Spring Hill Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
In Spring Hill, motorcycle accidents took one life in 2023 and caused severe injuries in three other cases [1]. Motorcycle riders who have been left with extensive medical bills due to the actions of a negligent driver deserve justice — and a Spring Hill motorcycle accident lawyer from Mitch Grissim & Associates can help.
With decades of experience, we’ve handled hundreds of motorcycle accident injury claims for residents of Spring Hill and surrounding areas, ensuring they receive maximum compensation for their pain and suffering. Call us at 615-255-9999 or contact us online for a free consultation to learn more about how we can recover compensation for you.
How Long You Have to Pursue Damages in Spring Hill, TN
The Tennessee statute of limitations is one year for all personal injury where the at-fault driver has not been found criminally liable for the motorcycle crash. If they are facing a separate criminal trial, the statute of limitations rises to two years.
It’s always important to begin the legal process as soon as possible, but as accidents involving motorcycles are some of the most complicated personal injury cases, it becomes even more critical to talk to motorcycle accident attorneys right away.
Precautions to Take if You’re in a Motorcycle Accident
Crash victims are often disoriented and in pain directly after motorcycle accidents and they may not know what they need to do in order to protect themselves and their legal rights. Here’s what you need to do after a motorcycle accident in order to ensure that you are both safe and protected.
Move to a Safe Place
The most important thing a motorcycle accident victim can do is to get out of the way of ongoing traffic by pulling over to the shoulder. As a motorcycle is so small, other drivers may not see a motorcycle rider lying on the road, potentially resulting in fatal injuries.
However, you should not move any more than necessary until a medical professional has cleared you, as you may have a spinal cord injury that would be made worse by moving. Get to safety and stay in place.
Call the Police
After motorcycle accidents, your first call should be to the police. All Spring Hill motorcycle crashes are legally required to be reported, but calling the police right away will strengthen your motorcycle accident claim when you speak to a lawyer.
The police will secure the scene, preventing pileups, and begin to investigate the details. Be sure to keep the paperwork they provide to you so that you can provide it to your motorcycle accident lawyer.
Don’t Tell Anyone You’re at Fault
You may be tempted to take the blame for the motorcycle accident or apologize to the other driver, but suppress this urge. An insurance company will use this to say you were at fault, and they, therefore, do not need to honor your motorcycle accident claim. Stay quiet and focus only on the immediate facts.
You should also be wary of talking with insurance representatives in the days after the accident. Their questions may seem innocent, but they are gathering information to use against you. Don’t speak to them except to file a claim — allow us to handle these communications for you.
Take Photos and Videos
Taking pictures and videos of your motorcycle accident injuries, as well as the scene overall, will be immensely helpful evidence for your motorcycle accident lawsuit. The police will also take pictures for evidence, but the more information available, the stronger your claim is.
Capture the overall scene, the angles of impact, the debris field, and closeups of the damage to your motorcycle. You should also take pictures of any bruises, broken bones, or scrapes. If you have suffered serious injuries and have been told to stay still, ask a passerby or responder to take pictures for you.
Seek Medical Attention After a Motorcycle Accident
Common injuries sustained in a Spring Hill motorcycle accident can be life-threatening. This includes traumatic brain injuries and paralysis. As such, you need to get medical treatment right away.
Always go to the hospital to be checked over for spinal cord injuries or head injuries. Ask for copies of your medical reports and gather the doctors’ contact details. This way, our motorcycle accident lawyers can reach out to them for testimony.
Reach Out to a Lawyer
After you’ve been medically cleared, your first call should be to a Spring Hill motorcycle accident lawyer, who can help you file a claim with your insurance provider and offer legal representation throughout the entire process.
Don’t speak to the car driver or anyone else who was on the scene after a serious accident, as this may be used against you by the insurance company. Allow our law firm to handle all of these negotiations on your behalf, leaving you time to recover from your physical pain and injuries.
What a Spring Hill Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Do for You
When we seek compensation in motorcycle accident cases, we develop a holistic understanding of every factor in the motorcycle crash to understand all the non-economic and economic damages the accident caused. We then use this understanding to ensure that the responsible parties compensate victims fairly, protecting their rights.
Most importantly, a Spring Hill motorcycle accident lawyer will be familiar with all the tactics that insurance providers and others use to reduce their liability, and we have the skills to counter this. Should we need to file a lawsuit, our accomplished motorcycle accident lawyers will represent you in court and prove that you deserve compensatory damages.
