Motorcycle Accidents

Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, has spent five decades fighting for the rights of motorcycle riders in Southwest Florida.

We have long been advocates of rider rights and rider safety through our FLBikers.com website and work in the community. For more than a decade, we’ve been the headline sponsor of Cape Coral Bike Night, the largest family-friendly bike night in Southwest Florida. Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured has also sponsored Fort Myers Bike Night, ABATE of Southwest Florida (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education), in addition to an annual Bikers for Babies toy run to benefit March of Dimes, as well as other motorcycle events throughout our local communities.

Since 1971, our Cape Coral motorcycle accident lawyers have built a reputation of advocacy for the injured and proactive education in the community meant to protect the rights of injured riders and their families while reducing the risks of these serious and often deadly collisions on the roads of Southwest Florida.

Florida has long been among the deadliest states in the nation for motorcycle riders. Year around riding weather, long sandy beaches, and destination events like Daytona Beach Bike Week, make the Sunshine State popular with both local and out-of-state riders.

In recent years, Florida has been the deadliest state, recording more than 500 rider deaths each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texas and California are the only other states to routinely report more than 400 deaths per year. Nationwide, the Governors Highway Safety Association reports motorcycle riders account for nearly 15 percent of all traffic fatalities, despite the relatively few riders on the road compared to other types of vehicle traffic. However, the news is even worse in Florida, as Florida has posted the largest increase in number of rider deaths, while California has posted the largest decrease.

Nearly 400 motorcycle crashes are reported to Lee County law enforcement each year. More than 20 riders are killed and hundreds are injured, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Too often, our Cape Coral motorcycle accident lawyers see cases in which a rider is unfairly blamed, or an at-fault motorist will insist the rider was speeding or otherwise behaving recklessly. But nobody has more respect for the risks of motorcycles than riders, and the vast majority ride responsibly.

Most motorcycle crashes involving another vehicle are the fault of the other vehicle’s driver. Primary causes include:

• Failure to Yield: This is the top cause of fatal Cape Coral motorcycle collisions. Most often, a vehicle fails to yield the right of way to an oncoming rider and will turn left into the path of the motorcycle. The rider is left with nowhere to go and the collision typically occurs while the rider is traveling at speed.
• Rear-end collisions: These collisions occur with alarming regularity for several reasons. Even bumping a rider will likely cause him to tip over, leaving the motorcycle on top of the rider. These collisions often also occur at an intersection and may even involve several other vehicles. When an approaching vehicle fails to get stopped and causes a rear-end collision, several riders traveling in a group may all face serious injury as vehicles are pushed into them or by flying debris.
• Single Motorcycle Accidents: These often occur when a rider is forced to take evasive action and wrecks as a result. Often a motorist, who failed to yield or otherwise caused the rider to crash, will deny involvement and may not remain at the scene.

The Cape Coral motorcycle accident lawyers at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, know these are often complex cases, where justice is vital to the welfare of an entire family. There is no such thing as a minor motorcycle accident.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reports 4 in 5 reported motorcycle accidents result in serious or fatal injuries to the rider.

Recovery of damages will hinge on your chosen law firm’s ability to prove liability, document full extent of your past, present and future damages, and identify a viable means of recovery. Unlike some types of injury or wrongful death claims (like drunk driving or many pedestrian injury claims), liability is often vigorously contested in motorcycle injury claims, both because of the extent of injuries and, we believe, because of what can manifest as an inherent bias against rider rights in some cases. In other words, at-fault motorists and in some cases law enforcement may be too quick to blame the rider.

It’s important for you to know even in cases where a rider is partially at fault, a claim may still be made. Florida tort law recognizes comparative fault in negligence claims under Florida Statute 768.81, which means even victims found partially at fault may still have a valid claim against one or more at-fault parties. Early consultation with an experienced motorcycle injury lawyer in Cape Coral can best determine your legal rights.

Five decades of fighting for the rights of motorcycle riders in Southwest Florida has allowed Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, to build relationships with some of the leading medical, legal and investigative consults in their fields. Determining causation, identifying at-fault parties, and building a comprehensive demand for damages will put clients in the best position to prevail.

If you or someone you care about has been hurt, contact the Cape Coral motorcycle accident lawyers at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured. You pay us no fees unless we win.