On Friday, March 6, 2009, there was a serious accident involving a motorcycle and two other vehicles that occurred in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The accident occurred at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Bellevue Place yesterday afternoon.
According to eyewitness accounts, the woman who was riding the motorcycle a badly injured leg. The two other vehicles involved were a Toyota Prius and a 1974 Ford Maverick. At least one eyewitness reported that sun glare may have contributed to the accident. The late afternoon sun may have affected visibility at the intersection.
No details of the accident have been released by the police. However, one witness states that the Prius was crossing the intersection from the east and apparently did not see the motorcyclist coming up the hill. The motorcyclist was hit and she flipped over onto the pavement. More than one witness reported that the motorcyclist’s left leg was severely injured and “pretty mangled.” They also state that the motorcyclist remained conscious at the scene. She was transported to a near-by hospital for immediate medical attention.
Unfortunately, my office has been retained on many more motorcycle accident cases over the last 12 months, including those involving scooters and mopeds. I think the increase has been due, partly at least, to more people driving motorcycles as a cost cutting measure compared with the cost to drive a car. This was especially so when we saw gas go up to $4/gallon.
The problem with motorcycle accident cases is that the injuries are usually much more catastrophic and serious. The reason is obvious since a person will not be protected as well in a crash compared to someone who is inside a typical car. For this reason, it is usually wise to consult with an experienced life care planner in the event a civil claim or lawsuit is instituted. There are a handful of these experts that I consult with regularly. A life care plan is a detailed analysis of what medical and non-medical needs may be present over the course of the injured person’s life to help deal with the effects of the injuries.
Another problem I see with motorcycle accident cases is the matter of insurance. There are mandatory insurance coverage protections for people who operate a car. But these do not apply to motorcycles. For instance, if you buy insurance for a car the insurance company is required by law to offer certain types of coverage like no-fault medical and uninsured motorist. These types of coverages are extremely important and go a long way to protecting individuals who have been severely injured in car crashes. Unfortunately, these types of coverages are not required to be offered on policies that cover motorcycles. Yet these coverages are most needed for people who operate motorcycles given the high incidence of catastrophic injuries in motorcycle accidents. Often a person who has been severely injured in a motorcycle accident does not find out that their insurance is woefully inadequate until after that person has been severely injured in a crash. Then it’s too late.
My concern for the female motorcyclist injured yestterday is whether she has adequate insurance to pay for all of her medical treatment. What if the owner of the Prius does not have enough insurance to pay for all damages? Unless the motorcyclist specifically asked her insurance company for underinsured motorist or no-fault medical coverage, these protections will not be available.
I always tell people who are avid motorcycle riders: Please check and review your insurance policy. Make sure you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and no-fault medical coverage (also called Personal Injury Protection or PIP). If you don’t, ask your carrier to issue these coverages and preferably in very high amounts, like $300,000 or more. I’ve handled serious motorcycle accident cases where the medical bills exceed half a million dollars. So this type of coverage is absolutely necessary.
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