Incidents involving motorcycles can have devastating, often life-threatening effects. 

Hiring a motorcycle accident attorney can help ensure you receive the compensation you need to deal with these losses.

Our team at Chanfrau & Chanfrau in Daytona Beach, FL, is here for you...

_{According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration}

Despite making up only three percent of all registered vehicles in the United States, motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2016.

There are many different situations on the road that can result in a motorcycle accident. Determining what caused the incident can help our attorneys, serving Daytona Beach, Palm Coast, Port Orange, Bunnell, DeLand, Flagler Beach, Ormond Beach, Orange City, and nearby areas to identify who is at fault for your injuries.

In some cases, multiple factors can contribute to your accident. Our team can investigate every aspect of your case to determine what caused your injuries.

Many people fail to realize the scope of damages that they may be entitled to. We stress to our clients that damages can be awarded for both quantitative and qualitative losses. As legal professionals, it is our duty to fight for maximum compensation for our clients.

In the event of a motorcycle accident, you or a loved may be entitled to damages for:

Florida's Motorcycle Scene

With plenty of sunshine and retirees, Florida is a state that attracts motorcycle riders year-round. In fact, Florida has the second highest number of registered motorcycles in the nation. Daytona Bike Week is an annual national event that adds more than 500,000 bikes to the normal springtime traffic in the area. Each year, many accidents are reported, including collisions between motorcycles.

Daytona Bike Week

Despite the increased number of accidents during this event, credit should be given to the Daytona Beach/Volusia County law enforcement agencies for planning ahead to slow down traffic and make pedestrian crosswalks in congested areas such as the Iron Horse Saloon and Destination Daytona to reduce the risk to bikers and pedestrians alike. In 2006, Twenty-six deaths were reported and 2009 we only had seven deaths reported. Bike Week in Florida has become a national event, and with the large number of motorcycles in the area at one time, accident rates go up. Many accidents during Daytona Bike Week occur because of inexperienced or impaired drivers, and many others occur because of negligent drivers. With many motorcyclists in one place at one time, there have also been incidents of collisions with each other.

For motorcyclists planning to attend Bike Week in Florida, extra precautions should be taken since many other bikers will be on the road. Motorcyclists should always wear protective helmets, obey traffic laws, keep a sharp eye to their surroundings, and be wary of other drivers who may not see them. Drivers of motorbikes should also make sure to take out uninsured motorist insurance in order to protect their finances in the event of an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.

Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists face a significant risk of injury or death in the event of a vehicle collision, as the bike and its rider will typically sustain the brunt of the damage. As a result, it is important that motorcyclists remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings. Being familiar with the most common causes of motorcycle accidents can help you avoid them. These common causes include:

Inattentive Drivers

Motorcycles have a much smaller profile than cars and trucks. Furthermore, most drivers simply do not take extra care to look for riders. Consequently, motorcyclists are commonly involved in vehicle collisions because an inattentive driver failed to notice them.

Drivers Failing to Yield

Motorcyclists face significant danger when a driver fails to yield, as there are other hazards all around them. When a motorist fails to yield to a motorcyclist, it can result in severe injury or even death.

Drivers Failing to Signal

Many motorists find it difficult to properly judge the speed of motorcycles, or pay motorcyclists little attention because they feel safe within the confines of their automobile. A failure to signal can result in a car turning into your path from the other direction or transitioning into your lane without warning.

Drivers Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs

Accidents related to alcohol or drugs result in thousands of deaths each year. If a motorist collided with you, ran you off the road, or caused you to crash in some other manner because he or she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, we can help you pursue financial compensation.

Drivers Who Follow Too Closely

A motorist who follows too closely can easily cause a rear-end collision. When two cars are involved, rear-end collisions often result in little more than a scratch or two. When the person being struck is a motorcyclist, a rear-end collision can be incredibly dangerous.

Road Rage

Unfortunately, many motorists seem to have an irrational dislike of motorcyclists and bicyclists. If you were involved in a vehicle collision or auto accident because a fellow motorist acted with a gross disregard to your personal safety, we will do everything possible to see that you are justly compensated.

