MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT REPRESENTATION · TAMPA, FLORIDA
A motorcycle crash can change your day in seconds—and affect your health, work, and family for months or years. When another driver’s carelessness leaves you injured, Baird Law Group helps you understand what comes next, preserve important evidence, deal with the insurance companies, and pursue compensation under Florida law.
Cory A. Baird has been licensed in Florida since 2002 and previously defended insurance companies in personal injury matters. That perspective helps our firm anticipate how insurers evaluate liability, injuries, coverage, and settlement demands.
Free consultation • No obligation • No fees or costs unless you recover
FLORIDA COUNSEL
Licensed in Florida since 2002
INSURANCE PERSPECTIVE
Former insurance-company defense attorney
CONTINGENCY FEE
No fees or costs unless you recover
TAMPA OFFICE
701 S. Howard Ave., Suite 201
ON THIS PAGE
MOTORCYCLE CLAIMS ARE DIFFERENT
Riders have far less physical protection than people inside passenger vehicles, so the medical consequences of a collision can be severe. At the same time, an insurer may closely examine speed, visibility, lane position, protective gear, and rider behavior when deciding how to value or challenge a claim.
Florida’s insurance framework also treats motorcycles differently. Standard Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits generally do not apply to a person injured while occupying a motorcycle. That makes it especially important to identify every potentially available source of liability and insurance coverage early in the case.
Whether the crash happened on I-275, Dale Mabry Highway, Hillsborough Avenue, Gandy Boulevard, Kennedy Boulevard, Busch Boulevard, Fowler Avenue, or a neighborhood road, the question is not what people assume about riders. The question is what the evidence shows.
HOW BAIRD LAW GROUP HELPS
A strong motorcycle injury claim requires more than collecting medical bills. We look at how the crash happened, which evidence can prove it, what insurance is available, and how the injuries affect your life now and in the future.
01
Identify photographs, video, witnesses, crash reports, damaged gear, vehicle evidence, and other information before it disappears or changes.
02
Analyze the traffic movement, point of impact, roadway conditions, vehicle damage, and available records to test each party’s version of the crash.
03
Manage insurer contact and evaluate requests for statements, records, releases, or authorizations that can affect the claim.
04
Review the at-fault driver’s liability coverage and evaluate whether uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage or other policies may apply.
05
Connect the medical record with lost income, future care, limitations, pain, and other losses that may be compensable under Florida law.
06
Build the case so settlement discussions are informed by evidence, while preserving the ability to litigate when a fair resolution is not available.
EVIDENCE CAN MOVE FAST
Motorcycle cases can turn on details that are easy to lose after the tow trucks leave. Depending on the facts, useful evidence may include:
Tampa’s Vision Zero Action Plan recognizes motorcyclists among the city’s vulnerable roadway users. A claim should be evaluated with that real-world exposure in mind—not with a stereotype about how riders behave.
THE INSURANCE SIDE IS NOT UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Before founding Baird Law Group, Cory A. Baird, Esq. litigated personal injury matters from the insurance-defense side. That experience gives him perspective on how insurers analyze liability, medical evidence, coverage issues, and settlement positions.
Cory also understands the disruption of an accident personally. He was injured in an automobile crash that left him with broken ribs and other complications. Today, his practice is focused on helping injured people navigate the legal and insurance issues that follow an accident.
LICENSED
Florida attorney since 2002
BACKGROUND
Former insurance-defense attorney
EDUCATION
J.D. and M.B.A., Stetson University
FINANCIAL TRAINING
Former CPA; experience at Ernst & Young
RECOGNITION
Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2012
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Florida Bar · Hillsborough County Bar Association
LEGAL EDUCATION
Lecturer, Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Seminar
COMMUNITY / MEDIA
Participant, Fox 13 “Ask a Lawyer” program
AFTER A CRASH
Your health comes first. Once immediate safety is addressed, a few practical steps can also help protect the information a lawyer may need to evaluate your claim.
01
Call 911 when appropriate and seek prompt care. Some injuries are not fully apparent in the first minutes after a crash.
02
If it is safe, photograph the vehicles, roadway, traffic controls, debris, visible injuries, helmet, gear, and surrounding scene.
03
Collect names and contact information from anyone who saw the collision or the events immediately before or after it.
04
Do not rush to repair or dispose of the bike, helmet, clothing, or damaged equipment when they may help explain the crash or injuries.
05
Before giving a recorded statement to another carrier or signing a broad release, understand who is asking, what it covers, and why.
