PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) — Naval Air Station Pensacola’s (NASP) commanding officer constantly emphasizes motorcycle safety, including safety riding courses and personal protective equipment.

Capt. Bill Reavey, NASP’s commander, is a motorcycle enthusiast who is well-known by Sailors and Marines on base for his outspokenness when it comes to motorcycle safety.

According to the Naval Safety Center, in Fiscal Year 2008, 33 Sailors and 25 Marines were killed in motorcycle accidents.

As of March 15, 14 Sailors and 22 Marines were killed in motorcycle-related accidents. Mandatory safety courses are required to ride a bike at NASP as leaders aim to keep Sailors and Marines safe.

The Navy has contracted a company called Cape Fox to train bikers in the proper ways to ride a motorcycle.
These safety courses are designed to train a beginner motorcyclist or to help sharpen the skills of an already trained motorcyclist.

There are as many as 10 classes a month at NASP, with 12 people per class. Reavey has completed the experienced riders’ course at NASP.

Personal protection equipment (PPE) is also mandatory at NAS Pensacola.

“First, proper PPE saves lives and limbs…,” Reavey said. “Second, people need to be constantly scanning the road and vehicles around them.”

Reavey hopes voluntary motorcycle meetings and safety courses can help keep Navy motorcycle riders safe.

“I would like to see more involvement in our voluntarily meetings and maybe a push to inform the motorists of the perils that a motorcyclist faces daily,” Reavey said.

So far in fiscal year 2009, there has been a decline in motorcycle accident deaths.

“There has been an 80 percent decrease in motorcycle fatalities so far this year,” said John Anderson, director of safety at NAS Pensacola.

The mandatory safety courses are “absolutely keeping down accidents.” There have been zero motorcycle deaths on NAS Pensacola this year.

“I think that the high visibility of the commanding officer riding his motorcycle in proper equipment and doing it safely helps make a difference,” said Anderson.

Many bases across the world are using motorcycle rodeos to help promote safety among riders.

Reavey believes that this is a good idea and could help raise awareness in the community as well. If you have been involved in an accident, find yourself a good motorcyle injury attorney quickly!
“The more people involved in this effort, the safer the community becomes,” he said.

Whether your case is due to the negligence or misconduct of a third party or not, you should want someone to represent you that has complete understanding of what it is to ride a motorcycle and thus present your case in the most compelling and accurate manor.  A very qualified professional motorcycle injury attorney will have had not only the experience handling motorcyclists cases, and maybe some bicycle accidents, multi vehicle accidents, SUV and truck injury accidents as well.  This experience will provide the lawyer with a complete array of tools and knowledge when the time comes to present your case or go to settle out of court, which is quite common. Having a motorcycle accident is a special case and should involve a motorcycle injury attorney if one wants to prevail in court.
Too many times the rider will contact the insurance company and they will offer some type of settlement that might sound very attractive at the beginning, but all too often the settlement is only a fraction of what you should be entitled to.

Hiring a motorcycle injury attorney representing you,they can make a determination as to the amount of claim that would be appropriate for your particular case and will have the means and knowledge to start some type of discussion and negotiations directly with the insurance company in question.  The motorcycle injury attorney will certainly assist you in obtaining  any amount of wages you might have lost and whatever benefits on the medical side of things that are due to you because of the accident, and will know how to find the needed benefits in the event you have to deal with an uninsured or underinsured motorist fund.

There are too many times that the sustained injuries that are both short and long term which you might have suffered in a motorcycle accident, can be quite catastrophic and involve, spinal cord or back injuries, brain damage, burns, loss of limbs, etc.  Finding a motorcycle injury attorney who is looking after every aspect of your well being, both health and financial, is undoubtedly the most important aspect of deciding what to do.  Also, bear in mind that when you chose the motorcycle injury attorney, you will pay nothing until the case is over as the lawyer will only receive his fee if you win the case, thus you have no financial out of pocket in hiring the attorney.

