Virginia Left or Right Turn Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Driving a motorcycle is fun—cruising down the road, enjoying the feeling of air on your face. Unfortunately, all too often, that pleasure is interrupted by a negligent driver who fails to yield the right of way when they should. When you try to make a left or right turn or when they turn in front of you without checking to see if they were clear to do so, car and truck drivers can seriously injury you. Even when motorcyclists practice defensive driving, they may still find themselves in an unavoidable accident with a motor vehicle.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 41 percent of all motorcycle crashes happen because the other driver failed to see them. Devastatingly, 42 percent of fatal motorcycle crashes happened when a driver was making a left turn while a motorcycle was passing or proceeding through an intersection.

These common types of wrecks are all avoidable, but other drivers are often distracted or just simply fail to notice the motorcycle trying to proceed through the intersection. That’s unacceptable, and these inattentive drivers can be liable for their poor driving.

At CHASENBOSCOLO, we handle left and right turn motorcycle accident cases for drivers in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. If you or a loved one were involved in one of these accidents, our award-winning Virginia motorcycle accident attorneys can take your call, listen to your case, and provide you with a free case analysis so that you know exactly what your legal options are. Contact us at (703) 538-1138 to set up your no-obligation consultation.

Causes of Left & Right Turn Motorcycle Accidents

Generally, left turn or right turn motorcycle accidents are caused by drivers who claim they couldn’t see the motorcycle when they failed to yield the right of way to them.

Other causes of these accidents may include driver negligence such as:

• Texting While Driving: Despite numerous laws across the country banning texting and driving, it’s still one of the leading causes of distracted driving accidents. A driver may look down at their phone and not realize that you’ve entered the intersection on your motorcycle, resulting in a collision.
• Driving Under the Influence: Many drivers choose to operate their vehicle while they’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol. That can lead to slowed reaction times or a total inability to see you on a motorcycle.
• Driver Fatigue: A driver may fall asleep at the wheel, which can lead to them veering into an intersection while you try to turn left or right and colliding with you and your motorcycle.
• Distracted Driving: Drivers may be distracted by any number of things, from their food to their phone to their fighting kids in the backseat. One glance in a rearview mirror instead of in front of them could lead to disaster for you if you are trying to safely proceed into an intersection.
• Poor Weather Conditions: Foggy mornings, icy roads, or rainy weather can all lead to an injury-causing collision. A driver may not see you because of the fog or reflection off the wet asphalt.
• Reckless Driving: Speeding or weaving in and out of lanes can cause an accident with a motorcycle. If someone is speeding and they run a red light in the process, they may hit you. That could cause serious injury to you when you are unprotected on a motorcycle.

Injuries that May Be Sustained During a Motorcycle Accident

Unfortunately, motorcyclists can suffer quite severe injuries during these types of accidents, since they don’t have the protection of a vehicle around them. Safety gear and a helmet can provide a layer of basic protection, but they can’t prevent all injuries.

Types of injuries inflicted by left and right turn accidents include:

• Spinal cord injury, which may cause paralysis
• Broken limbs, ribs, or other bones from hitting the ground abruptly
• Road rash from hitting the pavement
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) or brain damage
• Minor to severe concussion
• Deep cuts from glass, metal, or items on the road
• Internal bleeding or damage to organs
• Injured legs, knees, arms, wrists, or shoulders

Even if you manage to get up and walk away from the scene of your crash, some types of injuries, such as internal bleeding, can be invisible. Make sure to seek medical attention as soon as possible to check that you’re OK. Your medical check will factor into any eventual personal injury claim that you make. If you don’t seek immediate medical attention, the other side may argue that you weren’t hurt at all.

Why You May Want a Lawyer for Your Personal Injury Claim

The complexity behind Virginia’s personal injury laws alone demands the presence of a lawyer on your side. There are many benefits to hiring an attorney to handle your personal injury claim for you.

For example, Virginia operates under very strict negligence laws. Most states operate under comparative negligence, which means victims can collect damages even if they’re assigned part of the blame for the accident. In Virginia, however, our courts operate under the contributory negligence doctrine.

If you’re assigned any blame for the accident, then you will be barred from collecting any kind of compensation for your injuries. Your lawyer will have to prove that the other driver was 100 percent to blame for the accident. That’s why you need a good one, like ours, at CHASENBOSCOLO.

The other party’s insurance company will try to find ways to assign blame to you to attempt to get out of paying a claim. Your lawyer will know what to say and do to stop that from happening.

They’ll put the whole case together for you, including documentation, witness statements, police reports, security camera footage, and any other items that may help your claim. When you’re trying to recover from an accident, the last thing that should be on your mind is trying to defend your right to compensation or prove that the other driver was 100 percent negligent.

Your motorcycle accident attorney will negotiate on your behalf with the other party’s insurance company to demand they pay the compensation you’re owed.

Why Hire the Lawyers at CHASENBOSCOLO?

With years of experience with personal injury claims under our belts, including motorcycle left and right turn crashes, we know the best strategies to employ when we take on cases like yours. Our law firm has been recognized by the American Association for Justice, Super Lawyers, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and many other organizations for the tireless work we undertake for our clients.

We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients. We’d like to put our experience to work for you. Winning your case is important to us, and that’s why we offer our No Fee Guarantee. Our promise is that you pay nothing until you get your financial award.

Frequently Asked Questions About Left & Right Turn Motorcycle Accidents

When we take calls about motorcycle collisions that happened during a left or right turn, we’re often asked the same questions about different people’s claims. So we’ve answered some of the questions we often get during the initial case analysis below.

Should I accept the settlement that an insurance company has already offered me?

Accepting an insurance settlement is completely up to you, but remember that insurance companies value their bottom lines. They may have lowballed you with their offer. Instead of accepting their settlement immediately, you might want to consult with a lawyer. They can help you explore your other legal options to see if it may be possible to obtain more compensation.

What types of compensation could I get?

If your lawyer can prove that you had no fault at all for your accident, then you may be eligible to recover several types of compensation such as:

• Past and Future Medical Expenses
• Past and Future Lost Wages
• Medical Bills
• Personal Property Damages
• Pain & Suffering

We may also be able to get you other types based on the particulars of your case, and what happened in the accident. To find out more, call (703) 538-1138 to schedule a free consultation.

What if I was not wearing a helmet when the accident occurred?

Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. laws all require motorcyclists to wear a helmet. If you weren’t wearing one at the time of the accident, then the insurer may argue that part of the blame should be assigned to you. It’s important as a motorcyclist to follow all applicable traffic laws when operating a motorcycle. Even if you have doubts about your liability in the crash, you should still reach out to a motorcycle accident attorney to learn more.

Have You Been Injured in a Left or Right Turn Motorcycle Accident? Contact Us to Set Up a Consultation.

If you’ve sustained injuries and were the victim of a left or right turn motorcycle accident in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C., our personal injury lawyers might be able to help you recover significant compensation. Contact us today at (703) 538-1138 to set up your free, no-obligation consultation.