Huntsville Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
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Fighting for injured riders across Huntsville, Madison County, and North Alabama
Here’s a harsh reality: If you ride a motorcycle, you may be more likely to suffer serious injuries in a traffic accident. Cars have frames, seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, and other features meant to absorb some of the impact in a collision. Most motorcycles don’t have these features, which leaves riders extremely vulnerable in crash scenarios.
There are many unfair assumptions floating around about motorcyclists. Some people are quick to jump to conclusions about motorcyclists being at fault for accidents, and this stigma doesn’t stop at the general public. Stereotypes and misinformation about motorcyclists abound even in the insurance and legal systems. This can complicate motorcycle accident claims and leave survivors feeling helpless and misunderstood.
At Martin & Helms, we don’t rush to judgment in motorcycle accident cases. We know that many of these cases are far more complicated than some people would make them out to be. With over 45 years of combined experience supporting accident survivors, we firmly believe that every injured victim deserves to be listened to and believed.
If you were injured in a negligence-related motorcycle accident, you deserve to work with a legal team that will fight for your rights and advocate for you to receive fair treatment under the law.
Contact our team today for a free case consultation. We’re ready and willing to help.
Table of contents
- Are motorcycle accidents dangerous?
- Common causes of motorcycle accidents
- Are motorcycle riders automatically considered at fault?
- Injuries we see in motorcycle accident cases
- Insurance challenges after a motorcycle crash
- How do you prove liability?
- What compensation may be available?
- Fatal motorcycle accident claims
- Frequently asked questions
- Why choose Martin & Helms?
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Are motorcycle accidents dangerous?
Even though motorcycles only make up a small fraction of all registered vehicles nationwide, they account for a disproportionately high number of traffic fatalities and injuries. If you ride a motorcycle, it’s important for you to understand the elevated risks you might face should you find yourself involved in a crash.
According to ALDOT, there were 1,810 motorcycle accidents reported to the state in 2024. Those crashes resulted in 1,138 injuries and 125 fatalities. These statistics are staggering, and they shine a glaring light on the unique dangers associated with these accidents.
Motorcycles often travel at high rates of speed, and riders don’t benefit from the protection of a steel vehicle frame during an accident. This means a motorcyclist may suffer more direct impact in a crash, making them susceptible to extensive injuries – not to mention property damage.
With all of these risks in mind, it’s important for motorcyclists and other Alabama motorists to be intentional while sharing the road with one another. Everyone’s actions can impact the lives of those around them, and even a brief lapse in judgment can have life-altering consequences for vulnerable motorcyclists and their loved ones.
Common causes of motorcycle accidents
Motorcycle accidents can happen for many different reasons. While some of the factors linked to these crashes are unavoidable, others can be traced back to human errors and oversight. Here’s a quick breakdown of some motorcycle accident causes we’ve encountered in our practice:
Left-turn accidents
Some dangerous accidents occur when passenger vehicle drivers make ill-timed left turns into the path of an oncoming motorcyclist. If a driver misjudges the motorcycle’s speed, they may collide with the bike with significant force.
Unsafe lane changes
Improper lane changes show up a lot in these cases. Drivers may fail to check their blind spots and inadvertently sideswipe a motorcycle while changing lanes. Motorcycle lane splitting can also contribute to these accidents, though this behavior is strictly prohibited in the state of Alabama.
Distracted driving
Drivers who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings may be more likely to cause an accident. If a driver is texting, adjusting their radio, fiddling with their GPS, or otherwise multitasking behind the wheel, they may not have enough time to respond to an oncoming motorcycle or other hazard.
Road hazards
Some cars can easily drive over the occasional pothole or piece of debris. Motorcycles, however, are far less stable than other vehicles and can be easily thrown off course by roadway hazards.
Speeding and reckless driving
Excessive speed or reckless driving behaviors on the part of a motorcyclist or other motor vehicle driver can easily contribute to the development of an accident. When drivers race one another, weave in and out of lanes, tailgate, brake-check, etc., they put everyone around them at an increased risk of harm.
Drug and alcohol impairment
Every year, thousands of Alabama crashes are potentially linked to substances like drugs and alcohol. In fact, data from ALDOT suggests you’re more likely to die in a drug- or alcohol-related crash than in other kinds of collisions.
Are motorcycle riders automatically considered at fault?
No. This is such a common misconception, and it has to be dispelled.
Motorcyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Alabama motorists. Fault for a crash has nothing to do with the kind of vehicle you’re operating and everything to do with your actions behind the wheel.
When working on motorcycle accident cases, we often encounter anti-motorcycle bias. There are many long-standing, unfair stereotypes about motorcyclists that likely contribute to this erroneous idea that riders should automatically be written off as the cause of a collision.
Just because these assumptions are false doesn’t mean they don’t impact real cases, however. Alabama follows a strict contributory negligence system that can bar someone whose own negligence contributed to their injury from recovering compensation on a negligence claim. If an insurance company or other involved party makes incorrect assumptions about a rider’s conduct, it could seriously impact their ability to recover compensation. This is why a thorough investigation is so important in motorcycle accident cases, as is working with a lawyer who refuses to buy into anti-motorcycle sentiment.
Injuries we see in motorcycle accident cases
As we’ve discussed, motorcycle riders are uniquely vulnerable in traffic accidents because there’s very little between them, the open road, and encroaching vehicles. As a result, we often see serious injuries associated with these accidents.
Some of the most common examples include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Broken bones and crushed limbs
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Lacerations
- Traumatic amputations
- Severe burns and road rash
Some motorcycle accident injuries evolve into lifelong disabilities that require ongoing care and accommodations. Many survivors of these accidents also go on to develop emotional injuries like PTSD and anxiety. All of these effects combined can take a major toll on a survivor’s quality of life and fundamentally change the way they interact with the world around them.
