Motorcycle accidents often occur because of the negligence or recklessness of other drivers. In order to receive compensation, though, you must be able to prove it.
If you were injured, take comfort in the fact that our personal injury lawyers have the expertise and resources to recover maximum compensation for our clients. Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer at Martin G. Schulz & Associates for a free consultation to discuss your legal options.
Motorcycle accidents are a frequent cause of serious injury or death because motorcyclists are more vulnerable than occupants of an enclosed vehicle. Considering that motorcyclists have little protection other than their clothing, they are more than twice as likely to suffer severely following a collision.
Statistics
In a collision, a motorcyclist is four times more likely to be injured and 14 times more likely to be killed than the occupant of an enclosed vehicle. The likelihood of an injury is extremely high in motorcycle accidents – 98% of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider.
- In Alberta's RCMP policing jurisdictions alone, 280 motorcyclists and passengers were involved in a collision in 2023, with 213 injured and 18 killed.
As with all roadway accidents, many factors can contribute to collisions involving motorcycles. One common cause is motorists who do not see motorcyclists, and cut them off or run into them. Speed is also a common factor, with the likelihood of injuries increasing with higher rates of speed. Motorcyclists traveling too fast and losing control can lead to deadly accidents, as can other motorists speeding and being unable to avoid hitting motorcyclists. Poor road conditions, adverse weather, and poor visibility are also frequent contributing factors to motorcycle accidents.
Common Types of Injuries
Biker's Arm
Road Rash
Bone And Joint Breakage
Concussion And Brain Damage
Facial Disfigurement
Motorcycle Accident Causes
Many motorcycle accidents are caused by drivers who simply didn’t see the motorcycle, either because of negligence, recklessness, or careless driving. Other common causes are:
- Speeding
- Poor road conditions
- Weather and poor visibility
- Distracted driving
Insurers Start By Assuming the Rider Was Reckless
From the first phone call, Alberta insurance adjusters often treat a motorcycle claim differently than a car claim, assuming the rider was speeding, lane splitting, or riding beyond their skill before anyone has read the police report. That bias can shrink an offer long before your treatment is even finished.
Edmonton's motorcycle crashes involving death or serious injury hit a ten year high in 2023, and some adjusters lean on that broader trend to label every rider high risk no matter what actually happened on scene. Our Edmonton personal injury lawyers counter that framing with the collision report, the road layout, and the other driver's own statements, not assumptions.
A rider who goes down at speed is also far more likely to walk away with a traumatic brain injury than the driver who hit them, and that imbalance is exactly why some insurers look for any excuse to shift blame onto the person who was hurt worse.
Why Motorcycle Evidence Disappears Within Days
A motorcycle carries no onboard data recorder and no crumple zone to preserve clues, so most of what proves the other driver's fault exists only in the hours after the crash: skid marks that fade, a debris field that gets swept up, and traffic camera footage that can be overwritten within days.
We move quickly to pull Edmonton Police Service collision reports, track down footage from nearby businesses and intersection cameras, and bring in a reconstruction expert when the crash caused serious injury or death. Proving fault in a motorcycle accident often comes down to evidence an adjuster never bothers to collect.
Section B Benefits Don't Wait on Who Caused the Crash
Alberta's Section B accident benefits cover medical treatment, rehabilitation, and a portion of lost income regardless of who caused the collision, and that claim runs on its own timeline, separate from any claim against the driver who hit you.
Fault still decides the larger claim for pain and suffering and full lost income, and that claim is usually handled differently than an Edmonton car accident claim because the rider fault bias runs deeper. How car and motorcycle accident claims differ is worth understanding before you give an adjuster a recorded statement.
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Time is of the essence when it comes to personal injury claims. Evidence, witnesses, and memories can get lost or fade, so the sooner you start the process, the better. From the moment you contact our firm, we’ll work to understand your situation, answer all your questions, and develop a plan to get you the justice and compensation you deserve.
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