Maison Law of Bakersfield represents motorcycle accident victims hurt by the actions of careless drivers.
Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers hold reckless drivers liable for the damage and injuries they cause.
Contact Maison Law to talk with a real lawyer about your options in a free, no-obligation consultation. You’ll learn
Bakersfield Motorcycle Accident Injury Claims Process
Step 1
Call Us For A Free Consultation
Call us 24/7 with No Obligations.
Step 2
Describe Your Accident Details
We will then discuss your legal options and decide whether to move your case forward.
Step 3
Retain Maison Law w/ No Upfront Fees
We work on contingency. No attorney fees unless you win your case.
Step 4
Receive Your Compensation
We will fight for you to earn the highest possible payout for your damages.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Motorcycle Accident?
If you suffer a serious injury in a motorcycle accident due to a driver’s mistake, you should speak to a Bakersfield motorcycle accident lawyer about your options. A serious injury includes any broken bone, head trauma, or a back injury that will linger. These and other injuries can affect your life for years and they can also cause you to build up thousands of dollars in medical bills.
When car insurance companies see these types of bills, they look for ways to limit the compensation they have to provide you. They’ll try to blame you for the accident or find a doctor to say your injuries aren’t all that bad. Your lawyer is your safeguard against these tactics.
Your Maison Law representative gathers evidence to fight back against any unfair accusations and demands the maximum in benefits for you.
Damages Awarded to Bakersfield Motorcycle Accident Victims
The distracted driver, the careless lane changer, and the aggressive tailgater. It’s every motorcyclist’s worst fear in Bakersfield. Motorcycle accidents typically happen in heavily concentrated traffic areas, and there’s no area in Bakersfield with more traffic than the Art District in downtown. With several art galleries, performing arts centers, and theaters, all centered around 19th Street and Eye Street, motorcyclists are at a high risk of injury whenever they ride through this area.
Unlike a typical fender bender with a careless driver, the slightest impact with a motorcycle on the road can result in horrific injuries, altering the life of a rider and their family. But that’s where Maison Law can help. We make it easy for you to get your life back after a motorcycle accident by assigning you a lawyer, settling your case, and getting you back to riding. We’ll help you recover all of these costs and ensure you’re rewarded for the following damages:
- Economic damages: financial damages you incurred due to the accident.
- Medical bills
- Lost Wages
- Loss of future potential earnings
- Loss of property
- Cost of repairs
- Non-economic damages: these are subjective, non-compensatory damages.
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages: these are damages awarded to serve as punishment to the at-fault party.
- Reckless behavior
- Actions performed out of spite
Compensation for Motorcycle Accident Victims
Motorcyclists are often faced with prolonged battles with car insurance companies while seeking support. Insurance agents will try to protect their profits and their policyholders by attempting to shift all responsibility in a collision to a motorcyclist. They’ll use old stereotypes about daredevil riders and unsafe bikes when, in fact, it was their driver’s lack of attention that led to a crash.
That’s why a personal injury lawyer can work towards a much better settlement for a motorcycle injury victim. Insurance companies will give up on a lot of their standard tactics when they know an experienced attorney has taken up a case and is overseeing the victim’s welfare.
Your personal injury lawyer will be filing a claim for damages to recover everything possible after a motorcycle injury. These damages may include:
- Hospital and physical therapy expenses.
- Past and future lost wages at work.
- All costs associated with a permanent physical disability such as a limp, scars, loss of a limb, or loss of mobility.
- Emotional anguish, such as depression and anxiety. Money to pay for counseling.
- The hardship of dealing with constant physical pain.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. The difficult period while riders can’t get back on their bikes.
- Money for a new motorcycle.
Common Motorcycle Accidents Around Bakersfield
Bakersfield drivers who send motorcyclists into accidents can often throw up their hands and say “I never saw the motorcycle.” And yet, the real culprit is a lack of focus on the road. Drivers turning or switching lanes can give a split-second glance in a mirror or out a driver’s side window, think the road is free and clear and hit the gas.
Without a proper look in any direction, they’ve put a motorcyclist in what’s usually a no-win situation. A collision with a car, truck or SUV, or the pavement, or both can be unavoidable.
Here are just some of the roadway situations that often lead to motorcycle accidents.:
- Car Turning Left – Drivers turning across traffic can get a bit anxious when faced with opposing traffic. They may see a line of cars pass and then gun it before spotting a motorcyclist following behind but by then they’ve already placed themselves in front of the rider. A wide left turn also leaves a vehicle in front of oncoming traffic for a longer amount of time.
- Unsafe Lane Changes – Motorists can switch lanes or merge without taking more than a second to check mirrors and blind spots. They’ll veer over and a motorcyclist will be forced to either take an impact or quickly dart out of the way leaving them at risk of a collision with another car.
- Rear-end Collisions – Motorcycles can sit at a stoplight or stop sign and drivers approaching from behind can somehow miss their brake lights. Motorists will often not be paying enough attention to accurately tell how close a rider is. A rear-end strike can send a motorcyclist upward and off his or her bike in an instant.
- Motorcycle Lane Splitting – Also called lane filtering. This usually occurs when a motorcyclist travels between two lanes of stopped or slowly moving traffic. Lane splitting is perfectly legal in California, but that doesn’t guarantee that other motorists will know about or respect the law.
- Dooring – Occupants of parked cars might not even think to look out the back window to see if a motorcyclist is nearby. They might swing a door open at an unfortunate moment and leave a rider with nowhere to go but straight into the door.
When is a Motorcyclist Deemed At-Fault for Lane Splitting in Bakersfield?
