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Marasco & Nesselbush Represents Injured Motorcycle Riders in Quincy
A motorcycle crash can leave injured motorcyclists facing costly medical bills, lost wages, and uncertainty about how to pay for treatment while they recover.
In Massachusetts, motorcyclists face an additional challenge: riders and passengers generally cannot collect the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits available to people injured inside passenger cars.
At Marasco & Nesselbush, our Quincy motorcycle accident lawyers represent injured riders, motorcycle passengers, and families affected by fatal motorcycle accidents throughout Norfolk County and the South Shore.
Founded in 1999, our law firm has recovered more than $500 million across its practice areas, including substantial settlements in motor vehicle cases involving catastrophic injuries and disputed liability.
Our Quincy office at 234 Copeland Street, Suite 210 provides local access to Massachusetts-admitted attorneys and the resources of an established regional litigation practice.
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Quincy, contact Marasco & Nesselbush for a free case evaluation, or use the chat feature to request assistance.
We handle qualifying motorcycle injury claims on a contingency fee basis, with no attorney fee unless compensation is recovered.
Why Choose Marasco & Nesselbush After a Quincy Motorcycle Accident?
Motorcycle accident cases often involve disputed accounts of how a collision occurred, particularly when another driver claims they did not see the rider or an insurance company questions the severity of the injuries.
Our attorneys bring substantial personal injury litigation experience to motorcycle accident claims, including experience challenging disputed liability, working with accident reconstruction experts, and documenting the long-term consequences of catastrophic injuries.
Our experience includes:
- More than 25 years representing injured clients: Since 1999, Marasco & Nesselbush has represented people in serious motor vehicle, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death cases throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
- A $4.5 million disputed-liability brain injury settlement: Joseph Marasco, Mark Grimm, and Thomas Moran obtained $4.5 million after extensive discovery and expert preparation in a serious car accident case in which the defendants denied responsibility.
- A $2.5 million fatal pedestrian accident recovery: Timothy Lynch and the firm’s investigation team developed new witness and surveillance evidence after initial reports suggested the pedestrian was responsible for a Rhode Island collision, ultimately securing $2.5 million for the family.
- Massachusetts-admitted injury attorneys: Partner Mark Grimm has more than 40 years of legal experience and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, while Ian Connors also holds a Massachusetts admission and brings experience representing both sides of personal injury disputes.
- Experienced personal injury attorneys and litigation resources: Our attorneys work with paralegals and other legal professionals to examine disputed insurance coverage, reconstruction evidence, permanent disabilities, and the long-term consequences of severe injuries.
- A Quincy office serving the South Shore: Clients can consult our local office and review the firm’s attorney biographies, case results, and client testimonials before choosing representation.
What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Quincy
Your safety and medical condition come first, particularly if you struck your head, were thrown from the motorcycle, or have signs of internal injury.
When it is safe and possible, take these steps:
- Get emergency medical attention: Call 911 if anyone is injured or the crash creates an immediate danger, and follow the instructions of responding emergency personnel..
- Identify the other driver and witnesses: At the accident scene, record names, contact details, license plates, and available insurance information without arguing about who caused the crash.
- Photograph the conditions that may change: Document vehicle positions, road markings, traffic signals, debris, skid marks, surface defects, and visible injuries if you can do so safely.
- Keep the motorcycle and protective gear: Preserve your helmet, jacket, boots, damaged components, and photographs of the bike before repair or disposal when reasonably possible.
- Preserve financial and medical records: Keep discharge instructions, imaging reports, work restrictions, medical bills, proof of lost wages, and correspondence related to the insurance claim.
- Meet reporting requirements and review releases: Notify your insurer as required, determine whether a Massachusetts operator crash report is due, and seek legal advice before signing a final settlement release.
For emergency medical care near Quincy, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Milton operates a 24-hour emergency department, and South Shore Hospital in Weymouth provides Level II trauma care.
In an emergency, follow the direction of ambulance personnel rather than choosing a hospital based solely on location.
