Saturday, May 24, 2008

Lawyer Representation in a Motorcycle Accident Action

by: Rainier Policarpio

Dangers of Motorcycle Riding

Motorcycle riding is indeed one of the most popular alternative means of travel. As well, a growing number of enthusiasts ride their bikes to relax and forget their worries for at least a short period.

However, many of these motorcycle lovers are not fully aware of the possible dangers riding a motorcycle may bring to them. According to statistics, thousands of individuals are being involved in motorcycle accidents every year. This is despite the continuous efforts of the government and other concerned groups to warn the people and convince them to follow safety measures and avoid tragic accidents.

Considering the characteristics of a motorcycle, one may easily predict what will happen after its collision with a much larger and heavier vehicle like a car or even a truck. Unlike other vehicles, motorcycles do not have metal cases to protect its passengers.

Further, safety belts are not applicable in motorcycles. This explains why those who were victims of these accidents have sustained serious injuries or even died.

Lawyer Representation in a Legal Action

Victims of motorcycle accidents certainly have their rights to be recover damages against the liable individuals. Yet, because of the intricate process of litigation and the many complicated law statutes associated with it, they certainly need the assistance of a motorcycle accident lawyer.

Depending on the circumstances of the crash, a competent legal counsel will try to address all the problems that the victims may encounter. They will do their best to make the pursuance of a lawsuit stress-free for their clients. This is by taking charge in all of the important tasks in a case litigation.

There are three duties that a legal advocate has to closely work with his client initially:

• Planning responses for the case discovery
• Preparation of plaintiff’s deposition
• Settlement options

After these matters are all dealt with and discussed accordingly, the victims may choose to either engage in an out of court settlement or just continue the battle in the courtroom. Yet, whatever the decision may be, they must be sure that they already understand the pros and cons of their choice.

Settlements vs. Litigation

Similar to what other personal injury claimants do, majority of motorcycle accident victims result in entering out of court settlement procedures. This is for the following reasons:

• A litigation procedure may take a lot of time and money before coming up with a court resolution.

• Settlements are more restricted to public knowledge

• In a settlement procedure, the amount of damages is decided upon by the parties involved and not by a judge

Finding the Credible Representation

Since the role of a lawyer in a motorcycle accident claim is very vital, the victims must strictly examine his qualifications before hiring his services. It will also be wise to look on his records of winnings and ascertain if he specialize in handling such cases.

Another thing to ask a motorcycle accident lawyer is his manner of charging fees. Generally, legal professionals imparting their services on a “contingency basis” are better that those who charge per appearance. This method of payment means that a client will just have to pay his lawyer if the case has already won and he already receive his money. No payment then will be made if the case will lose.

We provide free expert evaluation for personal injury cases involving motorcycles. To avail of this service, log on to our motorcycle accident lawyers website at http://askaccidentlawyers.com/practice-areas/motorcycle+accident+lawyers.html and give us information about your case.

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