continuous treatment and nursing home care are expensive. Additionally, lifelong injuries damage people’s ability to work, engage in relationships, and enjoy life to the same extent as before their injuries.
Insurance Policy Limits. The insurance policy limit of the driver who caused your motorcycle accident won’t impact the value of your claim, but it can impact the amount of money you receive if you win your claim. Unless the person who caused your accident and injuries has plentiful high-value assets or large financial reserves, it won’t be easy to collect money over the amount of the insurance policy limit. Your lawyer will examine your claim and look for ways to maximize the amount of compensation you receive.
How Long Will it Take to Resolve My Claim?
It’s impossible to predict the exact amount of time it will take for you to resolve your motorcycle accident claim. If you reach a settlement agreement, your claim will resolve sooner than if you go to trial. However, depending on the extent of your injuries and the facts of your case, settlement negotiations can take years. Gathering evidence, liability disputes, and waiting for victims to reach their maximum medical improvement can increase the timeline of a claim.
If you have to go to trial, preparation for court, preparing witnesses, scheduling witnesses, and other administrative tasks related to litigation can add months to the amount of time you need to wait to resolve your claim. Your attorney can review the facts of your Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident and give you an idea of the issues and challenges that could impact your timeline.
Will I Have to Go to Court for My Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident Claim?
It’s doubtful you will need to go to court for your motorcycle accident claim, but you should prepare for the possibility. More than 90 percent of traffic collision cases, including those involving motorcycles, settle long before going to court. Litigation is expensive, and neither side wants to spend the extra time or money unless necessary. In most cases, both sides attempt to settle.
However, sometimes insurance companies will not cooperate or act in bad faith. They offer lowball settlement offers, vehemently dispute liability, or engage in other tactics that make settlement difficult, if not impossible. If settlement negotiations fail in your case, you can expect your attorney to prepare your claim for trial, and you likely will have to testify in court. They will present your case to the court and let the jury decide the outcome.
How Can a Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident Attorney Help?
If you haven’t hired an attorney yet, you might wonder why you need one, especially if you know the other person caused your motorcycle accident. Some choose not to hire an attorney, but they miss out on the benefits that come with legal counsel.
Examples of the ways an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer can help you include:
- Case evaluation. Lawyers evaluate each new case to ensure their clients have a viable claim. They prevent those injured in motorcycle accidents from seeking compensation when they do not have a viable case, saving time, money, and stress.
- Accident investigation. Lawyers gather evidence to support their clients’ cases, such as documents, witness statements, and medical records.
- Attorneys spend hours dealing with insurance companies, so they know how to handle tricky adjusters. This protects clients from saying something that could potentially devalue their claims.
- Valuation of your claim. It’s difficult to know how much money you deserve for your injuries, especially when considering things that aren’t easy to quantify, such as pain and suffering. Personal injury attorneys have the knowledge and resources to place a fair value on a motorcycle accident claim.
- When lawyers negotiate on behalf of their clients, insurance companies often take claims more seriously. Additionally, a lawyer can typically negotiate a better settlement than a victim could do on their own.
- When settlement is not an option, lawyers fight for their clients and take claims to court to secure compensation for their injuries.
How Jared Can Help Injured Motorcyclists and Their Families in Hallandale Beach
As a motorcyclist in Hallandale Beach, you have rights. Most fundamentally, you have the right to be treated the same as any other motorist on the road. And, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries from careless, reckless, or malicious motorists whose dangerous actions cause you harm.
At the Law Offices of Jared Spingarn, P.A. we help injured motorcyclists like you, and families who lose loved ones in motorcycle wrecks, hold the at-fault parties accountable for their actions.
Those parties may include:
- Drivers of cars, trucks, buses, and other larger motor vehicles who make dangerous decisions behind the wheel that injure riders.
- Employers of drivers who cause a motorcycle accident while operating a commercial vehicle.
- Local road departments and contractors who design, build, or fail to warn bikers about dangerous road conditions.
- Bike and bike-part manufacturers that sell defective equipment that fails under normal operating conditions, causing a wreck.
These are just a few examples. In every motorcycle accident case he takes, Jared examines the facts closely to figure out how a crash happened and who should bear the blame.
He aims to hold anyone whose actions caused a wreck legally and financially accountable so that his clients obtain the maximum compensation available.
That compensation can include payment for:
- Past and future medical expenses related to treating an initial motorcycle accident injury and any subsequent health complications it causes.
- Other past and future costs of living with and adapting to an injury.
- Past and future lost wages and income, due to missing work while healing or becoming disabled and unable to work.
- Pain, suffering, and overall diminishment of a biker’s quality of life because of a motorcycle accident.
In the tragic case of a biker who died in an accident in Hallandale Beach, Jared can also help the biker’s surviving spouse and family members secure compensation for their loss through a wrongful death lawsuit. Money cannot bring back a loved one taken from you in a motorcycle accident, but it can provide much-needed financial support to help you rebuild from your loss.
An Experienced Hallandale Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
In the wake of suffering injuries and losses in a motorcycle accident in Hallandale Beach, it can feel difficult to know where to turn for help. Jared understands. He’s been in your situation, and he knows the frustration of feeling like no one hears you or gets what you’re going through.
You need a steady guiding hand to make sure your rights stay protected and that you get the money you deserve. Jared can probably help. Through the diligent pursuit of insurance claims and lawsuits, he has helped numerous injured bikers like you secure the maximum compensation available from the at-fault parties.
An initial consultation with Jared and his team is free of charge. Contact the Hallandale Beach motorcycle accident lawyers today online or call (866) HIRE-JARED to get started.
Client Testimonial
★★★★★
“What a great team. Took care of my accident case and got me a very great settlement. Thank you so much to the team for their great efforts and always being transparent with all the information they provided. Highly recommend they will take care of you like family.”
-Robert P
Hallandale Office:
2500 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd., #808
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009