Santa Maria Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

It’s the scenario that every motorcyclist fears—getting hit by a negligent driver. Riders who are fortunate enough to survive the impact often face exorbitant medical bills, and many are unable to earn an income while they recover. Our Santa Maria motorcycle accident lawyers know what you’re going through, and we are prepared to help you bring a claim against the at-fault party. You may be entitled to compensation for healthcare costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. The insurance company might try to offer a low settlement that excludes or undervalues certain damages, but our lawyers won’t settle for anything less than you deserve. You can reach us 24 hours a day to schedule a free consultation. Call 1-800-GO-HARRIS to speak with a member of our team.

What Kinds of Motorcycle Accident Claims Does Harris Personal Injury Lawyers Handle?

• Accidents between motorcycles and cars
• Accidents between motorcycles and commercial trucks
• Accidents between motorcycles and scooters
• Accidents between motorcycles and buses
• Accidents between motorcycles and pedestrians
• Accidents between motorcycles and Turo vehicles
• Accidents between motorcycles and rideshare vehicles
• Accidents caused by poor road conditions
• Motorcycle accidents caused by speeding
• Motorcycle accidents resulting in brain or spinal cord injury
• DUI motorcycle accidents
• Wrongful death motorcycle accidents
• Other motorcycle accidents

Factors That Could Influence the Outcome of Your Motorcycle Accident Claim

If your financial security is on the line, it’s only natural to question how your case will likely play out. Because each claim is unique, your best option for getting the answers you seek is to speak with a Santa Maria motorcycle accident attorney. At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we offer free case evaluations, so we will assess your situation and answer your questions without charge. Although no lawyer who practices with integrity would ever promise to secure a specific result—even if your case seems strong—we can help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your claim as well as the factors that will likely influence the outcome. Such factors may include:

• The Strength of Your Evidence: To prevail in a third-party motorcycle accident claim, you will need strong evidence to prove liability and damages. Most of these claims are filed on the basis of negligence, so it’s likely that you will need evidence to prove how the at-fault party breached the duty of care owed to you. You will also need evidence to prove causation—i.e. that the breach of duty was the actual or proximate cause of your injury or your loved one’s death—and to prove damages.

• Whether You Were Wearing a Helmet: Motorcycle helmets lower the risk of brain injury by 67 percent and the risk of death by 37 percent. To reduce the number of tragedies stemming from these collisions, California legislators made it compulsory for all motorcycle riders and passengers to wear helmets. If you weren’t wearing a helmet and this somehow contributed to the severity of your injuries, the insurance company might argue that you should be held at least partially liable for your medical bills, lost income, and other damages. Depending on the circumstances, though, it may still be possible for our Santa Maria motorcycle accident lawyers to recover compensation for 100 percent of your damages even if you weren’t wearing a helmet.

• Whether You Violated Another Traffic Law: Due to California’s pure comparative negligence system, the financial award in a personal injury case can be reduced by the claimant’s own percentage of fault. You may be found partially at fault—and your damages award may, therefore, be reduced—if you were violating a traffic law or otherwise behaving negligently at the time of the crash and this behavior contributed to the accident.

• The Available Insurance Coverage: Even if you are able to prove liability and damages, it’s possible that your financial recovery will be limited to the available insurance coverage. This can certainly be disconcerting if you’ve incurred significant medical bills and lost income, but there may be several options available for pursuing compensation. If multiple parties contributed to the crash, for example, there could be several insurance policies in play. And thanks to California’s joint and several liability law, one defendant can be held liable for 100 percent of a personal injury victim’s economic damages. Our Santa Maria motorcycle accident lawyers can help you identify all options for pursuing compensation.

• The Statements You Provided to the Insurance Company: No matter how confident you are in your ability to handle correspondence with the insurance company, it’s wise to direct all such phone calls and emails to your attorney. Otherwise, you might inadvertently provide statements that can be used to dispute your claim.

Schedule a Free Case Review with a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Santa Maria

Our attorneys have many decades of combined experience representing accident victims. Although we’ve recovered more than $300,000,000 in settlements and verdicts, we remain dedicated to providing the personalized representation you would expect from a small, local law firm. To set up a free consultation, send us a message or call 1-800-GO-HARRIS.