Maison Law stands by victims who are passengers on motorcycles when a careless driver strikes them. We hold bad drivers fully responsible for the damage they cause and the injuries that result from a collision.
If you have been injured, please contact a Modesto Motorcycle Accident Lawyer for a free case review. It’s an informative, no-strings-attached way to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold a car insurance company fully responsible.
When to Contact a Lawyer
The seriousness of your injuries will determine your need for a lawyer. If you are a passenger on a motorcycle and somehow only come away from a collision with minor injuries, you can probably handle your accident claim without issue.
However, a more serious injury means higher doctor bills and more time lost at work. That means greedy car insurance providers will work extra hard to see that they don’t have to take responsibility for your recovery costs.
They may deny that their policyholder’s fault in the accident and even try to blame the motorcyclist you were riding with. They could try to sweep the seriousness of your injuries under the rug, saying they were minor. This allows them to get away with offering you much less than you’ll truly need to restore your life to normal.
These are just a few of the types of injuries Maison Law can help you bring home more compensation for:
- Broken bones
- A Traumatic Brain Injury, including a serious concussion
- A neck or spine injury, including a serious case of whiplash
- A back injury with pain that lingers
- Skin damage such as a serious case of road rash or a degloving injury (skin peeled away)
- A permanent physical disability or disfigurement
- Face and mouth injuries
- A fatal motorcycle accident that claimed a loved one’s life while they were riding on the back of a motorcycle
Maison Law can help make sure the fault sticks to the right driver and that insurers are held fully accountable for every recovery cost. You always have the right to file your own claim, but a skilled lawyer can usually earn you much more in support.
Winning Accident Support for Motorcycle Passengers
Motorcycle passengers might end up at the ER at Doctors Medical Center and could be admitted after a hairline fracture or a head injury is diagnosed.
They could heal up in a few weeks or so and just need limited support from the at-fault driver.
But complications can arise with any motorcycle accident injury after a collision with an SUV and the pavement. Victims may need surgery on a broken tibia bone that doesn’t heal in alignment. The Cleveland Clinic notes that many patients with broken bones can require internal fixation, that mean holding the pieces of bone in place with plates or screws so they heal the right way.
These and other problems can lead to victims who need months or years of support and physical therapy. These potential damages must be factored into a motorcycle settlement check.
A skilled motorcycle accident attorney demands this support and more to last as long as necessary:
- Money to pay for every medical bill now and those expected in the months ahead.
- Lifelong support for a permanent physical disability. This would include money for medical equipment and home renovations. Victims may need help finding a new career if they can’t return to their former jobs.
- Support for permanent disfigurement. The physical and emotional hardship of having a very visible scar leftover from a scary accident.
- Money for long-term physical therapy. A victim’s injuries may require rehab treatment for months or years. This therapy may be necessary to help victims regain strength and regain control over a damaged limb. They may have to learn to walk normally again.
- Money to pay for travel for injured victims to get to doctors’ appointments and to visit out-of-area specialists. Travel can get expensive when victims can’t drive and may be on crutches or in wheelchairs.
- Support for the pain experienced. Victims can suffer extreme pain on the scene of an accident and then over the weeks of recovery. Chronic pain and the medication and therapy used to treat it should earn compensation.
- Support for the emotional trauma that riders and passengers can be left with. That can include depression during a difficult recovery and a loss of the ability to do the things they love. It can mean anxiety and PTSD symptoms left over from the moment of impact in a scary collision.
- Support to replace the victims’ paychecks lost while they were unable to work. This should include money to help them catch up on normal bills they’ve fallen behind on, such as the rent, a mortgage, a car payment, and even a power bill.
A skilled Maison Law attorney fully investigates a motorcycle accident and collects evidence to make sure a motorcyclist doesn’t get falsely blamed for what happened. Our attorneys can also rely on accident reconstruction teams and expert witnesses to show who was really to blame for what happened.
California Motorcycle Passenger Laws
Motorcyclists in California are allowed to carry passengers, even children, on their trips. However, there are strict guidelines and even some precautions motorcycle owners must take before allowing someone to climb aboard.
Many of the responsibilities are explained in the California Vehicle Codes (CVC):
“It is unlawful for a driver of a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle to carry any other person thereon, except on a seat securely fastened to the machine at the rear of the driver and provided with footrests, or in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle and designed for the purpose of carrying a passenger. Every passenger on a motorcycle or a motorized bicycle shall keep his feet on the footrests while such vehicle is in motion.”
CVC 27803. also explains that both rider and passenger will need to have an approved motorcycle helmet when riding. This helmet requirement extends to children who ride with licensed adults.
The California Motorcycle Handbook from the DMV goes over the responsibilities riders have when they take on a passenger.
The safety steps 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 (also applicable to a child passenger)
- The motorcyclist must instruct any passengers on riding safety, such as when to lean and when to hang on tighter
DMV officials also recommend that motorcyclists practice in safe areas away from traffic when carrying passengers. Experts say that riding with someone definitely changes the way a motorcycle handles. The extra weight can mean motorcycles become harder to turn and to stop. Motorcyclists are responsible for taking safety precautions and pre-trips to guard against mistakes.
Filing A Claim Against a Motorcyclist You Were Riding With
In some cases, a motorcycle accident involves no drivers and is caused by the motorcyclist’s mistake in the lane. A passenger hurt in the accident will need a way to get help paying enormous medical bills, and can file a claim against the motorcyclist’s motorcycle insurance coverage.
Unfortunately, not all motorcycle insurance policies include coverage for injured passengers. If there’s no added-on guest passenger liability coverage, passengers may not be protected. The motorcyclist may have to help the passenger out of their own savings.
Injured passengers can feel funny about filing a claim against someone they know, like a friend or family member, but they shouldn’t worry. The passenger’s claim won’t be aimed directly against a loved one. The rider’s insurer would be financially responsible for your damages.
You should seek as much support as you can from the insurer. This claim won’t target the motorcyclist directly. The money comes from the insurer, and it’s why motorcyclists pay insurance premiums. Plus, it’s likely that the motorcycle owner would want you to get everything you require to make a full recovery.
Contact a Modesto Motorcycle Passenger Accident Attorney
If you’ve suffered a serious injury while being a passenger on a motorcycle, you may have a better outcome with the help of a lawyer. It’s a critical time when you need to secure everything you’ll need for your medical bills now and those possible in the future. Contact us to set up a free consultation with a real lawyer to go over your options.
We are ready to answer questions for any injured Stanislaus County accident victim in a free, no-obligation case consultation.
Remember, if you do need legal representation, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay a lawyer. We work on a contingency basis. It means we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Then, our fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company must write for you.
