A motorcycle road traffic accident claim seeks compensation for the personal injury you suffer due to a lack of duty of care by another road user.

You could be knocked off your motorbike when hit by a car coming out of a driveway or when a bus tips off you at a road junction. You are very vulnerable on a motorcycle, and you could suffer a severe personal injury.

Every road user has a duty of care to other road users on the road. If another road user breaches their duty of care to you when on your motorbike, you may have a motorcycle road traffic accident.

At Hughes & Associates Solicitors, we have experience in motorcycle road traffic accident claims and can help you make your personal injury compensation claim.

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What is a motorcycle accident claim?

A motorcycle accident claim is when you seek compensation for the injury and damages you have suffered due to the negligence of another road user. 

You may have a motorcycle accident claim if you are injured when hit from behind by a car on the road or if a pedestrian steps in front of you, causing your wheels to slide. 

With a personal injury motorcycle claim, you could suffer injuries like a broken collar bone, facial lacerations, spinal damage, and paraplegia. Every motorcycle accident claim is for compensation for the injury and its effect on your life today and in the future. 

A successful claim will be for financial compensation to help cover your medical and any future care costs, as well as for the loss of income and difficulty in getting to work. 

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, you could talk to one of Hughes & Associates personal injury experts today about a possible motorcycle accident claim.

Common motorcycle accident claims

Common motorcycle accident claims are for the broken leg when hit by a bus to the back injury when in a collision with a car door to PTSD after a road traffic accident on the bike. 

Any road traffic accident can cause injury to a motorcycle rider, and if one happens to you, you may have a motorcycle accident claim. 

Common motorcycle accident claims may be:

A collision with another road user motorcycle accident claims are when your motorbike collides with a bus, car, truck, or any other vehicle on the road. 

You could be in a collision with another road user when: 

  • A bus driver pulls out of the bus stop without looking for a motorbike
  • The car turning at a junction drives into your lane without looking
  • A truck tips the motorcycle from behind when stopping in traffic 

As a motorcycle user, you are more vulnerable than other road users, and in a collision, the damages and injuries could be significant.

Driver negligence is the cause of many motorcycle accidents, and you may have a claim if it happens to you. 

The driver of the bus, truck, car, or other motorbike owes you a duty of care. If they breach that duty of care, it could be driver negligence when they hit the motorcycle. 

Driver negligence can cause a motorcycle accident if: 

  • The driver of a car does not look in the mirror before opening a door
  • The driver of a bus moves out of a bus lane without looking
  • The driver of a truck comes too close to the motorbike when overtaking 

At Hughes & Associates, we have experience dealing with driver negligence motorcycle accident claims.

An intoxicated driver poses a lot of threats on the road and can cause damage to the motorcycle driver. 

The intoxicated driver will have difficulty judging speed, distance, stopping, and pulling out at road junctions.

An intoxicated driver could be in a collision with a motorcycle and knock the rider onto the road. 

If an intoxicated driver is involved in your motorcycle accident, you could have a motorbike accident claim.

Collision with a pedestrian in a motorcycle accident happens often in cities like Dublin, where many people are crossing the road at the one time. 

Your motorcycle could be in a collision with a pedestrian, and you may be thrown onto the road or in front of another car or a passing truck. 

A motorcycle collision with a pedestrian may happen: 

  • When a pedestrian steps off the pavement without looking
  • When a pedestrian crosses at traffic lights when the lights are green
  • When a pedestrian runs across the road without looking 

You could suffer a severe injury in a pedestrian collision, and you may have a motorcycle road traffic accident claim.

A hazardous road surface can be much more dangerous for motorcycle users. The bike may slip on an oil spillage, or an uneven surface could cause the driver to come off his motorbike. 

Types of hazardous road surface accidents: 

  • A pothole knocks the motorcycle driver off the bike
  • A poorly maintained street surface causes a motorbike to slip
  • The motorbike slides on an oil spillage at the roundabout 

Irish road surfaces can often pose threats to motorcycle users, especially in rural areas. 

If you are knocked off your motorbike due to a hazardous surface, you may have a motorcycle accident claim. 

Hughes & Associates can look at the details of your motorcycle accident and see if you have a valid motorcycle accident injury claim.

Contact Hughes & Associates for help with your personal injury claim today.

Common motorcycle accident injuries

Common motorcycle accident injuries range from the broken bones to muscle tears to the nerve damage in the neck. 

You may be going at speed on a motorcycle, and if knocked off the bike by another road user, you could suffer one of the many serious injuries. 

Some of the common motorcycle injuries seen in Ireland:

  • Head injuries
  • Brain injuries
  • Paraplegia
  • Quadriplegia
  • Internal organ damage
  • Cracked skull
  • Broken bones in the face
  • Eye injuries
  • Spinal injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Broken bones in the arms
  • Broken bones in the legs
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Psychological injuries such as PTSD
  • Concussion

If you suffer an injury due to the negligence of another road user, you can make a compensation claim for the effect of the injury today and in the future. 

Hughes & Associates can make your motorcycle accident claim if you suffer an injury when knocked off the bike by another road user.

Compensation for a motorcycle accident claim

Compensation for motorcycle accident claims is for when you suffer an injury on your motorbike on the roads anywhere in Ireland. The compensation is for the damages suffered today and in the future. 

There are three types of damages in a personal injury motorcycle accident claim in Ireland:

  • General damages in a motorcycle accident claim
  • Special damages in a motorcycle accident claim
  • Material damages in a motorcycle accident claim

A successful claim could see you receive compensation. The compensation you receive will be a combination of the two types of damages.

