Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers
Riding a motorcycle offers an unparalleled sense of freedom, but it also comes with unique risks when sharing the road with larger vehicles. Baltimore’s scenic roadways, such as Charles Street, Eastern Avenue, and stretches of Interstate 83 (Jones Falls Expressway), are popular routes for motorcyclists. Unfortunately, these same roads can also become the site of devastating motorcycle accidents caused by careless or inattentive drivers.
At Miller & Zois, we know the aftermath of a motorcycle accident can leave you facing severe injuries, costly medical bills, and the uncertainty of what comes next. As your dedicated Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyer, we are here to fight for your rights and secure the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to discuss your case and learn how we can help you move forward.
Why Choose Miller & Zois for Your Baltimore, MD, Motorcycle Accident Claim?
At Miller & Zois, we understand the life-changing impact of a motorcycle accident. Our team is dedicated to helping motorcyclists in Baltimore seek justice and rebuild their lives after serious accidents. With decades of combined experience, we have successfully recovered millions of dollars for injury victims, including motorcyclists who have suffered life-altering injuries.
What sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to our clients. We know the unique challenges motorcyclists face when dealing with motorcycle accident claims and insurance companies, and we fight tirelessly to ensure you are treated fairly. From gathering crucial evidence to negotiating with insurance adjusters or presenting a compelling case in court, we handle every aspect of your claim with precision and care.
Baltimore’s busy streets, like Eastern Avenue or Charles Street, can become battlegrounds for determining fault after an accident. We use our in-depth knowledge of Maryland’s motorcycle laws to protect your rights and hold negligent drivers accountable.
Choosing a Baltimore motorcycle accident attorney from Miller & Zois means choosing a team that prioritizes your recovery and your future. Contact us today for a free consultation with our experienced motorcycle accident lawyer, and let us guide you through this difficult time with experience, compassion, and results-driven advocacy.
Commonly Asked Questions
Maryland Motorcycle Accident Statistics
As of 2025, Maryland is averaging 72 motorcycle accident fatalities each year and 1,046 motorcycle accidents resulting in serious physical injuries. These accidents result in injuries and deaths. Additionally, severe injuries are ten times more likely with motorcycle crashes than with car crashes. (Our lawyers would love to give you 2024, but the Maryland Department of Transportation is woefully behind.)
Motorcyclists pay more for their injuries than drivers of other vehicles. The average total cost of a motorcyclist’s injuries is $211,000, compared to about $17,000 for all other vehicles.
“Severe injuries are ten times more likely in motorcycle crashes than in car crashes.”
A significant amount of fatal accidents for motorcyclists are single-vehicle crashes as opposed to a motorcycle crashing into a car. These crashes are often attributed to a lack of training, speeding, and driving while under the influence. Helmet use also contributes to fatalities.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 800 lives could be saved annually if riders wore helmets. Maryland law stipulates that motorcycle riders must wear helmets that meet MVA standards and visors if their bike has no windshield.
The negligence of other drivers on the road is another significant contributing factor to motorcycle fatalities. Approximately 40% of fatal motorcycle crashes occur when another vehicle turns left in front of an unsuspecting motorcyclist.
What Types of Maryland Motorcycle Accidents Lawsuits Are Frequently Litigated?
Left-turn accidents frequently result in severe injury and death for motorcycle riders. Forty percent of fatal motorcycle accidents involve a left-turning vehicle. We can’t tell you how many of these types of motorcycle accidents our lawyers have seen. One common scenario is when a driver turns left off a two-way road without noticing an oncoming bike, causing the bike to collide with the side of the vehicle. This may also occur when drivers blow through stop signs or yellow lights.
“Around 40% of accidents involving motorcycles are caused by an inattentive left-turning vehicle.”
Failure to yield is another common cause of motorcycle accidents that involve other vehicles, and many left-turn accidents involve failure to yield. A car may, for example, make a right turn onto a roadway and fail to notice a motorcycle already traveling in the lane they are entering.
These kinds of accidents happen because drivers are not paying careful attention to the road and fail to notice motorcycles, which are smaller and more challenging to see. In other words, these crashes are the result of negligence. In left-turn and failure-to-yield cases, it is usually relatively simple to determine who was at fault for the accident and to prove that the at-fault driver was not paying attention to what they were doing.
What Is Unique About Motorcycle Personal Injury Claims?
It is imperative to establish who was at fault for every accident case. This is especially important in Maryland because our state has a contributory negligence doctrine that means the court cannot compensate victims if they are only 1% responsible for the accident.
