Maison Law helps 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 Turlock 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 if you need a lawyer for your case or if you would be okay to handle your claim yourself.
If you are a passenger on a motorcycle in a collision and suffer a serious injury, it’s wise to speak to a lawyer at Maison Law. A lawyer can help you determine who should be helping you with recovery costs. A lawyer will also usually be able to secure much more in support than you could win by yourself.
A more serious injury means higher doctor bills and more time lost at work. With your recovery costs skyrocketing, it’s usually a time when insurance companies will make it even harder for you to get full support.
A lawyer is often a valuable safeguard for your case when you’ve suffered a serious injury like a broken bone, head trauma, or a neck, chest, or back injury.
A skilled Maison Law attorney fully investigates your case and makes sure all evidence is in place. Your attorney can also rely on accident reconstruction teams to show who was really at fault for an accident. It’s a protection that can mean thousands of dollars more for you as you rebuild your life after a scary collision.
You don’t have to have a lawyer to file a motorcycle accident claim, but you can end up not having the evidence you need for your case and have your case rejected. Insurers are also good at getting you to accept “lowball” settlement offers that leave you to pay for some of your recovery costs down the road.
Support for Motorcycle Passenger Collision Victims
Victims in motorcyclist often lose the most in potential support by leaving off many of their hardships when they file a claim.
A Maison Law attorney would file this claim for clients and make sure it included a list of every damage the patient had endured. Anything left off is something the insurance company can ignore and leave for the victim to cover.
A Maison Law lawyer would demand full compensation, including for some factors that many victims don’t know they can earn help with:
- Support for medical care and physical therapy expenses for as long as necessary.
- Coverage for all costs associated with a permanent physical disability after a motorcycle crash. These expenses include estimates on medical care over a lifetime, home care, renovations to a home, and perhaps job training for a new career.
- Pain support. The hardship of dealing with constant pain right after the accident and during recovery.
- Emotional trauma. This non-economic damage can lead to depression and anxiety during recovery and beyond. The inability to get back on a bike can contribute to a loss of enjoyment of life, and that distress can be just as debilitating for
- Past and future lost wages and benefits while victims are away from work.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families can earn support after losing someone to an accident while they were a passenger on a motorcycle. 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 in the years ahead would also be reimbursed.
Who Is Responsible for a Motorcycle Accident When a Passenger Is Hurt?
Drivers around Turlock can make many mistakes on local roads that cause scary accidents for riders. A distracted driver on a cellphone may ram a motorcyclist from behind on Route 99 after not seeing a construction slowdown. A reckless driver might make a turn in front of an oncoming motorcyclist on Geer Road, causing a T-bone crash.
- Driver’s Fault: In these and other collisions, the driver in a car, SUV, or truck would usually be found at fault and be responsible for the rider’s recovery costs. The same can be said if there was a passenger on the motorcycle, also hurt. A claim would be filed against the driver’s car insurance company.
- Motorcyclist’s Fault: In some accidents, the rider could be at fault for a collision with a car. A rider could be found at fault for getting reckless and causing a crash that doesn’t involve another vehicle. In both cases, a passenger who was injured could file a claim against the operator’s motorcycle insurance provider. Not all policies cover passengers, and if there’s no guest passenger liability add-on, passengers may not be protected. Victims may have to seek help from the motorcyclist themselves. The motorcyclist has a duty to provide a safe ride to passengers and not take unnecessary risks with someone behind them. The California Motorcycle Handbook goes over the requirements for riders allowing a passenger on board.
Passengers may be faced with a tough decision in a single-vehicle accident. They could have to file a claim against a motorcyclist they were riding with and know as a friend, or family member.
But that’s not the way to think about an insurance claim. The claim is not directly targeting the motorcycle owner. It’s directed at the motorcycle insurance provider, and any financial compensation comes from the insurer.
Motorcyclists pay their premiums for these situations and would usually want someone they know to get all the help necessary to pay for a full recovery.
Contact a Turlock Motorcycle Accident Attorney
Maison Law is an advocate for safe rides, and we offer free consultations to all Stanislaus County 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, and how a lawyer can help speed up the process.
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.
