South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

A motorcyclist escaped a serious accident in the Tampa area without injuries, MSNBC reported March 10 through Tampa Bay Online. According to the article, the man was riding north on Interstate 75 when traffic ahead of him slowed. To avoid a rear-end collision -- which can throw motorcyclists from their bikes -- he laid down his 1998 Harley Davidson on its side in the grassy median of the highway. The man wasn’t injured, but the motorcycle caught fire, doing an estimated $10,000 in damage. No charges were filed and alcohol was not involved, the report said.

Needless to say, this man is lucky -- and may have also benefited from quick thinking if he intentionally chose to lay the bike down in the median. But as a South Florida product defects attorney, I wonder about the cause of the fire. By now, a 1998 model is 11 years old -- but even an 11-year-old motorcycle shouldn’t catch fire easily. If it turns out that the fire was caused by a manufacturing flaw in the motorcycle or one of its parts, the maker of the defective product could be legally liable for the accident -- including the thousands of dollars in property damage.

Thanks to the configuration of the accident, I also wonder if this rider might have problems making a motorcycle insurance claim. Motorcycles are involved in a lot of one-vehicle accidents, in part because a two-wheeled vehicle is inherently less stable than a four-wheeled one. In some cases, those accidents are influenced by vehicles or events on the road that weren’t involved in the actual crash, or the accident report. When another party forced a rider off the road or required him to stop suddenly, it can be very hard to prove it to an insurance claims adjuster who wasn’t there -- especially if that person thinks riders are generally irresponsible. Motorcyclists may have to hire a Fort Lauderdale motorcycle accident lawyer just to make sure their claims are given a fair chance.

I ride a Harley myself, so I understand how this man might have felt to watch his motorcycle literally go up in flames. As a Pembroke Pines motorcycle crash attorney, I always help my clients make sure they’re fairly compensated for the full value of property damage to their bikes after an accident like this one, including custom aftermarket modifications. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious motorcycle accident in South Florida, my firm, Cohn, Smith & Cohn, can help you recover the full value of all of your injuries -- physical, financial and emotional. To set up a free consultation on your case, please contact us online today.