Understanding the common causes of motorcycle accidents in Terre Haute can help you ride more safely. If an accident does happen, the cause is usually an important factor in determining liability. It can affect your chances of getting compensation. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, it is a good idea to talk to a reliable motorcycle crash attorney about your legal options.
Some factors increase the chance of a motorcycle accident. Drug and alcohol use can lead to serious accidents, and other forms of impairment, like not getting enough sleep before riding, also make it difficult to ride safely. Whether the rider is impaired or not, speeding is another common reason that collisions occur. Going too fast will make the bike more difficult to control and will increase the severity of injuries if a crash does happen.
When another driver causes an accident by hitting a motorcyclist, visibility is often a key issue. Motorcycles are smaller than cars, so they are easier to overlook when the driver is not paying attention, or when conditions like darkness or fog make it more difficult to see. This is especially common with left turns. Indiana law requires drivers preparing to make a left turn to yield to oncoming traffic. Drivers who are not expecting to see a motorcycle might not yield and could end up causing a crash in the intersection. In areas with street parking, drivers who fail to see an ongoing motorcycle and open their car doors suddenly can also cause accidents.
To file a lawsuit after a motorcycle accident, you need to demonstrate that someone else was negligent. This means they had a duty to do something, and caused your injuries by failing to fulfill that duty. For example, drivers need to stay aware of surrounding traffic, so causing an accident by not looking out for motorcycles would likely make the other driver legally responsible for that accident. Understanding the cause of the motorcycle accident will help your lawyer determine who is responsible and whether you might have had any liability as well.
If the other driver was doing someone clearly illegal, like driving while intoxicated, they will most likely be considered liable. Proving that someone was over the legal limit for alcohol is also simpler than other types of impairment like sleep deprivation. The evidence in your case can become very complicated if something like tiredness was the cause.
The motorcyclist’s actions will be a factor as well, especially if there are specific laws in place. For example, some motorcycle groups consider lane splitting to be a safe practice, which is when a motorcyclist rides between lanes of slow or stopped cars. However, lane splitting is illegal in Indiana, so there is a good chance the motorcyclist would be considered at least partially liable if it led to an accident.
Being familiar with the common causes of motorcycle accidents can help you reduce your safety risk and give you a sense of your legal options. Meeting with one of our personal injury lawyers is the first step to getting the compensation you deserve after a serious crash. Schedule a free consultation with Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin today.
I have dreamed about writing a book about personal injury law for years. In the past year, I have thought about
the project often. Clearly, I am a procrastinator.
Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin
The financial burden that often comes with a serious injury can be too much for many people to bear. Unexpected medical debt, damaged personal property, and the sudden loss of income can impact the budgets of most families. The good news is that a successful injury claim could help reduce that financial strain after a serious accident. Get in touch with a Terre Haute personal injury lawyer with Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin to learn more.
Copyright ©2025 Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin,
