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Vehicle Accident

Motorcycle Accidents

Auto Accidents (Auto, Truck, Motorcycle, Bus, Train, Taxi, Boat)

Accidents of all kinds happen on our roads and waters every day. Nearly 1.3 million people are killed in road crashes per year, which comes out to 3,000 deaths per day on average. Being involved in such an accident is scary and traumatizing. If you or a loved one have been affected by an accident, contact a local Los Angeles personal injury attorney.

Accidents can come in many forms, including:

After an accident it’s important to seek medical attention for any injuries you may have sustained. Even if you feel fine, there could be internal injuries that you aren’t aware of. Many injuries can come as a result of an accident, such as broken bones in the arms, legs, chest, and ribs, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries leading to paralysis, and emotional trauma.

Compensation for you and your loved one’s injuries may be attainable if you have a successful case. Allowing an attorney to handle your case can help to ensure that success. With so many deadlines and mounds of paperwork, having a Los Angeles personal injury attorney work on your case will allow you to relieve some stress and recover from your injuries properly. Compensation, if rewarded, can help you to pay for medical bills, physical or emotional therapy, rehabilitation, and funeral costs in the event of a wrongful death.

Whether on the waterway or freeway, any type of accident should be taken seriously. If you are in need of a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, contact the Pacific Coast Injury Law Center. Our trusted and experienced attorneys are here to help you and your loved ones gain a fair compensation for your troubles and be able to continue with your way of life. Call the office today to schedule a consultation.

Motorcycles are a great way to travel, but motorcycle riders are at greater risk of injury than other motorists. Non-observant drivers of larger vehicles often don’t look for motorcycles, or design or road defects may surprise a motorcyclist, often with injurious results.

Every year, approximately 4,000 people are killed in motorcycle accidents. Those numbers have not shifted much, in spite of significant drops in the number of people killed in auto accidents.

The right kind of motorcycle safety gear is key to helping reduce your risk of injury or fatality in an accident.  The attorneys at Pacific Coast Injury Law Center understand the intricacies of motorcycle accident cases and can help injured bikers maximize financial awards.

Motorcycle Safety Gear
It’s not always easy to convince motorcyclists about the need to wear appropriate safety gear, so that they can reduce their risk of injuries. Many riders labor under the assumption that a helmet is all that they need to stay safe while riding. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you enjoy motorcycling, promise yourself that you will never get back on a motorcycle again without these five important pieces of gear.

The helmet is the most important safety equipment that you could use while riding. According to statistics, the use of a helmet reduces your risk of dying in an accident by as much as 37%. Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have also confirmed that helmeted motorcyclists are much less likely to die from a traumatic brain injury, and are also likely to run up lower medical and hospitalization bills, compared to non-helmeted motorcyclists in an accident.
Some of the more serious injuries in motorcycle accidents are collarbone injuries. Reduce your risk of suffering these debilitating injuries by wearing a neck collar to protect your collarbone.

It can be extremely foolhardy and risky to ride a motorcycle without wearing appropriate gloves. Obviously, you do not want clunky, uncomfortable cumbersome gloves that do not allow you to grip the motorcycle handle conveniently. Look into new- generation motorcycle gloves that can come in leather and Kevlar with additional carbon-fiber reinforcements to protect your fingers and hands during an accident.

Boots can help protect your feet and ankles in the event of an accident. Foot injuries are actually very common during motorcycle accidents, and can keep you off your feet quite literally for weeks or even months after an accident.

A motorcycle jacket is not meant merely to make you look like a daredevil, but also protect you from severe injuries. Buy yourself a motorcycle jacket that comes with reinforced elbow protectors for extra protection, and carbon fiber supports.

LANE SHARING aka LANE SPLITTING – CHECK OUT THE LANE SPLITTING GUIDE PROVIDED BY THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL:

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT STATISTICS
According to “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures” (the Hurt Report). This study examined nearly 4,500 crashes occurring in the Los Angeles area and was sponsored in part by NHTSA in 1981.

