Motorcyclists must comply with all relevant road rules and laws in Indiana, including motorcycle insurance minimums.
Carrying proper insurance can protect you in the event of a devastating accident. If you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle accident because of someone else’s actions, you may be entitled to recover compensation.
Call Sevenish Law Firm if you need an experienced motorcycle accident attorney to be committed to your side. We can help navigate the insurance process after a major motorcycle wreck, or offer help understanding your insurance coverage.
Does Indiana Require Motorcycle Insurance?
Motorcycle insurance requirements in Indiana align with the rules for other types of vehicle insurance in the state.
Motorcyclists must have a policy that covers injuries or damage they cause if they’re at fault for an accident. The coverage limits for Indiana motorcycle insurance are as follows:
- $25,000 minimum in property damage per accident coverage
- $50,000 in complete bodily injury per accident coverage
- $25,000 in bodily injury per person coverage
You can also get higher coverage limits. Plenty of motorcyclists also choose to invest in uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage and other protections in the event they’re involved in an accident with someone who does not have appropriate insurance protection.
What Motorcycle Insurance Options Exist?
Beyond the minimum requirements for motorcycle insurance in Indiana, riders have the option to invest in additional protection.
If you purchase a policy that comes with physical damage coverage, for example, your insurance policy is agreeing to return your bike to the condition it was in at the time of the accident. You’ll need to read the fine print of your policy to verify if the insurance company will use original equipment manufacturer parts for any repairs or custom parts for repairs. You can also opt for accessories coverage that can pay for damages to accessories like customizations.
Some of these protections may come bundled in with collision and comprehensive insurance.
Liability coverage is the only minimum required to meet Indiana’s motorcycle insurance requirements, but opting for collision and comprehensive coverage can more effectively protect you in the event of an accident.
Comprehensive coverage typically covers repairs needed due to problems with unpredictable events like vandalism, natural disasters, collisions with animals, and more.
Collision coverage pays for damages caused by any other related vehicle accident, but may exclude hitting animals.
In some cases, your collision coverage may also pay to repair your motorcycle if you caused the accident and even if no other vehicles were involved in the crash. You’ll want to check the requirements for motorcycle insurance coverage with a lender providing you financing for your motorcycle since many of them require both collision and comprehensive coverage.
It’s a very good idea to get uninsured and underinsured motorist add-ons. This coverage can help protect you when another motorist causes an accident but does not have the right insurance protection or any insurance protection to cover the injuries they caused.
This additional coverage can pay for the gap up to your coverage limits. This is a popular optional coverage for motorcyclists because of the potential for severe and devastating injuries.
Whose Insurance Pays for a Motorcycle Accident?
All motor vehicle drivers, including motorcyclists, have a duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid hurting other people on the road. An at-fault party can be held liable if a motor vehicle driver or motorcyclist breaches this duty and causes an accident.
You may file an insurance claim with your own insurance carrier, but your injuries may be so substantial that you may need to file a claim with the other insurance company.
Negotiating with the insurance carrier may be one of the hardest aspects of recovery from an accident, especially if the carrier delays, minimizes, or denies your claim.
What Kinds of Damages are Available in a Motorcycle Accident Case?
In Indiana, compensatory damages help to award you money to assist you with moving on with your life after you have suffered serious injuries in an accident. These include economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages refer to things like lost income, medical expenses, and property damage and non-economic damages refer to things like emotional distress and pain and suffering.
Are there any other motorcycle laws in Indiana that riders should know?
In addition to verifying the right amount of insurance on your bike, there are other laws to follow in Indiana related to motorcycles.
Riders should know that:
- All passengers and motorcycle riders under the age of 18 must wear a motorcycle helmet
- Headlamps are required at all times when a motorcycle is in operation
- Passengers can only ride on regular and firmly attached seats made for passenger use only on class A motorcycles
- Lane splitting such as when a motorcyclist rides between two lanes is prohibited by IC § 9-21-10-6
Showing that you’ve done everything to protect yourself on the road is important, but it won’t always prevent you from suffering devastating injuries in a wreck.
Let our Indianapolis Motorcycle Accident Attorney Help You File an Insurance Claim
Even when you carry the right insurance, you face the possibility of costly damages and medical bills after a motorcycle accident. Lost wages and other expenses can cause unnecessary stress as you try to recover from your injuries.
If someone else caused your motorcycle accident, talk to an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer in Indiana today at Sevenish Law Firm about filing suit.
You need a determined and knowledgeable legal professional on your side, and Randall Sevenish has your back to fight for an injured motorcycle rider like you. Contact Sevenish Law Firm today for a case evaluation.
