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Motorcycle accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and often result in serious injuries, high medical bills, emotional distress, and more. At BANA LAW, our motorcycle accident lawyers in Los Angeles have over 100 years of combined legal experience helping clients recover financial compensation.
We understand the unique challenges that injured motorcycle riders face and are dedicated to investigating every detail of your case to ensure your rights are fully protected.
Whether it’s negotiating with insurance companies or representing you in court, our team of Los Angeles injury lawyers is committed to providing knowledgeable, aggressive, and compassionate legal representation for every client.
Any vehicle accident comes with the risk of serious injury. Motorcycle collisions, however, are particularly hazardous because little or nothing is protecting you as a rider from an oncoming vehicle or in the event you are thrown from the bike.
Some of the injuries most frequently sustained in motorcycle accidents include:
These and other injuries (like road rash injuries) often at first seem less severe than they actually are, sometimes because you may be in a state of shock. They can, however, have significant long-term consequences, which include requiring extensive medical treatment and medical attention.
Make sure to seek medical care immediately, and after that, call a Los Angeles motorcycle crash lawyer who can offer high-quality legal representation and help advise you on the types of long-term damages you should seek.
Motorcycle crashes in Los Angeles can happen in an instant and often result in serious injuries due to the lack of protection motorcycles provide. Understanding the common causes of these accidents can help riders stay vigilant and aware on the road.
At BANA LAW, we assist clients injured in motorcycle accidents by investigating the circumstances and holding responsible parties accountable.
Common causes of motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles include:
Our legal team knows how to analyze the duty of care as it pertains to motorcycle accidents to help our clients receive fair compensation for their injuries.
If you are injured in a motorcycle or other accident, you have the legal right to seek compensation for your injuries and any property damage. The extent of the monetary damages to which you may be entitled varies based on the circumstances of the accident. That's why you need a Los Angeles motorcycle crash attorney.
In California, if you are injured in a motorcycle collision, you can seek compensation for medical expenses directly related to those injuries as well as the expected cost of future medical treatment.
You can also recoup money for any missed wages as a result of time away from work resulting from the injuries. That's not to mention any decrease in your future earning capacity that is related to the injuries.
Your loved ones may also have the right to seek certain non-economic damages. That includes pain and suffering, “loss of consortium,” or the loss of companionship, moral support, and intimacy stemming from the injuries.
To successfully recover money damages, you may have to prove that the person or entity responsible for the crash was negligent. A personal injury attorney can explain this further, but this legal term refers to a person who fails to live up to what courts call a “duty of care.”
California law, for example, imposes specific responsibilities on car and motorcycle riders. They are generally required to operate their vehicles in a reasonably safe manner and refrain from dangerous behavior behind the wheel.
That means obeying relevant traffic laws and signs, maintaining appropriate speeds, and properly signaling turns and lane changes, among other safe driving techniques. It also means refraining from drinking and driving or texting behind the wheel and avoiding distractions that can take a person's attention off the road.
California's comparative negligence system allows you to generally seek money damages if you are injured in a motorcycle or other accident, even if you are partly to blame for the crash.
In other words, if you are found to be 15% responsible for the collision, you can still recover 85% of the money damages that you incur. Proportionate fault is typically determined by a judge, jury, or arbitrator.
Your motorcycle accident lawyer in Los Angeles will be sure to collect as much evidence to limit motorcycle rider liability as possible in order to recover the most compensation available.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, it is vital that you seek the counsel of an experienced motorcycle accident attorney.
At BANA LAW, our motorcycle accident lawyers in Los Angeles know how insurance companies often approach these situations and what judges and juries regularly look for in these cases. We have had significant success in the courtroom and at the negotiating table for the people that we represent.
We take the hassle out of haggling with insurance companies by working directly with them on your behalf. Our personal injury lawyers understand the strategies that these companies often use to try to limit payouts. We have successfully resolved insurance disputes for many clients.
Insurance companies often push low-ball settlement offers in the aftermath of a crash by using pressure tactics on accident victims who may not be fully aware of their legal rights. A seasoned personal injury attorney can help get you the best possible deal and preserve your right to go to court if needed.
Even when you know exactly what happened, proving your legal rights after a motorcycle accident can still be extremely challenging. There are several critical steps involved in the process, and you need to be able to face the claims process effectively to recover the full compensation you deserve.
Here is an overview of the steps a motorcycle accident lawyer will take to recover just compensation on your behalf:
To prove that you are entitled to financial compensation, your lawyer will need to investigate the cause of the accident. In addition to sending an investigator to the scene to take photos and collect any other evidence that may still be available, this may involve various other investigative efforts.
For example, your attorney may need to subpoena the negligent driver's phone records, traffic camera footage, or surveillance footage from a nearby home or business. At this stage, the goal is to uncover all of the evidence available to prove your claim for economic and non-economic damages.
