The Colorado & Arizona
Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Motorcycles don’t share the same structural protection as automobiles, and since many other drivers tend not to notice motorcycles until it truly is too late, motorcycle riders and passengers are particularly at risk of serious injuries. You deserve the peace of mind, which comes from having an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer help you understand your rights as well as your options after an accident. At Ramos Law, you will have the security of knowing we have helped countless clients following a motorcycle accident.
After experiencing a motorcycle accident, injured bikers and their loved ones often encounter tough issues including:
- Often severe to catastrophic injuries
- Inadequate insurance to pay for medical expenses
- Bias towards motorcyclists by insurance claims adjusters, the police investigators and others who evaluate, advise or aid in recovery
What Should I do if I’m in a Motorcycle Accident?
Do
DO – make notes of any statements made by the other driver. Use your smartphone or other electronic device to record voice memos. This is a great way to collect details when in the chaos of an accident scene. Gather as much information about the accident as you can. Start by taking down the other driver’s name, address, license number, and insurance information.
DO – collect additional information including the contact information of any witnesses, photographs of the vehicles, as well as descriptions of the road, traffic, and weather conditions. If your cell phone is able to record video, use it. Take a video of the scene of the accident from both up close and at a distance. Include the location of traffic signs, crosswalks, etcetera. Make sure to write down the names of police officers on the scene so that it will be easier to get copies of their reports later.
DO – contact a personal injury attorney. The other driver’s insurance company will use several tactics – right from the very first phone call they make to you. It is very important that you let an experienced lawyer handle these conversations and paperwork for you so that your rights are protected. Be sure to consult an attorney before you sign anything.
Don’t
DON’T – wave your right to seek immediate medical attention. Immediately following the car crash, your body’s fight-or-flight response is triggered and a rush of adrenaline is released so that your body is ready to handle the danger it faces. One of the things adrenaline does is to dull pain and although you may not notice any at first, the whiplash motion caused by a car accident can produce injuries that become more pronounced as time goes on. Additionally, you do not want the other driver’s lawyer to demean the severity of your injuries due to the fact that you did not feel it necessary to seek treatment right away.
The Ramos Advantage
There are a lot of law firms out there. Some law firms advertise on television promising huge settlements. Other Denver & Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyers advertise on the Internet or in local newspapers promising one thing or another. In the end, they are all pretty much the same. Ramos Law stands out and offers something no other law firm can, the expertise of a trained E.R. Doctor who has years of experience caring for the injured.
The Ramos Advantage is more than just having a doctor who is also your attorney. We will do everything in our power to help you get the care you need and the compensation you deserve. We will meet you on your terms to discuss your case – at your home, at a local coffee house or restaurant or here at our north metro office. The Ramos Advantage is a system that prides itself on always putting the client first while it bridges the gap between law and medicine.
The bottom line is The Ramos Advantage sets us apart from other law firms. At Ramos Law, we treat you like people and we do this type of work because we genuinely care about helping others. This is our mission and we would be honored to help you as well if you have been injured through the fault of another.
Ramos Law has been helping people with their motorcycle accident claims for years. We will answer all your questions and help you in your pursuit of justice. Receive the compensation and peace of mind you deserve by having an experienced Colorado or Arizona motorcycle accident lawyer on your side. You have our guarantee: There are no fees or costs until your case is settled.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, call us now at (303) 731-4477 or submit an Evaluation Form to receive a complimentary evaluation of your case.
Helping motorcycle accident victims throughout Phoenix, Arizona and all of Colorado.
Colorado Motorcycle Accident Information
During the year of 2016, Colorado experienced a record high of motorcycle fatalities at 125. This marks a 15 percent increase from the year 2015 and the main causes are distracted drivers and poor bike handling skills. As a result, CDOT has made the month of May all about Motorcycle Safety Awareness to encourage riders to increase their skills through classes. At the end of the day, both riders and drivers must work together to make the roads more safe for everyone.
Colorado Motorcycle Crash Statistics
Anyone who has been injured in a Colorado automobile accident or has lost a loved one because of an auto accident knows that life can change in the blink of an eye. Yet, far too many accidents occur every year. In fact, hundreds of people die on Colorado roads each year and the lives of thousands more are irreversibly changed because of a serious wreck.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how good of a driver you may be, you may not be able to avoid the careless driving habits of others. You may not have even been in a vehicle when you were hit by a negligent driver. Too many times pedestrians, cyclists, and bikers are killed by drivers who aren’t paying attention.
According to the Institute, statistics show that in 2015, Colorado auto accidents claimed the lives of:
- 103 motorcyclists
- 59 pedestrians
- 13 bicyclists
Car wrecks in Colorado also claimed the lives of:
- 175 people in passenger cars
- 165 people in pickup trucks and SUVs
- 13 people in large trucks [2]
Drugged and Drunk Driving
It is illegal to drive a vehicle if your ability to operate the vehicle is impaired by the use of alcohol. The legal threshold, the point at which you are deemed to be impaired whether you feel or appear intoxicated, is a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.08. Some drivers, like underage and commercial drivers, are held to an even lower standard and can be arrested for driving with a BAC of 0.02.
Yet, despite these thresholds, drunk drivers continue to be responsible for thousands of deaths across the country. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that one person died nearly every 52 minutes in alcohol related crashes in 2013. More than 10,000 people died that year in car crashes involving a driver with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
Of these alcohol-related fatalities,
- 6,860 involved a driver with a BAC of .15 or more
- 1567 were passengers of drunk drivers
- 1157 were passengers in other vehicles
- 837 of these people were not in a vehicle when they were killed[3]
Colorado’s Drunk Driving Record
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CODOT) reports that over 26,000 people are arrested each year for driving with a BAC over the legal threshold. [4] What is worse is that these drivers are responsible for the deaths of more than one-third of all Colorado automobile accident fatalities.
Colorado’s drugged driving statistics may not be as bad as some news reports would have it seem, but they aren’t as good as you might hope. The CODOT reports that 87 fatal accidents in 2012 involved a drugged driver, and of the 286 drivers who were tested for drugs that year, 35 had cannabis in their system.
Like the legal threshold for alcohol, Colorado has established a legal threshold of 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood as the legal limit for marijuana impairment when driving. This means you can be arrested for drugged driving if you have five nanograms of active THC in your blood, even if you do not feel or seem under the influence.[5]
Colorado Motorcycle Accident
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I wasn’t wearing a helmet?
In Colorado, only riders under the age of 17 are required legally to use a helmet. Even if you weren’t wearing a helmet, you still have the legal right to seek compensation for your injuries. However, the insurance company may attempt to lower your compensation simply because you were not wearing a helmet. Therefore, it is all the more crucial that you have a qualified lawyer on your side.
Can I make a claim if my accident was a result of a defect or foreign substance on the road?
Oil spills, Potholes, gravel, as well as other foreign objects, can all cause a motorcycle accident, regardless of how experienced the rider might be. If the road defect or foreign substance is the fault of the city, county, or state, you might l have a shorter period to file this type of claim. Therefore, it is essential that you speak to a Colorado motorcycle accident lawyer as quickly as possible after an accident to help you determine who is at fault for the accident.
Can I still make a claim if I was without a motorcycle license during the time of my accident?
The fact that you didn’t have a motorcycle license during the time of your accident does not prevent you from making a claim.
How can a Colorado motorcycle accident attorney help me?
A skilled motorcycle injury attorney can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Don’t wait – evidence could be lost and witnesses may forget crucial facts. Any delay could weaken your case and lower your opportunity to be fairly compensated. At Ramos Law, we have the resources to launch a prompt investigation.
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