  • The most deadly injuries to the accident victims were injuries to the chest and head.
  • The use of the safety helmet is the single-most critical factor in the prevention or reduction of head injuries.
  • The use of the full facial coverage helmet increases protection, and significantly reduces face injuries.
  • Safety helmet use caused no attenuation of critical traffic sounds, no limitation of pre-crash visual field, and no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation was related to helmet use.
  • There is not liability for neck injury by wearing a safety helmet; helmeted riders had less neck injuries than unhelmeted riders.
  • Approximately 50% of the motorcycle riders in traffic were using safety helmets but only 40% of the accident-involved motorcycle riders were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.
  • Seventy-three percent of the accident-involved motorcycle riders used no eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on the unprotected eyes contributed in impairment of vision, which delayed hazard detection.
  • The use of heavy boots, jacket, gloves, etc., is effective in preventing or reducing abrasions and lacerations, which are frequent but rarely severe injuries.
  • Injury severity increases with speed, alcohol involvement and motorcycle size.
  • Almost half of the fatal accidents show alcohol involvement
  • More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle.
  • Motorcycle riders with previous recent traffic citations and accidents are over represented in the accident data.
  • Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly over represented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented. The majority of the accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%).
  • Nearly 75% of the crashes occurring involved motorcycles involved in a collision with another vehicle, which was mostly a passenger car.
  • The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic was the predominating cause of motorcycle-car accidents. The driver of the other vehicle did not see the cycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.
  • The most frequent impact configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight ahead and the car making a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.
  • In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle’s right of way and caused the crash in 2/3 of the cases.
  • Intersections are the most likely place for motorcycle crashes with other vehicles.
  • The view of the motorcycle or the other vehicle involved in the accident is limited by glare or obstructed by other vehicles in almost half of the multiple vehicle accidents.
  • Conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in multiple vehicle accidents, and accident involvement is significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets.
  • The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action.
  • Motorcycle riders in these accidents showed significant collision avoidance problems. Most riders would over brake and skid the rear wheel, and under brake the front when greatly reducing collision avoidance deceleration. The ability to counter steer and swerve was essentially absent.
  • About 25% of the crashes involved a single motorcycle that either struck a fixed object and/or ran-off the road.
  • The likelihood of injury is extremely high is these motorcycle accidents-98% of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury.
  • Vehicle failure and roadway defects accounted for less than 3% of motorcycle crashes and weather conditions were not a factor in 98% of the cases.
  • The typical motorcycle pre-crash lines-of-sight to the traffic hazard portray no contribution of the limits of peripheral vision; more than ¾ of all accident hazards are within 45 degree of either side of straight ahead.
  • The median pre-crash speed was 29.8 mph, and the median crash speed was 21.5 mph.
  • Lack of attention to the driving task is a common factor for the motorcyclist in an accident.

WHAT TO DO AFTER A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT:

It is also important to take certain steps immediately following the accident wherever possible. Of course, this may not always be possible, as the accident could result in too serious an injury on unconsciousness.

However, you should try to:

  1. Remain at the scene of the accident.
  2. Call the police immediately or have someone call the police for you.
  3. File a police report as soon as the officers arrive.
  4. Seek immediate medical attention, even if you think you are not injured. You may have injuries that will come to light later.
  5. Get the license number, personal and insurance details, name and address of the other driver involved.
  6. Ask for the details of any witnesses present at the accident scene.
  7. Seek legal assistance as soon as possible.

 

Being involved in a motorcycle accident can result in severe shock, so any injuries may not be immediately apparent.  However, you should not let this apparent lack of injury put you off getting medical attention immediately, as this will be key to filing for compensation as a result of your accident.

Likewise, wherever possible try and get witness statements, file your police report straight away, and get all of the relevant details from the other driver, as these will prove very useful when you claim for compensation for the injuries and damages that result from the motorcycle accident.

