There is no denying that motorcycles are fun. Over 8 million people in the US alone ride motorcycles on a daily basis, and all of them have fun doing it. However, riding a motorcycle isn’t the safest form of transportation. In fact, thousands of riders end up in accidents each year, suffering injuries of varying degrees.
As for casualties, unfortunately, there are about five thousand of them annually, and that’s in the US alone. What’s even more unfortunate is that the number of casualties and injured riders has been on the rise in the last ten years. In Kansas City alone, last year, there were almost a thousand separate accidents, with nearly 50 of them ending up fatal.
If you were unlucky to be one of the people involved in a motorcycle accident recently, you might need to get in touch with some of the Kansas City motorcycle accident attorneys and consult with them about the best course of action moving forward.
However, you can’t just hire any Kansas City motorcycle accident lawyer and call it a day. You need to make sure you hire the right one, and to do that, you need to research the following:
Lawyer Experience
Not every personal injury lawyer will suit your case. From probably more than a thousand personal injury lawyers in Kansas, there is arguably no more than 100 of them competent and experienced enough to take your case.
Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re all about getting new, up-and-coming lawyers a shot, but even they would agree that someone with years of experience in the field is probably better suited for the job than they are.
So, before you end up hiring the first motorcycle accident lawyer you come across, make sure to do a little bit of research and find out how experienced they are, how often do they represent clients similar to you, what’s their track record and so on. All of this should give you a good insight as to what you can expect.
Courtroom Experience
Great lawyers never fight their battles in court, but sometimes, there is just nothing an attorney can do to get your case settled before it reaches the court. If it gets to that point, you want to make sure you have an attorney by your side who can handle themselves in a courtroom setting.
It is all well and good when you’re reviewing documents and following procedures, but battling an opposing counsellor to win a case requires a particular set of skills. Another thing to realize is that opposing counsel in cases like these will almost exclusively be a very experienced, very expensive courtroom lawyer hired by a large insurance company to get your case dismissed and save them a lot of money.
In other words – a formidable opponent. Therefore, you’ll need to do your due diligence and do a little bit of research on a lawyer you’re interested in, and check to see whether they’ve done their fair share of courtroom trials, how many they’ve won, and so on.
References And Reviews
Another thing to research before you go out and find yourself a motorcycle accident lawyer are references and reviews. Chances are, you have a couple of biker friends, and unfortunately, chances are, some of them have probably been in an accident or two during their bike-riding tenure.
The best way for you to find a reliable personal injury lawyer specializing in motorcycle accidents is by talking to other bikers and asking for references. There is nothing more sincere than a peer to peer reference, especially if it comes from someone close to you.
Visit https://royceinjury.com/motorcycle-accident-attorneys-kansas-city-mo/ for more details.
If you come up short in the reference department, don’t worry – not all is lost. You can still find a great Kansas City motorcycle accident lawyer – you’ll just have to take your business online. That’s right. You’re going to do a little bit of digging and read some online reviews.
Now, researching and reading up on online reviews is kind of tricky. First of all, it is pretty hard to tell which ones are real and which ones are fake. But also, who’s to say that the person writing the review is trustworthy?
However, if you stumble upon a lawyer of a law firm with primarily stellar reviews, there is a good chance that they can do a lot for your case.
Resources
One thing people rarely consider when they hire a lawyer is the resources that the lawyer is working with. Now, to be fair, great resources come with a hefty price tag, but fortunately, attorneys operating in this branch don’t usually charge all that much. In fact, they often work for a percentage, and they only charge you if they win the case, so it’s a win-win situation for you – kind of.
But, there is another thing at play here. A law firm with a number of employees, paralegals, and associates has the most valuable resource that they can assign to your case – people. It is not often to have more than two people handle a motorcycle accident case, but you never know when you might need an extra pair of eyes and ears to help win your case.
Client Relationships
This one might be a bit tricky to check, but you will have to try if you care about the relationship with your attorney. If you don’t – it’s okay. Some folks are just focused on the results, and that’s perfectly fine.
However, if you value a great relationship, and you’re looking for an attorney you can trust and possibly have playful banter with after they’ve won the case for you, then you might want to dedicate your time to finding out whether the attorney you’re interested with shares the same views as you do.
Cost
Finally, you have to do a little bit of research and figure out which lawyer fits your budget the best. As we’ve said, most of the Kansas City motorcycle accident attorneys work for a contingency fee, which means they only get paid if they win the case. However, not everyone will work for the same fee, and some of them will even charge you a flat fee or bill you by the hour.
Some will take more, some will take less, and it is up to you to find a perfect balance. So, ask yourself – would you be willing to risk winning the case to save 10% of your winnings, or would you rather sacrifice that money if it meant almost certainly winning the case?
Conclusion
Finding a good lawyer isn’t easy, as you can so clearly see. However, if you follow our tips and focus on researching these particular things, we have no doubt you’ll be able to find a perfect attorney for your motorcycle accident case.