Is your motorcycle accident settlement offer fair?
Hurt on your motorcycle and the offer is low? Call for a free review.
A motorcycle accident settlement is built like any crash claim, but riders are hurt worse. Per mile traveled in 2024, motorcyclists were almost 27 times more likely than car occupants to die in a crash. They were almost 5 times more likely to be injured, per NHTSA.
How a motorcycle accident settlement is figured
The parts are the same as any injury claim: medical bills, lost pay and an amount for the pain. With a broken leg and surgery, adjusters tend to use the high end of the pain multiplier.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Medical bills | $38,000 | $38,000 |
| Lost pay | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Pain (3 to 5 times bills) | $114,000 | $190,000 |
| Total | $161,000 | $237,000 |
A claim that size can pass the other driver’s policy limit. Your own underinsured motorist coverage then pays the gap, up to your limit.
Rider blame and the helmet question
Adjusters often suggest the rider was speeding, splitting lanes or hard to see. Your share of fault comes off the total and in some states a large share ends the claim. See at-fault rules by state.
Only 17 states and the District of Columbia require a helmet for every rider, per IIHS.
Where your state’s helmet law did not require one, going without is not a traffic offense. The insurer may still argue it made a head injury worse.
Which insurance pays a rider
- The driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurer.
- Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, when theirs is missing or too small.
- Your health plan, for bills while the claim is open. It may want repayment from the settlement.
Motorcycle insurance is required in every state except Hawaii, Michigan, Montana and New Hampshire, per the Insurance Information Institute.
Steps after a motorcycle crash
- Photograph the bike, the car, the road and your gear before anything is moved or repaired.
- Keep the helmet and jacket. They show where the impact landed.
- See a doctor the same week, even for pain that seems minor.
- Do not give the other insurer a recorded statement before you have talked to a lawyer.
Deadlines
Your state sets the deadline to sue, counted from the day of the crash.See your state.
Motorcycle accident settlement questions
What is the average motorcycle accident settlement?
No public record tracks it. Rider injuries tend to be worse than in car crashes, so the bills and the pain multiplier on them, usually run higher.
Does not wearing a helmet hurt my claim?
It can, for a head injury, where the insurer argues a helmet would have made it less bad. How much that counts depends on your state’s law and it rarely touches a leg or arm injury.
Who pays if the driver who hit me has no insurance?
The uninsured motorist coverage on your motorcycle policy, if you have it. See the uninsured motorist page.
How long do I have to file?
The same deadline as any crash in your state: one to six years and two years in 25 states.
Before you answer the adjuster
Signing a release ends your claim for good, even if surgery comes later. Across the country, the window is two or three years in most places from the crash date to file. Call us 24/7 before you give a recorded statement and keep your helmet and gear.
Call about my crash(833) 716-6705
We answer 24/7, go over your claim free and link you to a car accident lawyer paid only if you win.