CAR CHANGED LANES INTO MOTORCYCLE – INJURY ATTORNEYS

A top motorcycle accident lawyer in our office recently settled a case involving a situation we see frequently. The driver of a minivan had changed lanes without looking first. As the minivan changed lanes, it hit the motorcycle and injured the motorcycle rider. The accident occurred at about 12:30 p.m. on a clear summer day. Our client was riding his motorcycle from home to the beach on his day off. Unfortunately, this case is like many motorcycle accident cases in Minnesota.

Both vehicles were traveling at about 45 miles per hour. They were headed north on Highway 101 in Chanhassen Minnesota. Our client was on his motorcycle in the left turn lane, preparing to turn left at Lake Susan Drive. The other driver was in the right lane, a few feet ahead of the motorcycle. Then, she suddenly decided to move into the left lane as well.

When the van suddenly moved into the left turn lane, it ran into our client’s bike. The driver’s side passenger door struck our client on his motorcycle. The impact knocked the motorcycle over and threw the biker into the median. At the scene, the driver of the van admitted to both our client and the police officer that she changed lanes without looking. Therefore, the officer cited her for failure to drive with due care and control.

Our best motorcycle accident injury attorneys in Minnesota are always relieved when the other driver admits they weren’t looking. In many cases, they falsely claim the crash was our client’s fault. Of course, the crash has happened at that point and the damage has been done.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT INJURY LAWYER

In this case, when the motorcycle was knocked over, the biker was thrown into the median. The ambulance and paramedics report noted: “Right arm, including shoulder, has bleeding from abrasions. Left palm of hand has abrasion and bleeding. Right hip has bruising and right knee is also bleeding from abrasion.”

After the motorcycle crashed, our injured client was taken by ambulance to the emergency room. He was kept there for five hours while x-rays were taken. In addition, his abrasions were cleaned and bandaged, and he was observed for head trauma.

He was then released with a prescription for pain mediation and a supply of dressings to care for the wounds. Later that day, he began to experience increasingly severe chest pain and knee pain.

Many people do not call a lawyer immediately after a motorcycle crash. Often, our best MN motorcycle accident lawyers are not called until several days later when the motorcycle driver is released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

The motorcycle driver and family often need time to focus on the immediate treatment issues. However, it is better if an attorney is called soon after a motorcycle is hit by a car or truck. In some cases, we need to conduct an investigation. For those cases, we like to get started as soon as possible. For example, ee may need to find witnesses and want their memories to be fresh.

INJURED IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT

In this case, our client’s pain persisted in the days after this motorcycle accident when the other car changed lanes without looking. On the Fourth of July, the chest pain worsened to the point where he began vomiting. At that point, he became scared there was something more seriously wrong, so he returned to the emergency room.

At the emergency room, doctors ordered a CT scan of his chest and re-x-ray of his knee. Fortunately, the scans were negative. Therefore, the ER doctors changed his pain medication and released him. They instructed him to continue caring for his wounds and follow up with his regular doctor if necessary. It was then that he called a MN motorcycle accident attorney for this incident.

Our client took it easy for the rest of the month, and then tried to gradually return to his regular athletic activities and training. Unfortunately, when he tried to run, he experienced shortness of breath and left knee pain. He later went in for a follow-up with a doctor at the Park Nicollet clinic. The doctor noted scars and abrasions on both his chest and knee and felt that he had a right sided contusion. The doctor also diagnosed right knee lateral collateral ligament strain, as well as subpatellar contusion, from the motorcycle crash. The doctor’s recommendation was physical therapy.

MEDICAL TREATMENT AFTER MOTORCYCLE CRASH

He went to two physical therapy visits at Park Nicollet because of the motorcycle accident. The therapist worked with him and taught him exercises to do on his own. He continued doing the exercises over the next several months as his knee pain and chest pain from the motor cycle crash gradually improved.

A year later, he still had intermittent complaints of knee and chest pain. His knee will ‘act up’ after a 12-hour shift. That means he cannot leave work and immediately engage in sports activities without resting for a few hours or until the next day.

He was gradually able to resume his prior activities, but still has occasional difficulties. For example, he finds that he is still getting some chest pain and becomes winded when he tries extended exercise. This is different than his condition before this motorcycle accident.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT INJURY LAWYER MINNESOTA

Our experienced Minnesota motorcycle accident lawyers can tell you that this client was lucky. He still has permanent scarring from the road rash. However, there were no broken bones or other serious problems.

Unfortunately, he has some disruption or fading of his tattoos in the injured areas. He was very proud of his tattoos. Of course, he is not happy with how the tattoos were damaged due to the scarring from the motor cycle accident road rash. He hopes to have them improved with a subsequent procedure.

In addition to the pain, inconvenience, and scarring, he basically had to give up his summer that year. He was in the emergency room for treatment on the Fourth of July. Also, he had to drop out of his softball team, stop his other sports and training. Most significantly, he had to delay entering the army program he had enrolled in.

MOTORCYCLE LAWYERS WHO GET RESULTS

Fortunately, our top motorcycle accident lawyer was able to get fair compensation for this client. It is frustrating that automobile drivers often are not paying attention on the roads and cause these motorcycle accidents. Here, a car changed lanes and hit the motorcycle.

The only thing that can be done to remedy the situation is for a motorcycle accident attorney to get compensation for the victim. We make sure the medical bills are paid, and the client gets fairly compensated. Our best lawyers have more than 25 years’ experience successfully representing motorcycle crash victims throughout MN.

If you or a family member is injured in a motorcycle accident in Minnesota, please call our office to speak with an attorney for a free consultation. We will advise you of your rights and start the investigation if necessary. Further, we never charge anything unless you are compensated for your injuries.