Maison Law of Visalia represents motorcycle accident victims hurt by the actions of careless drivers. Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers hold reckless drivers liable for the damage and injuries they cause.
Contact Maison Law to talk with a real lawyer about your options in a free, no-obligation consultation.
You’ll learn what your injury is worth and how to secure the compensation you need to recover.
What Our Clients Say
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Motorcycle Accident?
If your motorcycle accident only results in some minor scrapes and soreness or only property damage, you may not need a lawyer’s help. But when motorcycle accidents result in more serious injuries, like a broken arm or a severe concussion, the protection of a skilled Visalia motorcycle accident lawyer becomes much more important.
A Maison Law lawyer offers these benefits and more:
- A lawyer can often get you much more in a settlement claim than you could hope to secure handling the case yourself
- A lawyer fully investigates your case and the at-fault driver
- Protects you if a car insurance company wants to blame you for the accident
- Protects you if a car insurance company casts doubt on how bad your injury is
- Helps you reject settlement offers that won’t cover all of your recovery costs and demand more
- Our lawyers don’t charge anything for their services unless they win your case for you, then their fee comes out of the money an insurer must pay you
A lawyer provides peace of mind for motorcycle accident victims who have been put through so much already. They handle the most frustrating parts of the claims process while patients are allowed to focus on healing.
Why Are Motorcyclists More Vulnerable to Bad Drivers?
One study that was performed for the NHTSA at the University of Southern California found that after crashing with a motorcycle, the drivers of the vehicles who caused the crashes frequently remarked that they either didn’t see the motorcycle approaching, or they didn’t see it until it was too late. If the truth were told, drivers are often too distracted and don’t take the proper time to look to spot a motorcyclist that may be beside them or oncoming. That study also found that on the average, motorcyclists had about two seconds to try and avoid the impact.
These types of dangers play out every day on busy Visalia routes like Mooney Boulevard. California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) reports that Visalia recorded 17 motorcycle accidents involving a serious injury in 2023. That came with at least 3 tragic fatalities. There were even more serious accidents in 2022, with 20 incidents reported along with at least one tragic death.
Some Common Causes of Motorcycle Crashes
Increased traffic congestion in Visalia, Tulare County and the San Joaquin Valley contributes to motorcycle injuries and deaths in the area, but other factors figure into the motorcycle wreck equation too. Here are some of the common causes of motorcycle crashes:
- Motorists making left turns into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. These maneuvers cause between 55 and 66 percent of all motorcycle accidents involving two vehicles.
- Distracted driving, like talking on a phone, texting, eating, talking to passengers or even attending to personal grooming is on the increase. Distracted driving is a cause of California motorcycle accidents just about every day.
- Drivers making unsafe lane changes by not checking their blind spots.
- Exceeding the speed limit. This reduces the possibility of a motorist seeing and reacting to a motorcyclist in time to avoid a crash.
- Motorists running stop lights and stop signs or otherwise failing to yield the right-of-way.
- Drunk driving, drugged driving or both. Alcohol and drugs substantially impair a motorist’s judgment, reflexes and depth perception.
Some Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Given the vulnerability and exposure of motorcyclists, their injuries are usually serious when they’re involved in an accident. The lives of many victims will be forever affected. Here are some of those injuries, any of which could require multiple surgeries:
- Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
- Amputations.
- Multiple fractures.
- Injuries to the bones and discs of the spine.
- Internal organ damage.
- Facial fractures and significant dental injuries.
- Road rash carrying the risk of severe infection.
The damages flowing from those injuries can include past and future medical bills, past and future lost earnings, any permanent disability or disfigurement, pain and suffering and loss of a normal life. Our job is to pursue those damages for you while you recover and reach maximum medical improvement.
How Much Compensation Will I Earn for a Motorcycle Accident Injury?
It will be hard to secure an accurate estimate on the amount you’ll see on a settlement check until an experienced lawyer has examined your case.
Every collision is different. Every victim will heal at their own pace. The length of recovery will affect the length of stay at expensive hospitals. That will mean you’ll need to ask for more in an injury settlement.
The policy limits of the at-fault driver will also affect what you can expect to receive. However, your Maison Law motorcycle accident lawyer will determine every possible source of compensation for your injury recovery. That may involve filing claims against multiple drivers’ insurance providers and perhaps your own policy.
This is a list of some of the other factors that will be totaled up and estimated when you decide how much you should be asking from a car insurance company:
- All costs for medical care, medical equipment, and physical therapy.
- Future medical costs associated with a permanent physical disability or long-term injury.
- Compensation for the physical pain endured. This should include support for chronic pain and the development of arthritis for motorcycle accident victims.
- Compensation for the emotional trauma riders have suffered. This can include the anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms experienced in the crash and in recovery.
- Earnings and benefits victims have lost while missing work. The loss of the ability to support your family if you are out of work for months or years.
- Money for a new motorcycle and equipment.
- Money for transportation back and forth from doctor and surgeon visits.
Wrongful Death
A wrongful death occurs when another driver causes an accident involving a motorcyclist, and the rider dies from the injuries that he or she suffered in that crash. Two different categories of damages are usually raised in these types of cases, but they’re addressed in a single wrongful death lawsuit. Some of those damages follow:
- The decedent’s pain and suffering.
- The costs of medical care and treatment before death.
- Past and future lost earnings.
- The loss of the decedent’s services to the family or household.
- The loss of the companionship and guidance of the decedent.
- The surviving family’s emotional anguish, pain and suffering.
- Funeral, cemetery and burial expenses.
Overcoming Bias
In both the insurance industry and general public, there is a strong bias against motorcyclists. They’re often perceived as reckless risk-takers, especially here in California where lane splitting is perfectly legal. Most riders are fully aware of what can happen to them when they’re on a bike, so they exercise due care and caution for their personal safety by avoiding risky behavior. That might not be how jurors see motorcyclists though. If a motorcycle accident case goes to trial, there are some jurors who believe that motorcyclists have the same right to the road as other vehicles. They’re willing to give an injured motorcyclist or the estate of a deceased motorcyclist a fair trial. Regardless of the fact that they might openly deny bias, other jurors can be more difficult. A great attorney may even get a juror removed from consideration based on bias.
Contact a Visalia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today.
After a motorcycle accident that involves severe injuries or death that was caused by somebody else, the opposing insurer knows that it faces the possibility of a big financial loss. They will likely do whatever it can to pay you as little as possible or even nothing at all. Expect them to be dismissive of your claim and use anything that they can against you. That includes any statements that you might make to them out of court.
California law doesn’t require you to talk or cooperate with that opposing insurer, so rather than doing that and damaging your case, contact us first to arrange for a free consultation and case review. When evaluating your case, we’re going to listen to you carefully and examine all of the facts. Then, we’ll answer your questions and advise you on the viability of all of your legal options.
Contact a Visalia Personal Injury Lawyer right away after being injured or losing a family member as a result of the carelessness and negligence of somebody else anywhere around Visalia.
