Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in New York City

After a car accident and injury, motorists can turn to the personal injury protection (PIP) component of their auto insurance policy to cover medical care and a portion of lost wages. If you have been hurt in a motorcycle crash, your path is not simple. New York’s No-Fault insurance laws don’t cover motorcycle accidents.

This can make it harder to get compensation for medical bills and other losses. Even worse, the insurance company representing the at-fault driver may look for ways to deny or reduce the damages you are entitled to. That’s why you need a motorcycle accident lawyer in New York City to fight for your rights.

At Levine And Wiss, we have over 100 years of combined experience and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injured clients. Our New York City personal injury lawyers know the unique challenges motorcyclists face after an accident. Call now for a free consultation. 

How Our New York City Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Can Help

Building a strong case in these situations can be complex, which is why having the right legal representation is critical. At Levine And Wiss, our motorcycle accident attorneys in New York City provide comprehensive support to strengthen your case, including:

• Our team conducts a thorough investigation of the accident scene to gather critical evidence and determine liability.
• We work with a full team of experts, including accident reconstruction specialists, to build a compelling case.
• Our attorneys will seek out every party who played a role in your crash and work to hold them accountable. 
• Using facts and evidence, we demonstrate the full extent of your injuries and financial losses in order to seek maximum compensation. 
• We file your claim and handle all interactions with insurers so you can heal in peace.
• Our New York motorcycle accident lawyers will negotiate for a fair settlement that fully accounts for your hardships. 
• If the insurer refuses to do the right thing, we will be prepared to fight for you in court. 

Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. We won’t accept any payment for legal fees until we’ve resolved your motorcycle accident claim and brought you compensation for your losses. You can focus on healing and rebuilding your life while we handle your claim for damages.

Identifying Liable Parties in a Motorcycle Accident

Among our most important jobs is investigating crashes to learn how it happened and who was responsible. The driver who caused your crash is the starting point for a liability claim, but New York City’s traffic environment on roads like the Henry Hudson Parkway creates several other paths to compensation.

• A commercial driver’s employer can be held liable through respondeat superior if the crash happened while the driver was making deliveries or otherwise working, which matters in a city with heavy truck and delivery van traffic.
• A rideshare company’s insurance policy may apply if an Uber or Lyft driver caused your crash while logged into the app, separate from the driver’s personal auto policy.
• A city agency can be a defendant if a bus, sanitation truck, or other municipal vehicle caused the crash. However, claims against the city carry a shortened notice deadline that your attorney needs to meet quickly.
• A bar or restaurant can face dram shop liability under New York General Obligations Law § 11-101 if it serves alcohol to a visibly intoxicated driver who then caused your crash.
• A property owner or contractor can share liability if a pothole, construction debris, or missing signage contributed to the crash, which requires separate evidence from the crash report itself.

Levine And Wiss will work to identify every liable person and determine how much insurance coverage is available to pay your claim. A single driver’s policy limit may not cover your medical bills, but a commercial or municipal policy behind that driver often will.

Compensation in a Motorcycle Accident Case

Motorcyclists cannot rely on no-fault benefits to cover immediate costs after an accident. You must pursue compensation directly from the at-fault party through an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit. Our motorcycle accident attorneys in New York City can help you seek maximum damages. 

Current and Long-Term Medical Bills

Motorcycle crashes often result in catastrophic injuries, including damage to the spinal cord, paralysis, concussions, and internal injuries. Our attorneys can push the liable party to pay for your emergency care, hospitalization, physical therapy, and all medications.

Lost Income and Reduced Earning Capacity

You may need time off from your job to heal after a motorcycle crash. We include your lost pay and reduced earning potential in your claim for compensation when applicable.

Pain and Suffering

The non-economic damages of a motorcycle accident can impact your life in many ways. Our New York City motorcycle accident lawyers will calculate the dollar value of the emotional suffering, mental anguish, and pain you experience after a crash.

You may also qualify for money to cover your loss of companionship and loss of consortium in some cases.

Property Damage

Motorcycles are often heavily damaged or destroyed in a collision, and victims can seek compensation for repair or replacement costs. If any other personal property suffered damage in the collision, we may seek compensation to cover those costs.

Disability

Severe injuries may lead to partial or total disability, preventing victims from returning to work or living independently. You deserve fair compensation to help you afford any home modifications or in-home assistance you require.

Levine And Wiss has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients, including a $990,000 motorcycle negligence case result. Past results achieved by our firm or any of our lawyers are not indicative of future outcomes. Each legal matter is unique and dependent on its own specific facts and circumstances.

