FAQs About Motorcycle Accidents in New Hanover County, NC

After a motorcycle accident in New Hanover County, the decisions you make in the first few minutes can have a lasting impact on your health, safety, and legal rights. If you are physically able, your first priority should be getting out of harm’s way. Many motorcycle crashes in this part of the state happen on high-speed roadways like Interstate 40, College Road, Carolina Beach Road, and near the exits leading toward the Port of Wilmington. Traffic in these areas can be dense, and secondary collisions are not uncommon. Try to move to a safer location or signal for help if moving your bike is difficult.

Call 911 as soon as possible. Depending on where the accident occurs, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, local police from a town like Carolina Beach or Wrightsville Beach, or the North Carolina State Highway Patrol may respond. Provide them with the basic facts, but avoid speculating about fault or apologizing. Everything you say at the scene may be included in the officer’s narrative and could be reviewed later by insurance companies or lawyers on the other side. If there are witnesses, ask for their names and contact information. These accounts can be key to proving what happened, especially when drivers claim they never saw you or your motorcycle.

Document the crash with photos. Include pictures of the damage to all vehicles involved, the position of the motorcycle, the surrounding environment, traffic lights, skid marks, road conditions, and anything else that helps show how the collision occurred. If you are too injured to do this yourself, ask someone else at the scene if they can help. When emergency medical services arrive, allow them to examine you. Do not decline treatment just because you do not feel immediate pain. Adrenaline often masks serious injuries.

Once you leave the scene, go to a hospital or urgent care facility without delay. Common choices in the area include Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and its associated clinics. Even if you think your injuries are minor, a prompt medical evaluation creates a record of your condition and makes it harder for the insurance company to argue that your injuries were caused by something other than the crash.

Before speaking with any insurance adjuster, even from your own company, it is smart to consult with a lawyer who regularly handles motorcycle accident claims in New Hanover County. These cases involve more than just the facts of the crash. They involve a legal landscape that is often tilted against motorcyclists and a contributory negligence system that can wipe out a valid claim with a single misstep.

New Hanover County is home to a mix of rural roads, coastal byways, and heavily trafficked urban streets. That variety makes riding a motorcycle more unpredictable than in some other regions. Congested areas like College Road, Market Street, and Oleander Drive are filled with drivers making fast turns, abrupt stops, and lane changes without checking blind spots. Out-of-town visitors looking for parking near downtown Wilmington or Wrightsville Beach often make last-minute maneuvers. When a motorcycle is nearby, those choices can be deadly.

In more rural parts of the county, such as Castle Hayne or the outskirts near Ogden and Monkey Junction, high-speed zones mix with narrow lanes and limited lighting. Riders may encounter gravel shoulders, uneven pavement, or sharp curves with limited visibility. Night riding in these areas can be especially hazardous. The seasonal influx of tourists, unfamiliarity with local traffic patterns, drunk driving, and the risk of a collision increase even further.

Unlike passengers in a car, motorcyclists are directly exposed to the full force of impact. Even at relatively low speeds, the lack of a steel frame, airbags, and seatbelts means a rider may be thrown from the bike, pinned underneath another vehicle, or suffer injuries from sliding across pavement. Helmets and protective clothing help, but they don’t always prevent every form of trauma.

Local weather can also play a role. Sudden rainstorms or tropical downpours are common near the coast. Wet roads reduce tire traction and increase the chance of a skid, especially when taking a curve or braking abruptly. Riders caught in these conditions without advance warning have very little room for error.

Finally, the legal challenges that come with motorcycle wrecks in New Hanover County should not be ignored. Juries may hold subconscious biases against motorcyclists, assuming you were speeding or riding recklessly even when the evidence says otherwise. Insurance companies often rely on these assumptions when denying claims or offering low settlements. A lawyer familiar with local traffic patterns and who knows how these cases are actually treated in New Hanover County courts can help neutralize that bias and present the facts clearly.

Motorcycle crashes rarely result in just minor scrapes or bruises. Even at speeds below the posted limit, a motorcycle offers little protection during impact. The most common injuries include broken bones, especially in the legs, wrists, ribs, and collarbones. Riders often instinctively put out their hands when falling, which leads to fractures and joint dislocations.

Road rash is also extremely common. When the rider’s body slides across asphalt or gravel, the skin can be torn away, leading to infections, permanent scarring, and the need for surgical treatment such as skin grafts. These injuries may appear mild at first glance, but quickly become serious without immediate care.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can occur even when the rider wears a helmet. The force of the impact can cause the brain to move inside the skull, leading to memory problems, dizziness, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. Some of these symptoms may not become obvious until days or weeks after the crash. That is one reason why follow-up care and neurological evaluation are important after a serious motorcycle collision.

