Pasadena Motorcycle and Bicycle Accident

Aside from the fact that just about all of them ride on two wheels, motorcyclists and bicyclists share some other things in common. Both of them present low profiles in traffic and both are unstable, even with only a slight impact.

Motorcyclists and bicyclists are completely vulnerable

Riders of motorcycles and bicycles don’t have a steel body around them as the driver of a passenger vehicle has. There aren’t any specially engineered crumple zones, and there aren’t any airbags or seat belt restraint systems. Riders of motorcycles and bicycles are completely exposed to very serious injuries or death.

Where did he come from?

Most motorists who are involved in crashes with motorcyclists and bicyclists state that they never saw the other person, or they saw him or her too late. The most common fact patterns in accidents between passenger vehicles and motorcycles or bicycles follow.

• Head-on collisions

The head-on collision with a passenger vehicle striking the motorcycle or bicycle from the front in the most frequent fact scenario. Head-on collisions carry a fatality rate of over 55 percent.

• Left turns

The next most common cause of motorcycle and bicycle accidents is the driver of the passenger vehicle making a left turn in an intersection, and the motorcyclist or bicyclist is hit by the passenger vehicle while traveling straight through an intersection.

• Lane splitting

A motorcyclist or bicyclist lane splits when they drive between two lanes of traffic in the same direction that are stopped. You’ll see this quite often during rush hour traffic jams. There’s no law against lane splitting in California. Motorists just don’t expect to be passed in those traffic conditions, and there’s little room for motorcyclists or bicyclists to maneuver to avoid a crash in such close proximity.

• Rear-end collisions

Like anybody else on the roadway, motorcyclists and bicyclists can get rear-ended. These crashes are particularly worrisome as the riders can get thrown forward and then get run over by the vehicle that hit them or another vehicle.

Common motorcyclist and bicyclist injuries

Crashes between motorcyclists or bicyclists are terribly violent occurrences that carry about an 80 percent chance of injury or death. When thrown from a motorcycle or bicycle, the rider might hit other vehicles or stationary objects before coming to rest on the ground. Common injuries in these crashes include:

• Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries
• Pelvic, hip, and leg fractures
• Facial fractures and severe dental injuries
• Hand, arm, and shoulder injuries
• Internal organ damage
• Severe road rash leading to infection

Don’t trust the opposing insurer

From the moment that a motor vehicle impacts a motorcycle or bicycle, that rider is launched into a different world that he or she has no experience in. Trusting the insurance company of the person who disabled them is like trusting the person who misrepresented a material fact to you. It’s the goal of every insurance company to pay out as little as possible on claims. That’s how they stay in business. When you’re a victim with serious injuries, you’re not in good hands or with a good neighbor, and you have no nationwide insurance company on your side. Rather than allowing an insurance adjuster to take control of your case by giving him or her a statement that will be used against you in the future, you need a law firm that will take control of the insurer of the person who hit you.

How the El Dabe Law Firm can help you

Seriously injured people and the families of those who died as a result of the carelessness and negligence of others deserve a successful and respected law firm behind them that will maximize the value of their cases. We’re aggressive trial lawyers, and we’re compassionate too. Our goal for every client that we represent is to obtain maximum compensation for them. People need a strong law firm for serious injuries or wrongful death.

The law doesn’t require you to cooperate with the insurer of the person who so dramatically changed your life. Call us right away after any motorcycle or bicycle accident in Pasadena or southern California at 888-543-9414. Insurance defense attorneys, judges and jurors all have the highest respect for us.