Although most drivers believe that motorcycle riders are responsible for their own accidents, inattentive car and truck drivers cause many vehicle wrecks. Worse, impaired drivers cause the most collisions because they do not see the motorcycle until it is too late.
Motorcycle riders are at greater risk of injury in any crash because motorcycles do not protect the rider in the same way that cars do. If a rider comes off their motorcycle, there is nothing between them and the pavement but their helmet and whatever safety gear they wear. If you sustained injuries and need a Clark drunk driving motorcycle accident lawyer, contact Fredson Statmore Bitterman, LLC. One of our dedicated motorbike wreck attorneys can help protect your legal rights.
How Does Driving Drunk Affect Accidents?
Tests by the National Institutes of Health and others have found that even low levels of alcohol can cause drivers to lose hand-eye coordination and slow their reaction time dramatically. It can also impair their peripheral vision, meaning when drivers see something out of the corner of their eye, they are less likely to respond appropriately.
These factors make slightly intoxicated drivers more likely to cause a wreck when you approach them in traffic. While sober drivers will see you and slow down or change lanes as necessary, drunk drivers may not notice you until it is too late or fail to stop at a light.
After a collision, your injuries may prevent you from collecting the evidence you need to prove your case. An attorney from our Clark office can assist by obtaining witness statements, police reports, and other records that demonstrate the other driver’s inebriation, allowing you to focus on recovering from your drunk driving motorcycle crash.
Proving Negligence
In an ordinary motorcycle accident, you must show that the other driver breached a duty of care. If the other driver engaged in unsafe driving or failed to obey traffic laws, they breached that duty. In such cases, their negligence can work in your favor.
Negligence per se refers to the fact that the other driver’s intoxication violates the elements of the duty of care. To prove your claim, you only need to show that the crash caused your injuries. You will not need to show that the other driver did anything else wrong.
The other driver may still claim you contributed to the crash by failing to obey traffic signals or driving unsafely. However, our attorney in Clark can use traffic citations and other documentation to show that drunk driving resulted in your motorcycle collision to strengthen your claim.
The state does not require a DUI conviction for a civil suit. If a drunk driver hit you, your case can proceed whether or not they received charges.
Call Our Clark Attorney if an Inebriated Driver Collides With Your Motorcycle
Proving that another driver’s impairment caused your motorcycle wreck requires additional evidence besides your own medical reports and doctor’s notes. Our Clark drunk driving motorcycle accident lawyer at Fredson Statmore Bitterman, LLC can help get the police reports and other records that show the other driver’s inebriation caused the crash and your injuries.
We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing until we settle or win your case. Contact our team today to schedule your free consultation.