Injured and not sure what your case is worth? Find out for free.
What Makes Massachusetts Motorcycle Injury Claims Different?
A motorcyclist has little physical protection when struck by another vehicle, and the rider may suffer life-altering injuries even when the other vehicle has relatively modest damage.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2024 data found that the rate of motorcycle fatalities per vehicle mile traveled was almost 27 times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants.
The insurance rules are also different: a motorcycle operator or passenger generally cannot obtain PIP benefits for injuries sustained while riding, even through a separate household automobile policy.
Without those benefits, a rider may need to rely on health insurance, optional medical payments coverage, and a liability claim against the responsible party to address medical expenses.
A motorcycle accident investigation may also involve the rider’s position in the lane, the other driver’s sightlines, turning movements, helmet and protective-gear damage, and arguments concerning speeding or unsafe passing.
How Our Quincy Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Can Help
The available evidence can change quickly after a motorcycle collision, while the other driver’s insurance company may challenge fault or offer a settlement before the rider’s prognosis is clear.
Depending on the circumstances, our attorneys may help with:
- Reconstructing the collision: Reviewing crash reports, eyewitness testimony, available video, traffic-signal timing, motorcycle damage, and expert analysis when warranted.
- Investigating driver conduct: Examining unsafe left turns, failure to yield, distracted driving, improper lane changes, and other conduct that may establish negligence.
- Handling insurance coverage: Reviewing the at-fault driver’s liability policy, correspondence from the driver’s insurance company, uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits, optional medical payments coverage, and applicable health insurance.
- Documenting medical and financial losses: Evaluating treatment records, lost wages, rehabilitation needs, permanent restrictions, and anticipated future medical treatment and expenses.
- Responding to fault allegations: Using available evidence to address claims that the rider was speeding, improperly positioned, or otherwise responsible for the collision.
- Negotiating or litigating: Challenging inadequate settlement offers, seeking fair compensation supported by the evidence, and filing a lawsuit when negotiations cannot resolve the personal injury claim.
Common Causes and Types of Motorcycle Accidents in Quincy
Determining how a motorcycle collision occurred may require examining the rider’s lane position, the other driver’s visibility, traffic conditions, and each vehicle’s movements before impact.
Motorcycle accident claims may involve:
- Left-turn and failure-to-yield collisions: A driver turning across an approaching motorcycle may misjudge its distance or fail to recognize the rider before entering the lane.
- Lane-change and merging crashes: A motorist may move into an occupied lane without checking mirrors, blind spots, or the rider’s position alongside the vehicle.
- Rear-end and intersection collisions: Following too closely, distracted driving, or failing to stop at a traffic signal can knock a rider from the motorcycle or push the bike into another vehicle.
- Dooring and parking-area crashes: An opening vehicle door, unsafe backing maneuver, or driver entering a travel lane can cause a rider to fall or collide with another vehicle.
- Road hazards and construction-zone accidents: Loose gravel, uneven pavement, metal plates, unmarked work, and debris can pose significant risks to a two-wheeled vehicle, particularly when a responsible party had a legal duty to address the condition.
- Hit-and-run and uninsured driver crashes: When a driver flees or lacks liability insurance, the rider’s applicable uninsured motorist coverage may be an important source of compensation.
NHTSA’s 2024 analysis also found that in 45% of fatal two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle and another type of vehicle, the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was traveling straight, passing, or overtaking.
In left-turn collisions, traffic signals, vehicle speed, sightlines, and the turning driver’s actions may be particularly important in establishing liability.
Motorcycle Accident Investigations on Quincy Roads
A collision in Quincy Center or along Hancock Street may involve vehicles turning across traffic, entering business driveways, or changing lanes near crosswalks and intersections.
On Southern Artery (Route 3A), Furnace Brook Parkway, and roads connecting North Quincy, Wollaston, and Marina Bay, a motorcycle investigation may require examination of turn lanes, road surfaces, visibility, and access points to commercial properties.
Highway crashes on I-93 or Route 3 near the Braintree Split may raise different questions about merging movements, following distances, and the location of surrounding vehicles before impact.