Fault is complicated in motorcycle personal injury claims because, given the small size of the vehicles and the stereotype about reckless motorcycle drivers, juries are not likely to favor riders.
These stereotypes make the work of a Baltimore, Maryland, motorcycle accident lawyer all the more critical. Determining who is legally responsible for a traffic accident usually involves visiting the crash site, analyzing the location on Google Earth, and obtaining witness statements to corroborate a plaintiff’s testimony.
Additionally, insurance companies do not treat motorcyclists fairly. There is a crucial insurance difference for motorcycle riders and attorneys in Maryland regarding Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. PIP is additional insurance coverage on your policy that pays for your medical bills or lost wages if you are injured in a crash.
The insurance company policy is usually between $2,500 and $10,000 and covers you even if the accident was your fault. Insurance companies are required to offer PIP to the drivers of most other vehicles. However, they are permitted to withhold PIP coverage from motorcyclists based on Maryland Insurance Code § 19-505.
Another distinction has to do with uninsured motorist claims. If you drive someone else’s motorcycle and get into an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, uninsured motorist benefits are typically available under your own insurance policy. However, if you own both a motorcycle and a car, the policy limit for your motorcycle is applied even if you have higher uninsured benefits on another vehicle.
What Is the Average Payout for a Motorcycle Accident?
However, according to a study by Jury Verdict Research, the average motorcycle accident verdict nationally is approximately $560,000. The median verdict award is just over $70,000. The average is so much higher than the median because it is driven up by a smaller number of high-value cases that involve severe injuries or death.
Beyond this data, there are two ways to estimate the value of your case. First, you can look at sample verdicts and settlements for specific injuries. Second, you can look at sample verdicts and settlements in other motorcycle wreck cases. These are provided below.
How Much Is Your Baltimore Motorcycle Accident Case Worth?
Motorcycle accident verdicts and settlements are all over the map, as you will see in the example motorcycle accident settlement amounts and jury payouts below. But some patterns are clear once you look at the data. Nationally, the average motorcycle accident verdict is about $560,000, while the median verdict is closer to $70,000. The gap between those numbers tells an important story. A relatively small number of catastrophic injury or wrongful death cases push the average upward, while the typical case involving broken bones or soft-tissue injuries tends to resolve for much less. Insurers know these numbers and use them when calculating what they are willing to pay in settlement.
Maryland verdicts highlight this unpredictability. In one Baltimore City case, a motorcyclist struck by a police cruiser received a shockingly low verdict of just $148,172, despite it being a wrongful death case in a jurisdiction where juries are usually more generous. That result demonstrates the danger of relying on averages alone and shows how facts, witnesses, and even the composition of the jury can swing outcomes. Contrast that with another Maryland case where a rider hit by a left-turning truck obtained $2.46 million, reflecting the jury’s recognition of his permanent leg injuries and lifelong limitations. Those two examples, decided in the same state, illustrate just how wide the spectrum of outcomes can be.
Motorcyclists face average medical and injury-related expenses of $211,000, compared to about $17,000 for occupants of other vehicles. That disparity underscores why even seemingly “routine” motorcycle crashes often end in six-figure settlements. Add in lost income, long-term therapy, prosthetics, or permanent disability, and the damages can easily climb into the millions.
Venue is another factor that cannot be overstated. Baltimore City and Prince George’s County juries have a long history of being fair to victims and returning high-dollar verdicts to match the pain and suffering endured. Insurance companies know this and often settle cases earlier and for more money when those venues are in play. In more conservative counties, however, insurers tend to dig in, betting that a jury will be skeptical of the motorcyclist or lean toward blaming the rider. That dynamic gives insurance companies leverage in some Maryland jurisdictions but makes them cautious in others.
Finally, insurance coverage is huge. It dictates the ceiling on settlement negotiations. Even in cases involving severe or fatal injuries, if the at-fault driver carries only the state minimum in liability insurance, the victim may be limited to those policy limits unless underinsured motorist coverage is available. We once settled a motorcycle death case for $15,000. It was a rare case where the at-fault driver was from out of state and there was no other coverage. That is why so many catastrophic motorcycle cases end with policy-limit settlements rather than jury trials. The damages may be enormous, but without adequate coverage or collectible assets, there is no realistic way to recover more.
The bottom line is that while motorcycle accident case values in Maryland vary widely, the consistent themes are high medical costs, serious injury potential, and the outsized impact of venue and insurance coverage. For motorcyclists in Baltimore, the best lawyer mototcycle accident lawyer can make the difference between an insurer’s lowball offer and a settlement that truly reflects what a jury in that venue is likely to award.
