Ylla Gosney represents injured motorcycle accident victims in Tuttle, OK. If you’ve found yourself injured in a motorcycle accident, you’re most likely looking at extensive medical bills, property damage, and ongoing treatment costs. Just the financial toll alone can be overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure how to manage the aftermath on your own. But that’s where we can help.
At Ylla | Gosney Attorneys at Law, we will manage your motorcycle accident claim and recover all your costs, as well as additional compensation needed to get your life back on track. So while you focus on your recovery, we’ll take care of all your legal, medical, and financial needs. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Get the legal help you need by contacting us today for a no-cost, no-obligation case review.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Motorcycle Accident?
The flat, long-stretching roads of Tuttle make the city an ideal place for motorcyclists to cruise to work or for joyriding. But the city also has some busy highways, such as HWY 37 and HWY 4, where 18-wheelers and other motorists put many motorcyclists at a high risk of being injured in an accident if they’re not paying attention. These types of accidents, according to the Oklahoma Government, account for roughly 1,000 serious motorcycle accidents every year.
One thing these statistics don’t mention is how expensive motorcycle accidents can be for victims and their families. According to the Insurance Information Institute, motorcycle accidents have an average of around $16 billion in damages each year. For that reason, it is recommended to consult with an experienced Motorcycle Accident Lawyer at Ylla | Gosney to get the full extent of your damages.
While it is common for insurance companies to blame motorcyclists for accidents or deny their claims entirely, Ylla | Gosney protects injured motorcyclists’ right to fair compensation, regardless of who was at fault. If you’ve been injured in Tuttle, our firm will ensure you’re compensated for the following damages:
- Economic damages: The financial damages you incurred due to the accident.
- Medical bills
- Lost Wages
- Loss of future potential earnings
- Loss of property
- Cost of property repair or replacement
- Non-economic damages: These are subjective, non-compensatory damages.
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages: These are damages awarded to serve as punishment to the at-fault party.
- Reckless behavior (DUI, street racing)
- Actions performed out of spite
What You Will Need When Consulting with a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer for the First Time
The initial process of speaking with our law firm for the first time usually starts off with a questionnaire to assess the merits of the case. This questionnaire will provide us with key information to help determine if a case is worth pursuing or not. However, if you’d like to speak directly to one of our attorneys, you can set up a brief meeting to discuss the details of your situation prior to answering a questionnaire. The following data is what potential clients will need when they first sit down with us:
- Employment details: current or former employer, job title, dates of employment, and compensation information.
- Nature of the complaint: type of carelessness that led to your injury (premise liability, reckless driving, defective equipment)
- Timeline of events: dates of key incidents, formal complaints filed, relevant communications with the employer
- Witnesses: names and contact information of potential witnesses to the alleged misconduct
- Documentation: list of relevant documents (x-rays, MRIs, doctor’s diagnosis, physical therapy appointments, workers’ compensation forms)
- Prior legal action: if you’ve filed previous personal injury claims, then the details of your previous case may be relevant to your new case
- Medical information: details about your medical diagnosis and treatment plan
- Social media presence: your injury may be documented online, as well as you discussing the details of your personal injury
Some of these elements may seem irrelevant to your case, but trust us, they are not. Most defense lawyers will use anything they can to diminish the damage done to your life after a motorcycle accident. For example, if your social media account has videos of you speeding on your motorcycle or riding dangerously, they will most likely attempt to use that against you to say you’re a dangerous rider, even if you were safely riding when the accident occurred.
How to Know if You Need a Lawyer for a Motorcycle Accident
This is unlikely, but if you only suffered minor scrapes or bruises from a motorcycle accident, you may not need a lawyer. However, the majority of motorcycle accidents do result in some sort of injury requiring medical attention. And in these cases, you will most likely benefit by partnering with a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer. The following is a list of factors where it is recommended you contact us at Ylla | Gosney after a motorcycle accident:
- There were serious injuries: You will need compensation to cover your current and future medical bills if you’ve suffered serious injuries. Ylla | Gosney can ensure both.
