Personal injury solicitors for clients throughout England & Wales
England & Wales
If you were injured while riding a motorcycle or scooter in an accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and the losses that follow. Injury Law Specialists is a personal injury law firm acting for riders throughout England and Wales, and our solicitors can assess your circumstances and explain whether you have grounds to claim.
Riders are among the most vulnerable road users, and injuries are frequently serious. We have a particular interest in motorcycle claims involving multiple injuries, surgery or lasting effects, and we take on straightforward claims just as readily.
Yes. A rider injured in a collision caused by another road user can usually claim compensation for their injuries and financial losses, provided the other driver was at fault or shared responsibility. Riders have very little protection in a collision, and the law expects other road users to take proper account of them. Injury Law Specialists offers riders a free claim assessment so the position can be looked at before you commit to anything.
Motorcycle claims have a particular characteristic that is worth understanding early. Because a rider is thrown clear rather than restrained, injuries are often spread across different parts of the body rather than concentrated in one area. A single accident can produce fractures, soft tissue damage to a shoulder or knee, and a head injury, all of which need separate medical assessment and separate valuation.
There is also a common misconception to deal with. Riders sometimes assume that because motorcycling carries its own risks, a claim will be resisted on that basis. That is not how the law works. Nobody consents to being knocked off a bike by a careless driver, and the fact that riding carries risk does not reduce what a rider is entitled to recover for someone else's negligence.
A small number of situations account for most rider claims. They differ in how fault is judged and in what evidence tends to decide the case.
The single most common cause of serious rider injury. A driver pulls out from a side road, driveway or junction into the rider's path, usually having looked but failed to register the motorcycle. These cases often turn on whether the rider was there to be seen, and at what point the driver should have seen them.
This covers the right turn across oncoming traffic and the driver who turns left across a rider filtering past. Speed and distance judgments matter a great deal, and evidence from the scene, including any skid marks and the final resting positions of the vehicles, is often decisive.
A rider struck from behind has usually done nothing wrong at all, and the driver behind is expected to maintain a safe distance and to be able to stop. These claims often involve neck and back injuries, and liability is frequently admitted once the insurer sees the evidence.
Filtering is legal in the United Kingdom, and it is a normal part of riding in traffic. Insurers nevertheless attempt to argue that filtering itself is careless, and that argument needs to be tested. What matters is whether the rider was filtering at a sensible speed with due care, and whether the other driver moved or turned without warning.
A door opened into a rider's path, or a vehicle passing far too close, can force a rider off course or off the bike altogether. The driver or passenger opening a door carries responsibility, and the Highway Code sets out what is expected of them. Camera footage is often crucial in these cases.
Where the driver failed to stop, a claim through the Motor Insurers' Bureau may still be possible. These claims have their own rules, and the requirement to report the incident to the police within a set period makes prompt action important.
Riders hear this constantly. It is worth understanding why it usually helps the rider's case rather than the driver's. Every driver owes a duty to look properly before emerging or turning, and that duty includes looking for road users who are smaller and easier to miss than a car.
If a rider was there to be seen, in reasonable conditions, with lights on and no obstruction, then a driver who failed to see them has fallen below the standard expected. That is carelessness, not an excuse.
The position is different where something genuinely prevented the driver from seeing the rider, such as a bend, a concealed entrance, dazzling sun or a vehicle obstructing the view. Where that happens, the question becomes what each party could reasonably have done, and responsibility may be shared. A solicitor can tell you which situation you are likely to be in once the evidence is in.
Suitable personal injury cases may be accepted under a Conditional Fee Agreement, commonly called a No Win, No Fee agreement. Acceptance depends on an assessment of liability, evidence, prospects of success and the funding arrangements available.
If the claim succeeds, a success fee may be payable. The amount and how it is calculated is explained before you decide whether to proceed, so there is no uncertainty about the position later.
How No Win, No Fee worksBecause a rider is thrown clear rather than held in place, injuries tend to be multiple and are often concentrated in the areas that take the first impact.
Head and brain injuries
Even with a good helmet, a rider can sustain concussion or more serious brain injury. We have a particular interest in these cases because the consequences can be long term.
Fractures and multiple fractures
Wrist, forearm, collarbone, pelvis and leg fractures are all common, frequently requiring surgical fixation and a period off work.
Limb and joint injuries
Knee, shoulder and ankle damage, including ligament injuries that can leave lasting instability even after the fracture has healed.
Soft tissue and nerve damage
Damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that may not show on a scan but can cause ongoing pain, weakness or altered sensation.
Spinal and back injuries
From soft tissue strain through to more serious vertebral damage, all of which need proper medical assessment and a considered prognosis.
Road rash, burns and scarring
Grazing and friction burns from sliding across a road surface, which can leave permanent scarring with both physical and psychological effects.