General Damages in a Motorcycle Accident Claim

General damages in a motorcycle accident claim will see you compensated for the Loss of Amenity such as a difficulty in walking, exercising or in getting to work, due to the accident when hit by a bus or knocked off the motorcycle by a car or a pedestrian. 

You can also claim for the Pain and Suffering due to the injury you suffered in the motorcycle accident.

Special Damages in a Motorcycle Accident Claim

Special damages in a motorcycle accident claim are for the costs and expenses you will have due to the accident when travelling on your motorbike in Ireland. 

Special damages in a motorcycle accident could be:  

  • Medical costs
  • Loss of earnings
  • Travel costs
  • Cost of care
  • Cost of aids and equipment

A motorcycle accident injury claim in Ireland seeks compensation by combining the two damages due to the many types of injury suffered on your motorcycle.

Material Damages in a Motorcycle Accident Claim

Material damages in a motorcycle accident are for damages to the motorbike and other personal items such as clothing and goods you were carrying. 

Material damages could be:

  • Damage to your helmet and protective clothing
  • Damage to your laptop or mobile phone
  • Damage to the motorcycle, including repairs and possible replacement

At Hughes & Associates Solicitors, we will make your personal injury case as straightforward as possible. 

The Hughes & Associates Solicitors team of experienced experts can handle your case and get you the compensation for a motorcycle accident claim.

At Hughes & Associates personal injury solicitors we offer vast experience and in-depth knowledge of every type of road traffic accident claim. Contact our Dublin offices today for an assessment of your case and advice on your options moving forward.

How to make a motorcycle accident claim

At Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors, we want to make making a motorcycle accident claim as easy as possible. 

You have gone through enough stress while dealing with your motorcycle accident and could be suffering many injuries, and we can help you take the steps to make a successful RTA compensation claim. 

The steps are designed to provide an efficient and effective way to claim motorcycle accident compensation.

The first step to make a claim is to contact a personal injury solicitor. You can contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today and outline the issues you have experienced.  

We will take the time to understand your situation and build a professional relationship with you.  

You and your solicitor work together to create your compensation case.  

One of the main aspects of this step is to gather evidence. We will want to look at your medical records, security footage of the motorcycle accident, and any eyewitness accounts related to your case.  

If you have reported the accident to the Gardai, we can look at the Garda report as part of creating your motorcycle accident case. 

The solicitor helping you with the case will know what areas of evidence to cover and what will help your case the best.  

When the claim is complete, we can make your motorcycle accident claim by sending a letter of claim to the Public Injury Assessment Board, PIAB. 

The PIAB will assess your case and recommend a compensation payment, or they may reject your case. 

The solicitor or insurance company for the guilty party has several weeks to reply to the PIAB compensation claim recommendation. 

When a PIAB is accepted at this stage, the process of providing your compensation will begin. 

 When a motorcycle accident claim is rejected, or if you are not happy with the amount of compensation offered, we can begin court proceedings on your behalf.

Court proceedings can be the next step if the defendant rejects the claim or you feel you should receive more in compensation. 

Court proceedings are rare, although your Hughes & Associates solicitor will be prepared.  

We may look to gather further evidence to support your claim when it comes to a court hearing. 

Often, a motorcycle accident injury claim is settled on the morning of the court case when the guilty party realises you are not backing down and they look at your evidence. 

When the court case is successful, the process of paying your compensation for a motorcycle accident claim will follow.  

How to prove a motorcycle accident claim

To prove a motorcycle accident claim, you should gather as much evidence as possible.  

The more evidence you have, the harder it will be for the defendant to reject your claim.  

You can gather evidence such as:

  • Medical records
  • Take photos with your phone of the accident scene
  • Gather CCTV footage where possible
  • Get eyewitness accounts
  • Get details of eyewitnesses
  • Get the names and phone numbers of anyone involved
  • Write down any vehicle information
  • Call the gardai if necessary
  • Get the incident report from the public transport provider
  • Take photos of your injuries

Your phone can be a great way to gather evidence to prove a motorcycle accident claim. 

If you are unsure how to gather or obtain this evidence, your Hughes & Associates Personal Injury solicitor will be able to help. 

How long do you have to make a claim for personal injury in Ireland?

You have two years to make any claim for personal injury in Ireland—the two years to make a claim begin from the date of the motorcycle accident. 

You could also have a case of ‘date of knowledge,’ which is the date you became aware of the injuries you experienced in a motorcycle accident. In such cases, it could be more than two years later that a doctor traces the pain you are suffering back to the injury when knocked off your motorcycle by another road user. 

In all cases of personal injury, it is recommended that you begin your claim process as soon as possible after a motorcycle accident. Making a claim as quickly as possible makes it easier to obtain evidence while your memory is fresh and the injury is more obvious. 

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can help with all aspects of your motorcycle accident injury claim.

Make a motorcycle accident claim today

Make a motorcycle accident injury claim today by contacting Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors. 

You could have a compensation claim if you were injured when knocked off your motorbike due to a breach of duty of care by the other road user. 

The cracked skull, the broken bones in the arms and legs, medical bills, loss of income and suffering could be a direct result of the injury in a motorcycle accident. 

Contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today for a confidential and professional service with your motorcycle accident compensation claim.

Contact the Hughes & Associates Team

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    +353 1 891 0020
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