06
Deadlines apply and evidence can be lost. An early case review can help identify what should be preserved and which insurance may be available.
FLORIDA LAW
These are general rules, not legal advice for a particular case. Exceptions and case-specific issues can change the analysis, so the facts and date of the crash matter.
Florida’s no-fault statutes define the covered “motor vehicle” as a self-propelled vehicle with four or more wheels. Because a motorcycle falls outside that definition, a rider injured while occupying a motorcycle generally does not receive the same PIP benefits that apply in a typical car crash. See Fla. Stat. §§ 627.732, 627.736.
In an applicable negligence action, a claimant’s damages are reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to that claimant. Under current Florida law, a party found more than 50% at fault for his or her own harm may not recover damages. See Fla. Stat. § 768.81.
Florida law generally provides a two-year limitations period for an action founded on negligence. Different facts or claims can create different deadlines, so waiting to investigate a crash is risky. See Fla. Stat. § 95.11.
Florida generally allows a person over 21 to ride without protective headgear if the rider has an insurance policy providing at least $10,000 in medical benefits for motorcycle-crash injuries. How helmet use may affect a particular injury claim is fact-specific. See Fla. Stat. § 316.211.
COMPENSATION
No responsible lawyer can value a case from a checklist. The amount and categories of recoverable damages depend on fault, insurance, medical proof, and the way the injuries affect the individual. Depending on the facts, a claim may include:
UNINSURED / UNDERINSURED DRIVERS
If the driver who caused the crash has no bodily-injury coverage—or not enough to account for serious injuries—uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may provide another path to recovery depending on the policy and facts.
SERIOUS INJURIES
Motorcycle crashes can produce injuries that change mobility, work, independence, and quality of life. A careful damages analysis looks beyond the emergency room bill to the treatment, limitations, and financial consequences that may continue long after the crash.
When future medical care, rehabilitation, reduced earning capacity, or permanent limitations are involved, those issues should be evaluated before a claim is resolved.
LOCAL REPRESENTATION · TAMPA
Baird Law Group is based in Tampa at 701 S. Howard Ave., Suite 201. We represent injured people and families dealing with the practical aftermath of a serious accident: medical treatment, time away from work, damaged property, insurance questions, and uncertainty about what comes next.
Our approach is personal. We listen to what happened, explain the legal issues in plain language, and build the case around the facts that matter to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General answers to common questions we hear after motorcycle crashes in Florida.
Baird Law Group works on a contingency-fee basis for personal injury matters. You do not pay attorney’s fees or costs unless you recover. The initial case evaluation is free and there is no obligation to hire the firm.
Generally, no. Florida’s no-fault statutes define the covered motor vehicle as a self-propelled vehicle with four or more wheels, so a person injured while occupying a motorcycle generally does not receive the standard PIP benefits that apply in a typical car crash. Other insurance coverage may still be available.
Florida law generally provides two years to bring an action founded on negligence. Exceptions and different claims can change the deadline, and evidence can disappear long before a statute of limitations expires, so it is important to evaluate the specific case promptly.
Potentially. Florida applies comparative fault in negligence cases. A claimant’s damages can be reduced by the claimant’s percentage of fault. Under current law, a party found more than 50% at fault for his or her own harm may not recover damages in an applicable negligence action.
That statement does not decide liability by itself. The investigation should examine the right of way, lane position, visibility, speed, traffic controls, witness accounts, video, vehicle damage, and other evidence showing what each person did before impact.
Depending on the policy, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may provide an additional source of compensation. We review the available policies and coverage issues as part of the case evaluation.
Possibly. Florida allows certain riders over age 21 to ride without protective headgear if they carry the medical-benefit coverage required by statute. Whether helmet use affects a particular injury claim depends on the facts, the injuries alleged, and the applicable law.
Your own policy may create cooperation obligations, but you should understand who is requesting the statement, which insurer they represent, and how the statement may be used. Before giving a recorded statement to another carrier or signing a release, consider getting legal advice.
START WITH A CONVERSATION
A free case evaluation can help you understand the insurance issues, deadlines, and next steps that may apply to your motorcycle accident claim.
Prefer to speak by phone?
Call 813-849-2679
FREE CASE EVALUATION
Complete the form below and a member of Baird Law Group will contact you.
Your information is kept confidential. Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Legal information: This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Laws can change, and the facts of each case matter. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Florida law referenced: Fla. Stat. §§ 627.732, 627.736, 768.81, 95.11, and 316.211. Local roadway context: City of Tampa Vision Zero Action Plan.