Compensation is usually split between the injury itself and the financial consequences of the accident. The two are assessed separately, and rider claims often involve significant losses beyond the injury.
Pain, suffering and effect on life
The injuries themselves, how severe they are, how long they last and how they affect work, sleep, mobility and day to day life.
Loss of earnings
Pay already lost through time off work, and future loss where the injuries affect what you are able to earn.
Treatment and rehabilitation
Surgery, physiotherapy, private treatment and rehabilitation where these are needed and evidenced.
Care and assistance
Help with household tasks, gardening, DIY or personal care that you could manage before but cannot now.
Motorcycle and kit losses
Damage to the bike itself, the helmet and protective clothing, and any losses arising from being unable to ride while recovering.
Future expense
Aids, equipment, adaptions and other costs likely to arise in future, where they can be properly supported.
Rider claims often involve an argument about how the collision happened, along with more than one injury to value. That combination is where a solicitor earns their place.
Establishes who was at fault
Your solicitor reconstructs the collision, gathers the scene, camera and witness evidence, and builds the case on responsibility, including where the other side denies it.
Obtains the medical evidence
Independent medical experts are instructed to examine you and report on each injury, its severity, your prognosis and any treatment still needed.
Quantifies the losses
Earnings, treatment, care, travel, bike and kit losses and future costs are calculated and supported with evidence, so nothing recoverable is left out.
Deals with the insurer
Correspondence, negotiations and any arguments about liability, protective clothing or the level of compensation are handled for you.
Pursues the claim if needed
If a fair settlement cannot be agreed, court proceedings can be issued. Most claims settle long before a hearing, but the option is there when it is needed.
Keeps you informed
You should know where your claim stands at each significant stage. We aim to keep clients updated by whichever method of contact suits them.
If you would like to understand the process in more detail, our page on how our solicitors help sets out each stage from first enquiry to resolution.
Yes. A rider injured in a collision caused by another road user can usually claim compensation for their injuries and financial losses, provided the other driver was at fault or shared responsibility. Riders are among the most vulnerable road users, and the law accounts for that. What matters is showing how the collision happened and what injury and loss it caused.
That is one of the most common responses, and it does not help the driver's position in the way they might expect. A driver is expected to look properly and to take account of motorcyclists, who are smaller and harder to see than cars. If a driver failed to see a rider who was there to be seen, that is generally evidence of careless driving rather than a defence.
Filtering is legal in the United Kingdom, and a rider who filters sensibly is not doing anything wrong. Insurers sometimes argue that filtering itself amounts to carelessness, which is an argument to be tested rather than accepted. Speed, positioning and the movement of the other vehicle all matter, and the evidence usually decides the point.
A claim may still be possible through the Motor Insurers' Bureau, which exists to compensate victims of untraced and uninsured drivers. These claims operate under their own rules. For untraced driver cases there is a requirement to report the incident to the police within a set period, so prompt advice genuinely matters.
It can, but not in the straightforward way people fear. If a lack of protective clothing or an unhelmeted ride made an injury worse than it would otherwise have been, the other side may argue for a reduction in compensation for that specific injury. The reduction applies to the harm the protection would have prevented, not to the claim as a whole.
This is a serious point that needs careful handling, so it is worth raising openly with your solicitor rather than leaving it unspoken. Technical offences such as an expired MOT or minor licence issues do not automatically prevent a claim, but they can affect the arguments about shared responsibility and, in some cases, whether the claim is insured. A solicitor needs to know the full picture early.
Compensation usually has two parts. The first covers the injury itself, including pain, suffering and the effect on your daily life. The second covers the financial losses the accident caused, such as lost earnings, treatment and rehabilitation, care and assistance, travel and, in serious cases, future losses where they can be evidenced.
For most personal injury claims in England and Wales, the limitation period is three years from the date of the accident, or from your later date of knowledge where that applies. Exceptions exist, including for children and for people who lack mental capacity to manage their own affairs. Early advice is always sensible.
Injury Law Specialists is a marketing and advertising platform and is not a law firm or a provider of regulated legal services. All personal injury legal advice, legal services, casework, representation, legal support, and any free initial assessment or consultation promoted or arranged through Injury Law Specialists are provided by MB Solicitors, a trading name of MB Legal Solicitors Ltd.
MB Legal Solicitors Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales under Company Number 12281731. The firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) under SRA ID 8000764 and is a member of The Law Society. Injury Law Specialists does not itself provide legal advice or carry out reserved legal activities. Any solicitor-client relationship arising from an enquiry will be directly between the client and MB Legal Solicitors Ltd.
Read our Regulatory InformationTell us what happened and a member of our team can review your circumstances and explain the possible next steps. The assessment is free, there is no obligation to instruct us, and you will be speaking to someone who deals with these claims regularly.
