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Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS IN SACRAMENTO, CA - PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS UNDER LAW

Regarding Motorcycle Accidents

While there are many benefits to riding a motorcycle, accompanying this are also some very serious risks. Motorcycles are considerably smaller than other automobiles, making them more difficult for drivers to spot. Their smaller size also means that when involved in accidents with automobiles, they incur massive amounts of damage compared to the car or truck involved.

Motorcycle accidents can cause severe and life changing injuries to riders in Sacramento. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a motorcycle accident, contact one of our experienced Sacramento motorcycle accident attorneys today. Here at Crow Law Offices, founded in 1954, we have decades of experience handling motorcycle accident cases.

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Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Because other motorists often have difficulty anticipating or seeing a motorcyclist, and a motorcycle is more sensitive to the roadway environment, a motorcyclist faces a far higher risk of collision. Many motorcycle accidents are caused in whole or in part by a rider’s lack of basic riding skills, or failure to appreciate the inherent limitations of the motorcycle, a failure to react appropriately in the face of roadway hazards. However, in two-thirds of motorcycle accidents involving another vehicle, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle riders right of way and caused the accident. Among the common causes of motorcycle accidents are:

  • Excessive speed
  • Driving Under the Influence
  • Reckless driving
  • Ignoring posted signage
  • Making illegal U-turns
  • Other driver negligence
  • Road Hazards: Hazards that are minor irritations for an automobile can be a major hazard for a motorcycle rider. These include potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris, or other objects on the roadway, ruts, uneven pavement, and railroad tracks. Studies show that roadway conditions - undivided highways, curves, and defects (like potholes and pavement ridges) are often contributing factors in motorcycle crash injuries and fatalities
  • Visual Recognition: Motorcycles make smaller visual targets, which are more likely to be obscured by other vehicles, or by road and weather conditions.
  • Riding Skills: A motorcycle requires much more skill and physical coordination to operate than a car.

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Common Injuries Resulting from Motorcycle Accidents

Because there is no substantial protective barrier between a motorcyclist and the hazards of the road, a motorcyclist faces a much higher risk of serious injury in the event of an accident. Among the types of injuries motorcycle riders experience are:

  • Neck and Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Fractured or Broken Limbs(especially in the lower extremities),
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
  • Amputation
  • Wrongful death

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Motorcycle Accident Statistics

Just in the past decade, motorcycle accident deaths have actually doubled. California has one of the leading rates of motorcycle accident injuries and fatalities in the entire country. Motorcycle accidents contribute to 13% of all traffic fatalities in California. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that you are 8 times more likely to be injured and 37 times more likely to die if you are in a motorcycle accident. More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years. The likelihood of injury is extremely high in 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.

In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents. Approximately 70 percent of motorcycle-versus-vehicle collisions occur at intersections.

In single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slide-out and fall due to over-braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering. Vehicle failure accounted for less than 3% of these motorcycle accidents, and most of those were single vehicle accidents where control was lost due to a puncture flat. Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc. ) were the accident cause in 2% of the accidents; animal involvement was 1% of the accidents.

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Importance of Having a Motorcycle Accident Attorney

A Sacramento motorcycle accident lawyer at the Crow Law offices will: Investigate the motorcycle accident promptly and thoroughly; Preserve evidence of the motorcycle crash before it is lost; Locate witnesses to the motorcycle accident; Obtain photographs of the motorcycle crash scene; Establish the defendants fault for the motorcycle accident; Inspect the motorcycle and safety gear for potential defects; Protect you from filing deadlines; Sue all responsible parties; Hire the right experts; Recover all the damages to which you are entitled to.

Unfortunately, many non-riders are biased against motorcyclists. All too often, a motorcycle accident is blamed on the rider of the bike, which makes it critical that you protect yourself early on. Call an effective Sacramento Motorcycle accident attorney as soon as you possibly can. A thorough, detailed investigation, taking into account the special considerations present with motorcycle accidents is essential to determining the cause of the motorcycle accident.

In order to recover compensation for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, you must prove through a Sacramento motorcycle accident attorney that the accident was a result of another’s negligence. Driver’s have what is known as a duty of care to other motorists (including motorcyclists) and pedestrians they encounter. When a driver fails to exert this care, also known as a breach of duty, then they are considered negligent.

A thorough investigation of a motorcycle accident is usually complicated, requiring a capable Sacramento motorcycle accident lawyer to establish driver fault or alternative causes for the motorcycle crash, such as a dangerous road condition or a vehicular defect. A Sacramento motorcycle accident attorney needs to take into account the characteristics and dynamics of the particular motorcycle involved, along with the experience of the rider, the design of the roadway and most importantly, the evidence left at the scene to accurately reconstruct the accident.

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What Should I Do If Involved in a Motorcycle Accident

Get prompt medical care. If you are injured in the motorcycle crash, you should be taken to an emergency room for prompt medical care. Call the police and report the motorcycle crash. A police report will document the facts of the wreck and will identify the parties involved, along with any witnesses. If possible, take pictures and get the names and numbers of any witnesses. You also need to contact a Sacramento motorcycle accident attorney at the Crow Law Offices right away.

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Proving Your Motorcycle Accident Case

Most claims for motorcycle accident-related damages are brought under the legal theory of negligence. To prove negligence, you must first show that the responsible party(defendant)had a duty to act with care toward others so as not to cause them harm. Every driver is expected to operate the vehicle safely. Second, you must prove that the defendant breached that duty, by driving unsafely, failing to repair a pothole, creating an unsafe condition, etc… Third, the defendant’s failure to use care was a contributing cause of the motorcycle accident and that you suffered injury or property damage because of the motorcycle accident. Your Sacramento motorcycle accident attorney at the Crow Law Offices will seek to prove these elements through witnesses and evidence.

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