Motorcycle accidents in New York and New Jersey.
Riders get blamed. Before anyone has looked at the evidence, the assumption is that the motorcycle was going too fast or came out of nowhere. We represent injured riders in New York and New Jersey, and we start by testing that assumption instead of accepting it.
Take the injury seriously, and protect your account of what happened.
Motorcycle injuries are usually worse than they look at the roadside, and adrenaline hides a lot. Get examined properly. Then, while it is fresh, write down exactly what you saw the other driver do.
You won’t get all of this right, and you don’t have to. Do what you can, and we’ll work with what you have.
Get properly examined
Go to hospital or see a doctor, even if you can walk away. Road rash, fractures, internal injuries and head injuries are all common, and not all of them announce themselves. Keep every record and follow the treatment plan.
Keep the bike and the gear
Don’t repair or scrap the motorcycle, and don’t throw away your helmet or jacket. The damage patterns on the bike and the gear are evidence of speed, angle and impact. Photograph everything, including the road surface and any skid marks.
Write your version down before anyone else’s sticks
Write down what you saw, where the car was, what it did, and when you first realized. Do it the same day. The driver’s account gets recorded early, and it usually favors the driver.
Most New Jersey injury claims have to be filed within two years, and most New York claims within three. If a city, a state agency or a public authority is involved, formal notice can be due within 90 days. Miss the deadline and the claim is usually gone, however strong it was.
How long you have to bring a claimThis page is general information. It is not medical or legal advice for your situation.
The rider is usually the last person who caused it.
Drivers who don’t look for motorcycles
Left turns across a rider’s path, lane changes into a rider, doors opened into traffic, cars pulling out of junctions. The most common line a driver gives is that they never saw the motorcycle. That is an admission, not a defense.
The road and the machine
Potholes, gravel, uneven repairs, poor lighting, missing signs, oil on the surface. A road defect a car shrugs off can put a rider down. Mechanical failure matters too, and it points at whoever built or serviced the part.
What an injury does off the bike
Riders often face long recoveries, surgery, permanent scarring and lasting loss of movement. The effect runs well past the medical bills into work, independence, and the things you did before. That is the part that gets undervalued.
If someone else was responsible, these are the losses a claim is meant to put right.
Medical treatment
The care you have already had, and the care the evidence says you are still going to need.
Lost income
Time off work now, and the earnings you lose if you cannot go back to what you did before.
The effect on your life
Pain, the things you can no longer do, and how long that is expected to last. This is the part with no invoice attached, and the part an insurer values lowest.
What any individual claim is worth depends on its own facts, and no one can tell you that from a web page.
We test what the driver says instead of assuming it.
Jim Hunt trained at one of the largest law firms in the world. Our attorneys came from the other side of claims like yours — corporate defense and insurance defense in New York City — and they know where a defense lawyer looks to cut a claim down.
We take on fewer cases than most firms, on purpose. That means you deal with an attorney rather than a case handler, your calls get returned, and the person answering knows your file. We’ll handle the insurer so you don’t have to, and we’ll work on getting your medical bills sorted out while the claim runs. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
What happens when you call.
Questions people ask after an injury.
Every situation is different. If yours isn’t here, ask us. There’s no cost to ask.
The driver says they didn’t see me. Where does that leave me?
Usually in a stronger position, not a weaker one. Drivers are required to look. “I didn’t see the motorcycle” explains how they failed; it is not a reason they were not at fault. We would want the scene, the sightlines and the vehicle positions properly examined.
Should I keep my damaged helmet and gear?
Yes. Don’t clean it, repair it or throw it out. A damaged helmet is direct evidence of the impact, and it can matter a great deal on the question of how serious the injury was.
Can a road condition be part of the case?
Yes, and it is often missed. A pothole, loose gravel, a badly finished repair or a missing sign can share responsibility with the driver. Claims involving a public road authority carry short deadlines, so these need identifying early.
I had an excellent experience working with Jim. He was professional, knowledgeable, and always responded quickly to phone calls and texts. He explained the process in a clear and straightforward manner, and the outcome exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend Jim Hunt to anyone in need of a personal injury attorney.
— D. Martinez, Google review
Read more client reviewsPrior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstance. Testimonials are reviews left by actual clients on the firm’s public Google profile, in the client’s own words and shortened in places; clients are not compensated for reviews. A testimonial is not a guarantee or prediction about your case. Read our full disclaimer.
Not a motorcycle accident?
If yours is closer to one of these, start there instead.