Georgia Motorcycle Accident Attorney

If you were recently injured while riding your motorcycle in Georgia, you may qualify for compensation. A Georgia motorcycle accident lawyer from Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC., can evaluate your case and determine your eligibility.

We’re proud to provide legal representation for those in need and can fight for a fair settlement offer on your behalf. You can start exploring your legal options during a free consultation today.

Working With a Georgia Motorcycle Accident Attorney

If you were in a motorcycle accident, you do not have to work with a lawyer. However, after an accident, it’s common to encounter problems like:

Low settlement offers from insurers or the liable party
Not understanding your case’s details or the compensation you are due
Uncertainty about whether a lawsuit makes sense or not
Not knowing how to deal with insurers
Being confused about motorcycle accident case deadlines

Juggling insurers, settlement negotiations, and potential legal proceedings isn’t easy. This is particularly true if you’re recovering from a serious injury. What’s more challenging, failure to adhere to proper procedures can jeopardize your case or reduce the compensation you receive.

At Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC., we’re here to provide you relief and clarity. With us by your side, you won’t need to haggle with insurers between physical therapy sessions or medical treatments. You tell us what’s going on, and we’ll get to work. Our legal services include:

Pursuing fair compensation: Our priority is your physical and financial recovery.

We’re prepared to work to recover a fair settlement offer, whether that’s through insurance negotiations or legal action. Unlike some other personal injury law firms, jury trials don’t frighten us. If we need to take the stand to advocate for your rights, we are ready to do so.
Providing clarity: Akim Anastopoulo, a personal injury attorney with 25 years of experience, leads our team. He knows the ins and outs of Georgia’s legal code. If you have questions, we have straightforward answers. Legal matters are complex, but we can make them simple.
Building your case: Evidence is crucial to every motorcycle accident case. Without it, you can’t prove another party caused your injuries. While we build your case, we’ll gather relevant evidence, including witness statements, police reports, medical documentation, and more.

Managing communications: Motorcycle accidents involve communications with insurers or an opposing legal team. We’ll manage texts, emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings with all relevant parties during your case.

Giving you time to heal: When you hire a lawyer, it’s likely that your first goal is to receive compensation. However, working with an attorney isn’t just about legal representation – it’s also about peace of mind. While you heal and spend time with your family, we’ll handle every aspect of your claim or lawsuit.

The Cost of a Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Motorcycle accidents aren’t cheap. They can force victims to deal with a mountain of expenses, including vehicle repairs and medical bills. We understand that your finances may be under pressure. For this reason, we provide our services on a contingency fee basis, which means:

We require no upfront payments.
We get paid only if you win.

If you were in a motorcycle accident in Georgia, you have the right to legal counsel. Don’t let financial concerns prevent you from utilizing this right.

Client Testimonials

We can only tell the story of Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC., from our perspective. Testimonials from our motor vehicle accident clients fill in the details of the bigger picture:

“The lawyers at the Anastopoulo Law Firm are professional, reliable. and ready to fight for their clients. I would highly recommend this firm to any friend, family member, or acquaintance.” – Lisa W.
“They were a big help to me and worked fast to get me what I deserved. I would recommend them to anyone who has been in any kind of accident.” – Betty R.
“Great law firm. Emailed them the other night and the next day they were at my house. This is what I call great service.” – Bill B.

Georgia Motorcycle Accident Damages

Motorcycle accident settlements are composed of smaller categories of losses called damages. These damages are split into two groups, economic and non-economic.

Economic damages cover losses like:

Medical expenses
Lost income
Property damage
Lowered earning potential

Non-economic damages are challenging to quantify as they deal with a motorcycle accident’s non-financial and emotional toll. This category of damages includes:

Emotional distress
Psychological trauma
Pain and suffering
Impaired quality of life

These are general damages, so some may not apply to your case. As your legal team, we can evaluate your case to determine the damages you can pursue.

What Is My Case Worth?

Before pursuing compensation, it’s common to wonder about your case’s value. However, every motorcycle accident is unique, meaning there’s no true “average” case value. Factors that can affect how much compensation you receive include:

The type of injuries you have
The amount of insurance coverage you carry
Whether you choose to pursue a lawsuit
The type of liable party involved in your case
The legal team you work with

Before entering settlement negotiations, our team will investigate your medical records and other case expenses to estimate your case’s worth. This way, you’ll know how much you could receive, helping you avoid unfair settlement offers.

However, remember that estimates are just that, estimates. In the end, juries have the final say during a motorcycle accident lawsuit.

What If I Lost a Loved One in a Georgia Motorcycle Collision?

Our legal team extends our deepest condolences if you lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident. We’re here to support you and act as your legal representatives during this difficult time. A Georgia motorcycle accident lawyer from our firm can pursue wrongful death damages on your behalf, such as:

Loss of companionship
Loss of household income related to your past loved one
Funeral and burial expenses

In Georgia, per O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, only specific parties can pursue wrongful death damages. They include:

Surviving spouses
Surviving children
Surviving parents

Wrongful death cases are inherently more complicated than standard personal injury cases. If you’re unsure about your case eligibility, our team can discuss these concerns with you during a free case evaluation.

Motorcycle Accident Lawsuits Have a Deadline

In Georgia, motorcycle accident personal injury cases and wrongful death cases generally have a two-year statute of limitations. If you miss this legal deadline, you likely won’t be eligible for a lawsuit. Motorcycle accidents involving state or municipal agencies usually have a shorter deadline.

