What to Look for in a Manchester Motorcycle Accident Attorney
If you’re comparing firms after a crash, prioritize a Manchester motorcycle accident attorney with a real trial record in motorcycle cases specifically — not just car accidents. You’ll also want a firm that works on contingency, so you never pay out of pocket up front. Instead, your attorney’s fee comes out of a percentage of whatever you ultimately recover.
What Makes Brooks Law Firm Different for Injured Riders in Manchester
The aftermath of a motorcycle crash is already a lot to carry. Add the US legal system and an insurance company’s tactics on top of that, and handling a claim alone puts you at a real disadvantage. Wondering exactly how a motorcycle accident lawyer can help you? Here’s what working with Brooks Law Firm looks like:
- Direct communication with your lawyer, in your language — no interpreters, no call center. Just you and your attorney, in Spanish, Portuguese, or English.
- A clear, honest plan with realistic timelines, and a team that keeps you updated at every stage.
- A 24-business-hour callback guarantee — we pick up, and we answer your questions.
- Straight talk about your likely settlement — we know what different insurers tend to pay, and we use that to your advantage.
- A thorough investigation: gathering evidence, compiling records, and keeping you on top of every deadline and form.
- Skilled, aggressive negotiation, and a willingness to take your case to court if that’s what it takes.
- Compassionate treatment for you and your family — from immigrants, by immigrants.
How Soon Should You Contact a Lawyer After a Motorcycle Crash?
It’s best to talk to a lawyer within days of a motorcycle accident, especially if a lawsuit is a real possibility — whether you’re the one seeking compensation or someone else might try to pin blame on you. New Hampshire gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit, but don’t wait: evidence disappears, memories fade, and insurers get more aggressive the longer a claim sits. Not sure yet whether you need a lawyer? Call Brooks Law Firm at (617) 245-8090 to talk through your situation before you’re caught unprepared.
What Is Your Manchester Motorcycle Accident Claim Worth?
There’s no simple formula for calculating what a motorcycle accident is worth — every case depends on the injuries, the insurance coverage available, and the strength of the evidence.
Our Manchester motorcycle accident attorneys know how insurers in the area tend to evaluate these claims, which helps us give you a realistic estimate once we’ve reviewed your specific damages. For a broader look at typical outcomes, our article on what motorcycle accident victims typically recover breaks down the ranges we see most often.
Financial (Economic) Losses
These are your measurable financial losses, including:
- Medical Expenses: Current and future treatment, including hospital care, rehab, medication, and equipment.
- Lost Income: Wages lost while you recover.
- Reduced Earning Capacity: Compensation if your injuries limit your ability to work or earn going forward.
- Property Damage: Repair or replacement of your motorcycle, helmet, gear, and other damaged property.
- Other Expenses: Accident-related costs like transportation to appointments or home modifications.
Personal (Non-Economic) Losses
These compensate for losses that aren’t purely financial, including:
- Pain and Suffering: The physical pain and emotional toll of the crash.
- Emotional Distress: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other psychological effects.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Being unable to do the things you used to enjoy.
- Scarring and Disfigurement: Permanent scars or other lasting physical changes.
- Loss of Consortium: Loss of companionship and support for a spouse.
Pain and suffering awards vary widely from case to case — our breakdown of how pain and suffering gets calculated after a crash walks through what typically factors in.
Compensation When a Motorcycle Accident Is Fatal
If a motorcycle accident results in a death, eligible family members may be able to recover:
- Funeral and burial expenses.
- Loss of the deceased’s financial support.
- Loss of companionship and guidance.
- The deceased’s conscious pain and suffering before death.
Common Insurance Company Tactics That Reduce Your Payout
Insurance adjusters work for the company, not for you, and their job is to limit what the insurer ultimately pays. Common tactics include:
- Shifting blame: Arguing you were partly or fully at fault. In New Hampshire, any share of fault assigned to you can reduce what you recover, and being found more than half at fault can bar you from recovering anything at all.
- Requesting recorded statements: Innocent comments made soon after the crash can later be twisted to question your credibility.
- Offering a quick settlement: Early offers usually come before the full scope of your injuries or lost income is known, and accepting one typically means signing away your right to ask for more later. Insurers often dangle a fast payout before you understand the true cost of your injuries — our guide to how car accident settlements typically work explains why that first number is rarely the right one.
- Questioning your injuries: Claiming your injuries are less serious than you say, or blaming a pre-existing condition.
- Delaying the process: Dragging out the investigation to pressure you into accepting less out of financial necessity.
It’s generally worth reviewing any settlement offer carefully, and understanding the full impact of the crash, before agreeing to resolve your claim.
Why Motorcyclists Often Recover More Than Car Accident Victims
That’s a common misconception. Motorcyclists actually tend to recover more, on average, than car accident victims — mostly because riders have so much less physical protection, which tends to mean more severe, more expensive, longer-lasting injuries.
New Hampshire isn’t a no-fault state. Instead of a full Personal Injury Protection (PIP) system, New Hampshire only requires a smaller Medical Payments (MedPay) benefit on any policy that’s purchased. New Hampshire is actually the only state that doesn’t require drivers to carry auto insurance at all — which means an injured motorcyclist typically has to pursue compensation directly from the at-fault driver’s insurance (assuming that driver carries any), or lean on their own health insurance or MedPay coverage in the meantime.
Because at-fault drivers aren’t guaranteed to be insured in New Hampshire, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters even more here than in states that require insurance. The claims process itself can also get more complicated than a typical car accident case — bias against riders and disputes over lane position are common, and adjusters often use both to their advantage.
New Hampshire Laws That Shape Your Motorcycle Claim
A handful of New Hampshire laws can directly affect the outcome of a motorcycle accident claim.
