The Most Dangerous Trucking Routes in Dallas
Commercial trucks move through Dallas around the clock. They rumble down the same highways you use to get to work, pick up your kids, and run errands on the weekend.…
At Freese & Goss, we stand up for riders injured by careless drivers across Plano, from the Dallas North Tollway and Sam Rayburn Tollway to the busy stretches of US-75 and the neighborhood roads off Legacy Drive and Preston Road.
A single moment of inattention from another driver can leave a motorcycle rider with injuries that take months or years to recover from, if they fully recover at all.
Our firm brings over 77 years of combined experience and more than $1 billion recovered for clients nationwide. Schedule a free consultation with a Plano motorcycle accident lawyer by calling (214) 761-6623.
“Freese & Goss were awesome in helping me with my case. They got the job done and the result I was looking for.”
– Denzel B. | Client
How Are Motorcycle Accidents Different?
A motorcycle crash is not the same as a car crash. Riders have no steel frame, no airbags, and no seatbelts. When another vehicle hits a motorcyclist, the rider absorbs the full force of the collision and is often thrown from the bike. What might be a fender bender between two cars can leave a rider with traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, or permanent disability.
Insurance adjusters also handle motorcycle claims with built-in assumptions about the rider. A Plano motorcycle accident lawyer experienced in these cases can counter those assumptions with crash data, witness accounts, and expert analysis.
Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Plano
Most motorcycle crashes come down to another driver’s carelessness. The causes we see most often in Plano include:
- Left-turn collisions at intersections when drivers fail to see a motorcycle;
- Distracted driving, especially phone use;
- Failure to check blind spots before changing lanes;
- Speeding on the Dallas North Tollway, US-75, and the Sam Rayburn Tollway;
- Rear-end collisions in stop-and-go traffic;
- Drunk or impaired driving;
- Unsafe road conditions like potholes, loose gravel, and construction debris;
- Dooring incidents in parking lots and along street parking; and
- Failure to yield the right of way.
After a crash, the at-fault driver’s insurance adjuster will usually call within days and ask for a recorded statement.
Do not give one.
Adjusters are trained to ask questions that lead riders to speculate, downplay injuries, or accept partial blame without realizing it. Those statements are used later to reduce or deny the claim.
Speak with a Plano motorcycle accident attorney first.
What If I Was Partially at Fault for the Crash?
If the insurance company is pointing fingers at you after a motorcycle accident, that can feel overwhelming. It may sound like they have already decided what happened. In reality, that is often just the starting position they take in order to limit what they pay.
Being partially at fault does not prevent you from recovering compensation under Texas law. The state follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This means you can still recover damages as long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible for the crash.
Your recovery is reduced based on your share of fault. If you are found 20 percent responsible, your total compensation is reduced by 20 percent. If you are found 51 percent or more at fault, you cannot recover damages.
This system gives insurance companies a clear incentive to push as much blame onto you as possible. Every percentage point matters. The difference between 10 percent and 30 percent fault can have a significant impact on the value of your claim. That is why fault is often one of the most heavily contested parts of a motorcycle accident case.
Several issues come up again and again when insurers try to shift blame onto riders:
Helmet Use
Texas law requires helmets for riders and passengers under 21. Riders 21 and older can legally ride without a helmet if they have completed an approved safety course or carry qualifying medical insurance.
After a crash, insurance companies may focus on whether you were wearing a helmet. This can make it seem like you did something wrong just by riding without one. What matters for fault, however, is what caused the crash itself. Helmet use is usually tied to the extent of injuries, not the cause of the collision.
For example, a driver who turns left in front of a motorcycle is still responsible for causing the crash, regardless of whether the rider was wearing a helmet. The absence of a helmet does not change how the collision occurred.
Lane Splitting
Lane splitting is illegal in Texas, which is why it is frequently mentioned after motorcycle crashes. Insurers often raise it quickly because it can sound like clear wrongdoing.
In many cases, the accusation comes up even when it does not match what actually happened.
Drivers may merge without checking blind spots, drift between lanes, or make sudden movements in traffic. After the crash, the rider is blamed.
If lane splitting is being alleged, it should not be accepted at face value. The details of how the crash occurred still matter. The focus should remain on the actions that led to the collision.
