In Pursuing a Virginia Beach Motorcycle Accident Claim – Part I, we discussed how motorcycle accidents can result in devastating physical, emotional, and financial consequences for victims. When pursuing a motorcycle accident claim, understanding the damages that may be awarded is essential. These damages are meant to compensate victims for their losses and hardships. The availability and calculation of damages can vary significantly depending on the specific circumstances of the crash. The following are the most common types of damages that a Virginia Beach motorcycle accident lawyer can pursue on your behalf.
Economic Damages
- Medical expenses: Victims of motorcycle accidents often face substantial medical bills, including ambulance fees, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment. Economic damages cover these expenses, both past and future.
- Lost wages: Severe injuries can prevent victims from working, leading to lost income. Economic damages include compensation for the wages and benefits the victim would have earned if not for the accident.
- Property damage: This covers the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged motorcycle and any other personal property affected in the accident.
- Home modifications: In cases of severe injuries that require home modifications for accessibility, economic damages may also include the cost of these changes.
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain and suffering: Non-economic damages compensate victims for the physical pain, emotional distress, and mental suffering endured due to the accident and resulting injuries.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: When injuries significantly impact a victim’s ability to participate in activities they once enjoyed, this loss is considered non-economic damage.
- Loss of consortium: In some cases, the spouse or family members of the injured party may be eligible for compensation due to the loss of companionship, care, and support resulting from the injuries.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are awarded in cases where the at-fault party’s actions were particularly reckless, intentional, or malicious. They are meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from similar behavior.
Wrongful Death Damages
In the unfortunate event that a motorcycle accident results in a fatality, wrongful death damages may be sought by the surviving family members. These damages can include funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, and the emotional suffering experienced by the family.
Future Damages
In cases where the victim’s injuries require ongoing medical treatment, future damages account for the estimated costs of medical care, rehabilitation, and other necessary services.
How an Attorney Can Help
A Virginia motorcycle accident attorney representing you in an injury case can help strengthen your claim. Your attorney will know what steps must be taken and what evidence is presented to prove the other driver’s negligence.
Some of the strategies our legal team uses include:
- Investigate whether there is any video footage of the crash from security cameras of any businesses near the crash site
- Obtaining all police reports and witness statements
- Using photographs of the crash site
- Utilizing expert witnesses, including those who can reconstruct the crash
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm Today
The experienced Virginia Beach motorcycle accident attorneys at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp have been advocating for victims and their families for more than 35 years and have obtained millions of dollars for motorcyclists and their families, like the $1.85 million settlement we secured for the family of a motorcycle rider who died after being struck by a negligent truck driver.
We understand how devastating – physically, emotionally, and financially – these types of cases can be. Contact our office today to schedule a free case evaluation and find out what legal options you may have.
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An experienced personal injury attorney with dual licensure in Virginia and North Carolina, Eric Washburn received a B.B.A. in Finance from James Madison University—initially worked in the information technology field before obtaining his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. Once an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Danville, Va., Eric has been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as a “Rising Star” Super Lawyer in Virginia since 2014.
