Have you been injured in a motorcycle accident in Largo, FL? If someone else’s negligence led to the accident, you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries. You may also be able to recover compensation for emotional distress or physical disfigurement as well.
Contact our experienced Largo motorcycle accident lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers. Our Largo, FL, personal injury attorneys have been representing injury victims since 1996. We have proven experience that has resulted in winning verdicts and large settlements for our clients. We offer free case consultations, so contact our law firm today at (727) 787-2500.
How Can Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Help Me After a Motorcycle Accident in Largo, FL?
We work hard to maximize the compensation we recover for our clients. Our Largo motorcycle accident attorneys have over 60 years’ combined experience fighting for injury victims like you.
We have recovered over $100 million in jury verdicts for our clients, including:
- $4,356,000 verdict for a traumatic brain injury victim
- $2,700,000 verdict for a truck accident victim
- $420,303 verdict for a semi-trailer accident victim
We maintain open communication with our clients, inform them of case developments, and give them critical guidance to make informed decisions.
If you entrust your motorcycle accident case to our Largo motorcycle accident lawyers, here’s what you can expect:
- Approachable advocates. Mark Roman & Morgan Gaynor prioritize their clients. You can come to us with your questions and expect a timely response.
- We’ll Have Experts Working for You. From accident reconstructionists to medical professionals, and even life care managers, we work with South Florida’s top experts to analyze our clients’ cases when needed.
- Award-winning Trial Lawyers with Proven Experience. Mark & Morgan are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and have earned the Florida Bar Association’s prestigious designation of Board Certified Civil Litigation Specialists. This professional designation is limited to attorneys who have shown a superior knowledge, high level of skill, and proficiency in an area of law.
- We Command Respect From Insurance Companies. When Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers is involved in a case, insurance companies know that low-ball settlement offers will go nowhere. We are often able to secure strong settlements because insurance companies know we are ready to go trial if needed.
You do not have to negotiate with insurance companies by yourself. Our compassionate personal injury lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers will help you file a claim. We will also be prepared to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering from your Largo motorcycle accident.
We recommend that injury victims seek an attorney-client relationship following their accident, injury, or mishap. Reach out to our law firm today to schedule a free consultation with our skilled Largo personal injury lawyers at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers.
Are Motorcycle Crashes Common in Largo, FL?
In 2019, nearly 600,000 motorcycles were registered in Florida. Not surprisingly, Florida often reports more motorcycle fatalities per year than any other state.
In 2020, data from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department show there were 8,005 total motorcycle crashes in Florida. Of these, 504 were fatal, and 6,938 resulted in injuries.
What is My Motorcycle Accident Case Worth?
When we talk about a motorcycle injury claim’s value, we generally mean the range of potential recovery. Most cases are not million-dollar cases.
Here are a few factors that influence the value of a motorcycle accident case?
- The severity of your injuries (mild, moderate, catastrophic)
- Whether the injuries keep you from working or limit your ability to work
- If your income earning capacity is limited by your injuries
- If your injuries caused a permanent disability
- Whether special medical equipment or intensive nursing care is needed
- Whether your injuries limit your ability to take care of yourself
In general, more significant interruptions or disruptions in daily life activities lead to more significant recovery amounts.
What Kinds of Damages Are Available to Motorcycle Accident Victims?
Damages are monies recovered by an injury victim to compensate for the harm.
When you are involved in a motorcycle accident, you may suffer:
- Financial harm
- Physical harm
- Psychological harm
- Emotional harm
You may be entitled to compensation for any harm you experience as a result of someone else’s negligence.
What Are Economic Damages?
Economic damages are one category of damages available to motorcycle accident victims.
Economic damages are meant to compensate an injury victim for actual monetary losses incurred due to their accident, such as:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Property damages
An injury victim demonstrates the dollar value of the financial losses with medical bills, pay stubs, tax returns, and repair receipts.
What Are Non-Economic Damages?
Non-economic damages are the second type of damages available to motorcycle injury victims. Non-economic damages attempt to pay an injury victim back for losses that are not monetary in nature.
