Georgia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

How do I choose a motorcycle accident lawyer in Georgia?

Choose a Georgia motorcycle accident lawyer on things you can check: how the firm answers an insurer that blames the rider, whether it prepares cases for trial, who will run your case and what clients say in public reviews. You can put each question to The Scott Pryor Law Group in a free consultation.

Start with rider bias. Some adjusters assume a rider was speeding or weaving when a driver simply turned across the bike's path. Ask any lawyer you meet how they would prove what really happened, and listen for specifics: scene photos, damage to both vehicles, witnesses and the police report.

Then check the record yourself. Confirm each attorney's license in the State Bar of Georgia's member directory, and read the firm's Google reviews as well as the testimonials it picks. For any result a firm shows you, ask what kind of case it was and how it ended.

How is fault decided after a motorcycle accident in Georgia?

In most Georgia motorcycle accident claims, the other driver's insurance adjuster decides fault first, using the police report, photos, witness statements and any video, then gives each side a percentage. The Scott Pryor Law Group checks that call against the evidence, because the rider's percentage shapes every offer that follows.

Two Georgia rules explain why that percentage matters. Georgia follows an at-fault system: whoever caused the crash is liable. O.C.G.A. § 51-1-6 If you are less than 50% at fault, you can still recover damages, reduced by your percentage of fault. O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33 So every point of fault an adjuster assigns to the rider lowers what the insurer pays.

The adjuster's report is the insurer's own estimate of what a court would find, written by the company that pays the claim. It can lean on the old picture of riders as reckless. We test it against the scene: where the bike and the car came to rest, the damage to each, skid marks, the officer's notes and what witnesses saw. A left turn across the bike, a lane change into a blind spot and tailgating all leave a trail.

If the adjuster's numbers do not match the evidence, we push back with the evidence. If a fair offer still does not come, a jury can decide fault.

People often ask whether Georgia is a no-fault state. Our car accident page answers that for every kind of crash.

How much is a motorcycle accident case worth in Georgia?

The value of a Georgia motorcycle accident case depends on your injuries, how they change your work and daily life, the damage to your bike and gear, any share of fault the insurer claims, and the insurance available. The Scott Pryor Law Group does not name a number before it reviews those facts.

A fair value takes time to learn. Some injuries show their full effect weeks or months after a crash. If you settle before that is known, you give up the right to claim more later, even if new problems appear.

Here is what we weigh when we value a motorcycle claim:

• Medical care. The emergency room, surgery, physical therapy, and the care your doctors expect you to need later.
• Lost income. The wages you missed, and lost earning ability if you cannot go back to the same work.
• Pain and daily life. Ongoing pain, scarring, anxiety about riding, and the things you can no longer do.
• Your bike and gear. Repair or replacement of the motorcycle, and of the helmet, jacket and other gear you wore.
• The driver's conduct. Drunk or reckless driving matters. Punitive damages are reserved for situations where the defendant's actions demonstrate willful misconduct, fraud, malice, or gross negligence. O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1
• Insurance. The driver's policy limits, and your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage if the driver's falls short.

What injuries do motorcycle accidents usually cause?

Georgia motorcycle accidents often cause road rash, broken bones, head and brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and damage to the knees, shoulders and face, because the rider takes the force of the crash directly. The Scott Pryor Law Group documents each injury from the first doctor's visit, which makes it harder for an insurer to call it minor.

Insurers sometimes call road rash a scrape. In a motorcycle crash it can mean deep skin loss, gravel ground into the wound, infection, nerve damage and permanent scarring. Some riders need skin grafts, then months of wound care and scar treatment.

Other injuries are slower to reveal themselves. A concussion or a back injury may not be clear on the day of the crash. The emotional harm can take longer still: fear of getting back on a bike, trouble sleeping, or post-traumatic stress disorder. We count those losses alongside the physical ones.

To show the full picture, we gather the emergency room notes, the records of every surgeon and therapist, photos of your wounds as they heal, and your doctors' view of what comes next. Keep your own record of symptoms, treatment and missed workdays as well. It fills in what the charts leave out.

If an injury will change the rest of your life, see our catastrophic injury page.

How do I start a motorcycle accident claim, and how fast can you begin?

You can start a Georgia motorcycle accident claim with one phone call, on the day of the crash or months later. The Scott Pryor Law Group listens to what happened and explains your options. Once you hire us, we start preserving the evidence: your bike and helmet, the scene, witnesses and any video.

The first call is free, and you are under no obligation. Phones answered 24/7. Here is how it goes.

• You tell your story. A real person asks where the crash happened, what the other driver did and how you are hurt. If an adjuster has already called you, tell us what was said.
• We make a plan together. That may mean hiring us, gathering more information first, or a pointer to another resource if we are not the right fit. You get an honest answer about where you stand.
• Evidence comes first. Keep your bike as it is until it has been photographed, and do not wash or throw out your helmet, jacket or boots. The damage helps show how hard you were hit.
• The insurance calls come to us. Adjusters deal with your legal team from then on, so you can focus on treatment.
• If no fair offer comes, we file suit. Our six-step litigation process begins, and the case can still settle at any point.

What should I do after a motorcycle accident, and when do I need a lawyer?

After a Georgia motorcycle accident, see a doctor even if you can stand and walk, get a police report, and save your helmet, gear and photos of the bike. The Scott Pryor Law Group's guide for riders covers each step, and when to call a lawyer: before you give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement.

Does Georgia have a motorcycle helmet law?

Georgia law requires all motorcyclists to wear helmets that comply with safety standards. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-315 The Scott Pryor Law Group's guide to Georgia motorcycle laws covers that rule, the state's other riding laws, and how a helmet question can come up in a rider's injury claim.