Motorcycle Accident Attorney in St. Louis

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident

Your safety and emergency care come first. Collect information only when your injuries, traffic conditions, and other hazards make it safe to do so.

At the Scene

Take these immediate steps when possible:

• Call 911 immediately.
• Move to safety if possible without worsening injuries.
• Photograph vehicles, road conditions, motorcycle damage, protective gear, and visible injuries.
• Get the other driver’s name, license, and insurance information.
• Collect witness contact information.
• Don’t admit fault or apologize.

The investigating agency may be the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, or another agency with jurisdiction over the crash location. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s online system doesn’t include crashes investigated by other agencies, so the correct source for a report depends on who responded.

In the Days After

Protect your health and preserve important records:

• See a doctor promptly because adrenaline can mask pain and some traumatic brain injuries may not be fully apparent immediately.
• Keep all medical records, bills, prescriptions, and insurance correspondence.
• Save photographs of your injuries as they develop and document limitations involving work and daily activities.
• Don’t give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before speaking with an attorney.
• Contact us as early as possible because video, physical evidence, and witness recollections can become harder to obtain over time.

What We Do From There

Our work may include:

• Investigating the crash and preserving available evidence.
• Reviewing your medical records with support from our Registered Nurse and Speech-Language Pathologist.
• Documenting current losses, future medical expenses, and the effect of the injuries on your daily life.
• Testing case strategies with focus groups when appropriate.
• Preparing for negotiation or litigation based on the evidence and the insurer’s position.

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Many motorcycle crashes involving another vehicle happen because a driver failed to share the road or keep a proper lookout. Common scenarios include:

• Car turning left into a rider’s path.
• Driver changing lanes without checking blind spots.
• Driver pulling out from a side street without seeing an approaching motorcycle.
• Distracted driving involving texting, navigation, eating, or another activity.
• Following too closely or passing with insufficient clearance.

A driver’s statement that they didn’t see the motorcycle doesn’t resolve fault. We investigate whether the driver maintained a proper lookout, yielded the right of way, and responded appropriately to visible traffic conditions.

Evidence in left-turn and lane-change collisions may include traffic-camera footage, vehicle damage, roadway positioning, sight lines, witness accounts, phone-use records, and the police or crash report. We evaluate the facts rather than accepting an insurer’s assumption that the rider caused the collision.

Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Common injuries include:

• Head and brain trauma.
• Neck and back injuries.
• Road rash and facial injuries.
• Broken bones.

Catastrophic injuries may include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Spinal cord injury and paralysis.
• Amputation.
• Severe burns and permanent scarring.

Catastrophic injuries don’t just affect the injured rider. They can change employment, mobility, communication, relationships, and the support a family must provide. A claim may need to address surgery, rehabilitation, medication, assistive equipment, permanent impairment, and future care rather than only the initial emergency room bill.

Our medical-professional staff supports our review of the treatment course and documented functional limitations. Consistent medical follow-up is important because the full effect of some injuries may become clearer as treatment progresses.

How a Missouri Motorcycle Accident Claim Works

While every case is different, most motorcycle claims in the St. Louis area follow a similar path from investigation through negotiation or litigation.

After you receive initial medical care, the claim usually begins with a thorough investigation and notice to the appropriate insurers. During this phase, we gather records, interview witnesses, preserve available crash-scene evidence, and review reports from agencies such as the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department or the Missouri State Highway Patrol. We also examine applicable coverage, including whether uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may affect the claim.

Once we have a supported picture of liability, treatment, and damages, we can prepare a demand that explains the collision and the compensation being sought. The insurance company may respond with questions, requests for documentation, a fault dispute, or a settlement offer. We evaluate that response against the available evidence rather than treating the first offer as the final word.

Some claims can be resolved through negotiation, while others require filing a lawsuit. Missouri civil cases involving St. Louis City may proceed in the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit. If litigation becomes necessary, discovery, depositions, motions, and further settlement discussions may occur before trial. We use detailed preparation and, when appropriate, focus groups to test how community members respond to disputed facts and case themes.

Compensation After a Motorcycle Crash

The damages available depend on the evidence, injury severity, fault allocation, insurance coverage, and the specific facts of the claim.

Economic Damages

Documented financial losses may include:

• Current and future medical expenses.
• Rehabilitation, medication, and assistive equipment.
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity.
• Property damage to your bike and gear.

Non-Economic Damages

Personal and functional losses may include:

• Pain and suffering.
• Emotional distress and post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Permanent disability or disfigurement.
• Loss of enjoyment of life.
• Loss of consortium.

We work to build a complete picture of how the crash has affected the rider rather than focusing only on medical bills. Medical records, employment documents, photographs, witness statements, and evidence of changes to daily activities may all be relevant.

Missouri Laws Affecting Motorcycle Accident Claims

Comparative Fault

Missouri follows pure comparative fault principles. A supported allocation of fault can reduce compensation proportionally, but partial fault doesn’t automatically bar recovery. Missouri law also states that operating a motorcycle isn’t, by itself, evidence of comparative negligence.

Missouri Helmet Requirements

Missouri’s protective-headgear law generally requires helmets for motorcycle operators and passengers under age 26, as well as people operating under an instruction permit. Riders age 26 or older may ride without protective headgear when they meet the statute’s financial-responsibility and health-insurance requirements.

Helmet use may become relevant to a specific injury dispute, particularly when a head injury is involved. It doesn’t determine who caused the collision, and riding without a helmet isn’t an automatic bar to a claim.

Filing Deadlines

Missouri deadlines may include:

• Personal injury: Missouri generally provides five years for an action involving injury to a person or the rights of another, subject to exceptions.
• Wrongful death: Missouri generally provides three years, although case-specific rules can affect the calculation.
• Claims involving public entities, minors, and other special circumstances: Different notice requirements or filing deadlines may apply.

Don’t assume the general deadline controls your situation. Contact an attorney promptly for a case-specific review.

Motorcycle Accident Frequently Asked Questions

These answers address common concerns after a St. Louis motorcycle crash, but the facts and available insurance can change how each issue applies.

Do I Need a Police Report After a Motorcycle Crash?

A police report can provide a contemporaneous record of the collision, but it should be reviewed for accuracy and supplemented with photographs, witness information, medical records, and other available evidence. The correct source for the report depends on which agency investigated the crash.

Will the Insurance Company Try to Blame Me?

An insurer may argue that the rider was speeding, difficult to see, or otherwise partly responsible. We evaluate those arguments against the physical evidence, witness accounts, roadway conditions, and Missouri’s comparative fault rules.

What If the Driver Says They Didn’t See My Motorcycle?

That statement doesn’t resolve fault. The evidence may show whether the driver kept a proper lookout, checked blind spots, yielded the right of way, and responded appropriately to visible traffic.

Do I Need an Attorney If the Other Driver Was Clearly at Fault?

Even when fault appears clear, an insurer may dispute injury severity, causation, future losses, coverage, or the value of non-economic damages. Whether representation is useful depends on the injuries, available evidence, insurance issues, and disputes raised by the other side.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire Your Team?

Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency-fee basis, so you pay an attorney fee only if we recover compensation for you.