Motorcyclists in Tampa enjoy as much of a right to use city highways and streets as any other motorist. But sometimes, it doesn't seem that way. Motorcycle accidents frequently happen on Tampa roads because others fail to keep motorcyclists' rights and safety in mind.
If you or someone you love got hurt in a Tampa-area motorcycle accident, you may have the right to seek compensation from the party or parties at fault. The Holliday Karatinos Law Firm wants to help you explore your options. We are a seasoned team of lawyers who regularly represent injured motorcyclists in legal actions demanding damages for crash-related injuries and losses. Reach out to a Motorcycle lawyer in Tampa for more information.
A Respected Motorcycle Accident Law Firm
Attorneys James Holliday and Theodore "Ted" Karatinos founded the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm to serve injured Floridians. Every day, we fight so our clients receive fair injury compensation from insurance companies and at-fault parties. Since 2006, our team has secured more than $125 million in financial recoveries to help injured clients pay their expenses and rebuild their lives.
Motorcycle accident cases constitute a core part of our law practice. With over 65 years of combined legal experience, our team has witnessed firsthand the devastation a preventable accident can have on riders and their loved ones. Injured bikers can rely on our resources, skill, and street smarts to get results in even the biggest, most challenging cases.
The Troubling Drumbeat of Motorcycle Accidents in Tampa
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) crash data paints a troubling picture for Tampa-area motorcyclists. Hundreds of motorcycle crashes happen in Tampa annually. Virtually all of them cause fatalities or injuries, and bikers or their passengers sustained almost all of that trauma. Statistically speaking, in other words, you are almost guaranteed to get hurt if you crash while riding a motorcycle in Tampa.
And that’s not all. Bikers don’t just get injured in motorcycle wrecks—they get badly injured. Many motorcyclists sustain catastrophic or near-catastrophic trauma from being thrown from the saddle to the ground or against another vehicle.
Common injuries among Holliday Karatinos Law Firm’s clients in motorcycle accident cases may include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), especially if a rider is not wearing a helmet;
- Disfiguring facial injuries, especially if a helmet lacks a face shield;
- Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) and spinal column (disc and vertebra) damage;
- Severe road rash, especially if a rider does not wear protective clothing;
- Foot and ankle injuries, especially if a rider does not wear riding boots;
- Crushed limbs leading to loss of function or amputation;
- Broken bones and extreme orthopedic injuries.
Frequently, a rider will suffer multiple injuries like the ones above. And dozens of times per year, those injuries will lead to a Tampa biker’s tragic and preventable death.
Injured Tampa Bikers Deserve Compensation
Florida law entitles motorcyclists who get injured in Tampa road accidents to demand compensation from the parties at fault. The Holliday Karatinos Law Firm fights to get the money they need for their physical, emotional, and financial recovery. We target every available payment source and pursue maximum damages on our clients' behalf.
Liability for a Tampa Motorcycle Wreck
Anyone who causes a motorcycle accident through poor decisions or dangerous actions can face liability to an injured biker.
At the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we strive to identify all parties who may owe damages to our clients and represent a potential source to pursue for payment.
Experienced Tampa motorcyclists know that car and truck drivers frequently are to blame for motorcycle accidents. For example, motorists may cause a wreck by turning left across the lane of an oncoming motorcycle or merging into a neighboring lane that a motorcycle already occupies. Car and truck drivers also trigger motorcycle accidents by passing aggressively, tailgating, and generally treating motorcyclists as lower-priority motorists on Tampa streets.
Drivers, therefore, represent the most common culprits who may have legal liability for a biker’s damages. But they aren’t the only ones. Other parties may share that liability or bear it exclusively.
They can include:
- Employers of drivers who cause motorcycle crashes while driving work vehicles;
- Local governments and road contractors at fault for causing unreasonably dangerous road conditions;
- Manufacturers of defective automotive or motorcycle equipment that triggers a wreck;
- Someone who serves alcohol to an underage or habitually addicted drunk driver who causes a motorcycle crash.
These are just a few examples. If you sustained injuries in a Tampa motorcycle crash, contact an experienced lawyer at the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm to begin exploring who might owe you damages.
Potential Damages for a Motorcycle Accident
You may have the right to receive compensation for the full range of damages you suffered in a Tampa motorcycle crash. We work closely with our clients at the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm to evaluate their harm.
We aim to secure our clients maximum payment from at-fault parties and their insurance companies, including for:
- Medical expenses related to treating your motorcycle accident injuries and future health complications;
- Other costs stemming from the accident and your injuries, including for bike repairs and replacement services;
- The wages you already missed out on earning while out of work with injuries;
- The future income you will not receive because your injuries continue to prevent you from working;
- Your physical pain and discomfort;
- The emotional and mental health struggles you encounter;
- The inconvenience and disruption your injuries cause;
- Your diminished quality of life and relationships.
Sometimes, a Tampa court will also award you additional damages that serve to punish the at-fault party for extreme or intentional misconduct.
We invite you to contact the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm team to learn about the damages you might claim for your Tampa motorcycle accident injuries.
Motorcycle Accident Wrongful Death Cases
Fatal motorcycle accidents in Tampa inflict a terrible toll. Under Florida law, the deceased biker’s surviving spouse or family members may have the right to pursue a lawsuit for wrongful death.
