If you have been in an accident while riding a motorcycle, you will need to engage the services of a motorcycle accident lawyer. These experts can assist you with all of the different aspects of a case involving motorcycles and any injuries you may have sustained while riding a motorcycle. Accidents involving motorcycles are different from those involving other types of vehicles, so it’s important you have a motorcycle accident lawyer on your side because they know all of these particular differences.
The Basics of Motorcycle Accident Law
There are a variety of federal and state laws in place that govern the use of motorcycles and pertain to any accidents that involve motorcycles, and a motorcycle accident lawyer must know them all. While all motorcycle riders do need to follow the same laws and regulations as drivers of other vehicles, there are also some specific requirements that pertain to motorcycle safety, licenses, and other driving procedures in Canton, Ohio, that a motorcycle accident lawyer is familiar with. As a motorcycle operator, you also need to be familiar with these laws. Being ignorant of the law is no excuse, as a motorcycle accident lawyer will tell you, and a court may not look favorably on a driver who gets in an accident and claims he or she did not know the law.
Motorcycle Licenses
All drivers who wish to legally drive a motorcycle need to have a state motorcycle license. This license is different from those needed to operate other types of vehicles due to how a motorcycle is driven. However, a motorcycle accident lawyer does often meet motorcycle drivers who do not realize that they need this special license and drive their motorcycle without one. If these drivers get into an accident, they will often be fined and found to bear some of the blame of the accident because they do not have the proper license, no matter what defense a motorcycle accident lawyer offers. This may be the case even if the accident was clearly the other driver’s fault. If you are in this situation, a motorcycle accident lawyer from Schulman, Roth and Associates may be able to help. They can be contacted at (330) 456-4400.
Many states require those who want to obtain a motorcycle license to complete a motorcycle safety class. These classes teach drivers how to properly ride a motorcycle, instill good driving safety tips, and teach motorcyclists about the various laws they will need to follow. New motorcycle drivers in Canton, Ohio, may find one of these courses to be very helpful, and a motorcycle accident lawyer would certainly agree.
Motorcycle Equipment
A good motorcycle accident lawyer will first ask any motorcycle accident victim if they were wearing the appropriate safety equipment. That’s because it’s required to wear a helmet and, in some areas, other types of safety equipment when riding a motorcycle. In states that don’t require a helmet, some type of goggles or other eye protection is generally mandated. Other types of safety equipment a motorcycle accident lawyer may ask about including reflective vests, especially if the accident occurred at night, padded clothing, and footwear.
In addition to safety equipment, federal and state laws require that all motorcycles have working headlights and taillights, brake lights, and turn signals. Drivers must know how to operate these lights and must check and make certain they are operational before driving. Many cases a motorcycle accident lawyer sees occur because the driver of the other vehicle hit a motorcycle that was driving without the proper lights.
As a motorcycle accident lawyer will say, any driver who does not wear the proper safety equipment or follow all of the rules regarding motorcycle safety is at risk of being severely injured or even killed in an accident in addition to being found liable for the accident.
Liability
While a motorcycle accident lawyer may determine that the motorcyclist was at fault, there have been some new laws regarding motorcycle accidents passed that were designed to help protect drivers. These laws are aimed to increase the awareness of other drivers on the road and to teach them the rules motorcycles follow. If drivers of all types of vehicles are made more aware of the laws regarding motorcycles, the number of accidents may decrease. However, this may not be the case, as an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer will say that most accidents are caused by motorcycle riders, not other vehicles.
Other new laws a motorcycle accident lawyer has had to become familiar with limit the compensation motorcycle riders can receive due to the fact that they have chosen to operate what is considered a risky vehicle. Because motorcycles do not offer as much protection as other vehicles, riders are more likely to be injured in an accident. Many believe that by riding a motorcycle, riders are accepting this risk. A motorcycle accident lawyer can explain these laws in more detail.