Madera skateboarders struck by reckless drivers can get help with their injury and recovery costs.
That should include money to pay ambulance fees, all medical bills, and physical therapy costs. Victims should have whatever amount of support it takes to get them fully healed and back on their skateboards again.
Unfortunately, car insurance companies can work to limit the compensation victims receive. Skateboarders may require the help of a skilled, local attorney to earn full support.
Contact Maison Law of Madera to set up a free, confidential case review to find out what your injury is worth and how to hold a car insurance company 100% accountable.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Skateboard Accident Caused by a Careless Driver?
The need for a lawyer often comes down to the injuries you come away with. If your skateboard accident injuries are only minor, like some scrapes and bruises, you may not require the help of a lawyer. However, if your injuries are more serious, like a bone fracture or a Traumatic Brain Injury, you may need the protection a skilled lawyer provides. Growing medical bills often make insurance adjusters fight harder to avoid blame.
Your lawyer would investigate your accident and the driver involved. The evidence would be front and center when insurers tried to blame you for an accident. Medical documents and your doctor’s testimony would be presented when an insurer tries to downplay your injuries and reduce your settlement.
Then, your lawyer would negotiate to win the maximum in support for you. This is often much more than you could hope to win by taking on an insurer yourself.
Skateboard Accident Dangers in Madera
Skateboarders have some areas where they can ride without interference from the rush of traffic around Madera. They can enjoy the ledges and bowls at the Zero Gravity Skatepark. They are allowed to use the sidewalks in most parts of the city according to Madera’s Code of Ordinance § 3-14.03 USE AND OPERATION.
However, where sidewalks do not exist, riders are asked to use the street, sticking to the right side of the right lane. This often puts skateboarders in close proximity to drivers who are focused on their cellphones or are in a rush to get somewhere. It’s never a good situation for those who travel along the street with little protection.
Cars can veer out of their lanes to knock a rider to the road surface or run a victim over. They can fail to monitor for a skateboarder and not realize they are sharing a lane with one until they attempt to switch lanes for a right-hand turn and sideswipe a victim in a devastating collision.
Riders are in danger, even when on the sidewalks. Motorists can be pulling into a parking lot without checking their mirrors and blindspots for the possibility of a skateboarder using the adjacent sidewalk.
Can I Get Support If I’m Hit on a Skateboard Without a Helmet On?
Yes. The fact that a rider didn’t have a helmet on doesn’t change the fact that a driver caused an accident. Victims may be cited, but they can still seek damages from the driver and the driver’s auto insurance.
California requires skateboarders under the age of 18 to wear helmets. Madera’s Code of Ordinances requires those who use public skate parks to always wear helmets and knee and elbow pads.
Can My Child Earn Injury Support If Partially Responsible for a Skateboard Accident?
Yes, in many cases. Skateboarders who may have been riding illegally in spots like parking lots or across streets may still win substantial injury support. Drivers share an increased responsibility around vulnerable pedestrians and skateboarders. They must monitor for them and slow down upon seeing one in the road. They must adjust their speeds to be able to stop to avoid a collision.
This means they can bear responsibility even if they encounter someone in a spot where skateboarding is prohibited, or a rider is crossing the street outside a crosswalk.
Under California’s concept of comparative negligence, a driver and a skateboarder can share blame in an accident. A skateboarder may receive 25% of the fault for darting out in front of traffic in the middle of the street without looking. A driver may bear 75% of the liability for exceeding the speed limit at the time.
In this example, the parents of the child struck could file an accident claim and win support to help pay medical bills. However, that award would be reduced by the 25% of blame the child was assigned.
An attorney would be fighting to make sure any skateboarder received as small a percentage of blame as possible in an accident. And if the skateboarder truly deserved no blame for what happened, then a good attorney would be presenting evidence to see that the victim received 0% of fault.
Common Skateboard Injuries in Collisions with Cars
Defenseless skateboarders can receive all types of injuries when forced to travel around fast-moving cars, SUVs, Trucks, and motorcycles. They may simply be knocked to the pavement to suffer road rash and concussions. A quick trip to the emergency room at Madera Community Hospital may quickly patch up injuries.
But traumatic and life-threatening injuries are always possible when a moving vehicle is involved. The worst often occurs when riders fall under a vehicle and are run over. The consequences can be devastating.
These are just a few of the types of injuries seen when skateboarders are run over:
- Spinal Cord Damage
- Skull fractures
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
- Crushed bones
- Bones fractured in multiple places
- Open fracture when the broken bone pokes through the skin (UCLA Health explains that these injuries are also known as compound fractures and can require surgery)
- Internal organ damage
- Internal bleeding
The support required to help young victims and adult victims recover may need to last months. Lifelong support is needed when a permanent disability is suffered. All medical care for as long as necessary should be covered by the driver and the driver’s car insurance provider.
Insurance companies will try to withhold support for emotional trauma that victims endure while they can’t enjoy their favorite hobbies and their rides. They’ll try to get away without compensating for the pain victims must cope with. A skilled Maison Law attorney makes sure these hardships add to the size of a settlement check.
What Our Clients Say
Contact a Madera Skateboard Accident Lawyer
If you or your child has been in a skateboard accident in Madera, Maison Law can help. We understand how traumatic an accident and injury can be, especially when you have to fight with the insurance company to get financial relief for your medical bills. Fortunately, you’re not alone in this fight.
Maison Law is here to help restore your life and protect your right to the maximum amount of compensation available. Our firm has years of experience taking on giant insurance companies and winning victims the full compensation they need to rebuild their health and get back on their boards.
If you’re concerned about the financial, physical, and mental impact a skateboard accident has had on your life or a child’s life, contact Maison Law today. We offer all injured victims a free consultation and case evaluation.
There’s no obligation, but if you need a lawyer to help fight for you, you won’t need any money. We don’t charge anything unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check that a car insurer must write for you.