In today’s world of crazy drivers, large trucks and SUV’s, getting injured from a motorcycle crash is not uncommon.  According to the national highway statistics, there have been over 126,000 fatalities due to motorcycles in the last 40 years.  In fact, motorcyclists are 31 times more likely to die vs. the occupants in an automobile.
 
Statistics have shown for motorcycle riders that out of every 5 riders, one will have sustained either head or neck injuries.  On top of that, motorcycle accidents involving single vehicles will account for 44 percent of all the motorcycle fatalities in the nation. In 2004, For example, in the year 2004, there were over 4000 motorcyclists that died due to accidents, and 75,000 more were injured due to accidents in our country which accounts for a rise of 8% rise from the prior year.  Of course there are a few things you can do to prevent yourself from suffering serious injury, like wearing a helmet. If you meet with a motorcycle injury attorney and you have done what you can in a preventive sense, that will help your case that much more, as the view from the general public is that motorcyclist are all reckless and that’s why they are in accidents!
 
Most all of the laws regarding motorcycle helmets have loosened all across the country since 1975, as that’s when the US government stopped the withholding of all of the highway money from those states that did not have the motorcycle helmet laws. Less than half of the states now require the use of helmets for all of the riders.  Wearing a helmet is one thing you can control, and should be done if you are a regular rider.

Another important statistic is that in 2004, almost 19 percent of automobiles that ran into a fixed object had the unfortunate result of a fatality. For motorcycles riders on the other hand, 26 percent were involved in a collision with a fixed object that became a fatality. I think we all know that the automobile driver who is not paying attention represents the greatest danger to us who ride.  It’s a stark truth but, almost 80 percent of these accidents are due to the car, truck or suv driver and not the biker. So please initiate contact with a local motorcycle injury attorney so they can assess your case.

Because of the increased danger that we face each day as motorcyclists, it’s imperative that we are vigilant when riding.  However, when the accident does occur, you must take action immediately and contact a qualified and experienced motorcycle injury attorney close to where you live.  By so doing, you will get the experience and expertise on your side when it really counts when going to court or settling a lawsuit.  Medical and hospital bills are very overwhelming these days and you need not face this alone.

All of these things will be needed if there will be a good solid case and if you expect to be compensated for any type of injury.  I suggest that you use a checklist such as the one below, to keep tabs on the important information necessary for your case and which will be needed for the months ahead…maybe even years if you have a long drawn out case. This information should be then given to your motorcycle injury attorney so that he can determine the most appropriate course of action for your case.  Having this information will be tantamount to winning your case.

1. Make sure you or someone takes photographs of the accident scene…even if it’s with a cell phone camera.
2. Get the license number and name and address, insurance info from the driver of the other vehicle.
3. Keep track of any possible witness to the accident, including all of their contact info including cell phone numbers as sometimes people move or leave a job before you case is called.
4. All hospital bills and prescriptions, doctors office visits, surgeon reports, PT treatment, and such, including all the costs associated with each one.
5. Needless to say, get a copy of the police report, as this will be necessary and your motorcycle injury attorney will need this.
6. Maintain a record of the time you have not been able to work and the wages you’ve missed due to the accident.
7. Create a log of your pain and discomfort you might be having, such a headaches, neck pain, arm or wrist not bending properly, etc.  All of these things are what the motorcycle injury attorney will use when he studies your case.
8. It wouldn’t hurt to go back to the accident scene, no matter how much time has passed and take photographs at the same hour of the day that the accident occurred, and from all angles.  This might be just what the motorcycle injury attorney needs.
9. Do not forget the damages to you bike!  Document the cost estimates for repair or take it to a shop for a written estimate, or if it was totaled, get the value of the bike prior to the accident.

Lastly, make sure your motorcycle injury attorney has all of your documentation and that you make a point not to converse with the other party or their insurance company yourself; leave that up to your lawyer.

Trying to find a reputable and good motorcycle injury law firm is very important if you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident.  While it is important to quickly find a good motorcycle attorney, you don’t want to over react and sign up with one too quickly.  There are a number of things that you should check on before even calling a law firm, and then again, a list of questions you need to ask the lawyer once you meet with them or discuss things over the phone.  I have those things here on this site, but for now, you should focus on finding the right motorcycle accident law firm.

