Motorcycle vs Animal Cases

Who's responsible for for a motorcycle accident caused by animals in the road?

Farm Animals & Dogs: The owner of an animal that is running at-large or roaming freely, may be responsible for damages caused by the animal.  This usually applies to dogs and livestock. I have even had a case involving a goat.  

We have seen cases where the motorcyclist comes over a hill to find an animal in the road.  We’ve had other cases where the animal runs out in front of or into the motorcycle.  Despite the biker’s best evasive maneuvering and emergency braking, he or she goes down.  

Wild animal cases can be a problem.  The phrase, ‘Fere Natural’ is Latin and it means ‘wild by nature.’   A deer is Fere natural. No one owns them, so there is no one to sue.  The state, city or county is not responsible for them either.

Passengers: There have been a few times we have been successful with passengers of motorcycles when the operator hits a deer.  We obtained injury compensation, wage loss and medical bill payment from the motorcycle operator’s insurance policy.  Evidence of the operator’s negligence would be required.

If a motorcycle has unpaid medical bills after such an accident, those bills can be claimed as part of the case.

Every case is different and your rights depend on the specific facts of the accident.  Call for a free case evaluation.  There is no fee until we win for you.