Sacramento Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Victims of motorcycle accidents have a lot to overcome when they want to file a personal injury claim to secure compensation for their injuries. Insurance companies and jurors are often biased against motorcyclists. This means that much of the claims process is spent educating people on how most bikers operate their vehicles in a safe manner. Additionally, California law actually makes it more challenging for motorcycle accident victims to file a claim. Some of these laws are discussed in detail below. Anyone injured in a crash must speak to a Sacramento motorcycle accident lawyer for help in claiming the compensation they need.

California is the only state that allows motorcyclists to split lanes. This is the practice of driving between lanes, often on the dividing line, so a biker can move through stopped or slow-moving traffic more quickly. However, California did not actually make lane splitting legal. The government just removed the statute making the practice illegal. Some defendants have used this in motorcycle accident cases to show that a biker was acting negligently, even when he or she was not.

For this reason, it is advised that all bikers in Sacramento refrain from lane splitting. Even though it is no longer outlawed in the state, it will remove one of the hurdles present in a motorcycle claim. If you have questions about how lane splitting will impact your case, reach out to a motorcycle accident attorney in Sacramento today.

In California, all motorcyclists and their passengers must wear a helmet that meets the Department of Transportation’s standards. Failing to wear a motorcycle helmet can result in serious fines for any motorcycle operator or passenger. Unfortunately, it can also negatively impact a personal injury claim.

Accident victims are expected to do everything they can to mitigate their injuries. In other words, they are responsible for ensuring that their injuries do not become worse. Failing to wear a helmet while on a motorcycle poses a great risk of injuries to the head and face. When a biker sustains any of these injuries in a crash while not wearing a helmet, the defendant in the case is likely going to use that against the biker.

A defendant can claim that it was not his or her fault that the biker chose not to wear a helmet. The defendant will also likely argue that if the biker had been wearing a helmet, then he or she would not have sustained a serious injury. Under California’s comparative fault laws, a defendant may be successful with that argument, which would greatly reduce the amount of compensation a victim could claim.

All personal injury claims have their challenges. Those involving motorcycle accidents, however, can be quite complex. If you have been injured in a crash, do not go up against the insurance companies and at-fault parties on your own. At the Brod Law Firm, our Sacramento motorcycle accident lawyers are here to help.

We know the difficulties you face when making a motorcycle accident claim, and we also know how to overcome them to give you the best chance of a positive outcome. When you have been injured, call us at (800) 427-7020 for your free case evaluation so we can discuss your claim.