West Palm Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
A motorcycle collision can change the course of your work and your finances in a matter of seconds. Riders who survive a serious impact may face orthopedic surgery, brain or spinal injuries, months of rehabilitation, and uncertainty about whether they can return to the same job or activities.
When another driver causes a motorcycle crash, a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer can protect your rights from the start, handle the insurance companies on your behalf, and pursue compensation that accounts for both your immediate losses and the long-term impact of your injuries.
Attorney Gregg Hollander has represented injured people in South Florida since 1993, giving him more than 30 years of experience handling serious injury cases and a long record of results, including tens of millions of dollars recovered through settlements and jury verdicts.
Gregg approaches every case as though it is going to trial, whether or not it ultimately does.
Depending on the circumstances, that may involve accident reconstruction, medical specialists, vocational evidence, and a detailed analysis of future treatment and financial losses. His courtroom experience helps shape the case from the beginning, so the evidence is developed with both settlement negotiations and a possible trial in mind.
Call (561) 347-7770 or contact us online now for a free consultation to learn your legal options.
What Are Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in West Palm Beach?
West Palm Beach places motorcycles amid dense city traffic, major intersections, high-speed arterial roads, and at busy I-95 access points. Roads such as Southern Boulevard, Australian Avenue, and Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard can require riders and drivers to react quickly to changing traffic, turning vehicles, and merging lanes.
How a crash happens often depends on the specific traffic movement that puts the motorcycle in danger. Some of the most common scenarios include the following:
Left-Turn and Intersection Collisions
Motorcycles are especially vulnerable when drivers move across lanes without confirming that the space beside them is clear. A common West Palm Beach scenario involves a driver making a late move toward an I-95 entrance or exit, shifting across several lanes on Okeechobee Boulevard, or merging into traffic without accounting for a motorcycle already occupying the lane.
These cases often turn on where the motorcycle was positioned and whether the driver checked mirrors and blind spots before moving over. Florida law requires drivers to determine that a lane change can be made safely before changing lanes. Damage patterns, dashcam footage, witnesses, and roadway markings may help show which vehicle moved into the other’s path.
Distracted Driving
Distraction can be especially dangerous around motorcycles because a driver may have only a few seconds to recognize a rider before turning, merging, or entering an intersection. Looking down to follow GPS directions, reading a message at a traffic light, adjusting an in-dash screen, or focusing on passengers can prevent a driver from noticing a motorcycle until there is no time left to react.
The evidence may come from more than the driver’s phone. Surveillance video, witness observations, dashcam footage, and vehicle data can help establish whether attention was diverted immediately before the crash.
Speeding
Speeding changes both the likelihood of a crash and the force of the impact. A driver traveling above the speed limit or too fast for traffic conditions may close the distance to a motorcycle much sooner than the rider reasonably expects, reducing the time available to brake or avoid a collision.
When speed is disputed, investigators may look at skid marks, impact damage, surveillance footage, electronic vehicle data, and accident reconstruction calculations.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving can create a series of hazards for a motorcyclist rather than a single traffic violation. A driver who rapidly changes lanes, accelerates to prevent another vehicle from merging, cuts across traffic, or makes abrupt moves through congestion may leave a rider with nowhere safe to go.
These cases often require examining the driver’s conduct in the moments leading up to the collision to determine whether the crash resulted from an isolated mistake or a pattern of dangerous driving.
Following Too Closely
A motorcycle can slow much more quickly than the driver behind it expects, especially when traffic compresses near an intersection or interchange. A driver who leaves too little following distance may rear-end the motorcycle or force the rider forward into another vehicle when traffic suddenly stops.
The injuries can be especially severe because a motorcycle offers far less physical protection in a rear-end collision than a passenger vehicle. Florida requires drivers to maintain a reasonable and prudent following distance based on speed, traffic, and roadway conditions.
Impaired Driving
Alcohol and drugs can affect judgment, reaction time, depth perception, and the ability to track smaller vehicles such as motorcycles. An impaired driver may drift from a lane, misjudge an approaching motorcycle’s speed, run a traffic signal, or make a turn that a sober driver would have recognized as unsafe.
Evidence of impairment may include breath or blood testing, body-camera footage, field sobriety observations, witness statements, bar or restaurant records when relevant, and the driver’s behavior before and after the crash. A DUI arrest can become important evidence, but the civil claim still requires proof that the impaired driving contributed to causing the collision and the rider’s injuries.
The Insurance Company Contacted Me and Wants to Settle. Should I Accept the Offer?
You should not accept a settlement until you understand the likely course of your injuries and what the proposed release would end. An early offer can arrive while medical bills are still accumulating and before doctors know whether you will need additional surgery, injections, rehabilitation, or permanent restrictions.
One useful medical milestone is maximum medical improvement, or MMI. This does not mean that you are completely healed. It means your condition has stabilized enough for your doctors to better assess what symptoms or limitations may be permanent and what future treatment you may still need.
For someone with a complex fracture, spinal injury, or traumatic brain injury, the period before MMI can leave major questions unanswered. A surgeon may still be determining whether another operation will be necessary. A neurologist may need time to evaluate persistent cognitive symptoms. A rider whose occupation requires standing, lifting, driving, or physical work may not yet know whether returning to the same employment is realistic.
