Lancaster Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

40+ Years Fighting for Lancaster Riders. a $7.25 Million Award Backs It Up.

Motorcycle accidents can cause devastating injuries and long recoveries. If another driver’s negligence or unsafe road conditions led to your crash, you deserve a motorcycle accident attorney in Lancaster who knows Pennsylvania law and how to pursue compensation. At Knafo Law Offices, we have represented motorcycle accident victims for more than 40 years, helping clients seek recovery after serious injuries.

We serve Lancaster County residents, out-of-town visitors, and commuters injured on local roads. If you’re unsure where to start, you can schedule a conversation to understand your options with no commitment.

Injured in a motorcycle crash in Lancaster? Contact us at (610) 756-1098 to speak directly with a Lancaster motorcycle accident lawyer during a free consultation.

Motorcycle Accidents on Lancaster County Roads

Route 30 and Route 222 expose riders to high-volume traffic, lane changes, and vehicles entering from interchanges. On King Street and Queen Street, intersections and closely spaced traffic create different conflicts, particularly when a driver turns across a motorcycle’s path or fails to leave enough room.

Conditions change outside Lancaster’s busier streets. Curves, loose gravel, and farm equipment entering rural roads can reduce your available stopping distance or affect traction. The road surface, traffic controls, vehicle positions, and visibility at the crash scene are all relevant when determining how a collision occurred.

Our legal team handles motorcycle accident claims for residents, commuters, passengers, and visitors injured in Lancaster County. We represent injured people, not insurance companies, drunk drivers, or trucking companies. When a personal injury lawsuit must be filed, Lancaster County cases proceed through the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Lancaster

The steps you take after a crash can protect your health and preserve evidence for your claim.

Do I Need a Police Report After a Motorcycle Accident in Lancaster?

Move out of active traffic if you can do so safely, then call 911. Lancaster City Police or Pennsylvania State Police can respond and arrange emergency assistance. Officers can also create a police report documenting the collision as they initially found it.

Protect Your Claim After the Crash

Collect each driver’s name, contact information, and insurance details, and ask witnesses for their contact information. Before vehicles are moved or conditions change, photograph the motorcycle, other vehicles, visible injuries, road surface, traffic signs, skid marks, debris, and final vehicle positions.

Get medical attention after the impact and keep the records associated with your treatment. Some injuries don’t appear until hours or days after a crash, and prompt medical records help tie those injuries directly to the accident. Receipts, bills, and work records can help establish your financial losses.

Preserve your photographs, witness information, police-report details, damaged riding gear, and other records together. Notify your insurance company, but avoid giving detailed recorded statements until you understand your rights.

Pennsylvania Motorcycle Laws Lancaster Riders Need to Know

Pennsylvania applies modified comparative negligence to injury claims. You can recover damages when your share of negligence isn’t greater than the defendant’s share, but the court reduces the award by your assigned percentage of fault. If you’re found 30% responsible, for example, you would receive 70% of the damages established in your case.

Riders and passengers younger than 21 must use protective headgear that meets Pennsylvania’s applicable standards. If you’re at least 21, you can qualify for the helmet exemption after holding a motorcycle license for two full calendar years or completing an approved motorcycle safety course. A passenger who’s at least 21 is exempt only when the motorcycle operator also qualifies for the exemption. Every rider and passenger must use protective eyewear.

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Motorcycle Accident in Pennsylvania?

For most injured riders, the deadline to begin a Pennsylvania personal injury lawsuit is two years from the injury date. Pennsylvania’s two-year statute of limitations and local insurance notification deadlines don’t wait.

Delays can also make photographs, witness recollections, surveillance footage, and physical evidence harder to preserve. You shouldn’t treat the legal deadline as a reason to postpone action.

Types of Compensation Available After a Motorcycle Collision

If you were injured in a Lancaster motorcycle accident, the compensation available will depend on your circumstances. Your claim may include:

• Past and future medical costs
• Lost wages
• Property damage to your motorcycle and personal items
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• The effect of your injuries on daily activities

The value of your claim depends on your injuries, documented financial losses, available evidence, applicable insurance, and allocation of fault. Treatment records, wage information, repair estimates, and evidence showing how your injuries affect daily activities help define the losses being claimed. Knowing which compensation categories apply can help you make informed decisions about your options.

Common Injuries After a Motorcycle Crash

Without the protection of an enclosed vehicle, you can suffer a direct impact with another vehicle, the pavement, or roadside objects. Motorcycle collisions can cause head injuries, broken bones, spinal injuries, road rash, and soft-tissue damage. The same impact can cause several injuries.

Prompt medical evaluation matters even when your pain seems manageable immediately after the crash. Some injuries don’t appear until hours or days later, and prompt medical records help tie those injuries directly to the accident. Follow your treatment instructions and retain the associated records and bills.

Limited Tort & Full Tort Rights for Injured Motorcyclists

Pennsylvania’s limited tort rules restrict certain claims for non-economic damages involving occupants of private passenger motor vehicles. State law defines a private passenger motor vehicle as a qualifying four-wheel vehicle insured by an individual for passenger use. A motorcycle doesn’t meet that statutory definition.

If you’re otherwise subject to a limited tort election, you retain full tort rights when injured while occupying a motor vehicle that isn’t a private passenger motor vehicle. That distinction matters to your motorcycle claim, but it doesn’t determine insurance coverage, liability, or the value of your case.

Discuss Your Lancaster Motorcycle Accident Claim

A consultation gives you an opportunity to discuss the collision, your injuries, and the records you have collected. We can explain the next steps that apply to your circumstances without charging an upfront attorney fee.

We handle these claims on a contingency-fee basis. Our motorcycle case history includes a $7.25 million award obtained through mediation, which is a past result rather than a promise about another case. Use our contact form or call to discuss your options with us.

Call our Lancaster motorcycle accident lawyers at (610) 756-1098 for a free consultation with no upfront attorney fees.