When a rider falls without another vehicle making contact, photographs of pavement defects, construction signage, debris, and the condition of the motorcycle can be especially important in assessing whether another party contributed to the accident.
Who May Be Liable for a Quincy Motorcycle Accident?
A driver who makes an unsafe turn, changes lanes without checking for a motorcycle, or otherwise causes a collision through negligence may be liable for the resulting injuries.
In some cases, an employer, contractor, property owner, or another party may also share responsibility.
Depending on the facts, potentially liable parties include:
- Another driver: A motorist whose negligent turn, unsafe lane change, distracted driving, speeding, or impairment caused or contributed to the crash.
- An employer or commercial operator: A company potentially responsible for a driver acting within the scope of employment or for its own negligent conduct.
- A contractor or property owner: A party whose negligent maintenance of a driveway, work zone, or other property condition contributed to the motorcycle accident.
- A motorcycle or component manufacturer: A manufacturer potentially responsible when a product defect caused a crash or aggravated an injury.
- A public entity: A government body that may face liability for a qualifying roadway condition, subject to separate statutory requirements, immunities, and notice deadlines.
Police reports, witness statements, surveillance footage, motorcycle damage, helmet and gear condition, medical records, and roadway photographs may help establish who caused the crash and the physical injuries the rider suffered.
Our Quincy personal injury lawyers investigate the cause of the collision, identify potentially liable parties, and evaluate the compensation available under Massachusetts law.
Massachusetts Motorcycle Laws That May Affect Your Claim
Helmet, Eye Protection, and Lane-Passing Rules
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 7 generally requires motorcycle operators and passengers to wear helmets meeting the registrar’s standards, with a narrow exception for certain properly permitted parades involving adults.
An operator must also use glasses, goggles, or a protective face shield when the motorcycle lacks a windshield or screen.
Under Chapter 89, Section 4A, motorcycle operators may not pass another motor vehicle within the same lane, except another motorcycle, and must follow the statute’s rules concerning riding abreast and passing.
An insurer may examine helmet use, lane positioning, or passing conduct when disputing fault or the cause of a particular injury, but a violation does not automatically resolve every question about a claim.
Why Motorcycle Riders Generally Cannot Receive PIP Benefits
Massachusetts has a no-fault insurance system for many automobile accidents, but its motorcycle insurance regulation, 211 CMR 3.02, excludes riders and passengers injured while on a motorcycle from standard PIP recovery.
The exclusion also generally prevents an injured rider from using PIP under a separate automobile policy owned by the rider or a household member.
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance advises riders to consider optional Medical Payments coverage, or MedPay, for accident-related treatment costs.
MedPay and health insurance may help pay expenses while an injury claim is pending, but coverage amounts, coordination rules, and reimbursement obligations must be reviewed under the applicable policies.
Comparative Negligence When a Motorcyclist Shares Fault
Massachusetts follows a modified comparative negligence rule under Chapter 231, Section 85.
An injured rider generally may recover when their negligence is not greater than the combined negligence of the defendants, with damages reduced according to the rider’s share of responsibility.
For example, if a rider is assigned 20% fault in a case involving $150,000 in otherwise recoverable damages, the recovery would generally be reduced to $120,000.
An insurance adjuster’s assertion that the rider was speeding, difficult to see, or riding unsafely does not itself establish the final allocation of fault.
Reporting Requirements and Time Limits
Under Chapter 90, Section 26, a Massachusetts motor vehicle operator generally must file a written crash report within five days if an accident causes injury, death, or more than $1,000 in damage to any one vehicle or other property, subject to statutory incapacity provisions.
The Massachusetts RMV provides instructions for submitting the report and required copies.
Under Chapter 260, Section 2A, the general deadline for a Massachusetts personal injury lawsuit is three years after the claim accrues, although different deadlines or notice procedures can apply to public-entity claims and other circumstances.
Continuing insurance negotiations does not necessarily extend the deadline to file a lawsuit.
