Hyannis Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Picturesque shoreline routes and summer tourism give Hyannis an outsized share of motorcycle traffic, and, unfortunately, motorcycle crashes. MassDOT’s IMPACT crash‐data portal recorded 71 rider fatalities statewide in 2024, a 22 % jump from the previous year. Several of those deaths occurred in Barnstable County, including a two-vehicle collision in Falmouth on June 5, 2025, that claimed a 65-year-old motorcyclist’s life. Heavy seasonal congestion on Route 28, the Mid-Cape Highway, and Iyannough Road increases the chance of left-turn crashes, rear-end impacts in stop-and-go traffic, and loss-of-control incidents on sandy shoulders.

• No protective cage: Riders absorb the full force of impact, so injuries are often catastrophic.
• Bias in police reports and insurance reviews: Operators are frequently and unfairly presumed at fault.
• Absent Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Unlike motorists, injured bikers cannot tap PIP benefits for medical bills, creating immediate financial pressure.
• Complex mechanics: Low-side and high-side dynamics, skid analysis, and helmet-impact modeling often require accident-reconstruction experts.

These factors make early evidence preservation, rapid investigation, and aggressive advocacy critical.

• Tourist surges from May through October create unfamiliar drivers executing sudden turns into beach lots and rental homes.
• Route 132 retail corridor funnels stop-and-go traffic, heightening rear-end and sideswipe risks.
• Two-lane coastal roads such as Old Kings Highway tempt motorists to unsafe passes, a prime cause of head-on motorcycle collisions.
• Wildlife crossings in West Barnstable and Sandwich add nighttime hazards.

Understanding local road geometry, signal timing, and typical traffic density allows Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers to tailor an investigative plan that resonates with jurors in Barnstable Superior Court.

All operators and passengers, sidecars included, must wear DOT-compliant helmets. Riders on motorcycles lacking a windshield must also use goggles or a face shield. Failure to comply can reduce, but rarely eliminate, recoverable damages if a head or neck injury is involved.

Motorcyclists must carry the same compulsory liability limits as automobile drivers, yet insurers may lawfully exclude PIP coverage for operators and guests. MedPay and health insurance often become the first line of economic recovery.

Under M.G.L. c. 89 § 4A, riding between rows of traffic, “lane splitting” is illegal. Two motorcycles may share a single lane, but passing any other vehicle within the lane is prohibited.

Injured riders have three years from the date of the crash to file suit. M.G.L. c. 260 § 2A.

A plaintiff’s recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault and barred entirely if they are more than 50 % responsible. M.G.L. c. 231 § 85.

1. Call 911 and request both EMS and police; accurate documentation begins at the scene.
2. Accept medical transport even for seemingly minor injuries; adrenaline masks trauma.
3. Use your phone (or ask a bystander) to photograph vehicle positions, skid marks, debris fields, weather conditions, and commercial surveillance cameras.
4. Collect contact data for witnesses, investigating officers, and involved drivers.
5. Decline insurance interviews until you have legal counsel.
6. Preserve your gear (helmet, jacket, gloves); impact marks and fabric tears become critical biomechanical evidence.

Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers collaborates with:

• Accident-reconstruction engineers who map yaw marks, scrape patterns, and vehicle crush to model speed and angle of impact.
• Human-factors specialists to explain perception-reaction time in left-turn cases.
• Biomechanical physicians to correlate helmet strikes with traumatic brain injury.
• Economists and vocational specialists who calculate lifetime earnings loss for self-employed fishermen, tradespeople, and hospitality workers common to Cape Cod.

Early scene scans, EDR downloads from involved automobiles, and subpoenas for dash-cam or security footage often spell the difference between policy-limit settlements and denied claims.

• Medical expenses: past, present, and future, rehabilitation, prosthetics, counseling.
• Lost income and diminished earning capacity.
• Pain and suffering: physical, emotional, and loss of life’s pleasures.
• Property damage: motorcycle repair or replacement, custom equipment, riding apparel.
• Wrongful-death damages: funeral costs, loss of consortium, and loss of reasonably expected net income for surviving dependents.

Punitive damages are generally unavailable in negligence cases under Massachusetts law, but reckless or grossly negligent conduct, such as DUI, may open alternative avenues, including claims under M.G.L. c. 229 § 2.

Potholes near the rotary at West Main Street and poorly marked steel-deck drawbridges in Bourne have caused serious rider injuries. Claims against the Town of Barnstable or the Massachusetts Department of Transportation require written notice within 30 days for highway defects (M.G.L. c. 84 § 18) and strict adherence to the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act. Timely legal intervention preserves these valuable but time-sensitive rights.

No. The insurer may argue comparative negligence for head or neck injuries, but you can still recover damages unless your overall fault exceeds 50 %.

Yes. Massachusetts long-arm jurisdiction and mandatory insurance reciprocity usually apply, and your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may fill any gaps.

Straightforward liability claims often settle within nine to twelve months once medical treatment stabilizes. Disputed-fault or severe-injury cases that require litigation can extend eighteen to thirty months, though strategic use of mediation frequently accelerates resolution.

• Depth of Experience – Decades representing motorcycle crash victims across Massachusetts, with numerous six- and seven-figure results.
• Cape Cod Insight – Familiarity with Barnstable District Court, local police practices, and Cape Cod Hospital trauma protocols streamlines discovery and expert scheduling.
• Resources to Match Insurers – Access to premier reconstructionists, life-care planners, and focus-group testing ensures every case is presentation-ready for a Barnstable County jury.
• Client-Centered Approach – No fee unless we secure compensation, 24/7 case status access, and attorneys who ride and understand the culture.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle crash anywhere on Cape Cod, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers at (617) 777-7777 or use our secure online form. The consultation is free, the advice is tailored to your situation, and there is no attorney fee unless we win.