- Wrongful death: If a loved one has passed away due to the accident you will need compensation for funeral expenses and damages related to the untimely loss.
- Fault: If you are blamed for the accident, but are not at fault, an attorney can protect and assign liability to the at-fault parties. Our firm will reduce liability if you are liable to some extent or eliminate it entirely. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about fault, we are happy to help.
- Multiple parties involved: Multiple parties make cases complex. Our attorneys will manage your case while protecting your best interests and right to compensation from all liable parties.
- False police report: If a police report places blame on you, and you disagree, we will gather evidence such as street cam footage, witness statements, and dash cams to support your claim.
Motorcycle Lane-Splitting Laws in Tuttle, OK
For motorcyclists in Tuttle, OK, lane splitting, or white lining, is the practice of riding between lanes of slow-moving or stopped traffic. This maneuver typically involves the motorcyclist traveling at a higher rate of speed than the surrounding vehicles. In places like Oklahoma, this is a legal way to ride. But in the state of Oklahoma, lane-splitting is an illegal action that can result in a traffic fine. Furthermore, if lane-splitting causes an accident, the motorcyclist can be liable for the resulting damages.
If the motorcyclist suffers an injury while committing the illegal act of lane splitting, it may be challenging to recover financial compensation. This scenario is covered under Oklahoma’s Comparative Negligence Statute, which we will cover in the next section.
Oklahoma’s Comparative Negligence Law for Motorcycle Accidents
Oklahoma’s Comparative Negligence Law is considered a “50-percent” rule. Basically, the ability to pursue damages under comparative negligence applies when an accident victim is 49 percent or less liable for the accident. This percentage of fault can be decided by a police report, but all accident victims have the right to object to their assumption of fault, and ultimately have their fault decided by a judge and jury in court.
So, let’s say a driver caused your motorcycle accident because they drifted out of their lane and hit you. Failing to maintain your lane is illegal in the state of Oklahoma, and in this scenario, the driver would most likely be more than 50 percent at fault for the accident because they violated the law. If liability is in question in your case, and you fear you may be liable for the accident, contact Ylla Gosney today to discuss your case. Our firm will help you take the necessary steps to protect you from liability or eliminate it entirely, so you can recover compensation.
Proving Liability in a Motorcycle Accident
In Oklahoma, a person can be liable for causing injuries in a motorcycle accident if they did not act with reasonable care. When assessing liability, law enforcement and the courts will consider both parties’ actions and decide how careless they were being. For example, let’s say a driver on Highway 37 had a legal obligation to yield to you as you’re cruising on your motorcycle. The driver fails to yield and pulls out in front of you. You’re unable to stop, and you crash into them, causing you serious injuries and damage done to your motorcycle. In this case, the driver would be responsible for your injuries because:
- They violated their duty of care: drivers have a legal obligation to drive with caution and prevent any hazardous incidents that could injure someone
- Their violation cause and accident: the other driver’s carelessness was a direct cause of your motorcycle accident
- Their actions caused damages: you suffered verifiable damages and incurred heavy losses due to the injuries sustained from the accident
If a violation of “duty of care” can be established, then you will have proven the driver liable for the motorcycle accident. Establishing liability is also important to understanding the amount of compensation you can receive. However, there are other factors to consider when determining the value of your motorcycle accident.
Contact Ylla Gosney, Attorneys at Law
If you or your loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident in Tuttle, Oklahoma, Ylla Gosney Attorneys at Law can help. We understand that injured victims only have one chance at securing financial relief after a serious accident. That’s why we focus on getting your case resolved and getting you paid as quickly as possible.
Our firm has proudly managed numerous motorcycle accident cases, successfully protecting riders from liability and reaching fair settlements quickly and efficiently on their behalf. So, don’t wait until it’s too late to take legal action for your motorcycle accident injuries. Contact Ylla | Gosney today for a free, no-risk consultation and case evaluation. There are no upfront fees and you don’t pay a cent until your case is won.