Naperville was one of only 5 cities in Illinois to host the Distinguished Gentleman’s Motorcycle Ride in 2023 [1]. However, car drivers often fail to share the road, leading to devastating motorcycle accidents.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one due to a motorcycle crash, you need a Naperville motorcycle accident lawyer to advocate for your legal rights. Learn how we recover maximum compensation for injured motorcyclists below.
The Importance of Hiring a Lawyer for Your Motorcycle Accident Case
All motor vehicle accidents are complicated, but a motorcycle crash is particularly difficult because accident victims often suffer catastrophic injuries, and the mechanics of the crash are different. Naperville, IL, motorcycle accident lawyers have the resources to fully investigate your personal injury claim and ensure all factors are accounted for.
We can negotiate on your behalf with an insurance adjuster or the other driver so you can focus on recovery. With our negotiation skills, we can recover compensation beyond what the insurance company provides in an initial offer.
If necessary, we represent motorcycle accident victims in a personal injury lawsuit, skillfully presenting the liability of all parties involved and ensuring you receive full and fair compensation.
Working with a motorcycle accident lawyer on your personal injury case provides the best possible chance to gain compensation while reducing your stress during such a difficult time.
The Statistics of Naperville Motorcycle Accidents
- There are 16,638 motorcycles registered in DuPage County, with the majority being over 150 cc [2].
- In 2022, there were 18 motorcycle accidents in Naperville in which 16 people were injured [3].
- While statewide, motorcycle accidents account for approximately 1.1% of all accidents [4], they are only 0.4% of all accidents in Naperville.
- The last fatal motorcycle accident in Naperville was in April of 2023, killing one person [5].
- 0.7% of all crashes throughout the state involve unhelmeted motorcycle riders [6].
- In DuPage County, only 47.1% of all motorcyclists wear a helmet. [7]
Most Dangerous Intersections in Naperville, IL
A majority of motorcycle accidents occur at intersections; typically, a car driver crosses a motorcyclist’s path of travel as they turn, resulting in serious injuries for the motorcycle rider. Unfortunately, Naperville is not immune to particularly dangerous intersections. The five most treacherous intersections include:
- Hillside Ave. and West St.
- Ogden Ave. and Aurora Ave.
- Ogden Ave. and Jefferson Ave.
- Jefferson Ave. and Washington St.
- Montgomery Rd./83rd St. and IL-59 [8]
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
As motorcycle accident victims have far less protection than car drivers, even a small crash can result in devastating injuries or death for a rider. Common injuries include:
- Bruises and Contusions – A fall frequently leads to bad scrapes and bruising, some of which may extend all the way to the bone.
- Broken Bones – A rider will attempt to brace themselves, resulting in fractures when they fall.
- Road Rash – Riders who are not wearing leather or other protective gear can suffer severe scrapes when they land against the pavement, tearing off the skin. This can be very painful and leave scars.
- Head and Neck Injuries – Concussions, neck fractures, and traumatic brain injuries are particularly common in a motorcycle accident where the rider is not wearing a helmet.
- Spinal Cord Damage – Spinal cord injuries can lead to loss of limb function, paraplegia, or quadriplegia.
- Burns – If the motorcycle ignites due to the impact of the accident, a rider may be left with serious burns.
- Amputations – Motorcycles weigh hundreds of pounds; in an accident where the rider is pinned under the bike, they may have to get a limb amputated.
- Death – Sadly, motorcycle accidents account for over 11% of all motor vehicle fatalities, despite being only 3% of all registered vehicles [9]. If you have lost a loved one due to a motorcycle accident, our wrongful death lawyers can assist you in seeking compensation for your loss.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Crashes
Motorcycle accident cases are all different, which is why it’s crucial to work with an experienced personal injury law firm that can untangle all facets of the crash and ascertain its causes. Some of the common reasons seen for motorcycle crashes by our law office include:
- Speeding – Speed limits are there for a reason. If either the driver or the biker fails to obey traffic laws, they are more likely to get into a devastating accident.
- Drunk Driving – The most serious form of driver negligence, alcohol prevents a driver from properly controlling their vehicle, causing serious crashes.
- Distracted Driving – Given that motorcycles are so much smaller than cars, if the other driver looks away from the road for even a few seconds, they may cause a motorcycle accident.
- Inexperience – Shockingly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that 36% of all motorcycle fatalities involve an unlicensed driver [10]. It’s vital for riders to undergo training with the Illinois Department of Transportation before they hop on a bike.
- Failure to Yield – If the accident occurred at an intersection, it is more than likely the driver completed a left-hand turn into the motorcycle’s path of travel, resulting in a T-bone accident.
- Lane Changes – The slim profile of a motorcycle can lead drivers to change lanes directly into them.
- Roadway Conditions – Potholes, low visibility, ice, and oil slicks can also cause a motorcycle to lose control and crash.
Who Can Be Held Liable for Motorcycle Accident Cases?
A motorcycle accident lawsuit may hold a variety of individuals responsible, including the employer of the other driver if they were driving a company vehicle. A Naperville motorcycle accident lawyer will research the particulars of the case and identify who to bring suit against, which may include the following parties:
Other Drivers
In most motorcycle accidents, the drivers of other vehicles are responsible because they failed to check for motorcycles or did not yield to them at intersections.
