California Broadside Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Hurt in a broadside motorcycle accident? You have a right to seek compensation. We’re here to help!
Broadsides are side-impact collisions that happen when other vehicles smash into motorcyclists from the side. These are devastating and life-altering crashes that have severe consequences for everyone involved.
If you’re a motorcyclist hurt in a broadside collision, read on. This page contains an enormous amount of helpful information for starting a compensation claim, ensuring you have a strong case, and securing the full and fair compensation you deserve.
At Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, we have respect and compassion for injured motorcyclists. We also have the talent it takes to successfully represent you in a compensation claim, so contact us now for a free motorcycle accident case evaluation.
What’s a Broadside Motorcycle Accident?
Broadside motorcycle accidents are sometimes called t-bone crashes, sideswipes, or side-impact collisions. In this common type of motorcycle accident, another motorcycle rider t-bones the motorcyclist from the side and flings them into the roadside or out into traffic.
Intersections are common locations for broadsides, but they can also happen in lots of other places on California’s roads. For example, a truck driver might change lanes abruptly and slam into the side of a motorcycle. Or an Uber driver might whip out of a parking lot and knock a motorcyclist into a skid.
Every broadside motorcycle collision is unique, but these accidents tend to fall into certain categories. Below are some examples of common motorcycle broadsides we see as personal injury attorneys.
Broadside Motorcycle Collisions at Intersections
This is one of the most common types of broadsides, where a vehicle hits a motorcycle in an intersection. Maybe the motorist didn’t see you, assumed they had the right of way, ran the red light, or was speeding so fast they failed to stop in time. These accidents are severe and sometimes fatal for the motorcyclist.
Distracted Drivers Hit Motorcyclists Broadside
One of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents is distracted driving. Distracted driving is an enormous problem across the country that causes 2,800 deaths and 400,000 injuries per year. A driver might overlook a motorcycle while playing around with their cell phone, adjusting an in-car display, chatting with passengers, or doing lots of other things. As a result, they could injure you and owe you compensation.
Drunk Drivers Hit Motorcyclists Broadside
More than 1,000 people die due to drunk driving in California every year. If a drunk driver caused your motorcycle broadside crash, you may have a strong compensation case. Our law firm can help you locate evidence that could strengthen your case against the drunk driver.
Failure to Yield Causes Motorcycle Broadsides
In some motorcycle broadsides, a motorist completely fails to yield and crashes into the motorcyclist. The vehicle might make a fast left turn in front of the motorcyclist, pull out into the motorcyclist’s path, or assume for some reason that the motorcyclist will yield to them.
Broadside Motorcycle Collisions on California Highways
California’s highways are busy and are the sites of numerous motorcycle broadsides. Did someone hit you while changing lanes? Did they smash into you on an exit ramp? Were they speeding and driving aggressively before hitting you? You can hold a negligent highway driver responsible for your damages.
Poorly-Lit and Dangerous Roads
Sometimes, a government or municipality is partly to blame for your motorcycle accident. Maybe the road was full of debris and caused the other driver to swerve into you. Maybe a poorly-marked road led you into a dangerous situation. Talk to your lawyer about whether a government entity may play a role in your motorcycle crash.
Common Broadside Motorcycle Accident Injuries
You’ll be lucky to survive a broadside accident and you may have extensive injuries that require surgery, rehabilitation, rest, and recovery time. The extent of your injuries will likely depend on the severity of the crash. Common injuries include:
- Knee injuries
- Hand and wrist injuries
- Road rash
- Torn muscles and ligaments
- Back and spinal injuries
- Facial injuries
- Tooth and dental injuries
- Head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Chest and ribcage impact injuries
- Broken bones
- Loss of feeling in the limbs
- Soft tissue injuries like bumps and bruises
- Limited range of motion
- Problems with balance
- Nerve damage
- Chronic pain
As an injured motorcyclist, you might also have long-lasting mental and emotional injuries that need significant psychological treatment. If you seek treatment for depression, anxiety, panic attacks, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), your costs could be covered by an insurance claim or lawsuit.