At the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we understand that suing for damages provides small comfort for those grieving after a loved one's death. But through years of experience, we also know how critical funds recovered in a lawsuit can be in helping to rebuild after a tragedy. We invite you to contact us today if a Tampa motorcycle accident recently took the life of your loved one.
How We Can Help in Motorcycle Accident Cases
At the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we take pride in having the experience and resources to handle motorcycle accident cases of all sizes and degrees of complexity. No matter what a client’s claim requires, we feel confident in our ability to go the distance to achieve the most favorable outcome possible.
We can, for example:
- Investigate the cause of a motorcycle accident to determine who should bear legal and financial responsibility;
- Work with forensic, medical, and financial experts when appropriate to gain an in-depth understanding of our client’s claim;
- Take swift action to locate and secure physical, documentary, and electronic evidence to support a case for damages;
- Respond promptly and clearly to our client’s questions;
- Handle all communications with insurance companies and accident investigators on our client’s behalf;
- Submit claims to the at-fault party’s liability insurance company demanding compensation;
- File and pursue a lawsuit against the at-fault party and its insurer seeking damages;
- Negotiate settlements of our clients’ claims to achieve a fair and satisfactory outcome;
- Take our clients' cases to trial in a Tampa court to prove a damages claim to a judge and jury;
- Take measures to locate and collect money owed to our clients by at-fault parties and insurers.
In motorcycle accident cases, we routinely perform these and other services on a contingent fee basis. That is an arrangement in which our fee consists only of a percentage of any money we recover on our client’s behalf. We only get paid, in other words, if we get results for our client. Injured motorcyclists and grieving families of bikers killed in fatal crashes never have to worry about paying us out of their own pockets.
Avoid Making These Mistakes After a Tampa Motorcycle Crash
The actions you take in the wake of a Tampa motorcycle accident can profoundly affect your legal rights and financial future. Avoiding these potentially costly mistakes can protect your ability to demand full compensation for your injuries.
Ignoring Injuries
Motorcycle crashes cause severe trauma. Some injuries are obvious, others are not, and it's not always easy to distinguish a minor injury from a life-threatening one. Ignoring any motorcycle accident injury, no matter how small it seems, amounts to risking your life. It also puts your legal rights in jeopardy.
That's why you must seek medical attention promptly after any motorcycle crash. Only a qualified medical professional can evaluate your condition accurately and begin treating any injuries before they get worse. By visiting a doctor, you also generate records of your condition that can serve as valuable evidence in a claim for damages.
Accepting a Quick Settlement Offer
Never agree to take cash at the accident scene from an at-fault driver who wants to keep insurance companies and the authorities out of the picture. That can amount to giving up your rights to compensation, and it's potentially illegal.
For the same reasons, never accept a quick settlement offer made directly to you by an at-fault party’s insurance company. Insurers know you probably face financial strain after an accident. They make lowball offers in hopes you will unwittingly take less than you deserve and, in the process, sacrifice your right to receive more later. It’s an ugly trick to pull, but it happens, and falling for it can leave you without enough money to cover your expenses.
The only reliable way to achieve a fair settlement of your Tampa motorcycle accident claim is to leave it to an experienced attorney to negotiate with insurance companies and at-fault parties on your behalf. At the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we can almost always obtain significantly more for a motorcycle crash victim than any quick settlement someone has offered them.
Putting off Talking to a Lawyer
It’s a mistake to assume that you can wait to talk to a lawyer after getting hurt in a Tampa motorcycle accident. Although Florida law generally gives you four years from your crash to take legal action for damages, that timeframe can shrink to just months in some cases. If you miss a deadline, you can lose your rights to compensation. By talking to a lawyer, you protect yourself against that preventable and costly mistake.
That’s not all. Connecting with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer promptly has additional benefits. It gives the lawyer the strongest chance of locating and preserving the evidence needed to prove your case. And it protects you against at-fault parties and insurance companies engaging in tactics designed to avoid their liability, like making lowball settlement offers (see above), destroying evidence, or legal maneuvering.
It costs you nothing to speak with a lawyer immediately. All reputable motorcycle accident lawyers in Tampa, including the Holliday Karatinos Law Firm team, offer free consultations to injured bikers and their loved ones. We'll meet with you at your convenience—in person, by phone, or over video—to talk about what happened and to begin exploring your options for seeking compensation. You won't ever owe us a penny for that consultation, even if you decide not to hire us to represent you.
Contact a Skilled Tampa Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today
Motorcycle accidents upend the lives of numerous Tampa bikers every year. But Florida law offers a path forward to compensation for injured riders and grieving families if they act quickly to protect their legal rights. Reach out to a Tampa personal injury lawyer.
The Holliday Karatinos Law Firm has years of experience fighting and winning for Tampa-area motorcycle accident victims. Let us help you understand your rights and options. Contact us today at (813) 868-1887 for a free consultation with a member of our award-winning team.
Client Testimonial
"Attorney James Holliday is the best attorney I have ever worked with. I went to him after an auto accident and I was impressed with his knowledge of the situation and judgement on how to proceed. In the end, Mr. Holliday was able to obtain full compensation. He was also a pleasure to work with."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Barb C.
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