After a motorcycle crash in Pennsylvania, you may be able to recover your medical expenses, lost wages, reduced future earning capacity, pain and suffering, rehabilitation and long-term care costs, and the damage to your bike. A crash like this can leave you hurting and anxious about bills while you try to heal, and it’s fair to want a clear picture of what you can actually claim. Silver & Silver’s motorcycle accident lawyers in Villanova can help you understand which of these categories fit your situation.
What a Motorcycle Injury Claim Can Cover
The damages available after a crash fall into two broad groups. The first, economic damages, covers your measurable financial losses, which commonly include:
- Medical bills, from emergency care and surgery through physical therapy and follow-up visits
- Lost wages for the time you miss while you recover
- Reduced future earning capacity if the injury limits the work you can do going forward
- Rehabilitation and long-term care costs when recovery stretches over months or years
- Repairs or replacement for your motorcycle and damaged riding gear
Non-economic damages cover the harm that doesn’t come with a receipt. Pain and suffering, meaning the physical pain and emotional toll of a serious injury, is the most common example, and it tends to weigh heavily in motorcycle accident claims because riders absorb the full force of a collision with little between them and the road.
Why Pennsylvania’s Limited Tort Rule Usually Doesn’t Limit Riders
Pennsylvania is a no-fault auto state, so drivers choose between two coverage options: limited tort and full tort. Limited tort costs less but restricts your ability to recover pain and suffering damages unless your injuries meet a serious-injury threshold, while full tort keeps that right open. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s guide to full tort and limited tort lays out how each option affects your right to sue.
A motorcycle generally isn’t classified as a private passenger motor vehicle under Pennsylvania law, so the limited tort restriction typically doesn’t attach to a motorcycle crash. In practice, if you selected limited tort on a car policy, you generally keep full tort rights on a motorcycle and can seek pain and suffering damages without first meeting that threshold. How this rule applies can depend on your specific policy and the facts of your crash.
Severe Injuries and the Long Road to Recovery
Because a rider is so exposed in a crash, motorcycle injuries are often serious: broken bones, road rash, spinal damage, or a traumatic brain injury. These can mean months of treatment, time away from work, and sometimes a lasting change in what you’re able to do. That is why future focused damages, such as reduced earning capacity and long-term care, often carry real weight in a motorcycle claim.
Putting a full number on those losses takes careful documentation, from medical records and treatment plans to wage information and a doctor’s view of your long-term outlook. The motorcycle accident attorneys at Silver & Silver, who serve riders across Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford, help gather and organize that documentation. Because a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania generally must be filed within two years, it helps not to wait.
Getting a Clear Picture After a Main Line Crash
Recovering from a motorcycle crash is hard enough without worrying about bills that keep arriving. Knowing which categories of compensation apply, and that the limited tort rule usually doesn’t stand in your way, lets you make decisions from information rather than fear.
A serious motorcycle injury can upend your health, your income, and your daily routine all at once, and you deserve a clear understanding of your options while you focus on healing. For 45 years, Silver & Silver has represented injured riders and other accident victims across Pennsylvania in personal injury claims. The firm also handles Social Security Disability matters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Figuring out what a serious motorcycle crash has cost you is a lot to face alone, so reach out to Silver & Silver’s motorcycle accident lawyers.
Disclosure:
This website is designed to provide only general information. The information presented on this website is not formal legal advice. You should not rely on any general information from any source for making legal decisions. Each legal matter is unique and requires specific attention from a qualified attorney. Unless a representation agreement has been signed with the Law Offices of Silver and Silver, we are not your legal representatives.