Spinal cord injuries, internal bleeding, lung punctures, and pelvic fractures are also possible, particularly in high-speed crashes or when the motorcycle is struck by a larger vehicle like a pickup truck or commercial van. The medical care for these injuries is expensive, and the recovery can be slow. A serious crash may require surgery, physical therapy, pain management, and time away from work, sometimes for months.

Documenting every stage of treatment is key. A lawyer can help ensure that your medical records, treatment plans, and physician notes are collected and used to support your claim. That makes it harder for the insurance company to argue that your injuries are exaggerated or unrelated to the crash.

No. After a motorcycle accident, you may receive a call from an insurance adjuster within days, or even hours. That adjuster may work for your own insurance company or the at-fault driver’s carrier. Either way, you should be very cautious. Insurance companies are not neutral parties. Their job is to protect their financial interests, which means finding ways to limit what they pay on your claim.

In North Carolina, the contributory negligence rule gives them a powerful tool. If they can show that you were even slightly responsible for the crash, they can deny your claim entirely. This could include something as simple as failing to signal or riding slightly above the speed limit. These arguments may have little to do with what actually caused the wreck, but they are still sometimes used to avoid paying what’s fair.

It is not uncommon for adjusters to sound friendly on the phone. They may say they just need some details to “process your claim,” or they may ask you to give a recorded statement. You are not required to do this without a lawyer. In fact, it is usually a bad idea. Even if you are being honest, slight inconsistencies in your account or phrases taken out of context could possibly be used against you later. Once you have legal representation, the insurance company must speak with your lawyer instead of contacting you directly. That gives you a layer of protection and helps ensure your words are not misused.

Motorcycle accident cases are different from other personal injury claims. The injuries are often more severe, the legal issues more complex, and the attitudes you may face, from both insurers and jurors, can be harder to overcome. A lawyer who handles motorcycle crashes in New Hanover County can help in several specific ways.

First, your lawyer can take immediate steps to preserve evidence. This may include getting photographs from the scene, requesting body camera footage from law enforcement, retrieving 911 call recordings, and contacting nearby businesses to see if any surveillance cameras captured the incident. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that this evidence will be lost.

Second, your lawyer can help identify all possible sources of compensation. In some cases, the at-fault driver may not have enough insurance to cover your damages. If that happens, your own policy may provide under insured motorist (UIM) coverage. There may also be claims against other parties, such as a road maintenance contractor, a construction crew that left debris in the road, or a vehicle manufacturer if mechanical failure contributed to the crash. These are not easy claims to pursue without legal experience.

Third, a lawyer will help calculate the actual value of your case. That includes medical bills you’ve already incurred, future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering. If your injuries prevent you from returning to your old job or enjoying the same lifestyle you had before the crash, that can be important. It might prove to be an important part of the compensation you seek. The insurance company likely will not volunteer that number. Your lawyer will need to build the case and argue for it.

Finally, if the case cannot be settled for a full and fair amount, your lawyer may decide it’s best to file a lawsuit and prepare the case for court. That includes gathering experts, scheduling depositions, and presenting evidence in a way that makes sense to a judge or jury. Having a local lawyer who knows how cases are typically handled in New Hanover County can make a real difference.

Under North Carolina law, you generally have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. That includes motorcycle crashes that happen anywhere in New Hanover County, whether on a back road in Ogden or in traffic near the Port of Wilmington. If someone dies as a result of the injuries, the deadline to file a wrongful death lawsuit is two years from the date of death. These time limits are called a statute of limitation, and they are strictly enforced.

Filing a claim with the insurance company does not stop the clock. Even if you are actively negotiating with an adjuster or waiting on a settlement offer, you can still lose your right to sue if the deadline passes. That is why it is important to talk to a lawyer well in advance of that date. If a lawsuit needs to be filed to preserve your claim, your lawyer can make sure it is done correctly and on time.

It is also worth noting that some types of evidence become harder to obtain the longer you wait. Surveillance footage (if there is any) may be deleted. Witnesses may move away or forget what they saw. Skid marks fade. Vehicles get repaired or scrapped. The sooner your lawyer can begin the investigation, the better.

Motorcycle crashes in New Hanover County are serious events. The injuries are often life-changing, and the legal issues are more complicated than many people expect. Between the severity of the harm, the potential for unfair blame, and the strict rules about fault and timing, these cases deserve careful handling from the very beginning.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle wreck in New Hanover County, talk to someone who lives and works here and knows how these cases unfold in our local courts. You do not have to fight the insurance company alone. Having experienced legal guidance can make a difference in whether you are treated fairly and whether you receive the compensation you deserve. Call the Law Office of Bradley Coxe now to schedule a free consultation.