Gainesville, Ocala & Daytona Beach Personal Injury Lawyer - motorcycle accident

A Warning to the Motorcyclists: Hazardous Conditions on the Roads

Jeffrey Meldon — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:10:33 GMT

As the biggest Bike Week in the country is occurring in Daytona Beach this week, I wanted to give another word of caution to the bikers in and around Volusia County especially in light of the 7 fatalities that have occurred since the beginning of the event. While motorcycle accidents are sometimes caused by the negligence or recklessness of the other vehicle driver or the motorcyclists, many times it is hazardous conditions on the roads and highways that are to blame. When a motorcycle accident is caused by a sinkhole, pothole, unmarked curves, debris left by the road construction workers or failure to mark areas of road construction on a public road or a highway, in many circumstances you might be able to recover from a government entity, such as city, county or state, responsible for maintaining the roadways, or the private company doing the construction work.

What should you do if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident due to a dangerous road condition? It is critical to retain an experienced motorcycle attorney ASAP in a case involving a hazardous condition on a road. There are certain rules regarding bringing a suit against a governmental entity, including special notices that must be filed before bringing a lawsuit and the deadlines to file a notice and bring a suit. These rules may vary from city to city or county to county. Speaking with a competent, aggressive and experieced attorney in a timely manner is imperative in order to bring a claim against a public entity and to recover for damages and injuries.

If you or your loved ones are the victims of the accident involving a dangerous condition on the road, please contact our office immediately. We are a team of experienced accident attorneys who know how to deal with such claims and who will to our best to insure that you are fully compensated for your injuries.

Have a great and safe Bike Week!

For more information on motorcycle accidents and ways you can protect yourself, please see:

http://ocala.injuryboard.com/motorcycle-accidents/heads-up-to-everyone-on-the-roads-in-and-around-daytona-beach.aspx?googleid=257474

http://ocala.injuryboard.com/motorcycle-accidents/motorcycle-riders-need-to-protect-themselves-now-more-than-ever.aspx?googleid=256864

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeffrey Meldon

Are loud pipes protecting motorcycle riders?

Jeffrey Meldon — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:35:28 GMT

According to many riders in Daytona Beach for Bike Week, this week, they wouldn’t be caught dead on the road without their loud, modified, unbaffled straight pipes. They feel that it provides an added layer of protection against their “enemy” the car and truck driver who doesn’t see them and crashes into them causing death or serious injury. “If they don’t see us at least they will hear us”. Many riders believe they would have been killed or seriously injured had it not been for those loud pipes according to interviews conducted by the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

There is only one problem: it is against the law. Not only that, but most people dislike the sound of loud pipes roaring inside their brain. The maximum sound level by Florida law for a motorcycle traveling at 35mph at a distance of 50ft. is 78 decibels. By comparison, a blender generates 90 decibels from a distance of 3 feet. The ear piercing sound of a Harley with modified straight pipes can far exceed the lawful decibel level.

During bike week most bikers get a free pass on noise ordinance violations but more and more neighborhoods are banding together to reduce unwanted sounds. In fact, the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) regards excessive sound from the exhaust as the single greatest threat to motorcycling. Regardless of how “safe” loud pipes are for the rider the AMA has to protect the interests of the majority of law abiding motorcyclists around the country.

My advice, as a motorcycle accident attorney for 37 years, if you really want to protect yourself while riding, wear the recommended safety equipment (helmet, eye protection, leathers, proper footwear) and carry lots of insurance on your motorcycle policy. In Florida car and truck drivers have no requirement to carry mandatory bodily injury insurance so if you are in a crash caused by someone else you will probably have to pay all the bills yourself. And you will recover nothing for your lost wages and pain and suffering. The only way to fully protect yourself is to buy lots of motorcycle insurance with at least 50k in medical payments coverage and 100k in uninsured motorists coverage. This is minimal coverage and higher limits should be considered particularly for uninsured motorists’ insurance.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeffrey Meldon