A motorcycle accident settlement is a legal agreement between the injured motorcyclist and the party or insurance company responsible for the crash. Instead of going to trial, both sides agree on a dollar amount to cover damages. Damages include medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and other losses.
Maginnis Howard, a law firm in North Carolina, was established in 2009. It helps injured riders understand their rights and seek fair compensation after a motorcycle crash. Their role includes investigating accidents, figuring out fault, and negotiating with insurance companies.
What Factors Affect How Much You Can Get?
Several things influence how large a settlement might be.
Severity of Injuries
More severe injuries, like broken bones, spinal cord damage, or brain injury, usually lead to higher settlement amounts. Minor injuries or temporary damage tend to give lower amounts. Maginnis Howard emphasizes documenting injuries well to prove their extent.
Fault and Negligence
To get a settlement, you must show someone else was negligent. That means they failed to act carefully (for example, a driver not checking blind spots, speeding, or running a red light). If multiple parties share blame, each one’s responsibility matters. Maginnis Howard works to build strong evidence to show who caused the crash.
Insurance Coverage & Policy Limits
Insurance companies have limits on how much they will pay. If the at-fault party doesn’t have enough insurance, that caps what you can receive. Sometimes, other insurance (uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage) can come into play.
Other Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Economic damages are measurable: medical bills, cost of rehab, and lost wages. Non-economic damages include pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Both counts. Settlements try to cover past and future losses. Maginnis Howard helps track all of these.
How Quickly the Case Moves & Evidence
If you get medical treatment promptly, keep all records, have witness statements, and possibly have accident reconstruction, the claim is stronger. Delays, missing records, or weak documentation reduce value. Maginnis Howard’s materials stress documenting medical treatments and financial costs as soon as possible.
What Settlement Amounts Look Like (Data Examples)
To get a sense of “typical” settlement amounts:
- In North Carolina, the average motorcycle accident settlement is about US$661,000, with the median around US$575,000.
- Less serious cases in general can settle for amounts from $20,000 to $200,000 or more, depending on injuries, losses, and insurance.
- Some motorcycle accident cases with serious injury or long‐term effects settle in the mid-six or seven figures.
Maginnis Howard’s case results include, for example, a client who suffered traumatic brain injury and got a settlement based on the policy limits in a motorcycle case.
How Maginnis Howard Helps Injured Riders
Maginnis Howard’s services include:
- Investigating the crash rigorously, gathering police reports, witness statements, and sometimes expert reconstructions.
- Calculating full losses: all medical costs, both past and future; lost wages; diminished capacity; and pain and suffering.
- Negotiating with insurance companies, who often try to make low offers. Ensuring you do not accept too little and preserving your rights.
- Understanding local laws. In North Carolina, for example, there is a statute of limitations (time limit) to file. Also, helmet laws and how they may affect the case.
Key Takeaways
- A motorcycle accident settlement is an out-of-court agreement covering your losses.
- The amount depends on how bad the injury is, who was at fault, insurance limits, and how well evidence is documented.
- Average settlements in NC are substantial, often in the hundreds of thousands, especially when injuries are severe.
- Working with legal counsel like Maginnis Howard helps make sure you get a fair amount and protect your rights.