Common Injuries After Motorcycle Collisions

Our team at Levine And Wiss sees that motorcycle accident injuries can leave victims with permanent physical limitations, emotional trauma, and financial burdens. Some of the most common injuries our New York City motorcycle accident lawyers encounter include:

• Broken bones: These injuries can result from the impact of being thrown from the motorcycle or crushed during a collision with another vehicle.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI): Head injuries can result from a rider’s head striking the pavement or another object, even when wearing a helmet.
• Spinal cord injuries: When the force of the crash causes damage to the spine, it can lead to partial or full paralysis.
• Internal organ damage: Blunt force trauma to the abdomen or chest during the collision can result in internal organ damage.
• Severe road rash: Severe abrasions and lacerations can happen when a rider slides across the pavement, scraping away layers of skin and tissue.
• Burn injuries: Contact with hot engine parts, exhaust pipes, or fire caused by the crash can cause burns.
• Soft tissue injuries: These motorcycle accident injuries can include torn ligaments, tendons, and muscles caused by the violent forces of the accident.
• Amputations: These life-changing injuries occur when a limb is severed during the crash or requires surgical removal due to severe trauma.

Our motorcycle accident attorneys in New York City at Levine And Wiss can help collect medical documents from facilities such as New York-Presbyterian Hospital to illustrate the full impact the accident had on your life. 

Wrongful Death Damages After a Motorcycle Crash

In New York, only the personal representative of the deceased’s estate can file a claim on behalf of the surviving family members. Our New York City wrongful death lawyers at Levine And Wiss will help you seek damages such as:

• Funeral expenses and burial expenses: The costs of laying a loved one to rest can be overwhelming. Families can seek compensation for reasonable funeral and burial expenses incurred after the crash.
• Medical expenses: If the deceased received medical care prior to their passing, the estate can recover compensation for hospital bills, surgeries, medications, or other medical treatment related to the accident.
• Lost income and benefits: Families may recover damages for the financial support the deceased would have provided if they had survived, including lost future earnings.
• Loss of parental guidance and care: Children of the deceased can seek compensation for the loss of parental guidance, nurturing, and support that would have been provided throughout their lives.
• Loss of spousal support and companionship: Spouses can recover damages for the loss of emotional support, companionship, and the intangible benefits of the marital relationship.
• Pain and suffering of the deceased: If the deceased experienced conscious pain and suffering before their death, the estate may seek compensation for their physical and emotional anguish during that time.
• Loss of services: Families can also recover damages for the loss of household services the deceased would have provided, such as childcare, home maintenance, or other contributions to the family.

Losing a loved one in a fatal motorcycle crash is a devastating experience. According to the 2024 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data on motorcycle safety, motorcyclists were about 27 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per mile traveled. 

How Helmet Laws Affect Your Claim

New York requires every motorcycle operator and passenger to wear a helmet that meets federal safety standards. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 381(6) makes this a universal requirement. It applies to riders of every age, with no exemption based on experience or motorcycle size. 

Wearing a non-compliant helmet, or no helmet at all, does not block you from filing a claim after a crash. However, an insurance company may argue that your failure to wear a proper helmet contributed to the severity of your head or facial injuries.

The helmet must meet the specifications in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 571.218, commonly known as DOT certification. If you were wearing a DOT-compliant helmet at the time of the crash, Levine And Wiss can use that fact to counter any defense related to head injuries.

New York’s Deadline to File a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit

You have a limited amount of time to seek compensation after a motorcycle collision in New York City. Generally, New York Civil Practice Law & Rules § 214 only gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit at the New York County Courthouse. 

For wrongful death claims, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the victim’s death. Failing to file within these time limits can result in losing your right to seek compensation. In some situations, such as claims involving a government agency, deadlines may be even shorter or require special notice filings. 

Our team at Levine And Wiss can begin the legal process quickly. We’ll explain what you need to know about motorcycle accidents and keep you up-to-date about our progress on your case. We protect your right to take legal action.

Get Help from Our Motorcycle Accident Attorneys in New York City

Motorcycle accidents are handled differently under New York law because motorcyclists are excluded from the protections of New York’s No-Fault insurance laws. That means you’ll need to take on an insurer and possibly file a lawsuit to get the compensation you need. It’s a tall order when you are hurting.

You can turn to our motorcycle accident attorneys in New York City for professional support when filing a claim for compensation. We can handle every step of the legal process so you can focus on recovering from your injuries. 

At Levine And Wiss, we believe in fighting to get you everything you need to cover your losses, and we have successfully helped thousands of clients. Our dedicated team cares about the local community. We are available 24/7, and you can reach out immediately after a crash for a free consultation.