Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
-- Thomas Edison

If you've been injured

contact The Ryder Law Firm today to learn more about your options. We represent clients throughout North Alabama and only recover our fees when we obtain a settlement or judgment for our clients.

Notable Settlements

  • $3,200,000.00 settlement – defective product case
  • $2,000,000.00 settlement – alcohol-related death
  • $1,100,000.00 settlement – commercial trucking death
  • $1,060,000.00 settlement –18 wheeler death (limits of all insurance coverage)
  • $950,000.00 settlement – business dispute
  • $920,000.00 settlement – Medicare fraud
  • $730,000.00 settlement – denial of insurance claim
  • $610,000.00 verdict – sexual harassment in workplace
  • $275,000.00 settlement – unpaid overtime compensation
  • $250,000.00 arbitration award – nursing home pressure ulcer case
  • $215,000.00 settlement – car wreck case
  • $200,000.00 settlement – 18 wheeler injury case
  • $175,000.00 settlement – nursing home fall case

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Motorcycle Accidents

contact-articleMost wrecks involving motorcycle riders are due to a lack of attention on the part of the driver of an automobile.  Simply put, it is more difficult for someone driving an automobile to see a motorcycle than it is for a motorcyclist to see an automobile.  This problem is compounded by the increasing number of people who use cell phones while they are driving.  When an automobile makes contact with a motorcycle, the motorcycle rider is the one who will, in all likelihood, be more seriously injured.  These injuries oftentimes require emergency medical treatment, an extended stay in a hospital, surgical intervention, or even result in death.

Consider the following statistics from 2009:

Nationwide

90,000:  Wrecks on highways involving a motorcycle, in which the rider or a passenger was injured.
4,462:    Individuals who died as the result of those wrecks.

Alabama

1,647:  Wrecks involving a motorcycle on an Alabama public highway.
1,205:  Riders or passengers on motorcycles who were injured in those wrecks.
77:    Riders or passengers on motorcycles who died in those wrecks.

Motorcyclists are about 25 times more likely than drivers or occupants of a car to die in a traffic crash. (Sources:  United States Department of Transportation and The Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama)

A motorcycle wreck is different in many ways than a wreck simply involving one or more automobiles.  Seldom is the rider of a motorcycle involved in a “fender bender.”  Instead, it is far likely that your motorcycle will be damaged beyond repair and that you will be transported by ambulance to the hospital.  Decisions that you make during this relatively short period of time can have a significant effect on the likelihood of you being fully compensated for your resulting losses, to include:
  • The value of your motorcycle and protective gear
  • The cost of towing and storing your motorcycle
  •  Your medical bills, prescription medications, and related expenses
  • Time missed from work
  • Long-term or permanent injuries
  • Pain and suffering and associated problems

Helpful Suggestions:

Immediately after the wreck occurs, certain steps must be taken and critical evidence must be promptly preserved to protect your rights:

  1. Contact 9-1-1 and notify them that you have been involved in a wreck.
  2. Get the name, address, and contact information for the driver of the other vehicle and all witnesses to the wreck.
  3. Do not move (or allow anyone else to move) your motorcycle or any debris until the police or other law enforcement officials have arrived and recorded its location and resulting damage.
  4. If injured, seek immediate medical attention and follow all instructions/restrictions provided by your treating physician.
  5. Take your helmet, gear, and any broken or lost parts and place them in a box or bag to preserve as evidence.  Do not throw any of these items away (or allow emergency medical personnel to discard them) or give them to an insurance adjuster or investigator.
  6. Have you motorcycle taken to your home or a local body shop where it is out of the way and not exposed to rain and weather.  This is a crucial piece of evidence.  Do not settle your property damage claim or release your motorcycle until several high quality photographs have been taken of it.  To do so could be extremely detrimental to your case.
  7. Take photographs of all of your visible injuries and resulting damage to your helmet and other protective gear as soon as is practical.  Download these pictures on a CD or PEN drive for future reference.
  8. Do not provide a recorded statement (assume all telephone conversations are being recorded) to an adjuster or investigator.
  9. Obtain a copy of the Alabama Uniform Traffic Crash Report from the police department or other law enforcement agency.
  10. Contact The Ryder Law Firm and we will evaluate your case and further advise as to the best course of action to take.


At The Ryder Law Firm we have a significant experience assisting motorcycle owners and riders who have been involved in serious, even fatal, wrecks.  We understand the many differences between a “car wreck” and a motorcycle wreck and work diligently to preserve and evaluate key evidence, while, at the same time, protecting our client’s rights.  We work closely with investigators, accident reconstructionists, and medical experts to help you obtain the compensation that you deserve for you injuries and other resulting losses.  If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle wreck, contact us so that we can put our expertise and resources to work for you.

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