Maison Law’s Madera Motorcycle Accident Lawyers help victims hurt after they’ve been struck by careless drivers. We make sure riders and their injured passengers receive what they need to heal physically and financially after a frightening collision. If you or someone in your family has been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact us for a free consultation to discuss your options.
Deciding When to Contact a Lawyer
If you are on the back of a motorcycle and suffer a serious injury in an accident, a lawyer can be a necessary protection when you seek help with recovery costs.
More serious injuries mean higher hospital bills and more lost time at work. These damages grow until insurance adjusters start to worry about the final bill, and begin looking for ways to avoid having to pay you. You can fall prey to many insurance tactics when taking on an insurer alone.
A skilled attorney helps you prove how badly you are hurt, how much you’ll need to make a full recovery, and how to demand that amount and accept no less.
Your Maison Law representative can often help you maximize your compensation when you are dealing with these and other injuries:
- An accident involving a broken bone, such as a leg fracture or a broken bone in your chest
- An accident involving a Traumatic Brain Injury, including a serious concussion
- An accident involving a neck injury, including a serious case of whiplash
- An accident involving a back injury with pain that doesn’t go away after a few days
- A debilitating hip or knee injury
- An accident resulting in a permanent physical disability or disfigurement
- An accident involving an injury to your child or another family member
- A fatal accident that claims the life of a loved one.
You always have the right to file your own claim, but a skilled lawyer often gives you a much better chance to win much more for your recovery. A lawyer can handle the frustrating claims process while you focus on getting better.
A Free Consultation with a Real Motorcycle Accident Attorney
While trying to mount a physical recovery and stay ahead of the bills that are piling up, you may have had little time to consider how you’ll hold an insurer responsible. You may wonder if it’s even worth the trouble to file a claim.
Maison Law offers a free, confidential case review as a way to get more information. It’s a no-obligation chance to get your questions answered. If we can’t help you earn more for your case, we’ll be upfront about that and direct you towards filing a successful claim yourself.
But if we can help you bring home more in support, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll afford to pay a lawyer at such a difficult time. Maison Law isn’t paid unless we win your case for you. Then, our fee comes out of the settlement check insurers are forced to write for you.
Accident Support Available to Motorcycle Passengers
Motorcyclists around Madera County can suffer frightening crashes when the drivers around them make careless errors in the lanes. Riders can be struck by a distracted driver on Highway 99 and suffer an impact from an SUV and with the road surface. The same fate would put any motorcycle passenger’s life at risk as well.
A motorcyclist and passenger might ram the broadside of a car when a jumpy driver makes a left turn in front of them along Yosemite Avenue, leaving no room for a dodge.
A skilled attorney from Maison Law of Bakersfield will be collecting all medical invoices showing how much patients have built up in medical debt. The injured passenger’s pay stubs would also be key in showing how much time and money the patient has lost while unable to work.
A lawyer would demand this support and more:
- Support for current hospital bills now and any expected in the future.
- Long-term support for any permanent disability suffered by a rider or passenger.
- Support for the physical pain and emotional distress victims endure in an accident and during a difficult recovery.
- Support for the loss of enjoyment of life for victims who may not be able to participate in family activities or continue their motorcycle rides.
- Support for the income victims lose while injured, making it hard to make ends meet.
- All travel costs associated with care.
- Support to pay for a damaged motorcycle or enough to replace it.
California Motorcycle Passenger Laws
Careless drivers around Madera can be counted on to drift in and out of lanes, and make turns and merges without checking in all directions. These errors in judgment put a lot of motorcyclists in danger each week.
Motorcyclists can also take risks that put any passenger they allow to ride with them in danger of an accident. California allows riders to take along a passenger as described in the California Vehicle Code (CVC) CVC 27800. However, the state also holds motorcyclists responsible for providing some mandatory safety features and safety preparation.
The California Motorcycle Handbook from the DMV covers the responsibilities riders have when carrying a passenger.
The safety precautions to take are laid out in the section beginning on page 38. These are a few of the critical steps:
- Providing a seat that’s big enough for both rider and passenger
- Footrests must be in place and where the passenger can reach them (this also applies for any child passenger)
- Passengers have to have a motorcycle helmet on, the same helmet requirements as the person driving the motorcycle
- The motorcyclist must instruct any passengers on riding safety, such as when to lean and when to hang on tighter
- Children can ride with adults, but must have helmets that fit, among other precautions
We have more information for motorcyclists and their responsibilities when riding with passengers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file an accident claim against the motorcyclist I was riding with?
If the motorcyclist handling the motorcycle you are on causes an accident, you can ask the rider’s motorcycle insurance provider for support to pay for recovery. Unfortunately, not all policies cover passengers, and if there’s no guest passenger liability add-on, passengers may not be protected. The motorcyclist may have to help the passenger out-of-pocket. This may also mean you must file an injury claim against someone you know. A friend or family member. But this claim isn’t directly targeting the rider. Any support comes from the insurance company, and your loved one wouldn’t be targeted directly. If you suffer serious injuries, this may be the only way to get the care you need to rebuild your health and your life. Your friend should also want you to receive as much support as possible to get better. It’s one of the reasons why motorcyclists pay insurance premiums.
What if I wasn’t wearing a motorcycle helmet when I was hit?
You can still earn accident compensation, even if you weren’t wearing a helmet while on the back of a motorcycle. The fact that a rider or a passenger wasn’t wearing a helmet (the law says they must) doesn’t affect the fault in the accident. The driver who made the mistake and caused the accident is still liable. Support may be reduced if a jury determines your injuries would have been less severe with a helmet. However, a jury can still award you a substantial judgment. A skilled attorney can also work to see that you don’t get unfairly punished for someone else’s mistake.
Can I ask for support if a loved one was killed in a motorcycle accident as a passenger?
Family members are empowered to file wrongful death claims against those at fault to seek help in the aftermath of a tragic accident. The support can cover the cost of a funeral and any remaining ambulance and hospital bills. The income the deceased can no longer provide for a spouse and children, and other dependents, in the years ahead would also be reimbursed. The emotional pain and loss that close family members will continue to deal with must earn support. A Madera wrongful death lawyer would help the family seek justice and financial stability for the future.
Contact a Madera Motorcycle Accident Attorney
Maison Law is an advocate for safe rides, and we offer free consultations and case reviews to all local motorcycle accident and injury victims.
Tell us what happened and how your injury has affected your life. We can go over what tactics the insurance company may try to use on you. Find out if they are purposely delaying the financial compensation you need to rebuild your life.
There’s no obligation for this meeting. However, if you feel we could help you win more, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay a lawyer. Maison Law doesn’t ask for any payment unless we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that a car insurance company must write for you.
