Motorcycle accident
Motorcycle Accident Attorneys in Anchorage, Alaska
The firms in this guide
1. Pentlarge Law Group, LLC
Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, product liability, catastrophic injuries
Case Types Handled: Motorcycle collisions, motorcycle vs. car accidents, motorcycle vs. truck accidents, fatal motorcycle accidents, hit-and-run accidents, drunk driving accidents, distracted driving accidents, intersection crashes, wrongful death claims, traumatic brain injury cases, road rash injuries
Legal Services: Negligence investigation, liability determination, insurance claim negotiation, settlement negotiations, trial representation, accident reconstruction, expert witness coordination, medical record review, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death litigation, comparative negligence analysis under Alaska law
Background: Pentlarge Law Group, LLC is an Anchorage-based law firm with over 75 years of combined professional experience handling personal injury cases throughout Alaska. The firm handles motorcycle and bicycle accident cases and understands the unique dangers Alaskan motorcyclists face on the road. The attorneys recognize that motorcycle riders are at a significant disadvantage due to size and exposure compared to other vehicles.
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Contact: Contact via website | https://www.pentlargelaw.com
Consultation: Free initial consultation offered. Contingency fee basis.
2. Law Office of Jason Skala, LLC
Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, personal injury, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries
Case Types Handled: Motorcycle collisions, motorcycle vs. car accidents, motorcycle vs. truck accidents, fatal motorcycle accidents, intersection crashes, rear-end collisions, wrongful death claims, traumatic brain injury cases, spinal cord injury cases
Legal Services: Negligence investigation, liability analysis, insurance claim negotiation, settlement negotiations, trial representation, expert witness coordination, medical record analysis, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death litigation, comparative fault analysis under Alaska law
Background: Attorney Jason Skala has more than two decades of experience handling personal injury and motorcycle accident cases. He serves clients in Anchorage and other areas of Alaska, including Bethel, Kotzebue, and Barrow (Utqiagvik). Mr. Skala is known as a tough negotiator and handles insurance adjusters on behalf of clients. He understands Alaska’s pure comparative negligence rules and works to minimize any fault attribution to clients.
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Contact: Contact via website | https://www.907attorney.com
Consultation: Free consultation offered. Contingency fee basis.
3. Banker Law Group, P.C.
Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, maritime law, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injuries, wrongful death
Case Types Handled: Motorcycle collisions, motorcycle vs. car accidents, fatal motorcycle accidents, intersection crashes, hit-and-run accidents, distracted driving accidents, drunk driving accidents, wrongful death claims, traumatic brain injury cases, spinal cord injury cases
Legal Services: Negligence investigation, insurance claim filing and negotiation, settlement negotiations, trial representation, medical record analysis, expert witness coordination, lost wage calculation, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death litigation
Background: Attorney Anthony N. Banker is the lead attorney at Banker Law Group, P.C., with 20 years of legal experience. He has handled thousands of injury cases and achieved numerous successful settlements and jury verdicts. Mr. Banker previously worked in insurance defense, which gives him insight into how insurance companies evaluate and handle claims. The firm understands Alaska’s two-year statute of limitations and works to ensure claims are filed properly and on time.
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Contact: (907) 222-2999 | https://www.bankerlaw.com
Consultation: Free consultation offered. Contingency fee basis.
4. Alaska Accident and Injury Law Center (Sean Brown)
Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, personal injury, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries
Case Types Handled: Motorcycle collisions, motorcycle vs. car accidents, motorcycle vs. truck accidents, fatal motorcycle accidents, hit-and-run accidents, distracted driving accidents, failure to yield accidents, wrongful death claims, traumatic brain injury cases, spinal cord injury cases, road rash injuries
Legal Services: Negligence investigation, liability determination, insurance claim negotiation, settlement negotiations, trial representation, medical record review, expert witness coordination, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death litigation, comparative negligence analysis
Background: Attorney Sean Brown has represented dozens of individuals whose lives have been permanently or temporarily changed due to motorcycle accidents. The firm handles insurance companies and other parties to claims and works diligently to resolve cases efficiently. The attorneys understand Alaska’s pure comparative negligence rule and work to maximize compensation for clients even when partial fault may be attributed.