Example of Motorcycle Settlement Amounts and Jury Payouts
Below are sample verdicts and settlements that motorcycle crash victims have secured.
While these cases serve as examples of how these personal injury cases are valued, remember that every case is unique and that yours may be worth more or less depending on the circumstances. We do not limit the verdicts and settlements to Maryland motorcycle accidents because this gives you a better overview of how payouts are calculated.
- $18,000,000 Settlement (Georgia 2024): $18 million Settlement (Georgia 2024): A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on a state highway outside of Atlanta when another driver abruptly turned in front of him. The motorcyclist’s estate filed suit, alleging that the defendant’s sudden maneuver caused the fatal collision. Despite attempts by the defendant to pin the crash on the motorcyclist’s use of methamphetamine, a Georgia jury found the defendant fully liable. The trial was bifurcated; before the jury decided on damages, the defendant’s insurer State Farm agreed to an $18 million settlement with the family of the deceased. This resolution came after the defendant had previously offered a $100,000 settlement and pled guilty to criminal charges related to the incident.
- $1,700,000 Settlement (Virginia 2024): A 21-year-old mailman sustained orthopedic injuries to the pelvis requiring surgery and metal placement, a tibia fracture, and a mild concussion after the defendant’s pickup truck made a left turn in front of his motorcycle at a local intersection. Despite initial arguments of contributory negligence due to alleged speeding, the case was resolved through settlement negotiations before trial. The young man incurred approximately $290,000 in medical bills and $21,000 in lost income. Although he achieved nearly 90% recovery, he will experience long-term pain and early-onset arthritis. He resumed his USPS duties within seven months.
- $1,885,602 Verdict (North Carolina 2023): The plaintiff was riding his motorcycle when he was struck by a postal truck. A U.S. postal truck attempted to make a left turn at the intersection, turned into his traffic lane, and struck his motorcycle. The plaintiff reportedly was ejected from the motorcycle and was thrown into a wooded area adjacent to the intersection. The plaintiff suffered multiple leg fractures, a wrist fracture, and multiple toe fractures, leaving him unable to work for a long time.
- $148,172 Verdict (Maryland 2023): A motorcyclist died after being struck by a police cruiser at an intersection in Baltimore City. The cruiser failed to yield, causing the motorcyclist to suffer a skull fracture, intracranial hemorrhage, and multiple leg fractures. He passed away the next day. In a death case, particularly in Baltimore City, you expect a verdict in the millions, more than the cap on non-economic damages in Maryland. Instead, the jury’s payout was a paltry $148,172, the lowest our lawyers have ever seen in a death case in Maryland. It must have been a compromise verdict based on facts we do not have on the case.
- $75,845 Verdict (Iowa 2022): The defendant made a negligent left turn in front of the plaintiff’s motorcycle, causing a collision. The plaintiff suffered significant physical injuries. The verdict included $22,000 for medical expenses, $23,000 for lost earnings, and $30,000 for pain and suffering.
- $1,986,884 Settlement (Virginia 2020): a motorcyclist is struck by a tractor-trailer and suffers numerous fractures, dislodged eyes, two collapsed lungs, and head injuries. He was out of work for an entire year and had physical limitations when he came back to work. He hired an attorney to fight for a reasonable settlement payout. The trucking company settled the case for $1.9 million.
- $908,000 Settlement (Pennsylvania 2020): A 20-year-old motorcyclist was struck and killed by a SEPTA transit bus. They hired a motorcycle crash attorney and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both SEPTA and PennDOT (for failing to maintain traffic lights). The case settled for just under $1 million.
- $81,000 Settlement (Ohio 2020): Motorcyclist suffered severe road rash and soft tissue injuries to his shoulder, back, and knee. He was treated with an orthopedist and a chiropractor for six months, but has residual knee pain and permanent scarring. The case settled for $81,000.
- $250,000 Settlement (Virginia 2020): Motorcyclist was t-boned and suffered rib fractures, brain bleed, vertebral compression, and leg injuries. Case settled for policy limits of $250,000.
- $100,000 Settlement (Missouri 2020): The Motorcyclist was forced off the road by another vehicle and crashed in the shoulder lane. He suffered six fractured ribs and spent two nights in the hospital. The case settled for policy limits of $100,000.
