Does Recklessness Matter In A Car Or Motorcycle Accident?
Major accidents can happen even when all drivers are behaving responsibly. That's why it can be frustrating, or infuriating, when someone drives recklessly and injures another person. When you are the victim in this situation, you are probably looking for justice and compensation when the other driver was behaving recklessly.
Recklessness Could Result in Traffic Violations
If someone caused an accident while they were speeding, intoxicated, or violating traffic laws, they could be looking at some heavy penalties from the law. Definitely call a police officer to the scene and get witnesses' names and phone numbers. You will want to try and get this person cited for a traffic infraction; it is the right thing to do, and it will help prove your case down the line. Penalties for traffic violations can range from a few hundred to a thousand dollars. Penalties for a DUI include license suspension and thousands of dollars in fees. The person will be covering these fees out of pocket.
Recklessness Matters for Liability
If the other driver is deemed to be negligent, you should not have any trouble getting doubts of liability thrown out. It can be hard to prove 100% liability in an auto or motorcycle accident, but if someone was swerving on the road or going 20 miles over the speed limit, they are clearly in the wrong. The police report will be really helpful when you are trying to prove liability to the other driver's insurance company. Recklessness on the part of the other driver should also make the investigation process go a little more quickly.
Compensation Is Based on Pain and Suffering
The compensation that you receive for an accident is generally based on the pain and suffering you experience. Consider the medical bills you have and the amount of time it takes you to recover from your injury. These will be major determiners in how much money you receive since the payout is generally a multiple of these expenses.
However, the legal system leaves some room for negotiation in these cases. If you have a good motorcycle accident attorney, one thing you can be assured is this: the claims adjuster will not lowball you on making a settlement offer. Having a reckless driver at the heart of an auto accident is a bargaining chip that your attorney will use to recover the maximum amount of money that's reasonable for the case.