Accidents with Cars Making Left Hand Turns

Left hand turns account for 42 percent of motorcycle accidents involving a car. In such instances, drivers of larger vehicles do not see the motorcyclist approaching and strike the rider on the side. This frequently happens at intersections when the motorcyclists is going straight and the car driver is turning. It can also happen while a motorcyclist is passing a car that suddenly turns. While the driver is more often found at fault, the court may find that a motorcyclist is partially or fully to blame if they were speeding or in the wrong lane.

Motorcycle Lane Splitting

When a motorcyclist rides between lanes of stopped or slowed vehicles, it is known as lane splitting. While legal in some states, it is illegal in Florida. Lane splitting is illegal largely because it is so dangerous. Motorcyclists are easily struck by cars changing lanes, or even when cars move within the same lane. In most cases, motorcyclists splitting lanes in Florida will be found at-fault for related accidents, unless they can show that the driver contributed to the accident in some way, such as using a cell phone while driving.

Motorcycle Crashes with Fixed Objects

Crashes with trees, medians, parked cars, and other fixed objects account for about a quarter of all motorcycle accident deaths. In comparison, other vehicular deaths due to striking a fixed object is about 18 percent. The obvious reason for the higher mortality rate among motorcycle riders is that their vehicle is less protective and makes them more vulnerable to bodily harm.

Crashes with trees, medians, parked cars, and other fixed objects account for about a quarter of all motorcycle accident deaths.

Dangerous Road Conditions

Motorcyclists are more often affected by hazardous road conditions, such as debris in the road or inclement weather, compared to other vehicle types. The smaller wheels and greater instability of a motorcycle mean that hazards like roadkill or wet asphalt are more dangerous than they are for cars or trucks. Some conditions and obstacles that are hazardous to motorcycles, but not other vehicles, include:

• Leaves
• Gravel
• Bumpy or uneven roads
• Railway tracks
• Painted surfaces (especially when wet)
• Oil on the road
• Expansion joints

While a motorcyclist can do their best to avoid these obstacles, there may not always be enough time or space to do so.

High Performance Motorcycles

Sport motorcycles represent a relatively small proportion of motorcycles on the road, but these bikes make up a disproportionately high number of accidents. This is because these fast vehicles are much lighter and much less stable than conventional motorcycles. While this makes them faster, it also makes them much more dangerous. Additionally, the drivers of sport bikes tend to be younger than riders of cruisers and other larger and heavier motorcycles. The combination of a fast, light bike driven at high speeds by a younger driver is the reason for the high incidence of serious and deadly sport motorcycle accidents.

Inclement Weather

Bad weather is much more dangerous for a motorcyclist than a driver. Not only do sleet, ice, snow, and rain make it difficult to steer a bike on the road, the motorcyclist is unprotected and is literally hit by falling precipitation. Wind can also have a huge negative effect on a bike, causing it to go faster, slower, or push it to the side.

Motorcycle drivers should avoid riding in inclement weather if at all possible. If you must ride in harsh elements, take extra care and wear the proper equipment.

Motorcycle accidents involving DUI (driving under the influence) can be especially detrimental to riders and cause long-lasting, and even fatal injuries. For this reason, motorists should pay extra attention and look out for motorcyclists on the road. If you or a loved one were involved in a motorcycle accident and it was determined that alcohol played a role, let a motorcycle DUI accident lawyer from our law firm help. 

Conducting an Investigation in a Motorcycle Accident Case

Bikers are especially vulnerable on the road. They have no metal shell surrounding and shielding them from external hazards, or seat belts and airbags to protect them in the event of a collision. Motorcyclists are totally exposed and incredibly vulnerable to injury and death in any motor vehicle accident – even low-speed collisions. This vulnerability is what motivates us to protect the rights of motorcyclists. We recognize that as a biker, you have the same rights and privileges on the road as anyone else. Rest assured, we will protect those rights and fight on your behalf.

In order to file a claim, we will first conduct a thorough investigation of your accident. Though investigations will likely be conducted by law enforcement officials and the respective parties' insurance companies, we believe it is important to have an unbiased and objective investigation from a third-party. As legal professionals, we can provide this service. Should there be any conflict or disagreement between the involved parties, our investigation can help establish the true cause of the accident.

Working with accident reconstruction experts, forensics experts, law enforcement officials, and witnesses, we can paint an accurate picture of the circumstances surrounding your accident and establish a definitive cause. If it is established through police records or other means that a motorist was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident, then negligence can be shown and a personal injury claim can be filed for damages.