Through our attorney-client relationship, we’ll assess all facts of your personal injury case and prove the car driver is liable using a variety of evidence, such as surveillance footage, medical records, and cell phone records.
Motorcycle Manufacturer
Sadly, motorcycle manufacturers often fail to produce safe products. Common defects contributing to a motorcycle accident include bad brakes, faulty frames, steering issues, and improperly assembled engines or fuel tanks.
A skillful Naperville motorcycle accident attorney will be able to pursue compensation against these large manufacturers, holding them accountable for their failures.
Local Government
It’s sometimes possible to take legal action against the City of Naperville if it can be established the motorcycle accident was the result of road defects or infrastructure failures, such as poorly designed intersections, lack of road maintenance, or faulty traffic signals. Our legal team can successfully hold municipalities accountable, obtaining financial compensation for your injuries.
Motorcycle Laws in Illinois
In most cases, motorcyclists are held to the same laws as car drivers, such as following traffic signs, obeying the speed limit, and having the appropriate license for their vehicle. Additional requirements include the following:
Helmet Law
Illinois is one of only three states in the United States that does not require drivers to wear a helmet, which is part of the reason for its low helmet adoption. However, it’s strongly recommended you wear one anyway, regardless of the legal requirements, as it can help save your life in the event of a serious motorcycle accident.
You should also wear protective equipment, such as gloves, a jacket, heavy-duty pants, and eye protection, even though they are not mandated by law.
Statute of Limitations
As with other personal injury claims, you have 2 years to file a lawsuit. This includes instances where the biker died as a result of their motorcycle accident injuries. If it can be proven that a fatal Naperville motorcycle accident was the result of “violent intentional conduct,” such as road rage, you will have an additional 3 years to file a suit, for a maximum time limit of 5 years.
Your motorcycle accident lawyer will work to get a settlement from the applicable insurance company before filing a lawsuit, so it’s important you act fast after a crash to ensure there is ample time to take your claim to court.
Statutory Liability
Statutory liability, or third-party liability, is the legal obligation of a responsible party to pay for damages resulting from their negligence. If one party was more than 50% responsible for a Naperville motorcycle accident, the injured party could collect damages from them.
Vicarious liability is included in statutory liability. This means the responsible party was not directly involved in the accident but contributed to the severity of the crash due to negligence on their own part.
Examples could be governments failing to maintain roads, vehicle manufacturers producing unsafe products, or companies allowing their employees to drive while under the influence.
Negligence Laws
Illinois uses modified comparative negligence in personal injury cases. This means every party identified in the suit is assigned a portion of the blame for the accident. If you are considered less than 50% responsible, you can recover compensation, but your damages will be reduced by the amount for which you were responsible for the accident.
For example, if you were considered 29% responsible, then you can still seek compensation, but you will get 29% less than if you were entirely blameless. Getting legal representation is key to ensuring you are not assigned more blame for the crash than you were actually responsible for.
During your free initial consultation with a Naperville motorcycle accident lawyer, we will explain the four facets of negligence under Illinois law: duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages. These can be described as follows:
- Duty of Care – The responsible party had an obligation to avoid harm to another person by acting responsibly.
- Breach of Duty – The defendant breached their duty of care to you through their reckless actions. This may include failing to perform safety checks on motorcycles or drinking while driving.
- Causation – Your losses are directly related to the defendant’s breach of duty. A Naperville motorcycle accident lawyer will use all evidence available to prove your injuries were caused by the accident and not by something else, like a preexisting condition.
- Damages – You suffered some form of financial loss because of your injuries, whether that is lost wages, medical bills, or property damage.
Damages Our Naperville Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Can Help You Recover
Our Naperville personal injury attorneys will fight hard to ensure you receive all of the financial compensation you’re entitled to, which can include economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are those that can be proven through financial documentation, including:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning potential
- Out-of-pocket expenses for medical treatment
- Property damage
- Burial expenses for a deceased biker
Non-economic damages assess the impact of the accident on your life, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
What Is My Motorcycle Accident Claim Worth?
There is no hard and fast rule for settlements. The amount of compensation you can receive depends on a variety of factors, such as how much medical attention you require, the amount of time you were off work, and whether the other driver had insurance.
As Illinois has no settlement cap, a skilled Naperville motorcycle accident lawyer from our law firm can earn millions on behalf of our clients. Some of our motorcycle accident settlements include:
- $14,000,000 – A settlement on behalf of the family of a motorcyclist who was fatally struck by a distracted truck driver who turned into their path of travel.
- $7,000,000 – Several motorcyclists were struck by a commercial vehicle, resulting in life-altering injuries.
- $5,250,000 – A motorcyclist was hit by an older driver, suffering serious injuries.
- $3,500,000 – Settlement obtained by mediation for a man hit by a driver turning left.
Contact Our Naperville Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Today!
Our team has a proven track record of success in obtaining the best compensation for our clients. As we work on a contingency fee basis, you will owe us nothing unless we are able to win your case. Call us at (888) 424-5757 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.
Resources: [1] Positively Naperville, [2] Illinois Secretary of State, [3] Illinois Department of Transportation, [4] Illinois Department of Transportation, [5] ABC-7, [6] National Highway Traffic Safety Commission, [7] Illinois Department of Transportation, [8] Safe Roads USA, [9] State of Illinois, [10] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
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