Motorbike Accident Compensation Claims

By Eoin P. Campbell, LL.B., Solicitor

A motorbike accident is treated in law in just the same way as any other type of road traffic accident. If the motorcyclist can prove that he or she has been injured in a motorcycling accident that was caused by the fault of another party, they should have a good claim for personal injury compensation. Unfortunately, due to public perceptions of motor cyclists, a certain amount of bias is often placed automatically against the rider of the motorbike involved. As long as he or she can prove, on the balance of probabilities, their version of events their claim should however be successful.

Injury or Damage

The first thing to be remembered when pursuing any personal injury claim, be it a motorcycle accident claim or otherwise, is that it is in fact just that ; a personal injury claim. The plaintiff must have sustained some form of injury, either physical or psychological, as a result of the accident. Even where the other driver has indeed acted negligently, even criminally so, one should note that with regard to the civil law, a potential plaintiff can only claim compensation for a personal injury loss or damage that he or she has in fact sustained. A near miss – other than where it can be proved to have caused, for example, a severe psychological trauma – is not sufficient to justify compensation being awarded.

If you have not sustained a personal injury as a result of your accident you are, of course, still entitled to attempt to recover the costs of personal property (e.g. the bike) that may have been damaged or destroyed. The same principles apply i.e. the damage must have in fact occurred, apply.

Accident Negligence

The second factor to note is that the injury sustained must result from the negligence of the driver who had a duty of care towards you and the other road users at the time of the accident. If the driver can prove that he was not driving in a negligent fashion at the time of the accident, however, the claim against him will fail.

Liability

The cause of an accident is not always obvious. In many situations one party may be completely to blame. However, it is also true that more than one, or several, factors may have contributed to the accident that has occurred. Moreover, one of the causal factors may have, in fact, been the negligence of the injured party himself e.g. the motorcyclist was speeding. How then can blame be apportioned? Is the injured party entitled to any form of compensation if he or she has contributed, albeit slightly, to their own downfall?

Contributory Negligence

It may also be decided by the court, or indeed agreed between the parties, that both the defendant and the plaintiff were partially at fault for the plaintiff’s injury and in such circumstance the principle of contributory negligence will apply.

Contributory negligence is the legal principle that an injured party (the plaintiff) may possibly have contributed to his or her own injury by acting in a negligent manner when faced with the obvious and known conditions. When this is compared with the negligence of the defendant (or defendants), the extent of contributory negligence may defeat the plaintiff’s case (the claim will be unsuccessful) or reduce the amount of compensation awarded. Often, for example, it may be agreed that the plaintiff bore 25% of the responsibility for his or her accident while the defendant was responsible to a degree of 75%. In such circumstances, the plaintiff’s damages, assessed by the severity of his or her injury and loss, will be reduced by 25%.

Negligence without an injury therefore, or alternatively an injury without negligence, are not enough to pursue a successful personal injury compensation claim.

What should I do if I have been involved in a Motorbike Accident?

Your Personal Health and Safety

As obvious as it may seem, it should always be remembered that your health and safety is the most important consideration. If, for example, you have been hurt in a motorcycling accident your well-being is far more important than any potential claim that you may have. If you, or indeed anyone else, have been seriously hurt an ambulance (together with the Gardaí) should be called immediately.

Visit the Nearest Hospital

Following an accident (be it a road traffic incident, an accident at work or otherwise) it is of the utmost importance that you report to the casualty department of the nearest hospital, or at the very least make an emergency appointment with your general practitioner. Even if immediately following the accident you feel that your injuries are not particularly serious it is still advisable that you see a doctor. Whiplash Symptoms (a common injury following any motoring accident) can be experienced immediately following impact but often do not commence to develop for a number of hours after the accident and then may worsen during the next 24 to 48 hours. Never underestimate peace of mind. The reality is that monetary compensation is no substitute for your health and well-being and, as any solicitor who specializes in personal injury litigation can tell you, a common remark from clients is that they would exchange the compensation money in order to revert to their prior health and fitness ‘in a heartbeat’.

It should be noted further that your attendance at hospital or with your local doctor will be recorded in your medical records which may later be used in evidence to support your claim.

Call the Police

Following a road traffic accident it is essential that you report the matter to the Gardaí. If there are no obvious injuries at the time, the Gardaí may well indicate that they will not be attending the scene.

As one would expect, should the accident have been of a more serious nature and an ambulance has been called, the Gardaí will attend and take statements from the various parties and witnesses (if any) and make a sketch of the accident scene. The Gardaí investigation may result in a referral to The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for prosecution.

If, as is often the case, the Gardaí do not attend the accident scene it is advisable to visit your nearest Garda station at the earliest opportunity to request that they take details of the accident i.e. names, insurance details and registration numbers of the driver and pedestrian and the date, time and location of the accident itself. Each Garda station keeps a road traffic accident report book precisely for this purpose.

