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Receiving compensation after a motorcycle accident can be a challenge for many individuals who do not fully understand their insurance coverage. This can cause even more stress on an individual’s life, in addition to their previous accident.
When you don’t know the facts about your insurance policy, you run the risk of your insurance provider taking advantage of your situation and benefiting from your lack in understanding your insurance policy. This can result in low compensation for your motorcycle accident.
You’ll find some of the highest accident compensation with your uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage. This coverage ensures that you receive compensation for accidents where you were not at fault and the at-fault driver is underinsured or uninsured. This may also involve hit-and-run accidents.
Whether you’re driving a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or are involved in a pedestrian accident, South Carolina law ensures uninsured / underinsured coverage is applied. In order to receive the compensation you and your family are entitled to, it’s important to be educated on your policy and uninsured / underinsured motorist policies. In cases where you are unsure of your rights and the compensation you are entitled to, contact a local South Carolina motorcycle accident attorney or personal injury lawyer.
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Lane splitting, which is depicted in the video below, is extremely dangerous and has led to thousands of motorcycle accidents. See the video below of a motorcyclist lane splitting:
As you might already be aware, there is no South Carolina law that requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. However, although you’re not required to wear helmets, it’s always a good idea to wear one for safety purposes. Motorcycle accidents are just that, accidents. You can’t prevent the way others drive on the road. Even if you’re a highly experience biker, there is always the chance of being involved in a motorcycle accident with a motor vehicle or other bike.
Image above taken from Motorcycle-Superstore.com.
When you wear a helmet, not only can you prevent severe brain damage, but you can also prevent death. If you’re ever in a motorcycle accident and your head smacks the ground, curb, or any other brain object, the brain rattles against the scull, which can cause internal bleeding or swelling—all of which can lead to death or lifetime brain injury. In order to prevent impact, a motorcycle helmet is required.
A helmet is comprised of an outer shell and an inner lining that works by absorbing energy. The inner lining is the most important component of a helmet, since it is the element that absorbs the impact. The lining controls the movement of your head and absorbs energy that would force your head from side to side.
And it’s always a good idea to get a full-coverage helmet to prevent facial abrasions in case of an accident.
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Nothing is worse than a frigid snow storm to inconvenience a motorcyclists to purchase a full-coverage helmet. Snow pelting your face at 65 mph, is not a feeling you want to experience. A full-coverage face-shield on an open-face helmet will block the snow, but you run the risk of having more water droplets drip onto your face.
You also want to be sure to stay warm and dry. When you become wet and cold your mind begins to doze, reducing the mental awareness you need to stay alert on the road.
Once you’re dressed appropriately, you now need to focus on traction.
No matter what, if ice starts forming on the road or there’s a wintry snow / ice mix, you want to be sure to get off the road. If you slip or another car slips, you run the risk of facing personal injuries—and there is no four-wheel drive that will protect you or other drivers from slipping on ice.
How much? The easiest way to test traction is to feel for it with your rear brake.
Assuming you know how much deceleration you can develop on dry pavement before the rear tire breaks loose, you have a gauge of what’s available if you repeat the test when the road is covered with snow. This also assumes that you have a reasonable amount (say 3/16 of an inch) of tread depth. If you do this at moderate speeds on a flat, straight road, it won’t become a thrill ride. Avoid locking up the rear wheel on a steeply crowned road, where it will tend to slide downhill and out of line.
You also can do a couple of things to improve traction. Premium aftermarket tires are virtually certain to give better wet-road grip than original-equipment tires. Also, a slight increase in tire pressure also improves the wet-weather traction of any tire.
For those of you who either want to start riding for the first time, or who would like a briefing on motorcycle safety, Ride Like a Pro offers a great video that covers the essential elements of motorcycle safety. See below for the video:
Share this motorcycle safety video with your beginner biker friends on Facebook.
Below are our top 5 favorite motorcycle blogs:
Helmet Hair: Not only do we love the name of this blog, but we also love the diversity between each of their posts. It’s a blog that embodies all aspects of the biker world.
Rippin-Kitten: We love the Rippin-Kitten because it’s from a female biker’s perspective, we love her logo, and she provides great biker news and information—not to mention, she’s got a great sense of humor!
Motorcycle.com: The Sidecar: This blog is heavy image- and video-based, which we really love. There’s always something interesting to look at and watch.
Bike Exif: This blog not only provides great motorcycle images, but it also features interesting guest bloggers and profound insights on biking.