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Contact: Contact via website | https://browninjurylawfirm.com
Consultation: Free consultation offered. Contingency fee basis.
5. Farnsworth & Vance
Practice Focus: Motorcycle accidents, car accidents, personal injury, wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, pedestrian accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents
Case Types Handled: Motorcycle collisions, motorcycle vs. car accidents, fatal motorcycle accidents, intersection crashes, rear-end collisions, hit-and-run accidents, wrongful death claims, traumatic brain injury cases, spinal cord injury cases
Legal Services: Negligence investigation, liability determination, insurance claim negotiation, settlement negotiations, trial representation, accident reconstruction, expert witness coordination, medical record analysis, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death litigation, comparative fault analysis
Background: Farnsworth & Vance represents injured motorcyclists and families of those killed in collisions with other motorists throughout Alaska. The firm understands the unique concerns of injured motorcyclists and works to secure maximum compensation to help clients move forward without immense financial burdens. The attorneys understand Alaska’s comparative fault rules and work to pursue compensation even when clients may be found partially liable.
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Contact: (907) 416-9071 | https://www.injuryak.com
Consultation: Free no-obligation consultation offered. Contingency fee basis.
Alaska Helmet, Coverage and Fault Rules for Anchorage Motorcycle Claims
An Anchorage rider’s claim turns on three Alaska rules: who has to wear a helmet, what every liability policy must cover, and how fault and pain and suffering damages are calculated.
Who Must Wear a Helmet
The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles lists four groups who must wear a helmet: anyone under 18 operating a motorcycle, all motorcycle passengers, anyone with a motorcycle instruction permit and anyone taking a motorcycle road test. An operator who is 18 or older, fully licensed and not on a road test is not in any of those groups.
Liability and Uninsured Motorist Coverage
AS 28.22.101 requires a motor vehicle liability policy to carry at least $50,000 for bodily injury to one person, $100,000 for two or more people and $25,000 for property damage in one accident, plus uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in the same amounts. AS 28.22.201(a) allows the insured to reject that uninsured and underinsured coverage in writing, so whether a rider has it depends on the policy paperwork.
Fault, Damages Limits and the Deadline
Under AS 09.17.060, a rider’s own contributory fault reduces compensatory damages proportionately but does not bar recovery. For example, imagine a rider with $90,000 in damages who is assigned 40 percent of the fault: the award would be $54,000. AS 09.17.010 caps noneconomic damages at the greater of $400,000 or life expectancy in years times $8,000, or, for severe permanent physical impairment or severe disfigurement, the greater of $1,000,000 or life expectancy times $25,000. AS 09.10.070(a) requires an action for personal injury or death to be commenced within two years of accrual, except as otherwise provided by law.
Anchorage Motorcycle Accident Questions
Does a passenger have to wear a helmet in Alaska?
Yes. The Division of Motor Vehicles includes all motorcycle passengers among those who must wear a helmet, without an age limit.
Can riding without a helmet stop me from recovering?
No, not by itself. Alaska’s comparative fault statute, AS 09.17.060, reduces an award by the injured person’s contributory fault and states that such fault does not bar recovery. Ask counsel whether Alaska courts would count riding without a helmet toward that fault in your case.
When does my uninsured motorist coverage start to pay?
AS 28.22.201(a)(1) provides that uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage does not apply until the limits of the liability bonds and policies that apply have been used up by payments, judgments or settlements, and subsection (a)(2) requires it to be a single combined coverage.
Are separate injuries from one crash capped separately?
No. Under AS 09.17.010(d), multiple injuries sustained by one person in a single incident are treated as a single injury for the noneconomic damages limit.