Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Nassau County, NY

While riding a motorcycle on Long Island’s busy roads, your life can turn upside-down at any moment: One second, you’re cruising down the highway, and the next, you’ve gotten into a crash that demands mountains of medical bills and years of recovery. Thankfully, the law offers some relief: If someone else caused your motorcycle accident, you may have grounds for a legal claim. Get in touch with a motorcycle accident lawyer in Nassau County, NY, at Parker Waichman LLP by calling 800-968-7529 to discuss your case today.

What Makes Motorcycle Accidents So Dangerous?

Nassau County sees its share of motorcycle accidents throughout the year, and many of these crashes result in serious injuries or even death. After all, without the protective shell of a car around you, even a minor collision can result in major injuries for bikers. In one recent year, the county recorded 31 motorcycle crashes, with nearly half of these crashes occurring on state and U.S. routes.

On a national scale, motorcyclists are over 28 times more likely to die in traffic accidents than passenger car occupants, with the fatality rate reaching 31.39 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2023.

Approximately 52 percent and 42 percent of riders with nonfatal and fatal injuries, respectively, suffer some sort of fracture to the lower portion of their body, with over a third of all fractures damaging the tibia or fibula. Many motorcyclists also need to deal with head trauma, road rash, spinal cord injuries, and upper extremity damage after a collision.

What Should You Do After a Nassau County Motorcycle Accident?

The steps you take immediately after your motorcycle accident can significantly impact your ability to recover compensation. If you can physically and safely do so, take photos of the accident scene, gather contact information from witnesses, and make sure to get a copy of the police report. Even if you do not feel hurt, seek medical attention right away: Some injuries take a while to manifest symptoms.

Avoid giving recorded statements to insurance companies without legal representation present. Insurance adjusters may seem friendly and helpful, but they receive training to use your statements against you later. Remember, insurance companies focus on minimizing payouts, not giving you fair compensation.

How Do Motorcycle Accident Claims Differ from Car Accident Claims? 

Unlike with car accidents, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits do not automatically cover motorcycle collisions, which means you can’t rely on your own insurance and will need to pursue compensation directly from the at-fault party’s insurance company.

While this might sound like a disadvantage, this nuance may actually benefit you. Normally, in order to pursue compensation outside of PIP coverage, accident victims need to reach New York’s serious injury threshold law.

However, motorcycle riders do not need to worry about that threshold, which means that even relatively minor injuries can form the basis of a successful personal injury claim, as long as someone else’s negligence caused the accident.

Unfortunately, motorcyclists in New York can also come up against significant bias against motorcycles and those who operate them. This anti-motorcyclist bias can unfairly influence the outcome of injury claims. Insurance adjusters, police officers, and even jurors may assume the motorcyclist was reckless, regardless of the facts. This stereotype can result in reduced compensation or denial of a valid claim. An injured rider might face greater scrutiny or blame, even when another driver caused the crash. Courts may discount evidence and assign fault disproportionately.

To overcome this bias, you’ll need ample documentation, credible witnesses, and sometimes expert analysis to establish what truly happened and ensure a fair evaluation of your injuries and losses. Working with an experienced Nassau County motorcycle accident lawyer leaves these tasks in the hands of someone who’s ready to fight for what’s right and just in your case.

How Does the Legal Process Work?

The legal process for motorcycle accident cases typically starts with a thorough investigation of what happened, which includes reviewing police reports, analyzing your medical records, consulting with accident reconstruction experts, and gathering evidence to establish who caused the accident.

Once you establish the responsible party, you must then work to document the full extent of your losses. To do so, you will need to consult with medical experts, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and economists to project your future medical needs and lost earning capacity. You need to make sure that any settlement or verdict adequately addresses both your current needs and what you’ll need down the road.

Many personal injury cases nationally reach a conclusion through settlement, but if you and the insurance company cannot agree on adequate compensation, you may need to go to court.

What Types of Compensation Are Available?

After a motorcycle crash that caused you to suffer injuries, the compensation you receive after a successful third-party insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit can help cover your immediate needs and the long-term consequences of your injuries.

Economic damages cover your tangible financial losses, including current and future medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and rehabilitation costs. These costs have to do with actual bills and payments that you need to make to take care of your well-being after the accident.

Non-economic damages, meanwhile, address the intangible impacts of your accident, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and permanent disability or disfigurement. These damages recognize that motorcycle accidents often fundamentally change your quality of life in ways that do not have a specific associated dollar amount.

In personal injury cases where someone acted particularly recklessly or dangerously, the court may assign punitive damages to punish the wrongdoers and prevent similar behavior in the future.

Who Can Be Held Liable in Nassau County Motorcycle Accidents?

Multiple parties often share responsibility in motorcycle accidents, and if you want to pursue the maximum compensation possible for your crash, you need to identify all potentially liable parties.

Driver negligence (otherwise known as “other vehicle driver perception failure”) causes the highest number of motorcycle accidents in New York, which can include distracted driving, failure to yield right of way, improper lane changes, speeding, or driving under the influence.

In crashes involving commercial vehicles, you can hold the trucking companies responsible for their drivers’ actions and vehicle maintenance failures. In some cases, you could point the finger at government entities for accidents caused by dangerous road conditions, inadequate signage, or poor road maintenance. And in certain cases where motorcycle defects or faulty safety equipment contribute to accidents, you may have a valid product liability claim.

What Are New York’s Motorcycle Safety Requirements and Prevention Measures?

New York has some of the strictest motorcycle safety requirements in the nation, and whether you followed these regulations or not may impact your ability to recover compensation after your accident:

• Helmet Requirements – New York enforces a universal helmet law that requires all motorcycle operators and passengers to wear DOT-approved helmets, regardless of age or experience; the helmet must also meet U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218.
• Licensing and Training Requirements – To legally operate a motorcycle in New York, you must have a Class M or Class MJ license. In order to obtain one of these licenses, you must undergo at least 30 hours of practice before taking the road test; the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles also recommends completing the New York State Motorcycle Safety Program Basic Rider Course.
• Eye Protection and Equipment Standards – New York law mandates that all motorcyclists wear eye protection, such as goggles or face shields, even if the motorcycle has a windshield. The motorcycle must also have specific safety equipment, which includes approved headlights, rear lights, stop lamps, mirrors, and proper brakes on both wheels for motorcycles manufactured after 1971.

Why Choose the Nassau County Motorcycle Accident Lawyer at Parker Waichman LLP?

Parker Waichman LLP has built a reputation for getting results in motorcycle accident cases throughout Nassau County and Long Island. As one of the nation’s leading personal injury and mass tort law firms, we’ve recovered over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements for injury victims nationwide.

Our firm has also received the Billion Dollar Trial Lawyers Award, a prestigious designation that honors law firms that have achieved a lifetime total of $1 billion or more in trial verdicts, arbitration awards, and settlements for their clients. Additionally, our attorneys have received honors with proclamations from U.S. Congressmen, New York State Assembly members, and New York State Senators for their diligent advocacy work.

Contact Our Nassau County Motorcycle Accident Lawyer at Parker Waichman LLP

If you have suffered an injury in a motorcycle accident in Nassau County, you do not need to face the legal aftermath alone. An experienced Nassau County motorcycle accident lawyer at Parker Waichman LLP can guide you through the complex legal process while you focus on your recovery. We understand what you are going through, and we have the resources and determination to pursue maximum compensation for your injuries.

Contact us today at 800-968-7529 or fill out our online form for a free consultation to discuss your case. Our Nassau County office serves clients throughout Long Island, and we’re available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide the legal help you need after a motorcycle injury.