Popular routes for motorcyclists in Bakersfield include rides to Lake Isabella via CA-178 and exploring Kern River Canyon. Even when joyriding, some motorcyclists may attempt to lane split in order to avoid slower traffic. But what happens if an accident occurs while they’re lane splitting? When is the motorcyclist at fault for an accident while lane splitting?
A motorcyclist might be liable for causing a lane-splitting accident in Bakersfield if they were:
- Traveling faster than the posted speed limit or at a speed deemed unsafe for the current road conditions
- Weaving in and out of traffic while lane-splitting, or areas where vehicles are not permitted to ride
- Failing to use clear signals to indicate lane changes or sudden maneuvers
- Failing to yield the right-of-way when a forward motorist has signaled a lane change
- Following too close behind another vehicle
However, a vehicle can be liable for causing a lane-splitting accident for the following violations:
- Changing lanes without signaling
- Speeding
- Maneuvering to block a motorcyclist from passing
- Carelessly changing lanes without yielding to motorcyclists or other vehicles
Ultimately, fault in an accident will be determined through evidence such as traffic cams, dash cams, and witness statements. The attorneys at Maison Law have the resources to obtain the evidence needed to prove your case and remove you from liability. We work with accident reconstruction experts to impose maximum liability on the at-fault party and ensure you are fully compensated if you have been wrongly injured in a motorcycle accident.
Lane Splitting Safety for Bakersfield Motorcyclists
Lane splitting is defined in California Vehicle Code Section 21658.1 as a vehicle that has two wheels in contact with the ground, between two rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane, including both divided and undivided streets road or highways. Motorcyclists can avoid lane-splitting accidents by following these safety tips:
- Consider the total environment before lane splitting, such as:
- Width of lanes
- Size of surrounding vehicles
- Weather
- Lighting conditions
- Be aware of danger increasing at higher speeds
- It is safer to split between the far left lanes than between the other lanes of traffic
- Avoid lane splitting next to large vehicles like big rigs, buses, and motorhomes
- Riding on the shoulder is illegal and is not considered lane splitting
- Make sure you are visible to other vehicle before lane splitting
- Wear bright colors and reflective/protective gear
Motorcycle Accidents Caused By Distracted Driving
As most motorcyclists in Bakersfield would say, “Ride as if you’re invisible.” This is commo advice amongst riders because in most cases, drivers are drastically unaware of motorcyclists on the road, especially if they’re distract while driving.
Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, or messing with the entertainment system. According to the National Highway of Traffic Safety, distracted driving claimed 3,275 lives in 2023. Texting is the most dangerous of them all because reading or sending a text takes an average of five seconds, meaning a driver will take their eyes off the road for at least five seconds when they react to a text. And at 55 MPH, five seconds looking at a text is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
Negligence Per Se: Distracted Driving
If you can establish that a driver violated a driving law, which resulted in your accident, you may be able to establish another driver’s carelessness or “Negligence Per Se” and recover damages. Negligence Per Se means the driver broke the law, which directly caused your injuries. So, if the driver who caused your accident received a ticket or violation for distracted driving, speeding, or anything that violates the law, proving “Negligence Per Se” will be fairly easy in your case.
Proving Negligence Per Se is much easier than proving negligence. Proving ordinary carelessness or negligence usually involves an investigation to obtain video footage or witness statements. If no law is recorded as being broken, then it can be difficult to build a case. Sometimes, there is no available evidence, and your case becomes one person’s word over another’s. For these reasons, it is important to report your accident to law enforcement the moment it happens and speak with one of our experienced Motorcycle Accident Lawyers at Maison Law about your legal options.
How Do Police Determine Fault in a Motorcycle Accident
Police officers called to an accident will attempt to capture as much information as they can about the accident. At first glance, they’ll look to see what happened leading up to it, how it started, and who was the likely at-fault party. While determining fault at the scene of the accident, police officers will look at the following:
- Evidence at the scene:
- Tire marks
- Road damage
- Vehicle damage
- Eyewitness statements
- Appearance and behavior of both drivers
- Whether a citation has been issued to either driver in the past (speeding, tailgating, DUI, or other concerning violations)
- Any other available evidence such as street cameras, dash cams, or photos
After an investigation, police will issue citations for any violations committed by either driver. Citations can be harmful to both drivers in an accident case. However, guilt of a traffic violation is only settled after a ruling, conviction, or the payment of the fine without pleading “nolo contendre.” So, if you are given a citation, but feel it was unwarranted, you do not have to admit fault. Contact one of our accident attorneys to help you build your case and protect your liability.
What Our Clients Say
Frequently Asked Questions About Bakersfield Motorcycle Accidents
Two years. California sets the statute of limitations on a personal injury case at 24 months. If you wait beyond two years, you usually won’t be allowed to seek compensation for your hardships.
Yes. You may not have been wearing a helmet, but that doesn’t get an at-fault driver off the hook for all liability. You can still seek help with your recovery costs.
You don’t need any upfront money to hire Maison Law’s attorneys. We don’t get any fee unless we win your case for you. Then our payment comes out of the settlement money a car insurance company must pay you.
Contact a Bakersfield Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Motorcyclists are owed care and caution from other motorists no matter if they encounter each other on a street, a road, or a highway.
When a careless mistake by a driver leaves a motorcyclist with serious injuries or claims a life, insurance companies should be held accountable.
Victims and families can contact Maison Law of Bakersfield for a free case evaluation and some guidance to help avoid the pitfalls of dealing with insurance firms only interested in the bottom line. The evaluation is confidential and comes with no obligation. If you hire Maison Law to take up your case you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.