If you are the relative of someone that has been killed in a motorcycle accident it is also important to seek legal representation right away in the event that the fault was the other drivers.

An experienced motorcycle accident lawyer will be able to evaluate all of the facts surrounding the accident in order to get you the maximum amount of compensation possible for your motorcycle accident injuries.

We will be looking to get compensation for mental or physical injuries, damage, loss of earnings, medical expenses, and any other damages resulting from the motorcycle accident. We will be able to gather all of the relevant information and collate the necessary details to maximize your chances of a successful lawsuit as well as get you as much compensation as possible for the damage and expenses incurred as a result of the motorcycle accident.

PACIFIC COAST INJURY LAW CENTER REPRESENTS VICTIMS OF MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
If you have been the victim of a motorcycle accident in California, and have suffered serious injuries, please contact us.  We have extensive experience successfully representing clients who have been injured in various types of motor vehicle accidents, recovering for them the monetary compensation that they deserve.

Our firm will attempt to establish legal responsibility, review the damages, prove the damages, and collect the financial settlement or judgment that our client deserves. We are capable of handling all of the aspects of the case in a timely and efficient manner.

In order to prove that the defendant was negligent in a motorcycle accident case, you must prove the following factors:

  • The other party was negligent in the motorcycle accident.
  • You suffered damages as a result of the motorcycle accident.
  • The other party’s negligence caused the motorcycle accident.

As the result of the lack of protection that a motorcycle provides, as compared to a car or truck, motorcyclists often suffer serious physical injuries when they are involved in motorcycle accidents. Some injuries that a motorcyclist may suffer in an accident include amputation, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.

If you are a motorcyclist who has suffered serious physical injuries, economic loss, and damages due to a motorcycle accident, you should retain Pacific Coast Injury Law Center today.

Free consultations:
Our firm provides free consultations to victims and family members. We will travel to your location and review your case with you.

At Pacific Coast Injury Law Center, we take motor vehicle accident cases on a contingency-fee basis. This means that we do not charge any legal fees unless we make a recovery for you. When we do secure financial compensation for your damages, our fees are paid as an agreed upon percentage of that settlement.

What To Do After an Accident:

Most accidents are unexpected and almost always stressful. Sometimes accidents are unavoidable no matter how much care or precaution you take. If you are in a motor vehicle accident or slip/trip and fall, we are here to help you.

  • Items to Keep Handy in Your Car:
    • Your insurance information
    • Pen and paper
    • A seatbelt cutting tool
    • Disposable Camera if you don’t have a cell phone with a camera
    • Cones, warning triangles or emergency flares in your trunk
  • Stay calm, because getting upset will only makes things worse
  • Pull over to the shoulder and get to safety
  • Turn on your car’s hazard lights and if necessary use flares or cones
  • Make sure everyone is ok and call an ambulance if necessary or you’re in doubt
  • Call the police if there are injuries or there is significant property damage
  • Call your insurance company to report the accident and request a tow truck if necessary
  • It is important to gather information in case you need to make a claim later on
  • Get the following information from all parties involved:
    • ​Name
    • Address
    • Phone number
    • Email address
    • Make, model and year of the car
    • License plate number
    • Insurance carrier
    • Insurance policy numbeer
  • Take notes about the accident, including specific damages to all vehicles involved, witness information, and what you believed caused the accident
  • Take notes about what the other driver’s said or what you heard witnesses say
  • Get the officers name and badge or ID number or business card
  • Get police report number (so a police report can be requested once it is prepared)
  • All vehicles, whether damaged or not
  • The accident location
  • The parties involved in the accident
  • People involved with the accident
  • Release your social security number to anyone
  • DO NOT ADMIT FAULT, even if you think you are
    • Often times people involved in accidents do not have a complete understanding as to why the accident happened, so it is important to not just assume it’s your fault

If you or your loved one has been a motor vehicle accident, give us a call today.

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