Insurance challenges after a motorcycle crash
Due to the aforementioned bias against motorcyclists, it’s not unusual for riders to encounter challenges when moving through the insurance claims process. Insurance companies may attempt to shift blame onto a rider by claiming they were speeding or lane-splitting at the time of an accident. They may also try to downplay the severity of a survivor’s injuries or claim that the medical care they’re seeking isn’t actually necessary.
Because of our strict contributory negligence system, claims that a rider’s own negligence contributed to their injuries could result in the rider being denied compensation for their losses. Just because they say it, however, doesn’t make it true. It comes down to facts and evidence.
If an insurance company denies your claim or attempts to dispute fault in your case, you may want to consider reaching out to an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer in Huntsville who can review police reports, photographs, witness statements, surveillance footage, and other evidence through a more objective lens.
How do you prove liability?
Most motorcycle accident claims depend on proving negligence. In other words, you have to show that the other party involved in your case caused you harm by violating the law or failing to act as another reasonable person would have.
Examples may include:
- A driver changes lanes without checking their blind spots and sideswipes a rider who was traveling in the appropriate lane.
- A driver rear-ends a motorcycle at a stoplight because the driver was looking down at their phone and failed to notice traffic slowing down.
- A cargo loading service fails to properly secure freight in an open trailer, and falling cargo injures a motorcycle rider.
- A municipality fails to address a known road hazard, and a motorcyclist suffers injuries after coming into contact with that hazard.
These are just a few cursory examples, but there are many other scenarios that could be traced back to negligence. When we investigate these cases, we specifically look for evidence that suggests the alleged at-fault party caused the collision by failing to take reasonable steps to avoid causing harm to others.
What compensation may be available?
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, you may be facing a long road to recovery. The costs associated with these accidents often pile up quickly, and some survivors may not have the resources on hand to meet their rapidly changing needs.
To help you address your accident-related losses, you may be able to pursue a claim for certain economic and non-economic damages. Economic losses like medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and future care costs are usually calculated based on receipts and invoices. Life care planners and other specialists can help calculate the future value of your losses, as well, so your claim reflects the long-term impact of your accident.
Non-economic damages like pain and suffering and emotional distress are a little harder to calculate because there isn’t a dollar sign attached to these personal losses. Testimony from survivors and their loved ones can help convey the severity of these intangible losses, so survivors receive compensation for the emotional and experiential effects of their crash.
Fatal motorcycle accident claims
Our firm also handles fatal motorcycle accident claims. These cases are a bit more complex because wrongful death lawsuits in Alabama are subject to their own sets of statutory requirements.
Generally speaking, however, a wrongful death lawsuit can be brought by a personal representative of a deceased person. There are no compensatory damages involved in these cases. Rather, wrongful death claims center on punitive damages. These damages are meant to punish an at-fault person for their actions rather than compensate surviving family members for financial losses.
If you lost a loved one in an Alabama motorcycle accident, you should contact an attorney to learn more about how these cases work and whether you may have grounds to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.
Frequently asked questions
Does not wearing a helmet affect my case?
Alabama law generally requires motorcycle riders to wear approved protective headgear. However, not wearing a helmet does not automatically mean you have no case. Whether helmet use affects your claim depends on the circumstances, including the injuries and legal claims involved.
How much is a motorcycle accident claim worth?
The value of your claim will depend on the nature of your past, present, and future losses.
Can road conditions cause liability?
In some situations, dangerous roadway conditions can contribute to motorcycle accidents. If those conditions can be traced back to another party’s negligence, that party may face claims of liability.
What if a driver failed to see me?
Drivers have a responsibility to keep a proper lookout for other vehicles while traveling. If a driver didn’t check their blind spots or carefully monitor their surroundings while executing driving maneuvers, they could be considered liable for a resulting accident.
How do insurance companies treat motorcycle claims?
Insurance companies are supposed to treat motorcycle claims the same way they treat other claims. Unfortunately, anti-motorcycle bias sometimes leads to insurers applying harsher scrutiny or making questionable assumptions while investigating an accident.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Most Alabama motorcycle accident claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. There are some limited exceptions to this rule, however, so you should consult with an attorney if you have questions about this timeframe.
What evidence helps motorcycle accident cases?
Police reports, photographs of injuries and damage, witness statements, records from doctors’ visits, surveillance footage, phone records and more can all help paint a picture of how your accident unfolded and how it has impacted your life.
Can family members file a wrongful death claim?
Under Alabama law, wrongful death claims are generally brought by the deceased person's personal representative.
When should I contact a lawyer?
Because anti-motorcycle bias is such a concern in these cases, it’s often a good idea to contact a lawyer as soon as possible after an accident. Even if your case doesn’t end up going to trial, an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer can help advocate for your rights during the insurance claims process and any subsequent settlement negotiations.
Why choose Martin & Helms?
Motorcycle accident claims aren’t always as straightforward as we’d like them to be. There are many different factors that influence these cases, and many of them are outside of survivors’ control.
At Martin & Helms, we’ve seen firsthand how motorcyclists get treated after accidents. As dedicated legal advocates, anti-motorcycle bias doesn’t sit right with us, and we’re prepared to push back against it at every turn.
Our firm has experience handling catastrophic injury cases in Huntsville, Madison County and across Alabama, and we are prepared to take your case all the way to trial if that’s what the situation demands of us.
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident and you’re looking for a lawyer who will fight to make sure your voice is heard, we’d love the opportunity to get to know you. Give us a call or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Our Huntsville office is located at 2317 Market Place SW, Suite A. Let’s work together to make sure your story gets told.