Motorcycle Accident Claims in Ohio

Riders under 18, and riders holding a novice motorcycle license or endorsement, must wear a U.S. DOT-approved helmet, and any passenger of such a rider must also wear one; riders on a temporary instruction permit must wear a helmet. All motorcycle operators and passengers must use safety glasses or other eye protection (enclosed autocycles excepted). Adults with a regular endorsement are not required to wear a helmet. The statute says this helmet and eye-protection rule, or a violation of it, may not be used in the trial of any civil action.

No Ohio statute read names lane splitting or lane filtering. The general lane rule requires every vehicle on a roadway with marked lanes (or, in cities, where traffic moves in two or more continuous lines) to be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane or line of traffic and not moved from it until the driver has made sure the move is safe. Motorcycles may ride no more than two abreast in a single lane.

Modified comparative fault (51% bar). An injured person can recover as long as their own fault was not greater than the combined fault of all other persons; damages are reduced by the injured person's percentage of fault. A person found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.

Ohio requires proof of financial responsibility of at least $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Ohio is not a no-fault state: the Department of Insurance describes liability coverage as paying when you are at fault, and medical payments coverage, which pays regardless of fault, is optional.

An action for bodily injury must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, which is generally when the injury occurs. For injuries from exposure to certain substances (such as hazardous chemicals, prescription drugs or medical devices, or asbestos), the clock starts when the person learns, or reasonably should have learned, that the injury is related to the exposure.