Statistics on AZ Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents in Arizona cause hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths throughout the State every year. In 2015, the Arizona Department of Public Safety investigated 814 motorcycle accidents, 41 of those crashes resulted in the death of the rider. This means that 5% of all motorcycle accidents in that year resulted in a fatality. The next year about 4% of all motorcycle accidents in Arizona were fatal. And about 6% of all motorcycle accidents were fatal in the year 2017. Hence, the statistics are almost the same every year in Arizona with these accidents being fatal about five percent of the time.
Injuries from Motorcycle Accidents
Even if the injury is not fatal, the injuries from motorcycle accidents should be taken seriously. Many of our clients who have been involved in a motorcycle accident have had brain injuries and they have to undergo a neuropsychological evaluation. This test can measure the damages linked to the function of the brain after an auto accident and can show whether there has been a TBI (traumatic brain injury). The resulting injuries could be abilities such as memory or even social abilities. The neuropsych testing can also show TBI or mind TBI.
Independent Experts for Motorcycle Injuries
Independent experts are often employed in motorcycle accidents because the liability and the extent of the injuries are often litigated by the parties (and their insurance companies).
Accident Reconstructionist: For example, for liability (responsibility for the accident) an accident reconstructionist is typically hired by the claimant’s or Plaintiff’s attorney. The accident reconstructionist is an engineer who obtains all of the information from the accident scene and studies the damage to the vehicles and the physics that led to the accident. The accident scene is then “reconstructed” by using scientific formulas and sometimes computer software to determine the speeds of the vehicles and how they collided.
Neuropsychologist: A neuropsychologist can also be hired in these types of cases because he or she can testify if the brain was affected by the injuries sustained at the accident scene. The injury to the brain can cause changes in a person’s ability to function and even in the way that they behave. Cognitive abilities can also be affected by an motorcycle accident, for example, your ability to solve problems or pay attention. This is why it is very important to hire an attorney who has all of these ideas in mind to protect your bests interests and fully explain all of your losses.
Life Care Planner: A life care planner provides an actual written plan that details all of the costs that a person will need in the future if they have a permanent or catastrophic injury. The plan will have a list of the services that the person will need and how much those services will cost.
Ask yourself the following question: If you receive an offer from an insurance adjustor for $100,000, is that sufficient to cover all damages into the future? What if your damages to the present day are about $100,000, but you will need medical services for the next 30 years that cost $30,000 per year? In this example, your actual future losses would be $900,000 for future medical care plus pain and suffering (and maybe even lost wages) plus the $100,000 that were offered for damages from the date of the accident to the present day. This is were the help of a life care plan comes in very handy because failing to get one would just give a superficial look at your losses.
Costs Payable by the Law Firm
It is important to note that your attorney should and can pay for these experts to prepare your claim in pre-litigation, or for trial, or arbitration. These costs can be a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars when getting ready for trial.