The Deadline for Motorcycle Broadside Accident Claims
All motorcycle accident claims have a legal deadline known as the statute of limitations. It’s usually within two years of the date of the accident, but sometimes this period shortens if you’re dealing with a government entity, for example.
Don’t wait! The clock starts ticking on the day of your motorcycle accident. Talk to an accident lawyer as soon as possible to start building a strong case or you could lose your right to claim compensation forever.
Who’s Liable for Your Motorcycle Broadside Crash?
The police will decide if anyone is liable in a criminal sense. In terms of a civil case or insurance claim, determining liability depends on numerous factors that judges, juries, lawyers, and insurance companies typically consider.
Factors in motorcycle accidents may include:
- The motorcycle laws that are relevant to your accident
- Where and when the crash occurred
- Who was involved in the crash
- The weather and road conditions
- Police reports
- Witness accounts
- Expert witness testimony
- How each person was positioned in the crash
- Damage to vehicles and your motorcycle
- Drunk, drugged, or distracted driving
- Video footage
In many cases, the other person is liable for your accident. There’s even a chance that a motorcycle or vehicle company, parts manufacturer, or repair shop contributed to the unsafe circumstances of your accident in some way. Your lawyer can help you sort through the details.
It’s important to understand that California is a comparative negligence state, meaning the fault may be split among parties with each receiving a proportion of the blame and compensation. That’s good for you because it means even if you share partial fault for what happened, you can still claim partial compensation.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Accident Claim
After a severe motorcycle broadside accident, you need a lawyer as soon as possible. Before you know it, you’ll have a pile of medical bills and calls from insurance companies, and you’ll need to decide on your next steps.
Here are some important ways you can protect yourself and your case. First, preserve any evidence you may have, like debris from the accident and your demolished motorcycle. The more evidence you have, the better, especially if it matches the details of property damage listed in the police report.
As soon as possible after your accident, seek medical care and photograph your injuries. Capture any cuts, bruises, deformities, or scarring. Continue to document these injuries even as they heal and photograph your medical gear like crutches, casts, slings, canes, and so forth.
Save your medical records and keep track of your medical costs. This is a huge part of determining the value of your claim, even if many of your costs are covered by your health insurance. Track all of your out-of-pocket costs too, like bus fares, Uber rides, and copays.
With the help of your lawyer, open a claim with the other person’s insurance company. But don’t provide personal information, like your social security number, without talking to your lawyer first.
Also, don’t talk about the crash on social media. A motorcycle accident is life-changing, so it might feel irresistible to update your friends on social media. But this gives the other side information that could ruin your case.
How a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Helps Your Case
It’s within your rights to handle your legal case by yourself, but it’s a stressful and risky thing to do. An insurance company will typically toss out a lowball offer when they know you don’t have a lawyer. They’ll assume you don’t know what you’re doing and will say they owe you less because you’re not paying a lawyer.
Plus, an insurance company usually offers compensation for your past medical bills, but what about your future treatment? Your mental health counseling? Your lost days of work? The value of your motorcycle? This could easily be tens of thousands of dollars, if not more.
Your pain and suffering should be valued. Compensation for pain and suffering is protected by California law and should never be undervalued by an insurance company that’s pressing you for a quick settlement.
At Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, we offer a free consultation and we don’t take our fee until the conclusion of your case after you’ve already covered the costs of your motorcycle broadside accident. So let’s talk about your crash in a free and confidential consultation!
We Handle Your Accident Claim So You Can Focus on Your Life
After a motorcycle accident, contact the attorneys at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. We handle many areas of the law, including motorcycle accidents. We believe you should be able to focus on recovering while we handle the legal details.
We truly care about California’s injured people. Contact us today for a free online case evaluation or call 877-380-8852.