A good motorcycle injury lawyer will want to discuss you case with you in an open and straightforward manner to determine if you have a legitimate case that he can win.  You might have suffered from injuries, both physical and mental, have sustained large medical or hospital and rehab bills and such, so he will need to know this right upfront.  Good motorcycle accident law firms will want to meet you and see you to dicuss your case in person…so be prepared to sit down and meet with them.

Motorcycle accident injury lawyers are not as common as you might think.  You do not want to just go see your local attorney who handles all the divorce and wills, and that type of thing.  You need a specialist just as you would see a heart specialist instead of your family doctor, if you had a heart condition…pretty simple. 

So you should do a little homework and find a motorcycle accident injury lawyer who specializes in motorcycle accident claims, and has the experience and understands the unique aspects of riding a motorcycle and how it affects your litigation.  Don’t be afraid to ask for his track record of other cases that he has handled.  Some cases are going to go to court, while the majority of motorcycle accident settlements out of court before the trial date.  Talk to him also about a time frame, as it could be a long drawn out case, or perhaps he may see it as one that can be settle fairly quickly, but you must be prepared! Now go do you home work and also look at the resources on this site as we list a number or qualified attorneys in your city and state.

Personal injury law can be defined as the area of civil law referred to for a negligence injury lawsuit. In personal injury law, the plaintiff is the victim of an alleged accident or in the case of wrongful death, the loved one of the victim. The defendant is the one believed to be legally on the hook for the physical damage or injuries that occurred. Usually, personal injury lawsuits are meant to provide compensation to the injured party and admonish the repetitive nature of the behavior that caused the injury. Specific rules apply to personal injury lawsuits that  vary depending upon the jurisdiction where the suit is brought and other factors involving the case.

To establish a successful personal injury lawsuit that’s resulted from any motorcycle accident, liability and damages are key elements. In proving liability, the plaintiff has to  establish that the individual did bear legal responsibility for injuries. The extent of the amount of injury or loss, can be noted to as damages incurred because of the defendant’s action or negligence.

Usually there are three bases are referred to in determining the elements of liability and damages:

1. intentional wrong doing,
2. negligence and
3. strict liability. 

Intentional wrong doing is often when the defendant might have known and/or planned for the injury to be inflicted. This is not often used and when this arises, can be brought along with criminal charges. Negligence means that often the defendant is accused of being responsible for the injury through a failure to avert it.

Slip and falling injuries, reckless or inattentive drivers who cause motorcycle accidents are circumstances that might be involved in a personal injury lawsuit based on gross negligence. The legal responsibility, for example the making or release of defective or products that are unsafe or are involved in suits based on strict liability. Assuming the product was being used as instructed, the strict liability will apply regardless or if its malice or negligence.

Most frequently personal injury lawsuits are normally settled outside of court and sometimes prior to the start of court proceedings by the motorcycle injury attorney. Those that do elected to be tried are either heard by a judge or a jury to make a some type of legal decision based on the fault and extent of damages. In some odd cases, the judge has to asess the amount of money to be given to the plaintiff, other cases the jury makes the decision. A motorcycle accident lawsuit might result in a case that numbers well into millions of dollars.

The sooner you hire your lawyer the better. Begin looking for your personal injury lawyer within a week or two after your accident. If you’re not physically capable you should have a friend or loved-one start looking. The sooner you start building your case the better.

Once you can determineif  it was a result of an accident or negligence, you must file your claim right away. There are certain time limits that a suit can be brought against a municipality or government. Keep in mind that every state has their own statutes of limitations, so you must double check with your own state on what the rule is there. It’s best to be safe though when riding and where the appropriate safety equipment that might even help in a case.

If you’re thinking that you are qualified and want to file for personal injury or damage lawsuit, it is important to find an experienced motorcycle crash attorney immediately. Please keep in mind, that there is a finite amount of time that is allowed or given to file for a personal injury lawsuit and the statute of limitations does vary from one jurisdiction to another. Get help and consult a lawyer so that you can come through with a winning strategy