What is the Average Payout for a Motorcycle Accident?

You have been in a bad motorcycle accident that was not your fault. Does that mean you can expect a good payout from the other motorist’s insurance policy? Not exactly. You aren’t guaranteed any compensation after a wipeout, which makes knowing the average payout for a motorcycle accident difficult.

Damages in a Motorcycle Accident Claim

The damages in your motorcycle accident claim are the foundation of how much compensation you can hope to collect. The worse your accident and injuries, the greater your damages, in most cases.

Tangible damages that you might be able to get in a motorcycle accident claim are:

• Costs of medical treatments and emergency care
• Costs associated with motorcycle repairs
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity due to permanent injuries

You can also claim intangible damages called noneconomic damages, which relate to the pain, suffering, distress, and hardship you have endured because of your injuries. For example, if you experience traumatic flashbacks whenever you see the same color car as the one that hit you, then that PTSD symptom should be weighed when deciding on your pain and suffering damage. The more derailed your life has become due to such traumas, the more compensation your motorcycle accident attorney can demand on your behalf.

What Would Be an Estimated Average?

No motorcycle accident attorney or law firm can confidently promise you one value or another for your motorcycle accident claim soon after discussing it with you. They first need to get a full understanding of your injuries, future medical costs, and traumas. Only then will they be able to calculate how much compensation the liable party and their insurer should pay you.

However, if an estimation had to be made, then you could predict that the average motorcycle accident claim is worth at least five figures, closing in on six. Serious injuries like broken bones and road rash are common in motorcycle accidents. Treating such injuries can easily accrue $50,000 in medical costs within the first few days of medical care. After factoring in motorcycle replacement costs, the average claim can get close to $100,000 in damages easily.

For cases that involve devastating and permanent injuries like traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and spinal cord damage, the costs of medical care and future treatments will skyrocket. It is no stretch of the imagination to say that such cases could have economic damages that accumulate to several hundred thousand dollars at least. Bringing noneconomic damages into the calculations can cause the average catastrophic motorcycle accident claim to break seven figures or $1,000,000.

Big Damages Mean Big Resistance

While you can’t be certain what your motorcycle accident claim will be worth exactly, you can be certain that the opposing insurance company won’t want to pay it. The greater the damages owed to a claimant, the more an insurance company pushes back. Even if it is clear that you should be paid something because you didn’t cause the wreck, an insurer will still argue that you are owed as little as possible, maybe even nothing at all.