Boston Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
75+ Years of Combined Senior-Partner Experience for Injured Riders
Motorcycle accidents often leave riders facing serious injuries, financial stress, and uncertainty about what comes next. When a crash happens on busy Boston roads, the lack of protection for motorcyclists can result in life-altering harm, especially when a collision involves a passenger vehicle. In many cases, these accidents occur because drivers fail to pay attention, misjudge distance, or don’t share the road responsibly. Massachusetts law allows injured riders to pursue compensation when another party’s negligence causes a crash.
At Crowe & Harris, LLP, our Boston motorcycle accident lawyers represent injured riders and their families as they seek financial recovery. We help clients understand their legal options, preserve important evidence, and address insurance and fault questions under Massachusetts law.
If you were hurt in a motorcycle crash, call (617) 404-3417 to schedule a free, confidential consultation with our legal team.
On This Page:
- Why Do I Need a Motorcycle Accident Attorney?
- Why Should I Choose Crowe & Harris, LLP?
- What Are the Causes of Motorcycle Accidents?
- PIP Coverage in Boston Motorcycle Accidents
- What Costs Can I Recover After a Motorcycle Accident?
- What Is the Statute of Limitations for Motorcycle Accident Lawsuits in Massachusetts?
- Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Boston
Why Do I Need a Motorcycle Accident Attorney in Boston?
Going through the process of working with insurance companies can be slow and stressful. After a motorcycle accident, you may face medical bills, missed work, and other financial setbacks. Policy terms may also limit available coverage, which can leave essential costs unpaid.
When you demand payment for damages after a motorcycle accident without an attorney, you may not have a complete record of your losses or the evidence needed to answer fault allegations. When another person’s negligent actions caused the crash, our motorcycle accident attorneys can investigate the claim, evaluate damages, negotiate with insurers, and prepare the case for litigation when necessary.
Some of the key ways our Boston motorcycle accident attorneys can assist you include:
- Handling insurance communication: Our attorneys can deal directly with insurance adjusters to manage requests for statements and early offers.
- Evaluating all damages: Our attorneys can account for medical costs, lost income, future medical care, and non-economic losses such as pain and suffering.
- Investigating the crash: Our legal team can gather police reports, witness statements, photographs, available video, vehicle damage evidence, and, when needed, accident reconstruction input.
- Challenging fault arguments: If an insurer argues that your speed, visibility, or riding behavior caused the crash, we can address those claims with evidence.
- Preparing for litigation: When negotiation isn’t enough, we can file a lawsuit and represent you through the Massachusetts legal process.
Why Should I Choose Crowe & Harris, LLP?
At Crowe & Harris, LLP, we know how much a person may suffer physically and mentally after a motorcycle accident. You can focus on your recovery while we handle paperwork, phone calls, insurance communications, and legal issues related to your claim.
When you work with Crowe & Harris, LLP, you get the benefit of a full legal team rather than just one attorney working on your case. Our team includes attorneys, nurses, paralegals, law clerks, and support staff who collaborate on each case. Senior partners are personally involved in each case, and we hold regular strategy meetings to review the direction of a claim.
We have represented injured clients since 1999, and our senior partners bring more than 75 years of combined personal injury law experience. Philip J. Crowe has been licensed since 1969 and is a member of the American Association for Justice and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. Michael J. Harris has been licensed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire since 2001 and was recognized as a 2006 Rising Star among Top Young Lawyers in Massachusetts by Boston Magazine.
We work on a contingent-fee basis, which means you won’t owe us legal fees if we don’t obtain a recovery. We also offer free consultations so you can discuss the crash, your injuries, and possible next steps before deciding how to proceed.
Clients often choose our Boston motorcycle accident lawyers for several reasons:
- Team-Based Representation: Attorneys, nurses, and staff members review the liability and medical issues that shape a motorcycle crash claim.
- Hands-On Partner Involvement: Senior lawyers remain engaged with strategy and key decisions rather than passing a case entirely to junior staff.
- Medical Record Review: Our team can assess medical documentation alongside the other evidence supporting your claim.
- Clear Communication: We keep clients updated on developments, evidence, negotiations, and important decisions.
- Individualized Planning: We evaluate each claim based on the rider’s injuries, losses, insurance coverage, and liability evidence.
What Are the Causes of Motorcycle Accidents?
Motorcycle crashes often result from:
- Overlooking motorcycles while changing lanes or entering a roadway
- Failing to maintain a safe distance when driving behind a motorcycle
- Left turns at intersections
- Alcohol or drug use
- Speeding
- Manufacturer defects in the motorcycle or a component
- Hazardous road conditions
The cause of a motorcycle accident should be evaluated through the available evidence rather than assumed because a motorcycle was involved. Police reports, witness accounts, photographs, vehicle damage, roadway conditions, and available video can all matter when identifying responsible parties.
How Motorcycle Crash Injuries Affect a Claim
Because riders lack the physical protection of passenger vehicles, motorcycle accidents frequently result in severe injuries. These may include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, road rash, burns, and internal injuries. Severe injuries may form the basis of catastrophic injury cases and require hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, or long-term treatment.
