Cape Girardeau Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

If you have been injured in a motorcycle crash in Cape Girardeau, you need legal advocates committed to protecting your rights and securing full compensation. As motorcycle accident lawyers serving the Cape Girardeau area, Morelli Law Firm has the experience and resources necessary to handle complex injury claims. 

With over 24 years of experience, our Cape Girardeau personal injury lawyers can help you build a case to get justice and compensation.

What Damages Can You Recover After a Motorcycle Accident in Cape Girardeau?

After you’ve suffered losses in a motorcycle accident, you don’t have to worry about dealing with this difficult time alone. Our team of Cape Girardeau, MO, motorcycle accident attorneys can help you recover damages such as: 

• Medical expenses: Past and future costs for doctor visits, surgeries, hospitalization, rehabilitation, prescriptions, medical equipment, and any other treatment you need.
• Lost wages: If the accident prevented you from working, you can recover wages and income lost during the time you could not work.
• Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical and emotional pain you experienced, as well as any lasting effects on quality of life.
• Property damage: Repair or replacement costs for a damaged or totaled motorcycle and any personal items or gear.
• Loss of consortium: If married, you could recover damages for loss of support, companionship, or intimacy due to injuries of your spouse.
• Future medical expenses: If injuries and medical costs will continue or re-emerge later in life, you can recover those projected costs.
• Wrongful death: In the tragic event that someone you love died, families can recover various damages, including funeral costs.

What Does a Cape Girardeau Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Have to Do to Prove Negligence?

When you work with us to recover compensation, the first step is determining who is at fault. To do so, we must prove the following elements of negligence:

• Duty of care: The defendant owed you a duty to act reasonably or refrain from action to avoid causing harm. This is established by showing you and the defendant were motorists subject to traffic laws that require driving safely.
• Breach of duty: The defendant breached their duty of care by acting or failing to act unreasonably, thus violating safe driving standards. Evidence like witness testimony, accident reports, and records showing violations can prove they breached their duty.
• Actual loss or damages: You suffered real harm or loss as a direct result of the defendant’s breach. Your medical records and lost wages documentation substantiate the injuries and costs from the crash.
• Causal connection: The defendant’s breach was the actual and proximate cause of the damages you suffered. Accident reconstruction analysis circumstances described in reports and statements can link their unsafe acts to causing the collision.

How Does Morelli Law Firm Negotiate With Insurance Companies?

When your accident involves another vehicle, you will likely be dealing with their insurance company to seek compensation for your injuries and losses. As your Cape Girardeau motorcycle accident attorneys, we will handle all negotiations on your behalf.

First, you will need to provide the insurance company with documentation of your injuries and the damages you’ve suffered. We will work with you to gather all necessary records and forms to submit your claim for review.

Once we determine liability and confirm that the other driver was at fault, the insurance company will make you an initial settlement offer. Do not feel pressured to accept right away, no matter how low the amount. Insurance adjusters are trained to low-ball initial offers.

That is where our Cape Girardeau motorcycle accident lawyer comes in. Your attorney will review the details of your case and use their experience negotiating with insurance companies to justify a much higher settlement value. 

What Factors Influence Going to Court vs Negotiating With the Insurance Company?

Our team at Morelli Law Firm has a strong track record of taking cases to court and winning. But there are pros and cons to both avenues for compensation. Here are the factors that can determine whether taking your case to court or negotiating is better for your case:

Severity of Injuries

The extent of your injuries is a major consideration. More serious injuries like broken bones and head trauma increase the potential settlement value because they demonstrate the defendant’s actions caused significant damages. They also strengthen your case if it were to proceed to trial since a jury would likely view those injuries as severe and unjustly suffered at the fault of another.

However, very serious injuries also make it riskier to go to trial because juries may feel sympathetic towards those who suffer catastrophic long-term impacts. So, proving the severity of injuries helps favor settlement negotiations to provide guaranteed compensation rather than risk losing at trial.

Liability

If the evidence clearly shows the defendant was solely at fault for the accident with no contributory negligence on your part, this increases leverage to demand a higher settlement from their insurance. With obvious liability, the insurer has less ground to dispute who is responsible.

However, if liability is disputed with viable counter-arguments over who caused the accident, this increases the risk of losing at trial since liability may be split or it could fall on you. In these cases, going to trial could still yield a larger award compared to a low settlement offer if we can prove the liability to a jury.

Defendant’s Insurance Limits

Many factors are considered, but the maximum liability coverage limits under the defendant’s auto insurance policy play a key role. Pushing negotiations to achieve the full policy amount avoids the risk of them being unable to financially pay a larger judgment if liability is clear.

Conversely, if policy limits are much lower than potential damages, declining a policy-max offer to pursue a larger trial award could end up as an empty victory if the defendant has insufficient assets. So, relative to expected costs and risks, the policy limits affect whether settlement is a possibility for your case.

Contact Us for a Free Case Evaluation

At Morelli Law Firm, our Cape Girardeau motorcycle accident attorney can help you build a strong case that helps you recover compensation from the liable party. We are dedicated to helping you financially recover so you can heal from your injuries faster. 

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.