- $75,000 Verdict (Georgia 2019): A motorcyclist is rear-ended, causing him to fly off of his bike and suffer unspecified personal injuries. The defendant driver admits liability but disputes that she was the proximate cause. She also disputes the damages that the plaintiff claimed. Despite the defense’s arguments, a jury decides with the plaintiff and awards him $75,000 in damages.
- $63,600 Verdict (Oklahoma 2019): A woman turns right onto a road and moves into the far-left lane in front of a motorcyclist. He swerves and crashes his bike, resulting in personal injuries and property damage. The biker’s lawsuit claims that the at-fault driver was negligent, failing to yield the right of way and driving with disregard for others. The defense argued that he was partially at fault for the accident. A jury awarded the plaintiff $70,600 but also found that he was 10% negligent for the accident, so the court reduced the damages to $63,600.
- $2,460,000 Verdict (Maryland 2019): A truck driver makes a left turn into a parking lot, causing an oncoming motorcyclist to collide with the side of the truck. The motorcyclist fractures his right leg in numerous places, resulting in a permanent loss of feeling in his right foot. The truck driver flees the scene of the accident, stating he had “legal issues,” and the company that owns the truck claims the driver stole it. He hired a Maryland motorcycle personal injury attorney and filed a lawsuit. The jury found that the driver was the company’s employee and awarded the plaintiff nearly 2.5 million dollars in pain & suffering and past lost wages damages.
- $80,000 Verdict (Maryland 2019): The defendant makes a U-turn and strikes the plaintiff, who is riding a motorcycle. According to the plaintiff, the driver entered the motorcyclist’s lane of travel, was traveling too fast, was not keeping a proper lookout, and ignored traffic signals. A jury awards the victim a $80,000 payout.
- $36,200 Verdict (Maryland 2018): A young driver with a learner’s permit collides with a motorcyclist when making a left-hand turn in Baltimore. He hired a Baltimore motorcycle accident attorney and filed a lawsuit, alleging he had injuries to his back, neck, and limbs because the car failed to keep a proper lookout or yield the right of way. Additionally, the plaintiff alleges negligent entrustment against the vehicle’s owner, as the driver was only holding a learner’s permit. The defendants admit liability, and the case proceeds to trial over damages. A jury awards $8,400 in medical expenses and $27,800 in lost earnings.
- $2,500,000 Settlement (New York 2018): A 35-year-old motorcyclist is forced to ditch his motorcycle and crash due to a left-turning vehicle. His injuries are fatal, and his widow files a wrongful death lawsuit to recover economic losses, loss of consortium, and loss of parental guidance for their children. The two parties negotiated a $2.5 million settlement before trial.
Contact Us
The Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyers at Miller & Zois will fight to get you fair financial compensation. We understand the importance of getting the facts right. The odds are stacked against bikers in these cases, but our experience levels the playing field.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motorcycle accident, call our Baltimore motorcycle accident attorneys at (800) 553-8082 or contact us online. Whether you call or contact our Maryland motorcycle accident lawyers via the Internet, you will receive a free consultation. In fact, there is no fee at all unless you win a settlement or verdict.
Proving Fault in Baltimore Motorcycle Accident Cases
Although motorcycles may not offer the same level of safety as cars, riding one doesn’t automatically imply that you were at fault or contributed to your own injuries in an accident.
If you were involved in a crash due to another driver’s negligence or dangerous behavior, the fact that you were on a motorcycle shouldn’t be used against you to shift the blame.
In Maryland, a victim who is found to be responsible for their own injuries cannot sue. Defendants often try to exploit this by arguing that the motorcyclist’s lack of a helmet, safety pads, or other protective gear means they share fault for their injuries.
This kind of victim-blaming is unfair and unwarranted, and our attorneys are committed to proving that it was the other driver – not you – who caused the accident.
While many motorcycle accidents are clearly the fault of the other driver, some cases require a thorough presentation of facts in court to help a jury understand how the other driver’s actions led to the crash.
More Motorcycle Accident Lawsuits Information
Our lawyers have handled a ton of motorcycle accident lawsuits in Maryland, so we have a lot of information to post to better educate victims and other attorneys and the specifics of how these cases work:
- Motorcycle wrongful death cases
- Helmet laws
- Left-turn motorcycle accidents
- Failure to yield accidents
- Sample demand letter in a personal injury motorcycle accident lawsuit
- Sample motion before trial to keep out evidence about the type of bike the motorcyclist was riding
- Sample depositions
- At-fault driver does not accept responsibility
- Plaintiff’s deposition
- Deposition of a Police Officer