New Hampshire’s Statute of Limitations
New Hampshire law generally gives injured motorcyclists three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit (RSA 508:4). Miss that window and you’ll typically lose the right to sue no matter how strong your case is. A handful of exceptions exist, but moving quickly is always the safer bet.
New Hampshire’s Comparative Fault Rule
New Hampshire follows a modified comparative fault rule, often called the 51% bar rule (RSA 507:7-d). You can still recover compensation if you were partly responsible for the crash, as long as you weren’t more at fault than the other party. Any percentage of fault assigned to you reduces your payout — for example, $100,000 in damages with 20% fault means an $80,000 recovery. But if you’re found 51% or more at fault, you can’t recover anything.
New Hampshire’s Helmet Law
New Hampshire is one of only a few states with no helmet requirement for adult motorcyclists. Under RSA 265:122, only riders and passengers under 18 are legally required to wear DOT-approved headgear. If you’re an adult and weren’t wearing a helmet when you were hurt, that alone isn’t a violation of New Hampshire law. That said, if a head injury is involved, the insurance company may still try to argue that riding without a helmet made your injuries worse — an argument that carries less legal weight here than in states with a mandatory adult helmet law, since no statute was actually broken.
How Insurance Works for Motorcycle Claims in New Hampshire
New Hampshire doesn’t require drivers to carry auto insurance, but anyone who does buy a policy — or who’s ordered to prove financial responsibility after an at-fault crash — must meet minimum coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage (RSA 264:20). Any motorcycle policy that is purchased in New Hampshire must include Medical Payments (MedPay) coverage of at least $1,000 (RSA 264:16), covering medical costs regardless of fault for up to three years after the crash. Because there’s no broader PIP system in New Hampshire, most of a motorcycle claim still has to be pursued against the at-fault driver’s liability coverage.
Steps to Take After a Manchester Motorcycle Accident
Whether the crash happens on I-293, I-93, or a quiet Manchester side street, what you do in the minutes and days afterward can protect both your health and your ability to recover compensation:
Get to Safety First
If you can move without making your injuries worse, get to a safe spot away from traffic. Turn on your hazard lights if you’re able, and avoid removing your helmet unless it’s medically necessary. Even if you feel okay, remember that adrenaline can mask serious injuries.
Call 911 Right Away
Report the crash to 911 as soon as you can and ask for both police and paramedics. A police report creates an official record, and paramedics can catch injuries that aren’t obvious yet. If anyone is seriously hurt, don’t move them unless staying put puts them in more danger.
New Hampshire law also requires certain accidents — those involving injury, death, or more than $1,000 in damage — to be reported to the state within 15 days (RSA 264:25); if police respond and file a report, that typically covers this requirement for you. You can request a copy of the police accident report through the New Hampshire DMV.
Get Checked Out by a Doctor
Always get examined after a motorcycle accident, even if your injuries seem minor. Concussions, internal bleeding, fractures, and spinal injuries don’t always show symptoms right away, and prompt treatment also creates documentation tying your injuries to the crash.
Swap Information With Everyone Involved
Get the other driver’s name, contact information, license number, plate number, and insurance details. If multiple vehicles were involved, collect this from every driver. Stay calm and courteous, but don’t discuss who was at fault.
Photograph and Record the Scene
If it’s safe, take photos and video before vehicles are moved — damage, skid marks, road conditions, signs, debris, weather, and your own visible injuries. This evidence can matter a great deal later in a claim or lawsuit.
Get Witness Contact Information
If anyone saw the crash, get their name and contact information. Independent witnesses can be invaluable, especially if the drivers disagree about what happened.
Never Admit Fault at the Scene
Be honest with police, but don’t apologize or guess at what caused the crash. Even something as simple as “I didn’t see them” can later be used to argue you were partly responsible.
Hold on to Your Gear and Motorcycle
Keep your damaged motorcycle, helmet, and riding gear in the same condition they were in right after the crash. Don’t repair or dispose of anything until it’s been documented — it may be important evidence of how severe the collision was.
Talk to a Manchester Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Before You Settle
Before you sign anything or accept a settlement offer, it’s worth understanding what the personal injury lawsuit process actually looks like and talking to an experienced Manchester motorcycle accident lawyer first. We can deal with the insurance company directly and help you avoid the costly mistake of accepting an early, low-ball offer.
Motorcycle Accident FAQs
Generally, New Hampshire law gives you three years from the date of a motorcycle accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Waiting too long can cost you the right to recover, so it’s wise to talk to a motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible to make sure every deadline is met.
Yes. In New Hampshire, undocumented immigrants generally have the same right as anyone else to pursue compensation. Your immigration status doesn’t stop you from filing an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit, and it shouldn’t, by itself, lead to deportation or other adverse immigration consequences.
Yes, you can still recover compensation. New Hampshire doesn’t require adult riders to wear a helmet, so choosing to ride without one isn’t against the law here. If your injuries could have been less severe with a helmet, the other side may still try to use that against you. That argument carries less weight in New Hampshire than in states with a mandatory adult helmet law.
In New Hampshire, lane splitting is illegal under RSA 265:121, which entitles every motorcycle to full use of its lane and bars riding between lanes of traffic. If you were lane splitting when the crash happened, you can likely still pursue compensation, but it may affect how fault gets divided.
Work With a Manchester Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today
You and your family shouldn’t have to suffer for someone else’s recklessness. If you or a loved one are immigrants, don’t let that fear hold you back from fighting for what you’re owed. At Brooks Law, we understand the struggles you’re facing — navigating the law is complicated, but hiring us isn’t. Call us at (617) 245-8090 for a free case evaluation. Our team will speak with you in your own language and help you figure out whether you’re eligible for compensation. Don’t wait too long, and don’t miss your chance — you only get one.