Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
in Fort Wayne, IN
For Fort Wayne riders, a crash is never just a crash. It comes wrapped in assumptions that the rider was going too fast, riding too aggressively, or accepted the risk by getting on the bike. At Theisen Hubley Law, we document what actually happened, push back on bias, and pursue the compensation our clients may be entitled to receive under Indiana law.
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A Fort Wayne Firm That Takes Motorcycle Cases Seriously
Our firm has stood with injured clients in Northeast Indiana for more than two decades. Motorcycle claims behave differently than standard auto claims: injuries tend to be more severe, scene evidence is more fragile, and insurers are more likely to blame the rider before the dust settles.
From the first phone call, we lock down the police report, line up witnesses while memories are fresh, preserve scene photographs, and build a clear medical record. By the time the carrier's adjuster gets ready to make a low offer, we already have the file built to refuse it. If the case cannot be resolved fairly, we are ready to litigate.
Types of Motorcycle Accidents We Handle in Fort Wayne
Motorcycle crashes follow patterns. Our Fort Wayne bike accident lawyers have represented clients hurt in many of the most common collision types on Northeast Indiana roads.
Left-Turn Collisions
A driver turning across an oncoming lane misjudges the speed of a motorcycle, or never registers it at all, and turns into the rider's path. Under Indiana law, the burden of yielding belongs to the turning driver.
Lane-Change and Sideswipe Crashes
A driver shifts lanes without checking the blind spot and crowds a rider off the road or makes contact with the bike. These incidents are common on multi-lane stretches like Coldwater Road and Lima Road, and at merge points along I-69.
Rear-End Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles stop faster than cars, and drivers who follow too closely or look away can rear-end a rider at a stop sign, red light, or in slowing traffic. Without a vehicle frame behind them, riders are often thrown forward on impact.
Intersection Accidents
Failure-to-yield collisions, red-light runners, and rolling stops produce some of the most serious motorcycle wrecks in the area. We pull signal timing data, traffic camera footage, and witness statements to establish who had the right of way.
Drunk and Impaired Driving Accidents
Impaired drivers do not see what is in front of them and do not react in time when something appears. In Indiana, a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher faces a presumption of intoxication.
Distracted Driving Accidents
A glance down at a phone is enough time to miss a motorcycle entirely. We pursue distracted-driving claims using cell phone records, app usage data, and witness testimony.
Head-On Collisions
Wrong-way driving, drifting over the center line, and impaired driving lead to head-on impacts that combine the speed of both vehicles. Reconstruction is often necessary, and we work with qualified experts to map out exactly how the crash occurred.
Uber, Lyft, and Rideshare-Related Motorcycle Crashes
Rideshare cases involve layered insurance policies that change depending on whether the driver was logged into the app and whether a passenger was on board. Identifying every applicable policy is part of how we maximize the available recovery.
Hit-and-Run Motorcycle Accidents
When a driver flees the scene, your own uninsured motorist coverage may become the primary path to compensation. We help riders report the incident correctly, document the loss, and pursue every coverage that may apply.
Recently Hurt in a Motorcycle Crash Around Fort Wayne?
The hardest call to make is often the first one. Reach out, share what you remember about the crash, and we will tell you straight whether your case is one we can help with.
Common Motorcycle Crash Injuries We See
A car protects its occupants with a steel frame, airbags, crumple zones, and seatbelts. A motorcycle has none of those, and even a moderate-speed crash can leave lasting injuries. We have represented clients with:
- Traumatic brain injuries, including injuries that occurred while wearing a helmet
- Spinal cord injuries, including injuries causing partial or full paralysis
- Road rash, ranging from superficial abrasions to deep wounds that require skin grafts
- Fractures of the leg, arm, hand, foot, ribs, hip, and pelvis
- "Biker's arm," a nerve injury that occurs when a rider braces against the fall
- Internal injuries to the chest and abdomen
- Crush injuries when the rider is pinned by another vehicle
- Amputations, both traumatic and surgical
- Burns from contact with engine components or hot pavement
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Anxiety, depression, and other psychological harms following a violent crash
What Compensation Can You Pursue After a Motorcycle Crash in Indiana?
Indiana law recognizes several types of compensation an injured rider, or in a fatal crash the rider's family, may be able to recover.
Economic Damages
These are the direct, dollar-measurable losses tied to the crash, documented on hospital bills, treating-provider statements, and pay records. They often include:
- Emergency response, hospital, and surgical bills
- Ongoing rehabilitation, physical therapy, and pain management
- Future medical care when the injuries are permanent
- Wages lost during the time you cannot work
- Loss of future earning capacity when the injury changes what you can do for a living
- Motorcycle repair or replacement, plus any custom or aftermarket equipment that was on the bike
- Replacement of damaged riding gear, including helmets, jackets, gloves, and boots
Non-Economic Damages
These address the parts of an injury no invoice captures: the pain, the emotional fallout after a violent crash, time spent away from activities you cared about, and strain on close relationships. Indiana juries recognize these losses, and we present them clearly when we negotiate or try a case.
Wrongful Death Damages
When a rider does not survive, Indiana's Wrongful Death Act lets surviving families bring a separate claim. Recoverable losses can include final medical costs, funeral and burial expenses, the income and services the rider would have provided, and the loss of love and companionship.
