Alabama Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
There are roughly 30 million motorcyclists driving on U.S. Highways and roads. Motorcycles are legal motor vehicles, and as such, people who ride them have the same rights as people who drive cars. Even so, motorcycles tend to fall prey to drunk drivers and inattentive drivers far more than their car-driving counterparts.
According to recent statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a motorcyclist is approximately 16 times more likely to die in a crash than an automobile occupant. What's more, they are three times more likely to be injured than people who ride in cars. For those who were involved in fatal motorcycle crashes, head injury was the leading cause of death.
In addition, NHTSA estimates that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle reduces the chances of a fatality by 29 percent. Surprisingly, though not all states require motorcyclists to wear helmets. Fortunately, Alabama law strictly requires that all motorcyclists wear helmets. Of course, if you get into an accident, wearing a helmet will only protect your head. However, it won't prevent the accident from occurring in the first place. Nor will it prevent you from injuring another portion of your body to keep your bike from sustaining serious damage.
There are a wide range of causes for motorcycle accidents, some of which include: Not Being Able to See Around You: Intersections, buildings, parked vehicles, shrubbery, etc. Road hazards: Potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris, and uneven pavement. Motorcyclists Being Difficult To See: The motorcyclist is undetected by other drivers. Truck drivers are at even more risk of missing a motorcyclist, drivers of these huge vehicles often hit blind spots and do not see the comparatively small motorcycle, which can result in collision. Motorcycle defects: Fuel system leaks, which present an increased risk of fire in the post-crash phase. Weather: Heavy rain, snow, hail, etc. can lead to decreased visibility and hazardous driving conditions.
Our goal for you is to ensure you receive the best medical treatment available so you make the best medical recovers possible, and to obtain the maximum monetary compensation for your physical, financial and emotional loses. If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle accident in Alabama, contact an Alabama Motorcycle Accident Lawyer now for a free consultation. Our Birmingham based law firm may be able to help you resolve your motorcycle accident case and collect compensation for your motorcycle accident injury. Although our law firm is based in Birmingham, AL we handle motorcycle accident cases throughout the state of Alabama.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please schedule a free consultation and case evaluation by calling Lewis, Feldman & Lehane, LLC locally at 205-254-3927, toll free at 888-295-7409 or completing our contact form. We're the Alabama truck accident attorneys who can help you receive the justice you deserve.
For more information on the following types of personal injury claims, click below:
- Personal Injury
- Bicycle Accidents
- Pedestrian/Runner Injuries
- Auto Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Misfilled Prescriptions
- Wrongful Death
Personal Injury
Personal injury cases encompass a wide variety of situations which arise where someone is injured. These cases include, but may not be limited to, automobile accidents, truck accidents, products liability, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, and wrongful death. Many of these different cases involved different laws and procedures which need to be reviewed by an attorney before making a claim.
Bicycle Accidents
Every six hours a bicyclist is fatally injured in America. Head injuries account for seventy-five percent of all serious injuries and deaths from bicycle accidents. Negligent drivers are a major factor in bicycle accidents. If a driver makes a turn, pulls out of a driveway or alley, or opens a car door without being observant, they are putting bicyclists in danger. Injuries sustained to bicyclists may be fatal because of the lack of protection a bicycle provides. There is no competition between a bicycle and a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds. Drivers must be held accountable for the injuries they cause.
Pedestrian/Runner Injuries
Around 5,000 people are killed each year as pedestrians in traffic accidents. Pedestrian injuries can be extremely severe. Injuries to the spinal cord, head, neck, or paralysis, broken bones, or loss of a limb can all occur to pedestrians struck by vehicles. We understand your need to get your medical bills paid, to help with loss of income, to force the insurance company to pay for all parts of your injury, in all ways that it has caused you injury.
Auto Accidents
Motor vehicle drivers in the State of Alabama are required to know the rules of the road, and they are required to abide by these rules while operating a motor vehicle. Should a driver fail to follow the rules of the road and cause an accident and injury to you, you may be entitled to compensation.
Truck Accidents
Truck accidents involve what many people refer to as eighteen wheel rigs. Usually, these types of collisions involve traumatic injuries because, as one of our experts put it, such a heavy vehicle is like a locomotive coming down the freeway. These over-the-road carriers are governed by numerous federal regulations which include, but are not limited to, driver rest periods, specific driver logs, and mandated insurance coverage. When you or someone you know is involved in an accident involving an eighteen wheel rig, it is important to employ an attorney familiar with these regulations so the case will be prosecuted properly.
Misfilled Prescriptions
When you pick up your prescription from the pharmacy, you assume it has been filled properly and basic standards of care have been followed. You assume the pharmacist has filled your prescription with the correct drug and the correct dose. Sadly, this is not always the case. With millions of prescriptions being written each year, thousands are misfilled. Most of those pharmacy prescription errors will not be serious, but for some, the damage will be tremendous, resulting in permanent injury or death.