How Motorcycle Accidents Occur in Spring Hill, Tennessee
There were 47 motorcycle accidents in Maury County in 2023, even though there are only 8,189 Class M Licenses in the county [2]. Motorcycle accidents result due to a number of causes, many of which are due to the other driver’s inattentiveness. Common causes of serious accidents include the following.
- Driver negligence – As motorcycles are so much smaller than passenger vehicles, numerous crashes occur due to the driver failing to check their blind spots and smashing into the rider.
- Lane changes – A subset of driver negligence, drivers may also fail to yield to the motorcycle, especially during left-hand turns.
- Reckless driving – Speeding, tailgating, or impaired driving reduces stopping time and can lead to motorcycle accidents. Maury County had
- Alcohol and drugs – DUIs are a tragically common cause of motorcycle crashes. While they raise the risk of any auto accident, they are especially deadly for bikers, because a drunk driver is usually speeding as well. There were 183 traffic accidents in Williamson County caused by DUI, and 126 in Maury, causing a total of 12 fatalities [3].
- Distracted driving – Texting, talking on the phone, checking directions, or eating while driving can result in motorcycle crashes. One crash happens in the Greater Nashville area due to distracted driving every hour and 38 minutes. [4]
- Drowsy driving – Particularly common with commercial vehicles, nodding off while driving may lead to serious vehicle accidents. If an overworked trucker causes a Spring Hill motorcycle accident, we may hold both drivers and trucking companies liable.
- Dooring – Many motorcycle accident victims are harmed when an inattentive driver or passenger flings a parked car’s door open into their line of travel, potentially throwing them off the bike.
- Lane splitting – Also known as white lining, riding in between lanes is illegal in Tennessee. Motorcycles should ideally take up a whole lane.
- Road hazards – A motorcycle has a more unstable center of gravity and can easily be flipped over by a small pothole or oil slick on the road, resulting in a crash.
- Bad weather – Low visibility, icy roads, or heavy rain can make it difficult for riders to control their motorcycle, and they can also make it more likely that a driver will fail to see a rider in time to stop.
Each motorcycle wreck is different, and there may be a variety of factors at play. Our attorneys will carefully analyze each aspect of the crash to identify the causes and the culpability of other motorists, painting an accurate picture of the circumstances to insurance companies and courts.
Connect With Mitch Grissim & Associates for Help With Your Motorcycle Accident Case
For 40 years, Spring Hill riders have relied on Mitch Grissim & Associates to ensure they receive justice for motorcycle crashes. We fight hard on behalf of victims, recovering thousands of dollars to help with their healing process.
Our team of accomplished attorneys has received numerous accolades, including Super Lawyers and AV Preeminent status. Clients appreciate our prompt communication, comprehensive knowledge of Tennessee personal injury law, and fierce commitment to those we represent. We have the skills to negotiate with an insurance company, never letting them off the hook for their responsibilities to victims.
If you’ve been harmed in a motorcycle accident, contact us at 615-255-9999 or through our contact form for a free case evaluation and learn more about how we help victims recover by ensuring they have the funds they need to heal.
FAQs
Who is most often at fault in motorcycle-car crashes?
According to the Insurance Information Institute and the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration, car drivers are typically at fault. This is usually because they failed to check their blind spots before changing lanes or turning left.
What is the average payout for a motorcycle accident in Tennessee?
The average compensation for a Tennessee motorcycle accident is around $80,000, which is the highest among vehicle-related claims.
However, it’s important to note that these are solely averages based on thousands of cases, some of which received much less or much more. As such, you cannot assume that your own case will get around this sum.
An accomplished motorcycle accident attorney will be able to give you a more specific explanation of what similar cases received based on their experience.
How much does a motorcycle accident attorney cost in Spring Hill?
Our motorcycle accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we deduct our attorney fees as part of your settlement. You do not have to pay any legal fees out of pocket, and we only get paid if we win your case.
You can get started with a free consultation from our team by calling 615-255-9999 or contacting us online. We’ll discuss your options for redress and explain our process to you in detail based on the facts of your case.
What damages can motorcycle accident victims claim?
The Spring Hill motorcycle accident attorneys at Mitch Grissim & Associates will always push for every possible form of damages that is relevant to your case, such as non-economic and economic damages. This includes:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
In wrongful death cases, surviving loved ones may receive compensation for medical bills, funeral expenses, and loss of companionship.
If the at-fault driver demonstrated gross negligence, you may also receive punitive damages, which are meant to punish them for disregarding safety.
Resources: [1] Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security; [2], [3] Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security; [4] Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security; [5]
