Getting into a motorcycle accident in Windsor can lead to significant physical injuries and emotional trauma. When a driver carelessly or recklessly causes a motorcycle crash in Colorado, the driver’s automobile insurance can often be accessed to make the victim whole again.
At Hadfield Stieben Doutt, our skilled personal injury lawyers in Windsor, CO make the journey easy. Our team of Windsor motorcycle accident lawyers can represent you through every phase of the recovery process from start to settlement. We understand the financial stress and anguish a collision can cause. Let us help you seek justice and fair compensation as an injured motorcyclist, beginning with a free case consultation.
What Sets Our Windsor Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Apart?
- At Hadfield Stieben & Doutt, LLC, we truly care about our clients. This shows in our excellent reputation in Northern Colorado and the life-changing case results we achieve. One of our recent case results was $4.5 million for a fatal motorcycle accident, which we recovered without filing a lawsuit.
- Many of the lawyers on our team at HSD Law have worked for years previously as insurance defense attorneys. This gives us an edge in motorcycle accident cases. We know what strategies the other side will use to try to avoid a fair payout for motorcyclists.
- You can benefit from our high-quality legal representation for $0 out of pocket. We will only charge you if your motorcycle accident case in Windsor results in compensation for your losses. Our attorneys deduct fees only from a settlement or jury verdict won.
The Importance of Hiring a Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Windsor
When a motorcyclist is involved in a traffic accident, there is a power imbalance during insurance claim negotiations. Colorado car insurance companies typically do not offer injured motorcyclists fair settlements outright due to biases against them. Instead, they use tactics such as blaming the rider for the crash or the “assumption of risk defense” to avoid paying.
Hiring a motorcycle accident attorney in Windsor empowers you during the legal process. Your lawyer can assess your situation, investigate your accident, calculate the full value of your claim, and explain your legal options so that you can make informed decisions moving forward. While you focus on your recovery journey, your lawyer will fight for justice on your behalf.
Common Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists are at a higher risk of suffering severe and catastrophic injuries in accidents than standard motor vehicle occupants due to a lack of physical protection. Even with the right motorcycle gear and a helmet, a rider can suffer life-changing injuries due to the forces of a collision and impact with the road.
Common motorcycle accident injuries include broken bones, soft-tissue damage, neck and back injuries, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, facial injuries, internal injuries, road rash, and amputations. Motorcycle crash victims often suffer long-term and permanent damage and disability from serious collisions.
How Much Is a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Windsor Worth?
Holding a driver or another party accountable for your motorcycle wreck could lead to financial compensation for various economic (tangible) and non-economic (intangible) damages, including:
- Present and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Temporary or permanent disability
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Punitive damages, in some cases
A settlement or judgment award can help to make you whole again by compensating you for your losses. At Hadfield Stieben & Doutt, LLC, our Windsor, CO accident lawyers will strive to recover the maximum possible compensation for you using proven legal strategies.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents can happen for many reasons, but often result from driver negligence. Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents include:
- Speeding drivers: Drivers who are going too fast may not see a motorcyclist or may not be able to stop in time to avoid hitting the motorcycle rider.
- Reckless drivers: Reckless behavior such as unsafe passing can put a motorcyclist at risk of losses, especially because motorcycles are smaller and more difficult to see.
- Intersection conflicts: Drivers have an obligation to share the road safely with motorcycle riders, including yielding the right of way when appropriate. Unfortunately, drivers sometimes make unsafe left turns, misjudge motorcycle speeds, or otherwise fail to follow the rules that keep riders safe at intersections.
- Low visibility: When it is difficult to see at night or because of adverse weather conditions, there’s a greater risk a driver will strike a motorcycle rider because the driver can’t see the rider.
- Impaired driving: Drunk or drugged driving affects a driver’s focus and judgment, making it more likely the driver will strike a motorcycle rider.
- Failing to check blind spots: Because motorcycle riders are harder to see, drivers are more likely to miss a rider if they don’t check their blind spots carefully.
- Distracted driving: Drivers focused on their phone, their infotainment system, or even talking to passengers in the car may not see a motorcyclist on the road before striking them.
It is important to determine how a motorcycle accident occurred to determine who is at fault. If a driver of a passenger vehicle behaved negligently and caused the crash, the driver can be held accountable and made to pay damages.
In some cases, there are also other parties at fault. For example, those responsible for road design or maintenance could be held liable if a problem with the road caused the accident to occur. Or if some part of the motorcycle, like the brakes, malfunctioned because of a product defect, then the motorcycle or parts manufacturer could be held liable for losses.
Hadfield Stieben & Doutt, LLC will help you obtain evidence, including witness testimony, camera footage, and photos from the scene, to determine how your crash occurred. We’ll also assist you in working with accident reconstruction experts who can review the evidence and determine the most likely cause of a motorcycle crash.
Colorado’s Modified Comparative Fault Rules
Colorado also follows a modified comparative fault rule under Colorado Revised Statutes § 13-21-111. Under this law, a motorcyclist can still pursue a claim for damages if they share fault for the crash, as long as they were less than 50% responsible for causing their own accident.
Damages are reduced based on the motorcyclist’s percentage of fault under Colorado’s modified comparative fault rule. For example, if a motorcycle rider was found to be 20% to blame and an accident caused $100,000 in losses, the other driver could be responsible for $80,000 in damages (80% of the damages because he was 80% at fault).
Hadfield Stieben & Doutt, LLC can help you identify and prove the cause of your crash so you can show the other driver was mostly or solely to blame and can maximize the compensation you can collect from the at-fault driver.
Contact Hadfield Stieben Doutt Today To Speak With One of Our Motorcycle Accident Attorneys in Windsor
If you or a loved one has been injured in a recent motorcycle accident in or around Windsor, Colorado, contact our personal injury law firm to arrange a free consultation. You can meet with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer in Windsor to discuss your legal options and financial recovery. Call Hadfield Stieben Doutt at (970) 221-2800 today to learn more.