These losses include:
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
Non-economic damages are intended to make these difficult experiences a little easier to bear.
Can I Recover Compensation If I’m Being Blamed for My Motorcycle Accident in Florida?
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers zealously defends our clients against accusations of blame. Why?
Florida’s modified comparative negligence laws allow for an injury victim’s compensation to be reduced by their share of the blame for their accident – or completely barred. Under the rule, you can only recover compensation if your share of blame is 50% or less. Once your allocated fault exceeds 50%, you’re prohibited from a financial recovery.
For this reason, insurance companies often try to point the finger at injury victims.
For example, say a jury awards an injured person $100,000 in damages but determines the person was 25% to blame. Under the state’s comparative negligence rules, the compensation recovered would be reduced by $25,000. If the person was 51% to blame, they’d be prevented from recovering any money.
However, the experienced Largo personal injury attorneys at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers work hard to minimize any blame placed on our clients and maximize their recovery. So, even if you think you may have been partly responsible for your accident, you should still contact us to learn more about how comparative negligence might impact your case.
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Will Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Like injuries sustained in truck accidents, injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident can range from mild to fatal.
Some injuries we have seen in motorcycle accident cases include:
- Burns and road rash
- Fractures, broken bones, and amputations
- Chest, back, leg, and pelvic injuries, including paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries, swelling, and damage to the brain
- Head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal injuries
At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we work with leading medical experts to evaluate our client’s medical records and help determine an appropriate value for the pain and suffering caused by an injury.
What Causes Most Motorcycle Accidents in Largo, FL?
Motorcycle accidents have many causes.
Automobile drivers or truck drivers often cause motorcycle crashes by:
- Sudden turns in front of a motorcycle
- Abrupt lane changes
- Cutting off a motorcyclist
- Tailgating (following too closely)
- Opening a door into the motorcycle’s lane of travel
Other causes of motorcycle accidents in Largo, FL include:
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Drug or alcohol-impaired driving
- Fatigued driving
- Substandard roadways
- Adverse weather conditions
It’s understandable if you do not know what caused your motorcycle accident. Many accidents have multiple causes. At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we use our resources to determine how the accident happened and why, and we investigate whether someone else’s negligence caused your injury.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Motorcycle Accident in Florida?
You are not automatically guaranteed compensation following a motorcycle accident in Florida.
To recover compensation when someone else’s negligence caused your motorcycle accident, you will have to prove these four “elements” of negligence:
- The at-fault party owed you a duty of care
- The at-fault party breached the duty of care owed to you
- You suffered actual injury
- Your injury was caused by the at-fault party’s breach of the duty of care
While this may sound simple, it can be quite challenging. Most drivers on the same streets at the same time owe a mutual duty of care. That’s usually the easiest element of negligence to prove.
To show a breach in the duty of care, you must show that the at-fault person failed to act like a reasonably careful person would have acted under the circumstances.
Actual injury can be demonstrated through physical injury and financial damages. In many cases, it also involves emotional and psychological harm.
Causation can be one of the most challenging elements to establish. Our skilled Largo personal injury lawyers can determine how to best show that the at-fault party’s negligence was the cause-in-fact of your injuries and the proximate cause of your injuries.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Motorcycle Accident in Florida?
After a motorcycle accident in Florida, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the injury. This means an injury victim has only two years to file a lawsuit.
It’s important to note that historically, the deadline was four years from the accident date. However, Florida law was revised on March 24, 2023, reducing the amount of time to file. Therefore, if your Largo motorcycle crash happened after 3/24/23, you have two years to pursue legal action.
In wrongful death cases, the statute of limitations is two years from the victim’s date of death.
If a lawsuit is not filed within the appropriate time frame, the injured party or the family of a decedent may not be able to recover compensation at all.
Our Largo personal injury attorneys at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers will make sure your case is filed on time and your right to recover is protected.
Contact Our Largo Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Today
If you are suffering from injuries after a motorcycle accident in Largo, FL, you could be entitled to compensation. Reach out to our experienced Largo motorcycle accident lawyers today to schedule your free consultation.