Dale’s Motorcycle Blog: This is one of our favorite motorcycle blog since blogger Dale provides great insight into various types and makes of bikes, with exceptional images to accompany his detailed posts.
Share these blogs with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Post by Katie Perkins, attorney at Uricchio Law Firm
(Cristin Uricchio & Katie Perkins are attorneys at the Uricchio Law Firm)
If you have been following our law firm blog, you will recall the recent post dedicated to New Years Resolutions and the resolution Cristin and I shared to get our concealed weapons permit. Last Thursday we took a step forward in reaching our goal and attended Ladies Night at the ATP Gun Range in Summerville.
After sitting in traffic on I-26 for a grueling hour, we finally arrived at ATP. Wow! We had no idea how huge the building would be–it is practically a Costco-sized space featuring two indoor ranges and a store filled with every type of gun and gun accessory you could imagine (even pink guns!).
The first part of Ladies Night is spent in the classroom. Pat, our instructor, gave a lecture on gun safety and the basics of shooting. It was great to have a teacher that spoke in simple, understandable terms, and used analogies that non-gun-savvy individuals would understand. One of the highlights of the evening was at the end of his lecture. Pat gave us a choice of 3 different ATP Ladies Night T-Shirts to choose from. Both Cristin and I chose the shirt shown below, and plan to wear it on days we need to exude a tough, no-nonsense persona!
The remainder of Ladies Night was spent on the range where we each had our own instructor. Our pink hearing protection, provided by ATP, was the perfect touch to our shooting attire. Next we were able to choose whether we wanted to shoot a revolver or a .22 pistol. Both Cristin and I chose the .22. Fifty rounds later, and many helpful tips in between, the class came to an end. Not only did we leave with our targets, but most importantly with a greater confidence in shooting. We will definitely return to ATP again soon and highly recommend their Ladies Night Course to any lady interested in shooting.
Just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, while sitting at a red light we see our Uricchio Law Firm bumper sticker on the truck in front of us!
On a final note, if you stop by the office, you may notice some slight changes in decoration. For example, my clients will be welcomed into my office with this new piece of art:
For more information about ATP Gun Range and their Ladies Night course, visit their website, and facebook page.
Whether you want to enjoy a traditional Charleston Oyster Roast among fellow bikers, participate in a Lowcountry biker benefit, or take part in biker clubs, there are tons of biker events coming up in the Lowcountry area.
We’ve compiled a list of some upcoming biker events in the Charleston area. We hope to see you there!
Saturday, January 15, 2011: Colllision Awareness Training 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. More information here: http://www.tricountybhb.com/
Sunday, January 23, 2011: Rock-n-Ride Benefit for MUSC Children’s Hospital. More information here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=174581962579213
Saturday, January 29, 2011: Charleston HOG Membership Drive & Oyster Roast. More information here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=141700512555296
Monday, February 7, 2011: Bikers Helping Bikers Monthly Meeting. More information here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=167220446650428
Saturday, March 26, 2011: Bikers Helping Bikers Spring Yard Sale. More information here: http://www.tricountybhb.com/
Friday – Sunday, May 13 – 15, 2011: Charleston Bike Fest (More information forthcoming)
Mark your calendars!
Image taken from SCRideReport.com
Last week I was researching upcoming biker events when I stumbled upon www.scridereport.com. For those of you who haven’t checked it out already, SC Ride Report is a website dedicated to biker news and biker events throughout South Carolina. I immediately emailed L.Z. Harrison, Jr., the administrator of the site, to let him know what a great website he has and to find out more about him and the website. L.Z. shared that he administers SC Ride Report for fun and because of his love for riding motorcycles. He encourages everyone in the biker community to check out the website and submit any news or upcoming events you would like to share. We also recommend you check out SC Ride Report’s Facebook Page.
Dawn Price just joined the Uricchio Law Firm as a paralegal and we couldn’t be happier to have her! If you call our office and hear an unfamiliar voice on the other end, it’s likely Dawn. We asked her to prepare a little post about herself so we can acquaint our fans and clients. Enjoy!
I was born and raised in Long Island, New York and graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Shortly after graduation, I relocated to the South, where I have been proud to call my home for the past 20 years. As I often say, I may be Northern by birth, but I am certainly Southern by choice!
Before entering the legal field, I worked in various aspects of office administration, property management, real estate marketing and sales, container ship cost control operations, and elementary education.
I just received my Paralegal Certificate from Trident Technical College and am so fortunate to join the Uricchio Law Firm. Everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable. I am so glad to be part of this team!
“ Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” -Andrew Carnegie
