If a defective part caused a motorcycle accident, you could have grounds to pursue a product liability case against the manufacturer. Defective parts often result from negligence, which is the basis of an injury claim or lawsuit.
A Dallas product liability lawyer can determine if the motorcycle manufacturer’s negligence caused the defect or if another party is liable, like a store, dealership, or maintenance shop, is responsible.
What Defective Parts Can Cause a Motorcycle Accident?
You can end up with a defective motorcycle part due to mistakes at any stage of the bike’s production and sale. Defective parts can cause tire blowouts, brake failure, engine failure, and other problems.
Sometimes, errors or oversights occur at more than one stage, leaving several parties in the chain liable for creating an error or not finding the mistake. Narrowing down where things went wrong with your motorcycle is the first step in identifying the liable parties and how they demonstrated negligence.
Design Errors
The cause of your motorcycle accident could be traced all the way back to before the bike was even constructed. It’s possible that the design flaw concerned a small part or the motorcycle’s overall design.
Sometimes, designs are insufficiently tested or reviewed for safety. At other times, designs change along the way and become hazardous. Regardless, it is negligence when a designer or manufacturer knew or should have known of the risks such a design could cause.
Manufacturing Errors
Manufacturing defects are mistakes involving parts of your motorcycle that jeopardize its safety. These can involve issues with:
- Frames
- Engines
- Handlebars
- Pedals
- Headlights
- Fuel lines
- Brakes
A defective product lawyer from our firm can investigate these mistakes by analyzing your motorcycle with help from a mechanic or another expert. We can also investigate where your bike was manufactured and if there are cases similar to yours.
Assembly Errors
Perhaps the parts and design of your motorcycle were fine, but the pieces were put together incorrectly. This can still leave someone liable. Assembly negligence can include mistakes like installing parts incorrectly or leaving out crucial pieces, especially parts that improve safety.
Marketing and Sales Errors
You can face risks if you use a motorcycle that was marketed or sold to you incorrectly. Protecting consumers involves ensuring everything is properly labeled, packaged, and represented when sold. Failure to include important warnings or instructions can cause injury.
You Can Pursue an Insurance Claim or Lawsuit for a Defective Motorcycle Part
If any of the above errors caused your motorcycle accident, you can file a claim or lawsuit if you suffered injury. The statute of limitations for filing a product liability lawsuit varies. In Texas, injured parties have two years from the date of the accident or discovery being common, as noted in Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003.
In some defective parts cases, you can seek damages from more than one party, especially in cases when a flawed product passes through several hands before reaching you. A motorcycle accident lawyer can determine if you have a case against multiple parties and handle each claim or lawsuit’s logistics.
Parts Manufacturers
A specific brand may have made your motorcycle, but another company could have created the components. Parts manufacturers are liable for flaws they missed or covered up.
Motorcycle Companies
The company that designed and assembled your motorcycle can make mistakes or fail to detect issues when assembling your bike. Either way, it is negligent if a defect causes harm.
Stores and Dealerships
Marketing and sales negligence can point to issues with how your bike was presented in stores or at a dealership. They can also share some liability for selling you a defective product when a reasonable person should have noticed the problem.
Maintenance Shops
The flaw that caused your accident might have happened when it went in for repairs or maintenance. Motorcycle repair shops might use inferior or incompatible parts, install equipment wrong, or make mistakes during regular tune-ups.
How to Prove a Defective Part Caused Your Motorcycle Accident
Loncar Lyon Jenkins’ personal injury attorneys can build a case against the parties that caused your accident. Doing that usually involves evidence like:
- The defective part itself
- Accident debris
- Photos of the scene
- Witness accounts
- Traffic camera footage
- Police reports
- The history of this defect
- Investigations into the manufacturer
- Analysis by motorcycle experts
When pursuing a motorcycle injury case that involves product defects, our attorneys delve into the inner workings of the companies involved. We can investigate to see if they are understaffed, failed to follow safety precautions and regulations, or lacked sufficient oversight. We can even talk to current or former employees and examine internal communications to determine if a business was aware of risks and concealed them.
Possible Damages for Defective Motorcycle Parts
If defective parts caused your motorcycle accident or contributed to the crash, you could recover damages for:
- Medical bills, including past, current, and future expenses
- Rehabilitation, therapy, and medication
- Income you lost while you were recovering
- Reduced ability to earn income due to your injuries
- Pain and suffering and reduced enjoyment of life
Preparing for the Manufacturer’s Defenses
Manufacturers, designers, and sellers may all try to pin responsibility on someone else. If yours was a single-vehicle crash, they will likely blame you, not their product. This is especially common in motorcycle cases, playing into the stereotype that riding a motorcycle is inherently dangerous and risky. If other vehicles were involved, they might also blame the other drivers.
Your legal representation can work to protect you from these tactics by speaking for you, procuring evidence, and crafting a strategic defense for you and offense against them. At Loncar Lyon Jenkins, we won’t let companies and businesses hide from the consequences of product liability.
Our Motorcycle Injury Lawyers Can Review Your Accident Now – Call Today
Contact us for a free case review regarding your motorcycle collision. Our attorneys can determine if defective parts affected your motorcycle crash and get to work immediately on building a case. Getting answers is the first step; getting compensation is next. Reach out today to get started.
