A fatal motorcycle accident in Arkansas earlier this month claimed the life of not only the operator of the bike but his passenger as well. The crash happened in Fayetteville on February 23rd at around 5:30 PM along Bunce Road (near the intersections with Portsmouth Drive and Pleasant Street). Initial police investigations reveal that the 26-year-old operator of the motorcycle collided with an SUV traveling in the opposite direction. The man and his 26-year-old female passenger were killed instantly. The driver of the SUV was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It’s unclear exactly how the accident occurred. While it’s obvious that one of the vehicles crossed the center line, crash reconstruction artists have yet to state definitively which vehicle stray from their respective travel lane.
No criminal charges have yet to be filed in the case but could be forthcoming depending on the outcome of the police investigation.
Passengers and Their Families Can Hold At-Fault Parties Liable
As is often the case, the passenger also became a victim in this tragic motorcycle accident in Arkansas. Crash statistics show that passengers are as likely as motorcycle operators to be seriously hurt or killed in motorcycle crashes involving passenger cars. Sadly, the passenger is often a close friend or relative of the rider which makes the financial compensation process that must take place after an accident especially hard for survivors.
However, just because a driver may have been a friend or relative, they are not absolved from their legal and moral responsibility to take care of the victim and/or their surviving family members. Fair compensation should include everything a family needs to:
- Cover medical and funeral expenses
- Support surviving victims (at least until they can get back on their feet)
- Have time to grieve properly
Such financial support can (and should) include an allocation for therapy in order to help surviving victims work through their emotions and deal with the life-altering trauma of a crash in a healthy fashion. After all, the ultimate goal of the financial recovery process is to aide in the physical and emotional recovery of everyone involved.
Get Support, Not Revenge
These post-accident compensation packages don’t have to be punitive. They don’t have to cause rifts between families or drive wedges between longtime friends. They don’t need to bankrupt families that are already grieving or place undue financial strain on survivors.
They do need to be adequate to help the injured heal and the victims cope with the loss of a loved one.
If you’ve been injured while riding or have lost a loved one in a crash, you need an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in Arkansas to help you craft a suitable demand for compensation. Such a demand should meet your needs without seeking to vilify the motorcycle operator.
Speak to an Arkansas motorcycle accident attorney, Paul Pfeifer, at the Pfeifer Law Firm today. Contact us online or call 501-374-4440 now. The consultation is free, and you won’t owe any money until a recovery is made for you.