Wrongful Death
Wrongful death occurs when a person is killed as a result of the negligence or wanton act of another. Alabama's wrongful death statute is different from every other state's wrongful death action. In Alabama, the family of a loved one who is killed as a result of another person's negligence is only entitled to punitive damages, not compensatory damages. In other words, if a forty year old husband and father of two is killed in an automobile accident, his family cannot ask a jury to award damages for his future income which they could have expected had he lived another thirty-five years. They can only ask the jury to punish the person who was at fault. There are other intricacies involved in pursuing wrongful death actions such as the actual process for filing the lawsuit. These various intricacies make it imperative that you consult an attorney before attempting to handle such a case yourself.
Dog Bites
Any dog bite is serious. Puncture wounds easily become infected, leading to permanent scars. Because of the depth of the wound, it can cause nerve damage and long-term loss of feeling or function. Many Alabama communities have leash laws requiring owners to leash their dogs. At Lewis, Feldman, our attorneys represent people who have been attacked by dogs while riding their bike, running or walking, or delivering packages or mail. We are dedicated to ensuring our clients obtain the compensation they are due, and that dangerous dogs are not free to attack again.
Food Poisoning
The Federal government, along with state and local agencies, regulates food safety through the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Their mission is to ensure the U.S. food supply is "safe, nutritious, and wholesome." The agencies also monitor and approve food labeling and warning standards.
Premise Liability
Commonly referred to as a "slip and fall." Business owners have a duty to keep their premises free from dangers and hazards which might cause harm to their customers.
Lemon Law
Many new motor vehicles have significant problems. If the problems affect the safety, market value or use of the vehicle, the consumer might be entitled to either a new vehicle or monetary damages, which includes attorney's fees, under Alabama's Lemon Law. There are certain rules and regulations that you must follow in order to file a claim. 1. The claim must be made within the first year or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first. 2. The manufacturer must have an opportunity to repair the vehicle three (3) times, and one final time after notice is given. 3. And, the notice must be sent via certified mail. The claim should describe the motor vehicle, state the problem and describe all previous attempts to correct the problem by identifying the person, firm or corporation who, or which made such an attempt, and the time the attempt was made. Finally, the customer must follow the manufacturer's internal dispute resolution procedure. Before beginning this process, it would be advisable to consult with an attorney in order to fully comply with the statute.
Social Security Disability
Social Security administers four separate benefit programs for individuals with disabilities: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income, Disabled Widows and Widowers Benefits (DWB), and Disabled Adult Child Benefits (DAC). The medical requirements to prove disability, as well as the process for making disability determinations, are the same for each program.
Wrongful Foreclosures
It is possible to have a lender or loan servicer initiate foreclosure on your property when you have done nothing wrong. An error can be made by the lender, which puts your loan into default, although you pay your mortgage payments in full and on time. A wrongful foreclosure can also be caused when a mortgage servicer (the company hired by the lender to collect the mortgage payment) or a new owner of your mortgage loan does not understand the details of your loan. Payments can be misapplied, incorrect interest rates can be charged and communication to the borrower can be inaccurate.
Consumer Fraud
Examples of consumer fraud include false advertising, bad faith insurance coverage denial, investment scams, fake charities, defective products, real estate swindles, among many others. Consumer fraud protection shields consumers from these deceptions primarily through enforcement of state and federal consumer protection and product safety laws.
Workers’ Compensation
If an employee is injured at work, the employee is governed by the Workers' Compensation Act of 1992 unless the employer has fewer than five employees or falls within one of the few exemptions provided by the Code of Alabama. An employee may be entitled to compensation if the employee is injured or killed in an accident on the job.
Labor & Wage Disputes
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) and certain state wage and hour laws ensure workers are paid fairly. Employers sometimes misclassify an employee as exempt, or insist they work "off the clock," failing to pay an employee fairly for the work they perform. An employee may have a claim under the FSLA if, for instance, meal and work breaks are not paid correctly, if the employee works overtime without compensation or if they are denied vacation and sick time.
Employment Discrimination
Employment discrimination occurs when a person identifies you as belonging to a legally protected group because of a characteristic, and treats you unfairly, because you belong to a protected group. To prove employment discrimination, you must show the employer intended to treat you differently because of the characteristic. This intent can also be demonstrated if the employer has unfairly treated a lot of other persons with the same protected characteristic.
Collection Violations
The FDCPA prohibits contacts with third parties if the collector knows the debtor is represented by an attorney, otherwise contact with third parties is permitted, but only to locate the debtor. In practice, a writing is required advising of attorney representation to avoid a he said/she said dispute. The collector must inform the debtor in every communication that the communication is from a debt collector.
Products Liability
Any manufacturing and/or distributor of a product which causes injury to an individual may be liable to that individual under the Alabama Extended Manufacturer's Liability Doctrine. If you or someone you know is injured by a product, DO NOT dispose of the product. If the product is not preserved in its original state, your case will be lost forever.
Collections
This is a form of contract dispute. An attorney may be needed to either recover payment or the merchandise sold.
