Motorcyclists in Lexington and Columbia enjoy riding their bikes in Richland County, Lexington County, and across South Carolina. While motorcycles offer significant benefits in terms of affordability and enjoyment, they also place motorcyclists at a much higher risk of sustaining serious injuries or being killed in accidents. At The Lovely Law Firm, our dedicated and compassionate attorneys represent people who have suffered serious injuries or have lost their family members in motorbike collisions. If someone else caused your accident, you might be entitled to recover compensation through a negligence lawsuit.
The Lovely Law Firm is made up of a team of skilled tort attorneys, paralegals, and staff members. Through our work together over the past 12 years, we have recovered substantial amounts of compensation for many accident victims and families of people who were killed. A biker who tries to represent himself or herself in a lawsuit is likely to run into trouble trying to collect damages. Our attorneys have experience fighting the insurance companies and know what it takes to succeed for our clients. We strongly believe that people whose accidents are caused by the actions of others deserve to receive the full compensation to pay for all of their losses.
We differentiate ourselves from other attorneys and firms through a combination of our legal ethics, skills, experience, and hard work. We approach each case individually, focusing on gaining a full understanding of what happened so that we can present the strongest possible claims to the insurance companies for our clients. How we approach cases and represent our clients has resulted in substantial successes on their behalf. The defense bar knows who we are and respects us. Our former clients regularly refer others to us, and the broader legal community recognizes us. Justin M. Lovely’s past and former clients have rated him as a 10 out of 10 for client satisfaction on Avvo. The National Trial Lawyers has named attorney Amy Lawrence to its lists of Top 100 Trial Lawyers and Top 40 under 40 for the state of South Carolina.
In everything we do, we prioritize our clients. We view our clients as vital members of our family and always treat everyone we encounter with professionalism and respect. We value strong communication and take steps to ensure that we keep each client up-to-date about the statuses of their cases by phone calls, text messages, or emails as they prefer.
What our lawyers and staff can do for you
When you choose The Lovely Law Firm to represent you in your motorcycle accident claim in Columbia or Lexington, we will immediately begin investigating your claim. We often try to send investigators and accident reconstruction experts to the accident scene to gather as much information as possible. This helps us to collect evidence to help build stronger cases for our clients and to better understand everything that occurred in their accidents. We will ask you to review your medical records to understand the extent of your injuries and whether you are likely to recover. Working hard from the start is critical. Many people in the general public are biased against people who ride motorcycles and tend to believe that a biker is likely at fault for causing his or her accident. Unfortunately, insurance companies frequently try to use this bias to their advantage and dispute liability or offer unreasonably inadequate settlement offers to bikers. By working hard, we are able to build strong liability cases that help to convince insurance companies and defense lawyers that it is better for them to offer fair settlements than to risk a loss at jury trials against us.
We are also familiar with other tactics used by insurance companies to try to reduce how much they might be forced to pay. By retaining us as soon as possible after your motorbike accident, we can help to prevent you from accidentally making critical errors that could harm your claim when you are dealing with the insurance company.
We strive to recover the most compensation possible for each of our clients. Some of the types of compensation that you might recover include the following:
- Past and future costs of medical treatment for your injuries
- Past and future losses of income because of your accident
- The burial and funeral expenses for victims who died
- Loss of any contributions your family member would have made over his or her expected life span if he or she was killed
- Damage to your property
- The rights of your deceased loved one to any inheritance
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced ability to enjoy life
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Disability
- Loss of companionship and guidance
- Punitive damages in some cases
Judges and juries award punitive damages in rare cases. Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants who have behaved in outrageous ways and are not available in most cases. Your lawyer can evaluate your claim and explain the various types of damages that you might recover and how much your claim might be worth.
Common types of South Carolina motorbike accidents
The attorneys at The Lovely Law Firm represent victims of many different types of motorbike collisions, including the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- Left-turn collisions
- Lane change collisions
- Door collisions
- Head-on collisions
Rear-end collisions are the most common type of accidents that happen. In a rear-end collision with a motorbike, a motorist crashes into the bike’s rear. This type of accident commonly results from negligent driving behaviors like tailgating or distracted driving.
Another common type of collision involving motorcycles is a left-turn collision. In this type of accident, a motorist will turn left in front of a motorcyclist who has the right-of-way at an intersection or when the motorist is trying to enter a highway. The motorist will either turn directly into the motorcyclist or cross into his or her path and not provide him or her with enough time to avoid the crash. Left-turn collisions are nearly always the fault of the turning car.
A collision can also happen when cars, trucks, or SUVs change lanes without noticing a motorcyclist traveling next to them. This type of accident can happen when drivers fail to check their blind spots before moving into the adjacent lanes or when they drive aggressively.
Door collisions happen when motorcycles travel on city streets in the far right lanes where cars are allowed to park along the sides. If drivers fail to look for oncoming traffic when they open their doors, oncoming motorcyclists might crash into them.
Head-on collisions with motorcycles are nearly always fatal. In these accidents, motorists cross the center line and strike motorcycles head-on. The vehicles might run over the riders, propel them into stationary objects, or cause them to crash through the vehicles’ windshields. These types of accidents commonly happen when drunk drivers are involved or when people pull out to pass in no-passing zones such as around curves or up hills.
How are motorcycle accidents caused?
Driver errors cause most motorbike accidents. Some of the common types of factors that can lead to motorbike accidents include the following:
- Drowsy driving
- Driving too fast for the weather or road conditions
- Improper lane changes
- Defective parts
- Speeding
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Aggressive driving
- Poor road maintenance
- Inclement weather
- Drunk driving
- Inattentive driving
- Lack of repairs
- Aggressive driving
- Fatigued driving
- Careless driving
- Distracted driving
- Faulty brakes/tires
- Texting while driving
Where do bike accidents happen in Lexington County and Richland County?
The most common roads around Columbia and Lexington for accidents include the following:
- Interstate 20
- U.S. Route 1
- U.S. Route 378
- S.C. Hwy. 6
- Interstate 77
- Interstate 26
- Interstate 526
- U.S. Route 121
- U.S. Route 176
Common injuries in bike accidents
As a motorcyclist, you are much likelier to be seriously injured or killed in an accident than if you were riding in a different type of vehicle. This is because motorcycles do not offer the same types of safety measures as modern cars and trucks. While wearing a helmet and other safety gear can help, your injury risks are still high. Some of the typical injuries we see in motorbike collisions include the following:
- Fatalities
- Severe lacerations
- Fatalities
- Serious burns
- Internal injuries
- Broken arms and legs
- Crush injuries
- Avulsions
- Broken ribs
- Spinal cord injuries/paralysis
- Road rash
- Neck, head, and facial injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Skull fractures
Talk to an experienced lawyer at The Lovely Law Firm
When you have suffered serious injuries or have lost a close family member in a motorcycle accident, you should seek legal help immediately. These types of claims frequently involve catastrophic injuries and losses and should not be handled without the help of an experienced injury attorney. Contact The Lovely Law Firm today to request a free consultation so that you can learn about your legal options.
Not from Columbia? W serve many areas across South Carolina. Contact a motorcycle accident lawyer in North Charleston, motorcycle accident lawyer in Florence, motorcycle accident lawyer in Conway, or a motorcycle accident lawyer in Myrtle Beach.
What Our Happy Clients Have to Say on Google
A family member needed legal help. I spoke to a few attorneys I knew around the state and they all recommended this firm. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results they got. Everyone in the firm is friendly and very supportive of their clients. I was especially impressed with Jessica Daniels! She is really on top of every little detail and keeps the clients up to date on everything that is happening as the case progresses.
Michael Z.
March 2021
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