Motorbike Accident Formalities

As most people are no doubt aware it is very important to exchange names, addresses and insurance details with the other driver following an accident. This is, however, not always possible as one or both parties may be very seriously injured or perhaps aggressive and confrontational following the collision. What one should do, however, in all circumstances is note the registration number of the vehicle (even when the other party has appeared to be co-operative as the details given may be erroneous either due to confusion and shock following what is always a frightening experience or perhaps due to deliberate malice; do not assume that the other party is as honest as you!). The identity and insurance details of the other party can usually be later verified from the registration number.

No Details of Other Vehicle Driver

It is not always possible to obtain details of the other driver at the scene of an accident. Of course, when serious injury occurs this will undoubtedly take precedence over the exchange of names, addresses and insurance details. If you have been unfortunate enough to have been involved in an accident such as this, please note that your solicitor can still pursue a claim on your behalf. Should the Gardaí have attended the scene of the accident, your solicitor can very simply request and pay a small fee for the details of the other driver and a copy of the relevant Gardaí report.

Alternatively, one may well have been a victim of a ‘hit and run’ incident or have later discovered that the driver of the other vehicle was uninsured at the time of the accident. In such circumstances, please note that your Solicitor can submit the matter to the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland, a body which exists to protect the victims of road traffic accidents when the party at fault is untraced or uninsured. The MIBI can act as the ‘insurer’ of the unknown or untraced driver and can, if appropriate, make a compensation payment to the victim

Make Use of Technology

In modern Ireland it is fair to say that most of us own a mobile phone, which should obviously be used immediately following a motorcycle accident to contact the Police/Gardaí and, if necessary, an ambulance. We should also utilise the camera and/or video function present on most modern cell phones to record images of both vehicles (showing damage to the cars and their road positioning) following the accident. Furthermore, it may also be useful to your claim if the pictures can give an accurate impression of the weather and road conditions. Obviously the licence plate number of the other vehicle can also be recorded in this way.

Never Discuss Liability

It is very important that you do not admit liability at the scene of the accident as it is, in fact, very often a condition of your Insurance Policy not to admit liability following an accident. It is perhaps best policy not to discuss liability for the accident at the scene if at all possible. Even in circumstances where it is very clear that the other party has been at fault, one should remain polite at all times and assist the other driver if he or she has been injured and then exchange particulars.

How is the ‘value’ of my personal injury claim decided?

It is important to remember that (assuming liability is not in question) the ‘value’ of any personal injury case is assessed by looking at the severity of the injury to the plaintiff and how same will affect their working, family, recreational and personal lives in the short, medium and long terms.
Some injuries (and whiplash type injuries in particular) may take some time to fully manifest themselves and it maybe some months or even years before your doctors can provide an accurate prognosis of the expected recovery period or diagnose a long-term condition.

Moreover your claim may well include an aspect of “special damages” such as loss of earnings (including potential loss of future earnings).

Should I settle my motorbike accident claim directly with an insurance company?

I would advise those who have sustained a personal injury as the result of the fault of another in a road traffic accident to consider the above very carefully after an accident has occurred. Increasingly, clients are reporting that they have been contacted directly by the third party’s insurance company with offers of settlement in the weeks or even days following the incident.

The temptation to accept an early offer of settlement is strong; the immediate offer of money with minimum hassle and fuss, particularly in the current economic climate, often seems too good to refuse. There is, however, no way of knowing how much the claim is potentially worth at such an early stage and the risk is that the plaintiff may settle their claim for a figure that falls short of its potential value. It is worth asking yourself the question ‘Why would the insurance company offer to settle the case at such an early stage?’.The response is quite logical: to save costs. The liable party will normally be responsible for not only the compensation payment but also for both sets of legal costs and for the costs of procuring specialist medical reports.

Summary

  • Motorbike accident claims for compensation are treated in exactly the same way as other claims resulting from road traffic accidents.
  • In order to make successful motorbike accident claims, the rider or passenger must have sustained an injury due to the negligence of others.
  • Treatment of any injuries sustained should take precedence over motorbike accident claims for compensation, and you should also ensure that your accident is reported to the Gardai.
  • Wherever possible, get the name, address and insurance details of the negligent party as these will make completion of the motorbike accident claims forms more straightforward.
  • The value of personal injury compensation in motorbike accident claims is decided on the severity of your injuries and any “special” expenses you have incurred due to your accident.
  • Motorbike accident claims should never be settled directly with the negligent party´s insurance company. If you want to receive an appropriate amount of compensation, speak with a solicitor on our free advice service.

It is important to note that each case is unique. If you have recently been involved in a motorbike accident and feel that you have a potential personal injury claim, you are advised to discuss all of the points raised in the preceding article with a solicitor at the earliest opportunity.

Copyright © 2009-2019 Eoin Campbell

Eoin P. Campbell About the Author
Eoin P. Campbell is an honours law graduate (LL.B) and qualified solicitor whose primary professional experience is the area of litigation and in particular personal injury claims. Eoin P. Campbell is currently lecturing in law at two universities in Lyon, France.