A West Palm Beach motorcycle accident attorney can evaluate whether the insurer’s offer accounts for those unresolved losses before you sign a release. Once you sign a settlement release, you generally cannot go back and ask for more compensation if your injuries later prove more serious than expected. That is why it is important to understand the likely long-term effects of your injuries before agreeing to settle.
How Do I Prove a West Palm Beach Motorcycle Accident Claim?
To prove a motorcycle accident claim, you need to show what the other party did wrong, how that conduct caused the crash, and what losses you suffered as a result. Proving the traffic violation itself is only part of the case. You also need to connect that conduct directly to the collision and your injuries.
For example, if a driver runs a red light and strikes your motorcycle, evidence may be needed to establish which vehicle had the right of way, how each vehicle moved through the intersection, and how the driver’s violation led to the impact.
The insurance company may also dispute whether the crash caused all of your injuries. Suppose you had degenerative disc disease before the accident but developed new radiating pain, weakness, and ultimately required spinal surgery afterward. The insurer may argue that your treatment resulted from the preexisting condition rather than the collision. Prior medical records, new imaging, physician opinions, and the timing of your symptoms can help show how the crash changed your condition.
Important evidence may include:
- Scene photographs and roadway evidence,
- Surveillance and video,
- Witness accounts,
- Impact damage to the motorcycle and other vehicles,
- Phone and electronic records,
- Medical evidence,
- Financial records, and
- Accident reconstruction.
Taken together, this evidence can help establish both how the crash occurred and why the other party should be held responsible for the resulting injuries.
What Is My West Palm Beach Motorcycle Accident Case Worth?
There is no average compensation for a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident. The value of a motorcycle accident claim depends on the facts of the case.
Factors that can affect the value of your case include:
- The nature and severity of your injuries,
- Future medical needs,
- Lost income and earning capacity,
- Permanent limitations and pain,
- Strength of the evidence, and
- Fault distribution.
The amount you can actually recover is often tied to the available insurance coverage. That is why identifying all potentially applicable policies, including coverage from multiple responsible parties when appropriate, is an important part of evaluating the claim.
Contact Hollander Law Firm and Put Decades of Experience Behind Your Motorcycle Claim
Hollander Law Firm Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyers has deep ties to Palm Beach County and has represented injured people throughout South Florida for decades. Gregg Hollander is a Florida native and an active member of organizations, including the Palm Beach County Bar Association and Palm Beach County Justice Association.
For someone facing serious injuries after a motorcycle crash, we can help bring the medical, insurance, and financial pieces of the claim together. We can assess available coverage, document the full effect of your injuries, and pursue compensation that reflects both your current losses and the long-term consequences of the crash.
If you were seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, contact Hollander Law Firm online or call (561) 347-7770 for a free consultation and speak with a West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer today.
FAQs
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Motorcycle Crash in Florida?
Florida generally gives you two years to file a negligence lawsuit arising from a motorcycle crash. Missing the applicable deadline can bar the lawsuit, so the specific date should be evaluated early.
But the filing deadline is not a good measure of how long you can safely wait to investigate. Surveillance recordings may disappear, vehicles can be repaired or destroyed, and witnesses can become harder to locate long before two years have passed.
Therefore, you should contact a seasoned West Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Can I Still Recover Compensation If I’m Partly to Blame for a Motorcycle Accident in West Palm Beach, FL?
Yes, as long as you are not found more than 50% responsible for your own harm in a negligence action covered by Florida’s modified comparative fault law. Your percentage of responsibility reduces your compensation. A rider with $500,000 in damages who is found 20% at fault, for example, would have the award reduced to $400,000. A party found greater than 50% at fault for their own harm generally cannot recover damages under the statute.
That rule gives insurers a financial reason to scrutinize rider speed, lane position, reaction time, and other conduct. Each percentage point assigned to the rider can affect the amount paid, which is why disputed-fault cases often require careful reconstruction rather than assumptions about how motorcycles are operated.
What Damages Are Available After Motorcycle Accidents in Florida?
A Florida motorcycle injury claim may include:
- Past and future medical expenses,
- Lost income,
- Reduced future earning capacity,
- Property damage,
- Pain and suffering,
- Physical impairment,
- Mental anguish,
- Disfigurement, and
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
For a permanently injured rider, the future portion may require the most work. Physicians may need to address future treatment and restrictions. At the same time, vocational or economic analysis may be appropriate when the injury changes the person’s ability to work over the course of their life.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a West Palm Beach Motorcycle Accident Attorney?
Hollander Law Firm handles personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis. You do not pay any attorney fees up front. The attorney’s fee is paid from the recovery if compensation is obtained, with the specific terms and treatment of case expenses explained in the written agreement.
If you do not recover compensation, then you owe us nothing.
Legal References Used to Inform This Page
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal and other resources during the content development process:
- Limitations other than for the recovery of real property, Fla. Stat. § 95.11.
- Comparative fault, Fla. Stat. § 768.81.
- Operating motorcycles on roadways laned for traffic, Fla. Stat. § 316.209.
- Opening and closing vehicle doors, Fla. Stat. § 316.2005.
- Following too closely, Fla. Stat. § 316.0895.
- Driving on roadways laned for traffic, Fla. Stat. § 316.089.
- Unlawful speed, Fla. Stat. § 316.183.
Visit Our Personal Injury Law Office In West Palm Beach, FL
Hollander Law Firm Personal Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyers
319 Clematis St #203, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (561) 556-7873
Hours: Open 24 hours daily
Free no-obligation consultation!