For this reason, we suggest that you start on your motorcycle accident case as soon as you can. It’s best to keep your options open, even if you don’t plan to file a lawsuit. A Georgia motorcycle accident attorney from our team can keep you updated on the status of your case and ensure that you meet relevant deadlines.

Motorcycle Accident Liable Parties

Liability is a crucial element in motorcycle accident cases. If you can’t establish liability, you can’t receive compensation. Common liable parties in motorcycle accidents include:

Another driver
A trucker or trucking company
A municipal or state agency
A vehicle or parts manufacturer

Working with a motorcycle accident lawyer in Georgia can simplify the process of determining liability. We can scour the evidence to highlight negligent behavior.

For example, a municipal agency responsible for road maintenance may have caused your accident without you realizing it. Or maybe your accident was caused by a motorcycle malfunction, making the manufacturer responsible for your damages. These are just examples and don’t apply to every case.

The Elements of Negligence

To establish liability, you must demonstrate that another party behaved negligently. This process involves proving the following four qualifiers:

The liable party owed you a duty of care: All drivers owe everyone else on the road a duty of care. This duty means they must keep others from harm. Behaving negligently breaches this duty.

The liable party breached this duty: Negligent driving behavior includes speeding, drunk driving, and ignoring signage or traffic signals. Selling unsafe products or failing to maintain roadways can also be breaches of duty.

As a result of this breach, you suffered an injury: There must be a clear link between your injuries and the liable party’s negligent behavior. Police reports or traffic camera footage can show you were in a crash. We can use your medical records and other forms of documentation to establish that the crash injured you.
You suffered damages because of your injury: The accident and related injuries caused you to suffer compensatory damages, such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Georgia Motorcycle Accident Statistics

Data from the Georgia Department of Driver Services suggests that motorcyclists make up a disproportionate amount of traffic fatalities. This is likely due to motorcyclists’ lack of crash protection. In an accident, they don’t benefit from airbags or bumpers.

Nearly half of all motorcycle accidents took place in the Atlanta metro region during 2021. Rural areas, for the most part, were safer for motorcyclists. Those between the ages of 25 and 34 account for roughly one-quarter of yearly motorcycle emergency room visits.

These are the key takeaways from these data:

Motorcyclists need extra safety precautions.
Younger motorcyclists are likelier to be involved in crashes.
The Atlanta metro area is particularly risky for motorcycle riders.

Common Motorcycle Accident Questions

While our team can go into further detail during a free case evaluation, here are brief answers to common motorcycle accident questions:

Q: Do I Need to Wear a Helmet While Driving a Motorcycle in Georgia?

Georgia’s law requires you to wear a helmet when operating a motorcycle in the state, as the Georgia Department of Driver Services explains. Failure to do so is breaking the law. Similarly, if it’s revealed that you weren’t wearing a helmet during your accident, you could receive a smaller settlement. However, in most cases, you can still receive compensation even if you weren’t wearing a helmet during your crash.

Q: I Was Partially At Fault. Can I Still Receive a Settlement?

Yes, if you were partially at fault for your motorcycle accident, you can still receive compensation. Georgia adheres to a legal doctrine known as comparative negligence (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). This doctrine apportions compensation based on individual fault.

For example, say you were speeding on your motorcycle when a distracted driver struck you. The court apportions these percentages of fault based on each party’s degree of negligence:

You are 40% at fault because you were speeding.
The other driver is 60% at fault because they were distracted when they hit you.

Under comparative negligence, you could receive 60% of the initial damages valuation. So, if your settlement was $100,000, you’d receive $60,000. Keep in mind that you cannot pursue compensation if you are more than 50% at fault.

Q: What Should I Do After a Motorcycle Accident?

After a motorcycle accident occurs, you should focus on your health. If you didn’t leave the crash scene in an ambulance, promptly book an appointment with your doctor. Some injuries don’t present weeks or even months after an accident. The earlier you see a doctor, the sooner you can receive a diagnosis and begin treatment. Similarly, medical reports are key evidence in motorcycle accident cases.

Second, if the police didn’t arrive at the scene, file a police report. As explained in O.C.G.A. § 40-6-273, motorcycle accidents must be reported in Georgia if:

There was a serious injury.
There was a fatality.
There was more than $500 in property damage.

Like medical records, police reports can be evidence.

Finally, gather as much evidence as you can. This includes contact information for other parties in the accident, images from the accident scene, and proof of expenses like receipts. If you’re struggling to gather documentation, don’t fret. Our team can handle this portion of your case. Your participation just gives us a head start.

Q: An Uninsured Driver Hit Me. What Can I Do?

First, you can rely on that policy for coverage if you carry uninsured motorist coverage (UM). Fair In some cases, you could receive a liability settlement from a family member of the driver that hit you. Finally, depending on the context of the crash, you may be able to pursue legal action against the liable driver.

Accidents involving uninsured drivers are inherently complex. If you have questions, our team will happily address them during a free case evaluation.

Hire a Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Georgia Today

The legal team at Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC., is here for you. We can investigate your case, negotiate with insurers, and file a lawsuit if needed.

Call (800) 313-2546 to get in touch with our award-winning legal team today. Remember, you don’t need to face insurers alone or the liable party – we’ve got your back.