In addition to proving that you are entitled to compensation, your motorcycle accident lawyer in Los Angeles will also need to prove how much compensation you are entitled to receive. This involves calculating your financial and non-financial losses.
Your financial losses include costs such as medical bills, prescription costs, rehabilitation expenses, repair (or replacement) costs for your motorcycle, and other property damage. They also include your lost income and benefits.
Your non-financial losses include your pain and suffering, emotional stress and trauma, permanent scarring and disfigurement, loss of companionship and consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
With knowledge of who is liable for your losses and how much you are entitled to recover, your lawyer can now file all available insurance claims on your behalf.
In addition to a claim under the driver's auto insurance policy (if you were hit or run off the road), this could also potentially include claims based on product liability.
For example, if your motorcycle's brakes failed or you suffered a head injury and your helmet was not up to DOT standards, then you may have a claim against your motorcycle or helmet manufacturer. Depending on the circumstances involved, you may have other claims as well.
Most motorcycle crash claims are resolved through pre-trial settlement negotiations. If an insurance company makes an offer to settle your claim, your lawyer will evaluate the offer to determine whether it represents just compensation for your motorcycle accident injuries.
Your Los Angeles personal injury attorney will then review the offer with you and explain your options in detail, and then it will be up to you to decide whether to settle or keep fighting for more.
If you are not satisfied with any settlement offer you receive, then your lawyer will need to take your case to trial in the California courts.
At trial, your motorcycle accident lawyer will present evidence of liability and economic and non-economic damages, the insurance companies will present their evidence, and then the jury will decide how much you are entitled to recover for your financial and non-financial losses.
It should be noted that, in California, motorcyclists may also be lured into dangerous situations on the roadways by virtue of the lane splitting laws in the state.
Lane splitting is legal in California, but that does not necessarily mean that doing so is the best decision under any given circumstance. If you lane split when doing so would expose you to a heightened risk of harm, then you could be found negligent.
Contributory negligence in California will reduce your overall damage recovery, which, as noted above, could have far-reaching implications for your ability to cover all your losses in the event of a catastrophic injury.
After a motorcycle accident, the most important thing you need to do is to see a doctor for diagnosis and medical treatment. Not only is this important for recovering from your injuries, but it is also important for preserving your ability to recover just compensation for medical bills and lost income.
If you wait too long to seek treatment, the insurance companies may try to deny coverage on the basis that your medical records don't prove that your injuries are accident-related. The next steps are to contact a Los Angeles motorcycle crash attorney and preserve all evidence, including the clothing worn, helmet, and bike.
Yes, if you are serious about recovering your losses, you need to hire an experienced motorcycle accident attorney. There is simply too much at stake – and too much that can go wrong – for you to try to handle your motorcycle crash claim on your own.
From proving liability to calculating just compensation for your pain and suffering, an experienced attorney will be able to help with all aspects of your motorcycle accident claim.
If you don't hire a motorcycle attorney, the insurance companies will do everything in their power to settle your case for as little money as possible.
Yes, as of August 16, 2016, lane splitting and lane sharing became legal in California. Lane splitting is legal in certain circumstances under California law (i.e., in stop-and-go traffic on the freeway). The California Highway Patrol sets out guidelines for motorcyclists and motorists as they pertain to lane splitting.
Even if you were illegally lane splitting, this does not necessarily mean that you will be unable to recover your losses. Before you make any decisions about whether to file an insurance claim, you should discuss your legal rights with an experienced attorney.
Yes, even if you were not wearing a helmet or full riding gear, you may still be entitled to just compensation for your accident-related losses. This includes all financial and non-financial losses you incur as a result of your injuries.
While the insurance companies may try to use this against you, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney will be able to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
If the insurance companies try to blame you for your own injuries, you should not accept this as a just resolution of your claim. Blaming the victim is a common insurance defense tactic—especially for motorcycle accident claims.
Once again, an experienced attorney can help, and even if you were partially at fault in your accident, an attorney may still be able to help you recover partial compensation.
Under California law, you have two years from the date of a motorcycle accident to seek just compensation. However, in order to give yourself the best chance of securing maximum compensation, you should consult with an attorney right away.
At BANA LAW, we offer free initial consultations, and you can contact us to speak with a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney 24/7. We are standing by to help you recover compensation for lost income, out-of-pocket costs, future damages, and other economic and non-economic losses.
Our Los Angeles motorcycle accident lawyers are pleased to offer free initial consultations for anyone who has been hurt in a crash. During your no-cost meeting, our team will review your case with you and let you know your options when it comes to gaining financial compensation from the at-fault party.
We let clients concentrate on getting back on their feet while we fight to get them the compensation they deserve. If you have been involved in an accident, contact BANA LAW as soon as possible to speak with a motorcycle accident lawyer in Los Angeles. Then, visit our blog to learn more.
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