Motorcycle Bias
Motorcyclists often deal with assumptions that they were speeding, weaving through traffic, or taking risks. Those assumptions can shape how a claim is handled from the beginning.
This can affect how an insurance adjuster talks about the crash, how fault is described, and how responsibility is assigned. Riders are sometimes treated as though they must have done something wrong simply because they were on a motorcycle.
What matters is what actually happened in your specific crash. General opinions about riders do not determine fault. Each situation has its own facts, and those details are what should guide how responsibility is assigned.
Plano Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Looking at local numbers can help put things into perspective, especially when trying to understand how often motorcycle crashes occur and how serious they tend to be. The most recent data available from the Texas Department of Transportation shows:
- 5,659 total crashes were reported in Plano;
- An estimated 12 to 18 motorcycle-related crashes, with 1 to 2 fatalities, based on statewide crash patterns;
- Approximately 37% of motorcyclist fatalities statewide involved riders not wearing helmets; and
- Motorcycles accounted for 14.1% of all traffic fatalities in Texas in one year.
These figures reflect broader trends that continue to hold true. Motorcycle crashes make up a smaller share of total accidents, but they are far more likely to result in serious or fatal injuries. That is one reason fault is often disputed so aggressively after a crash.
Hurt in a Plano motorcycle crash? Talk to a Plano motorcycle accident attorney before you talk to the insurance company. Reach our team at (214) 761-6623 to get started.
What Injuries Do Plano Motorcycle Crash Victims Commonly Suffer?
Because riders absorb the full force of a collision, motorcycle injuries tend to be severe, and many lead to long-term or permanent impairment. The injuries we see most often in Plano cases include:
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis;
- Severe road rash and skin damage requiring grafts;
- Broken, crushed, and shattered bones;
- Amputations;
- Internal bleeding and organ damage;
- Facial and dental injuries; and
- Fatal injuries leading to wrongful death claims.
Serious motorcycle injuries almost always require more than emergency treatment. Surgery, physical therapy, pain management, and ongoing medical support can stretch for months or years, and some riders are never able to return to the work they did before. A complete claim has to account for future medical costs and lost earning ability.
Insurance Company Tactics Used Against Motorcyclists
Some of the tactics we see most often in motorcycle cases include:
- Blaming the rider from the start. Even when the other driver was clearly at fault, adjusters often argue the motorcyclist was speeding, riding unsafely, or hard to see. We counter these arguments with crash scene evidence, expert analysis, and police reports.
- Quick, lowball offers. An adjuster may call within days with a settlement that sounds reasonable before the rider has any idea how serious the injuries are or what long-term care will cost. We advise clients never to accept these early offers.
- Delay tactics. Paperwork goes missing, calls go unreturned, and weeks pass with no movement. The goal is to wear the rider down until they accept less. We stay on adjusters with consistent follow-up and clear legal deadlines.
- Disputing medical care. Insurers question whether the surgery, therapy, or ER visit was really necessary, sometimes challenging treatment decisions made by the rider’s own doctors. We work with medical experts to document every injury and every treatment.
At Freese & Goss, we handle all communication with the insurance company so the rider can focus on healing instead of defending themselves.
Pursuing Compensation in a Plano Motorcycle Accident Case
Every motorcycle case is different, but a full recovery often includes:
- Emergency care, hospital stays, surgery, and ambulance costs;
- Ongoing treatment like physical therapy, pain management, and assistive devices;
- Lost wages from time missed at work;
- Reduced future earning capacity;
- Pain, emotional distress, and loss of quality of life;
- Repair or replacement of the motorcycle, helmet, and riding gear;
- Wrongful death damages for families who lost a loved one; and
- Punitive damages in cases involving drunk driving or reckless conduct.
Having a lawyer matters. Research from Martindale-Nolo shows that injury victims with legal representation recover nearly 3.5 times more than those who handle claims on their own, even after accounting for legal fees.
We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, and we only collect a fee if we recover compensation for you.
Contact a Plano Motorcycle Crash Lawyer Today
The Plano motorcycle accident attorneys at Freese & Goss are committed to making sure every rider we represent understands their legal rights, their options, and what to expect at every stage of the claim. Our firm brings over 77 years of combined experience and more than $1 billion recovered for clients across the country.
Our line is open 24/7. Call us today at (214) 761-6623 or fill out our online form to schedule a 100% free case review.