Punitive Damages
In rare situations where the driver's conduct went well beyond carelessness, such as driving heavily intoxicated or fleeing the scene, Indiana law allows juries to add punitive damages. These punish the conduct rather than compensate the victim, and only apply when the evidence supports them.
#cta_start
An Early Offer Is Often Less Than the Claim Is Worth.
Insurance companies move fast after a motorcycle crash, often before the full medical picture is clear. Once you sign a release, the claim is generally closed for good. Have any offer reviewed before you accept it.
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Indiana Laws That Shape Your Motorcycle Accident Claim
Several pieces of Indiana law shape every motorcycle accident claim. They decide your filing deadline, how shared fault is calculated, and what coverage applies.
Indiana's Two-Year Filing Deadline
Indiana Code 34-11-2-4 gives most personal injury claims a two-year window from the date of the crash, and wrongful death claims after a fatal motorcycle crash carry two years from the date of death. Early action also matters because evidence like phone records, traffic camera footage, and witness memory fades quickly.
Modified Comparative Fault
Indiana follows a modified comparative fault rule with a 51 percent cutoff. A rider 50 percent or less at fault can still recover, with the amount reduced by the rider's percentage. At 51 percent or more, recovery is barred. Insurance companies push blame onto the rider whenever they can, and we keep that percentage grounded in evidence, not stereotypes.
Indiana's Helmet Law
Indiana only requires helmets for riders under 18 and those on a learner's permit; riding without one is legal for adult licensed riders and does not, by itself, defeat a claim. Insurers still raise the no-helmet argument to reduce head and neck injury damages, and we counter with treating physicians and medical experts.
Lane Splitting and Lane Filtering
Indiana is not a lane-splitting state, and lane filtering between stopped vehicles at a light is also not permitted. If an insurer claims the rider was filtering or splitting, we dig into the facts: where the bike was in the lane, what traffic was doing, and what nearby camera or dash-cam footage shows.
Indiana's Minimum Auto Insurance Limits
State law sets the floor for auto liability coverage at:
- $25,000 per person for bodily injury
- $50,000 per crash for bodily injury when more than one person is hurt
- $25,000 for property damage
In a serious motorcycle case, those minimums are often gone before the rider leaves the hospital. We map every other source of payment: the rider's own UIM and UM coverage, coverage on a spouse's or household policy, and in some cases an employer's policy when the crash happened during work travel.
Steps to Take After a Motorcycle Crash in Fort Wayne
What you do in the hours and days following a crash can shape the strength of your claim. Here is what we recommend:
- Get to a safe location and call 911. A response from Fort Wayne Police or the Allen County Sheriff's Office produces an early, neutral record of the crash.
- Get medical attention right away. Head, neck, internal, and soft tissue injuries from a motorcycle crash often present hours or days later. A prompt evaluation protects both your health and your case.
- Document the scene if you can. Photograph the bike, the other vehicle, road conditions, weather, skid marks, traffic signals, and any visible injuries.
- Exchange information. Name, contact, insurance, and license plate of the other driver, plus the names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the crash.
- Hold on to your gear. Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, and the bike itself can hold physical evidence of how the crash unfolded. Do not repair or throw anything away until your attorney can review it.
- Do not admit fault, even in passing. A casual comment at the scene can be twisted by an adjuster later.
- Decline a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Talk to an attorney first.
- Reach out to Theisen Hubley Law. We offer free consultations and can begin protecting your case from day one.
Why Riders Across Northeast Indiana
Choose Theisen Hubley Law
Motorcycle clients come to our firm because we take their cases seriously and treat them as their own kind of injury claim.
What Our Clients Say
We Serve Motorcycle Accident Victims Throughout Northeast Indiana
Our office sits in downtown Fort Wayne. When a rider's injuries make in-person meetings hard, we run consultations over video.
We represent injured riders and their families across:
- Allen County
- Kosciusko County
- Wabash County
- Adams County
- LaGrange County
- Wells County
- DeKalb County
- Noble County
- Whitley County
- Huntington County
- Steuben County
Theisen Hubley Law
Talk to a Fort Wayne Motorcycle Accident Attorney
You do not need your case figured out before you reach out. Tell us what happened, when it happened, and where things stand for you right now. We will walk through the facts and explain whether you may have a claim worth pursuing.
FAQs About Fort Wayne Motorcycle Accident Claims
They often try. Some adjusters start from the assumption the rider must have done something wrong. We respond with police reports, witness statements, reconstruction analysis, and medical records showing what actually happened.
Indiana law does not require a helmet for riders 18 or older, and the absence of one is not, by itself, a basis to deny a claim. An insurer may still argue that head injuries would have been less severe with one, and we counter that argument with medical evidence specific to your injuries.
This happens often in motorcycle cases. Medical costs alone can blow past Indiana's minimum liability limits quickly. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy may bridge the gap, and we review every applicable policy with you.
For most motorcycle injury claims in Indiana, the deadline is two years from the date of the crash. Wrongful death claims also generally carry a two-year window from the date of death. The earlier you contact a lawyer, the more time we have to preserve evidence.
This is common after a motorcycle wreck. Adrenaline can mask soft tissue, back, and concussion symptoms. Note when symptoms began, see a doctor as soon as you can, and tell us. Delayed-onset injuries can still support a valid claim.
Yes. Indiana law gives surviving family members the right to pursue a wrongful death claim under specific procedures. We approach these cases with care and walk families through every stage.