Personal Injury Attorney Explains Common Knee Injuries After a Motorcycle Accident and Your Legal Rights
If you’ve been in a motorcycle accident and you’re suffering from knee pain in the aftermath, you may be wondering what kind of injury you may have sustained and what to do next. Although seeking medical attention is the most important next step, contacting an attorney is essential, as well. If someone else caused your accident, an attorney can help you determine what kind of compensation you may be able to recover so you can focus on healing your knee without the added stress of financial difficulties.
At Case Barnett Law, we’re dedicated to seeking compensation for you without exaggerating how much we can help. Read on to learn common types of knee injuries after a motorcycle accident, common long-term effects, and how a personal injury attorney can help you.
Common Types of Knee Injuries After a Motorcycle Accident
Motorcyclists often experience some level of knee pain and injury after an accident. Since riders are exposed while driving, they run a higher risk of injury. You may be experiencing knee pain as a result of your bike landing on your leg, getting your leg caught between your bike and another vehicle, or being thrown from your motorcycle.
Common knee injuries include:
- Broken bones or fractures. Fractures and breaks are some of the most common injuries after motorcycle accidents. Riders may break their patella directly, but thigh- or shin-bone breaks may also affect the knee.
- Knee dislocation. An accident may dislocate your knee, or push it out of its normal position. Never attempt to reset a dislocated bone yourself.
- Knee sprain. If a crash twists your knee, you may experience a knee sprain or damage of the ligaments surrounding the bones.
- Ligament or meniscus tears. A ligament rip or tear may come with an accompanying “popping” sound. You may experience pain, but if a nerve alongside the ligament was also torn, you may not feel the pain of the injury. It’s also possible to tear the meniscus or the cartilage pads that absorb shock during movement.
- Patellar tendon tear. The patellar tendon helps keep your knee in place; if torn, you’ll experience pain and have difficulty straightening your leg.
- ACL tear. The ACL is the ligament that helps provide stability across the knee. If you’ve torn your ACL, you won’t be able to bear weight on that knee.
Long-Term Costs of Knee Injuries
The short-term effects of knee injuries can be stressful enough. You might be unable to perform daily activities, which may limit your ability to return to work or engage in your normal exercise, hobbies, or even daily chores.
Unfortunately, some knee injuries may cause longer-term costs affecting your daily life, finances, and more. Knee, joint, and ligament injuries may require surgery, prescription medication, mobility equipment, and several doctor’s appointments, leaving you with extensive medical costs that may leave you with debt on top of dealing with your physical recovery. In some cases, you may even experience permanent disability, which brings its own financial and personal costs.
What to Do if Someone Else Caused Your Accident
If someone else caused your accident as a result of drunk driving or negligence, you have options for pursuing justice and recovering damages. Options include filing a claim with the other driver’s insurance company or filing a lawsuit.
According to California Civil Code §1431.2, California is a pure comparative negligence state, which means insurance companies or the court will determine how much fault each party carries for the accident. If you are determined to have contributed to the accident in any way, your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault you are assigned.
Some states do not allow parties who are more than 50% liable to receive compensation, but California allows you to recover your percentage of damages even if you are 99% at fault.
It can take six months or over a year to settle your claim, depending on whether or not your case goes to court, so it’s important to speak to an attorney as soon as possible after your accident to limit how long you have to wait for the compensation you need.
Types of Compensation for Which You May Be Eligible
If you’re suffering from injuries as a result of your motorcycle accident, you may be eligible for compensation related to the physical and emotional damages you’ve experienced. Possible damages include:
- Economic damages. These include medical expenses, property damage, lost wages as a result of missing work, and loss of future earnings if your injury limits your earning ability long-term. These damages can be proven with medical bills, doctor’s notes, pay stubs, and more.
- Non-economic damages. These include pain and suffering and/or emotional distress as a result of the traumatic accident and your injuries,
Many insurance companies try to avoid paying the settlement you deserve, but our lawyers will speak with them on your behalf and, if necessary, file a lawsuit to seek fair compensation.