Common motorcycle accident injuries include:
- Head and Brain Injuries: A traumatic brain injury is damage to the brain caused by an outside force and can affect cognition, memory, balance, and daily functioning.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: Damage to the spinal cord can lead to paralysis or loss of motor function and may require extensive treatment and rehabilitation.
- Broken Bones: Fractures and breaks are common because of the force involved in motorcycle collisions.
- Road Rash: A rider thrown from a motorcycle can suffer severe abrasions and lacerations that may require skin grafts and ongoing wound care.
- Burns: Hot engine parts and fuel fires can cause serious burn injuries.
- Internal Injuries: A crash can cause internal bleeding or organ damage that may not be fully apparent immediately.
Riders may also experience long-term disability, chronic pain, or psychological trauma. These conditions can disrupt work, mobility, household responsibilities, relationships, hobbies, and future medical needs. Prompt medical evaluation and follow-up are important when symptoms change or develop after a crash.
Our Boston motorcycle crash attorneys review medical documentation and how an injury affects daily life when evaluating a claim.
PIP Coverage in Boston Motorcycle Accidents
Massachusetts requires personal injury protection, often called PIP, on private-passenger auto insurance policies. PIP can cover certain medical expenses, lost wages, and funeral expenses up to policy limits regardless of fault.
Motorcycle insurance is different. Massachusetts law doesn’t require an insurer to provide PIP coverage for motorcycle operators or passengers injured while riding a motorcycle. An injured rider may need to review the motorcycle policy, health insurance, optional medical payments coverage, and available liability coverage before assuming accident-related medical bills will be paid through PIP.
Medical payments coverage, also known as MedPay, is optional coverage that may pay reasonable medical expenses and funeral costs for people on the motorcycle after an accident. The availability and order of insurance payments depend on the policy language, the injured person’s coverage, the responsible party’s coverage, and the facts of the crash.
Motorcycle Accident Liability & Rider-Fault Arguments
Motorcycle accident liability often turns on more than a driver’s initial account of the crash. A driver may have failed to see a motorcycle during a lane change, turned into a rider’s path, followed too closely, driven while impaired, or failed to account for roadway conditions. In other cases, evidence may point to a defective motorcycle component, a vehicle owner, a roadway maintenance entity, or another party whose conduct contributed to the collision.
Insurers may argue that a rider was speeding, difficult to see, improperly positioned, or otherwise partly at fault. This type of rider bias must be tested against the record, including witness accounts, vehicle and motorcycle damage, roadway geometry, available video, and accident reconstruction evidence. Under Massachusetts comparative negligence rules, shared-fault allegations can affect the recovery available, making a careful review of both drivers’ conduct important.
What Costs Can I Recover After a Motorcycle Accident?
If another person caused the motorcycle accident, that person may be responsible for some of the resulting losses. Potential damages include:
- Repair or replacement of your motorcycle and personal property
- Emergency transportation and treatment
- Medical expenses, including hospital bills, examinations, rehabilitation, medication, and physical therapy
- Recurring medical visits and future medical care
- Lost wages, reduced earning capacity, or job loss caused by an inability to return to work
- Pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring, and disfigurement
In cases of wrongful death, funeral expenses and certain losses suffered by eligible surviving family members may be available under Massachusetts law. If your spouse was seriously injured or died in a crash, you may be able to pursue damages for loss of companionship, services, care, and enjoyment, depending on the facts of the claim.
Available compensation depends on the specific facts of your case. We can evaluate potentially responsible parties, available insurance, and the damages supported by the evidence.
How a Boston Motorcycle Accident Case Works
Many riders are unsure what happens once they decide to pursue a claim, which can make calling a lawyer feel overwhelming. We begin with a detailed investigation of the crash scene, police reports, and available video or photographs. We then identify potentially responsible parties and applicable insurance policies.
As your case progresses, we gather medical records, income documentation, and other evidence showing how injuries affect daily life now and in the future. We can prepare a demand package for the insurance company that addresses the crash facts, liability arguments, and documented damages. Many claims resolve through negotiation, but disputed liability or serious long-term injuries can make litigation necessary.
If a lawsuit is filed, the case may involve discovery, depositions, motions, settlement discussions, and trial preparation. We explain the available options at each stage so you can make informed decisions about a settlement offer or continued litigation based on the evidence, known injuries, insurance coverage, and risks of the individual case.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Motorcycle Accident Lawsuits in Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, tort and personal injury actions generally must be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues. The applicable deadline can depend on the claim, the defendant, the date the cause of action accrued, and statutory exceptions. Because investigation, insurance negotiations, notice requirements, and lawsuit preparation can take time, it’s important to seek legal advice well before a potential deadline.
Contact Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Boston
Discussing a motorcycle crash with our team can help you understand the evidence, insurance issues, deadlines, and possible next steps for your claim. We offer free consultations for injured riders and family members.
Because many motorcycle collisions involve passenger vehicles, our Boston car accident injury attorneys can address related liability and insurance issues. Our senior partners remain personally involved in case strategy, supported by attorneys, nurses, paralegals, and staff who review the details of each claim.
Call us today at (617) 404-3417 to schedule your free consultation and discuss your motorcycle accident claim.
