Reasons Why Motorcycle Accident Claims Get Declined

Riding a motorcycle is thrilling. The wind gushing through the hair and the fast momentum on a clear road is an experience that every motorcycle rider wants to enjoy—at least once, if not frequently. Although it is super exciting to ride a motorcycle, it is, at the same time, challenging, especially if you have an accident.

Since motorcycles lack the safety features found in cars, injuries are likely to be severe, resulting in multiple surgeries, costly medical treatments, and a long recovery. These treatments can last for weeks- sometimes even months and years, especially if injuries result in temporary or permanently disabling paralysis.

All of this can burden you financially. That’s precisely why the law gives you the right to file a motorcycle accident claim so that you can pursue the compensation you need to seek proper treatment and get on the road to recovery. However, the worst-case scenario is when your claim gets declined and rejected.

Based on our motorcycle accident lawyer’s experience in North Carolina, below are the top reasons for denial of a motorcycle accident claim:

Reason #1—Failure to Seek Immediate Medical Assistance

The core of a motorcycle injury claim is the injury itself. Thus, the severity and type of injury can have a drastic impact on your claim. That’s why it is crucial to seek immediate medical aid after the accident and get a proper diagnosis from the doctor.

Some injuries are internal, and some don’t result in pain right away because of the adrenaline rush, which blocks the pain. However, the pain of such injuries can be felt days after the accident. And when reported later, you may not get compensated.

Your claim may be denied because it puts the defendant in a strong position where they can counter by stating that the injuries were not reported at the time of the motorcycle accident and that some other incident may have caused them. In other words, your carelessness can become the strength of the case’s defendant, and they may attempt to attack your credibility. They may state that the injuries aren’t the result of the accident or not severe since they were not treated promptly.

It is essential to understand that medical assistance after a motorcycle accident is essential for your health and important for getting your claim approved and accepted.

Reason#2—Avoidable Accidents

Sometimes motorcycle accident claims get denied because the insurance company says that the accident was avoidable. In such a situation, the reason is most apparent. If you drove in a way that violated the state law, the claim may be denied. For example:

  • You were intoxicated and riding your motorcycle
  • You drove without a license
  • You drove without insurance
  • You were tailgating, speeding, or suffering from road rage

Thus, in such a situation, the insurance company can claim that the accident occurred due to your negligence, and you should have been able to avoid it.

Reasons#3—Damages Exceed Policy Limits

Sometimes the reason for claim denial is the policy limit. Put simply, in some situations, claims may be rejected because the damages exceed policy limits. It is crucial to understand that every insurance contract covers a certain amount of damages. When that limit is exceeded, the insurance company can pay up to the limit only.

Suppose this is the underlying reason for claim rejection. In that case, your motorcycle accident lawyer can review your case and see if there are other insurance coverage options available that can help you cover damages.

Reason#4—Filing a Claim on Your Own

In the quest to save the legal fee of hiring a lawyer, some motorcycle accident victims file and handle claims on their own. This can be a big mistake because motorcycle accident claims usually have several legal complications that a seasoned lawyer can understand and navigate you through. Thus, your lack of legal knowledge or skills to pursue and negotiate your claim could result in nothing but denial.

When you don’t know your legal rights and how to protect them, you will not fight back and pursue the compensation you deserve. Even if your claim does get approved, the chances are that you might have to settle for a low-ball offer.

Motorcyclist holding helmet equipment

Contact us for Legal Assistance

Suppose you or a loved one was in a motorcycle accident. In that case, there are two things that you should do right away: make sure to seek immediate medical help and contact our experienced motorcycle accident lawyers in North Carolina.

You don’t have to worry about the legal fee upfront because we work on a contingency basis. This means that you will only be asked to pay a legal fee if you get compensated. In addition to this, we have the experience, expertise, and knowledge to help file your claim and fight for you to be compensated fairly for the injuries and losses incurred.

Our lawyers will provide you with quality guidance and assistance at every step of the process and handle all aspects of the case from start to finish. Thus, you can focus on recovery while we focus on pursuing full and fair compensation. At The Law Office of Jason E. Taylor, P.C., our goal is to help you become financially stable and seek quality treatment. We strive to help you resume everyday life and engage in day-to-day activities like you did before you were in a motorcycle accident.

Contact us today for a free consultation. Remember that you’re only a call away from having a skilled advocate at your side fighting for your claim to be approved so that you can be fairly compensated.

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Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

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STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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