Motorbike accident compensation - can I claim?

Whether you're a rider on a bike or moped, or a pillion passenger, as long as the accident was either fully or partially the fault of someone else you should have a winning claim for compensation.

As real lawyers with specialist expertise in fighting for the rights of riders injured in accidents, we're best equipped to get you the maximum payout no matter the circumstances. We've heard all the excuses! And it comes as no surprise to us when drivers try and defend a claim and allege you were driving recklessly.

If any of the following has happened to you, we can help you now.

Another road user:

• Hits you in the back (rear end collision).
• Pulls out from a side road in to you or in to your path.
• Pulls out from a parked position in to you or in to your path.
• Hits you when you are already established on a roundabout.
• Changes lanes in to your path whilst filtering through traffic.
• Changes lanes on a roundabout and hits you.
• Turns right in to your path whilst you are safely overtaking traffic.
• Pulls across you from the opposing side of a road.
• Turns left in to you whilst you are near to the kerb.
• Merges from the opposing side of the road on to your side of the road and hits you (perhaps whilst they are overtaking vehicles on their side of the road).
• Hits you whilst attempting a parking manoeuvre (perhaps their front end swings out).
• Cuts a corner when turning in to your road and hits you.

Most of the time accidents happen because drivers fail to keep a proper lookout for motorcyclists. We're not as easy to spot - there's a significant size difference for one and people are prone to just checking for cars.

We have also won several less common claim types like:

• Objects falling off of another vehicle causing loss of control of the bike due to impact or swerving.
• Car doors being opened on riders.
• All manner of accidents in car parks when drivers aren't looking properly.
• Lorries and larger vehicles crossing over lanes and junctions (due to their size) and hitting riders.

Swerving to Avoid

If you swerve to avoid a genuine hazard, you are still entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation. As long as you swerved to avoid something for good reason, if you lose control of your bike or are injured due to the swerve, you have the same right when making a claim.

Highways Act Claims

We also specialise in motorbike accidents being pursued against a local highways authority or a council. If you ride over a pothole or another defect in the road, or perhaps a raised manhole cover or a poorly marked hump in the road, you may have a claim.

Defective Bikes

In rare circumstances you may be injured due to a defect with the bike. As your bike offers far less protection than a car, the throttle breaking or a wheel coming loose can result in far more devastating effects.

We can instruct an expert to assess the bike and provide a report that confirms exactly what went wrong, why, and how this has contributed to your accident. This will form a huge part of your evidence when making a claim for compensation against a garage, shop, or manufacturer.

Untraced / Uninsured Accidents

Sadly there are people cold enough to leave the scene of an accident they are involved in. Don't worry though - we can still make a claim for personal injury compensation even if the driver at fault fled the scene of the accident and cannot be traced.

The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) was established to investigate and pay compensation to victims of negligence untraced and uninsured drivers. They will investigate the case and pay out in the same way an insurer will if they cannot identify the culprit at fault for your accident.

The process can take a little longer; but you are still entitled to claim. They cover uninsured cases as well.

To protect your position:

• Report the matter to the police immediately
• Seek medical attention as soon as you can

The above will help the MIB when considering a payout for your claim.

Can You Claim if You Are Partly to Blame?

Whilst we are always going to fight for a 100% compensation claim for you, there can be scenarios where you may be at fault.

You can still make a claim for compensation even if you are partly responsible for an accident. The blame may be split; such as 80/20 where you are 20% at fault. If you were found 20% at fault, all that happens is that you will face a reduction of 20% from your claim to take this in to account.

Contributory Negligence is where the insurers for the person at fault may allege you are partly to blame for your injuries by failing to take expected precautions. Commonly this would relate to clothing and helmets.

If you failed to wear a helmet and you sustained a head injury, they may argue that you should face a reduction from your payout as a percentage to reflect this.

Call us 0800 634 7575 to get your claim started today, or if you prefer why not arrange for one of our team to call you back for FREE advice on whether you have a claim to make! Just fill out the quick form below and we'll call you back when your ready to chat.