Motorbike accident caused by a drunk driver

If you’re the injured victim of a motorbike accident that has been caused by a drunk driver, you’re not alone; especially over the Christmas period.

Sadly, at this time of the year, there are still some road users out there who are prepared to drive when they’re over the legal limit for alcohol. The law is clear in terms of this being illegal, and the punishments are also clear as well. Despite this, many who engage in such behaviour feel like they can get away with it, and in some cases they do.

In other cases, they crash and cause an accident. If you’re ever injured as a rider and the other road user that has caused the accident as under the influence behind the wheel, know your rights!

Can you claim from an accident caused by a drunk driver?

If you’re an injured motorcyclist and the accident was caused by a drunk driver, you can be eligible to make a claim for compensation.

Many people are worried that the driver’s insurance won’t cover them when the driver is under the influence of alcohol. Although many insurance policies do state there are exclusions in there for driving whilst under the influence, it’s rare that insurers refuse cover. We usually find that we can successfully pursue a case in any event.

Of course, whether you can claim or not still hinges on who’s to blame for the accident. That being said, if there’s any dispute, and the driver is found to be under the influence at the scene of the accident, their defence is probably not going to hold up.

What about stolen cars or uninsured cases?

There can of course be accidents caused by a drunk driver when vehicles are borrowed or stolen. In these kinds of cases, insurers may refuse to cover whoever was behind the wheel.

But if this happens, there’s no need to panic right away.

Victims of uninsured vehicles can still make a successful claim for personal injury compensation, and you should still be able to receive your full pay-out. When we pay for insurance policies, a small part of the money we pay funds an organisation called the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). They deal with uninsured accident claims so you can still recover damages for injuries, losses, expenses and bike damages in the same way you do with the usual cases.

If the driver fled the scene of the accident, make sure you lodge this formally with the police as soon as you can. You may also be able to place a claim with the MIB for untraced driver accidents as well.

Contacting us for advice

If you’re an injured motorbike rider that has been in an accident caused by a drunk driver, or in any other circumstances, you can speak to our team today for help and advice today.

Our initial advice is available on a free and no-obligation basis. We’re open 9am to 10pm on most weekdays, and 9am to 5pm on most weekends.

Over the festive period, we’ll close at 5pm on Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve, and we’ll be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

We can offer No Win, No Fee representation for cases that we agree to take forward and that meet our eligibility criteria too.