broken motorcycle lies on the road

Brooksville, Florida Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Out of all the types of automobile crashes, motorcycle accidents are some of the most devastating. If you or a loved one suffers injuries in a crash due to another’s negligence, you deserve justice. Contact Brooksville motorcycle accident lawyer Wendy Doyle-Palumbo today for a free case evaluation with our firm.

Why Choose Our Brooksville Motorcycle Lawyer for Your Case?

Wendy Doyle-Palumbo, Esq. has more than 30 years of experience representing personal injury victims, including those injured in motorcycle accidents. She’s dedicated to providing compassionate, individualized service for every client, no matter what.

While another motorcycle accident lawyer in Brooksville, Florida may hand dozens of cases off to a paralegal, we take a more personalized approach. In addition, we work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay us nothing unless you win.

Common Injuries in Brooksville Motorcycle Accidents

Due to the lack of protection usually offered by larger vehicles, motorcyclists often receive serious injuries in an accident. The most common, and most deadly, are head and brain injuries. This is why it’s important to wear a helmet if you decide to ride.

According to the CDC, wearing head protection reduces the risk of a head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 37%. However, traumatic brain injury isn’t the only type of trauma associated with motorcycle accidents.

Some other common injuries include:

  • Spinal cord injuries,
  • Neck injuries,
  • Fractures,
  • Lacerations, and
  • Road rash.

Many of these injuries come with high medical costs and possible disability or disfigurement. If you or a loved one receives some or all of these injuries, reach out to our Brooksville motorcycle lawyer.

Damages Available Under Florida Law

Like in any other type of crash, victims of motorcycle accidents may pursue compensation for their losses. This comes in the form of two damage types: economic and non-economic.

Economic damages are physical losses that have a financial value. This means that they’re tangible and may be estimated by a cost or price.

Economic damages include a variety of losses, such as:

  • Current and future medical expenses,
  • Loss of future earning capacity,
  • Funeral and burial costs,
  • Property damage, and
  • Lost wages.

To determine economic damages, Brooksville motorcycle accident lawyers simply add up any financial losses. For example, if you have $10,000 in hospital fees, $5,000 in lost wages, and $5,000 in vehicle damage, your total economic damages are $20,000.

In contrast, non-economic damages are non-financial losses related to an injury. In other words, they are intangible and aren’t easily measured.

Some examples of non-economic losses include:

  • Inconvenience,
  • Mental anguish,
  • Permanent disability,
  • Permanent disfigurement,
  • Loss of quality of life, and
  • Pain and suffering.

There are several ways that motorcycle injury lawyers in Brooksville may determine non-economic damages. One method utilizes a multiplier to increase the amount of economic damages. For example, if you have $20,000 in economic losses and a multiplier of three, you have $60,000 in total damages.

Another method used by some attorneys calculates a per-day cost to the victim for their injury. Typically, a lawyer may include every day the victim spends in recovery. So, if a victim takes 400 days to fully recover and their attorney assigns a per-day cost of $250, the result would be $100,000 in damages.

How Negligence Affects a Potential Settlement or Judgment

An often overlooked aspect of an accident case is the role of negligence. Each state has different laws regarding the fault attributed to the victim and the defendant.

Currently, Florida follows a pure comparative negligence law, which allows victims to pursue compensation even if they are partially at fault. The only catch is that the court reduces their total award by their share of fault.

Here’s an example of how this law may affect an award. Let’s say you get into an accident at a 4-way stop sign. Instead of stopping completely, you do a rolling stop, checking both ways. When you enter the intersection, a car going the opposite direction runs the stop sign, hitting you.

As a result, you have a total of $100,000 in damages. In court, the jury determines you are 15% responsible since you did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign. This means they decrease your award by 15%, to a total of $85,000.

This is why evidence is incredibly important in your claim. Showing the fault of the person responsible is crucial to getting the most compensation possible. If there are any disagreements about who’s at fault, we urge you to contact our Brooksville motorcycle accident law firm today for help.

Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Brooksville Today

If you have any questions about your claim or want to speak with a motorcycle accident attorney in Brooksville, we’re here for you. Our goal is to help manage the various aspects of your case so you can focus on recovery. Contact or call Wendy Doyle-Palumbo today.

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