To understand the risks of riding a motorcycle in Kentucky or Indiana, and the need for adequate insurance coverage that will cover you when you are seriously injured in a motorcycle wreck, I will give you a real-life example wherein a friend was hurt while riding his motorcycle and was hit by an uninsured truck.

My friend was injured to the extent that he was hospitalized for several weeks and had over $700,000 in medical expenses. All indications are that the at-fault truck was uninsured and the driver was uninsured. The at-fault driver left the scene of the accident and still has a warrant out today for his arrest. This could have very easily have been a motorcycle wreck involving wrongful death cases as well.

In my friends’ case, the problem was that he, the motorcyclist, only had $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage on his motorcycle. While we looked at trying to make his automobile insurance apply to the injuries sustained while he was on his motorcycle, the automobile insurance had a valid exclusion that meant it would not provide insurance coverage while he was riding his motorcycle. As a result, the total recovery for this injury claim was limited to $25,000 even though the value of the personal injury claim was over $1,000,000 if there had been automobile insurance we could have recovered from.In essence, the value of a personal injury claim, for the same injuries, is entirely dependent upon whether you were hit by a commercial tractor-trailer or a 1980 Chevette insured by Safe Auto for the state minimum of $25,000 per person. So what a personal injury claim, arising from a motorcycle wreck, really depends upon is how much liability insurance is on the at-fault driver AND how much underinsured coverage is on your own motorcycle.

Similarly, I just finished prosecuting a motorcycle accident injury claim wherein my client’s medical expenses exceeded $1,000,000. My injured client, the motorcycle rider was not the owner of the motorcycle that was involved in this wreck. Rather, my injured client was riding a motorcycle entrusted to him by a friend for a short errand. While I believe the friend may have some liability for the wreck because he negligently entrusted a dangerous machine, his motorcycle, to my client who was not an inexperienced motorcycle rider, my client did not want me to pursue such a claim. As a result, the recovery on his personal injury claim was limited to the liability coverage on the at-fault driver that was the Kentucky state minimum, $25,000 per person, and another $25, 000 of underinsured motorist coverage through a grandparent’s policy.

In essence, I was able to make a policy of underinsured motorist coverage apply to this wreck because my client lived with his grandparent at the time of the motorcycle accident. Basically, insurance coverage can apply to a resident relative of the same household even though that injured party is not named on the insurance policy and the vehicle involved was not listed on the insurance policy insurance policy. This is why it is so important for a motorcyclist to be an informed consumer and have the insurance coverage they need from the first moment they get on a motorcycle coverage works, seek help and guidance from a personal injury attorney in Louisville KY.

This is why it is so important for a motorcyclist to be an informed consumer and have the insurance coverage they need from the first moment they get on a motorcycle. They also need to be familiar with the Kentucky motorcycle laws so they understand the legal complexities that can arise after a motorcycle accident. I blog a lot about seriously injured motorcycle riders because the value of their personal injury claims is so clearly dependent upon the insurance coverage available.

As a Louisville motorcycle accident lawyer, I need to assess how and where to recover for my client’s personal injury claim when a motorcycle wreck has happened. As a Kentucky motorcycle accident lawyer, I have handled numerous cases involving motorcyclists. Kentucky law does not treat motorcycle passengers, and automobile owners the same in regard to their right to recover certain elements of their personal injury claim.

To evaluate a personal injury claim from a motorcycle wreck or any car accident, I have to look at:

1. Was the at-fault driver insured and how much was he insured for;
2. If the at-fault driver was uninsured, was the vehicle he was driving insured as someone else owned the vehicle;
3. Does my client have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on his own insurance policy, motorcycle or automobile policy, that we can recover from;
4. Does my client have no-fault, med-pay or health insurance coverage that might cover his medical bills and;
5. Are there any liens that will need to be satisfied out of my client’s injury settlement.

This is why while I try to provide you with legal advice in regard to your personal injury claim, I encourage you to contact me on my phone for immediate legal advice. As an experienced Louisville motorcycle accident lawyer, I will give you the best possible advice for your case.