Maison Law of Fresno protects the victims of motorcycle accidents. We secure the money riders need to pay for a full recovery.
We also fight to make sure motorcyclists are never blamed for the careless mistakes of drivers. You can discuss your options to secure support in a free case consultation with a real motorcycle accident lawyer. Your consultation comes with no obligation.
Contact us today to find out how much your injury is worth and how to hold an insurance company fully accountable.
Fresno Motorcycle Accident Injury Claims Process
STEP 1
Call Us For A Free Consulation
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 Fresno motorcycle accident lawyer about your options. A serious injury includes any broken bone or conditions like head trauma or a back injury. 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.
What to Do After a Fresno Motorcycle Accident
Knowing what to do after your motorcycle accident can make a big difference when it comes time to hold an at-fault driver’s car insurance provider accountable.
If you are up to it, you should gather as much evidence on the scene as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of this powerful evidence will disappear as soon as the scene is cleared.
Try to collect this proof of what happened:
- Call 911. Tell Fresno police officers or the California Highway Patrol everything you can remember leading up to the accident. The collision report investigators provide will serve as valuable evidence when a driver’s insurance company tries to blame you for your own motorcycle crash.
- Show ambulance crews where it hurts. Go to the emergency room if necessary. In the days after your accident, see your own physician. You may wake up the next day with injuries you didn’t know you had. Get any new pain documented and follow your doctor’s orders.
- Take pictures with your cellphone. Show the damage to the motorcycle and the other vehicle. Show black marks left by screeching tires and relevant traffic signs. Take pictures of any injuries that are visible and any damage to clothing or shoes. Show your helmet in a photo if you were wearing one.
- Discuss with witnesses what they saw and get their contact information so that your Fresno personal injury lawyer can secure testimony later.
- Exchange information with everyone involved but don’t make any statements about the accident to drivers. Don’t talk about who is to blame and don’t discuss how bad your injuries are. You may not know the answer to either question at the scene. Insurance companies can take these comments and use them against you later. Let officers and your Fresno Motorcycle Accident Lawyer determine who is to blame and let your doctor determine how badly you are hurt.
- Keep any damaged or bloody clothing, shoes, and personal items. Don’t throw evidence out that can strengthen your case against insurance companies unwilling to provide a fair motorcycle accident settlement to you.
Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Whether it’s a quick run up the Yosemite Highway and back or a trip east along California 168 into the mountains, motorcyclists have plenty of places to roam in Central Valley. Unfortunately, they can always count on careless drivers meeting them wherever they go.
Drivers can make left and right turns, veer across lanes, all while claiming they couldn’t see the motorcyclist nearby. Their random mistakes are hard for even a seasoned rider to anticipate 100% of the time.
The collisions that can result put an unprotected motorcyclist at risk of a severe injury that in some cases can take them off their bikes for months.
These are some of the injuries that emergency room doctors in California commonly observe after a motorcycle accident:
- Concussion/Traumatic Brain Injury – TBIs can cause problems with short-term and long-term memory. They can leave a victim suffering severe mood swings, light sensitivity, and even cost them control over body parts. Skull fractures may also cause internal bleeding near the brain.
- Chest Injuries – The torso often takes the most powerful hit. An impact to the chest can squeeze ribs and cause heart and lung contusions. The kidneys and the liver are also vulnerable depending on the side of the body the victim lands on.
- Blunt Force Trauma – Motorcyclists can endure several impacts in a motorcycle collision. Each impact with a car or the ground can deliver powerful blows. The skin may not be broken, but the internal damage could be severe. Internal organs and other tissue can get deeply bruised or torn. Internal bleeding isn’t always diagnosed until a victim can get to a hospital.
- Fractured limbs – Riders can attempt to cushion a fall by extending their hands and feet. This can lead to broken bones from the hands up to the shoulder. The neck, vertebrae, and hips can also be damaged.
- Road Rash – Friction with pavement and the ground will tear away layers of skin. A victim could have to cope with permanent disfigurement.
What Our Clients Say
Compensation Available in a Motorcycle Accident Injury Claim
Fresno motorcycle accident victims can suffer traumatic injuries and experience major changes in lifestyle. And it’s important that a driver’s insurance company is made aware of every physical, emotional, and financial hardship the victim and the victim’s family endure.
Your Fresno personal injury lawyer ensures that every damage suffered ends up listed in an injury claim. Each economic hit you take should help in maximizing your compensation in a motorcycle accident settlement.
These factors and others determine the amount you’ll see on a motorcycle injury settlement check:
- Totals on hospital bills and physical therapy expenses.
- All costs associated with a permanent physical disability. These expenses include estimates on medical care over a lifetime, necessary renovations to a home, and perhaps job training for a new disability-friendly career.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families can earn support after losing a motorcyclist in a tragic accident. The support can cover the cost of a burial and any remaining ambulance and hospital bills. The income the deceased can no longer provide for a spouse and children would also be reimbursed.
- The hardship of dealing with chronic pain.
- Emotional trauma. Depression and anxiety can affect victims who may suffer a loss of enjoyment of life in recovery and while unable to ride.
- Past and future lost wages benefits while victims are away from work.
- Money for a new motorcycle.
What if I Wasn’t Wearing A Motorcycle Helmet When I Was Hit?
If you ride in California you’re required to wear a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) compliant motorcycle safety helmet. However, if you aren’t wearing one and get into a collision, you don’t give up your right to seek compensation.
California is a pure comparative negligence state and that means riders and drivers can share responsibility in a motorcycle accident. If you get injured by a careless driver while helmetless you might have to accept a percentage of the blame for the severity of your injury. However, a mistake by a driver would still make them liable for perhaps a much bigger percentage of your accident.
An award of compensation could still be obtained from the driver’s car insurance but the rider’s percentage of blame would be subtracted from the final sum.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fresno Motorcycle Accidents
No. An insurance adjuster will call you in the days after a motorcycle accident. Decline to provide a recorded statement. This comment can be used to hurt your case later. Refer them to your attorney.
24 Months. California allows victims to wait up to two years to decide to file a motorcycle accident claim. But it’s important to act as soon as possible. Building a strong case is easier while evidence is still easily obtainable.
Insurance companies try to blame motorcyclists for accidents, no matter what the evidence says. Adjusters also delay responding to claims to make injured motorcyclists desperate as bills pile up. They then try to get victims to accept “lowball” settlement offers.
- T-Bone Motorcycle Accidents
- Rear-End Motorcycle Accidents
- Sideswipe Motorcycle Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents at Intersections
- Motorcycle Accidents Caused by Distracted Drivers
- Motorcycle Accidents Caused by Speeding Drivers
- Motorcycle Accidents Caused by Drunk Drivers
- Motorcycle Accidents Caused by Hit-And-Run Drivers
- Motorcycle Accident Traumatic Injuries
- Motorcycle Accidents Caused by Uninsured Motorists
- Fatal Motorcycle Accidents
Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Serving Victims in Fresno
If you are injured in a motorcycle accident or if you’ve tragically lost a loved one in an accident, contact a local motorcycle accident attorney to find out everything available to you and your family.
Insurance companies aren’t required to inform you of your rights after their policyholder causes an accident. In fact, they would rather you stayed uninformed in the hopes you’ll sign off on a settlement that’s worth far less than what you’ll need in recovery.
Take advantage of a free consultation session offered by Maison Law to learn more about what insurance companies don’t tell motorcycle accident victims.