Talk to a lawyer and get a free case evaluation today.
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries and Available Compensation
A rider thrown from a motorcycle may suffer broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, severe road rash, nerve damage, or permanent scarring.
Serious motorcycle injuries may require multiple surgeries, specialized wound care, skin grafts, and extensive rehabilitation.
Spinal cord damage, nerve injuries, and severe orthopedic trauma can also cause permanent disabilities that affect a person’s mobility, independence, and ability to work.
Injured riders may seek compensation for financial losses and the physical and emotional consequences of injuries caused by another party’s negligence.
Depending on the claim, recoverable damages may include:
- Medical expenses: Emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, medications, assistive equipment, and reasonably supported future medical bills.
- Lost wages and earning capacity: Pay missed during recovery and reduced earning ability due to permanent work restrictions.
- Pain and suffering: Physical pain, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, and diminished enjoyment of life when legally recoverable.
- Motorcycle and gear damage: Repair or replacement of the motorcycle, damaged helmet and protective clothing, and other compensable property losses.
- Other documented expenses: Qualifying out-of-pocket costs, home assistance, and other losses supported by the injuries and the applicable law.
Fatal motorcycle accidents may give rise to a wrongful death claim under Chapter 229, Section 2, generally brought by the estate’s executor or administrator for damages available to eligible surviving family members.
Massachusetts permits punitive damages in certain wrongful death cases involving gross negligence or specified egregious conduct, but not generally in an ordinary negligence case.
Dealing With Insurance Companies and Motorcycle Accident Settlements
The other driver’s insurance company may argue that the rider was speeding, riding outside the proper lane, or otherwise partly responsible for the crash, sometimes relying on unfair assumptions about motorcyclists.
An insurance adjuster may argue that the rider suffered injuries before the crash or that certain medical treatment is unrelated to the collision.
Insurance companies sometimes make low initial motorcycle accident settlement offers, particularly while medical treatment continues or the full extent of the injuries remains disputed.
Riders may reject a lowball offer and continue negotiations or pursue a lawsuit before the applicable filing deadline, rather than accepting terms that do not reflect their documented losses.
Our attorneys investigate disputed liability, evaluate medical and financial losses, and negotiate with insurance companies to pursue maximum compensation supported by the evidence and available under Massachusetts law.
How long does a motorcycle accident settlement take?
A motorcycle accident claim may settle relatively quickly when liability is clear, medical treatment is complete, and the insurer accepts the documented losses.
Cases involving serious injuries, disputed fault, or substantial future medical expenses may require extended negotiations or litigation.
Massachusetts does not set one fixed period for settling an insurance claim; insurers must handle claims within a prompt and reasonable period based on the circumstances, as explained by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.
When a rider faces extensive treatment, disputes about fault, or the need for expert evidence, negotiating a motorcycle accident settlement may take considerably longer.
Negotiations can continue after a lawsuit is filed and may produce an agreement near the trial date, although some cases require a verdict.
Before accepting a settlement, injured motorcyclists should understand the full extent of their injuries, the compensation being offered, and which claims they would permanently release.
How Much Does a Quincy Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Cost?
Marasco & Nesselbush offers a free case review and handles qualifying motorcycle accident claims on a contingency fee basis.
Under that arrangement, the attorney fee depends on compensation recovered rather than hourly billing, with no attorney fee owed unless the case produces a recovery.
Medical record charges, filing fees, expert costs, and other case expenses are separate from attorney fees, and their treatment is addressed in the written representation agreement.
Contact Our Quincy Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Since 1999, Marasco & Nesselbush has represented injury victims in major personal injury cases involving disputed liability, serious injuries, and substantial future medical needs.
Our Quincy office gives injured riders and families throughout Norfolk County and the South Shore access to Massachusetts-admitted personal injury attorneys and a legal team experienced in complex injury cases.
Contact Marasco & Nesselbush for a free consultation about your Quincy motorcycle accident, or use the chat feature to request assistance.
Injured and not sure what your case is worth? Find out for free.
