Orange Park - Jacksonville - Clay, Duval & St. Johns County
North Florida Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Hurt in a car, truck, or motorcycle crash? Go to the page that matches your situation:
Riders face two opponents after a crash: the driver who did not see them, and an insurance industry that starts from "the biker was probably reckless." Attorney Jeff Soud has spent more than 30 years making both of them take North Florida riders seriously.
- Free consultation - no fee unless we win your case
- Florida PIP generally does not cover motorcycles - your case works differently
- We push back on the anti-rider bias adjusters count on
Call (904) 353-9000 or text the SMART Line™ at (904) 639-5308 anytime.
Free consultation · No fee unless we win
From Attorney Jeff Soud
The bias against riders is real, and it has a price tag
"I never saw the motorcycle" is the most common sentence in these cases. Left-turning drivers, lane changers, and distracted commuters cause most serious motorcycle crashes. Yet adjusters, and sometimes juries, start from the assumption that the rider must have been speeding or weaving. That assumption lowers offers unless someone dismantles it with evidence.
We build rider cases to defeat the stereotype. Witness accounts, camera footage, crash reconstruction, and your riding history all matter. The difference between "biker crashed" and "commuter turned left across a lawful rider's path" is the difference in what your case is worth.
Comparative fault is the insurer's favorite lever. Florida reduces your recovery by your share of fault, and you generally cannot recover if you are found more than 50 percent at fault. Adjusters know this, which is why they work to shift blame onto the rider. Do not accept their fault assessment without a fight.
The insurance surprise: PIP does not cover your motorcycle
Florida's no-fault PIP system generally excludes motorcycles. Car occupants get $10,000 of personal injury protection regardless of fault. Riders generally do not. That changes where your medical bills go and makes the at-fault driver's coverage, and your own uninsured motorist coverage, far more important.
Your UM coverage may be the most important policy you own. Florida does not require drivers to carry bodily injury coverage, and too many of them carry none. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy protects you when the driver who hit you cannot. If you ride, this coverage matters even more.
Helmet and gear arguments get used against riders too. Florida allows riders over 21 to ride without a helmet if they carry certain medical coverage. Whatever your choice was, expect the insurer to try to use it. We deal with those arguments with facts, not apologies.
Motorcycle accident questions, answered
Does Florida PIP cover motorcycle riders?
Generally no. Florida's $10,000 no-fault PIP benefit applies to occupants of cars, not motorcycles. That makes the at-fault driver's bodily injury coverage and your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage the key sources of recovery in most rider cases.
I was not wearing a helmet. Do I still have a case?
Often yes. Florida law allows riders over 21 to ride without a helmet if they carry qualifying medical coverage. The insurer may argue about it, and the facts of your injuries matter, but riding without a helmet does not automatically end your claim. Get a straight assessment before you assume anything.
The driver says I came out of nowhere. What now?
"I never saw the motorcycle" usually means the driver failed to look. Cameras, witnesses, crash reconstruction, and vehicle damage patterns can prove what actually happened. That evidence fades quickly, so the sooner we start, the stronger your case.
What is my motorcycle accident case worth?
It depends on your injuries, your treatment, the available coverage, and how clearly fault can be proven. Rider injuries are often severe, which raises the stakes. Anyone quoting a number before understanding those facts is guessing. We evaluate honestly at a free consultation.
What does a motorcycle accident lawyer cost?
The consultation is free and we work on a contingency fee. You pay no fee unless we win your case.
Make them see you now, even if the driver did not.
Camera footage, witnesses, and scene evidence are what defeat the anti-rider script, and they fade fast. The consultation is free, and you will get a straight assessment of your case.
Office: (904) 353-9000