Motorcyclists have the same right to use California roads as other motorists, but they have far less physical protection when a collision occurs. A crash that causes relatively minor damage to a passenger vehicle can leave a motorcycle rider with broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, severe road rash, or permanent disabilities.
If another driver caused your motorcycle accident in El Cajon, California, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, motorcycle damage, and other losses.
At Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers, our attorneys have more than 80 years of combined legal experience and have recovered over $100 million in settlements and verdicts for injured clients.
Insurance companies may try to blame motorcyclists for accidents simply because they were riding a motorcycle, speeding, lane splitting, or engaging in other behavior the insurer believes contributed to the collision. Our El Cajon motorcycle accident lawyers can investigate what actually happened and fight attempts to unfairly shift responsibility onto you.
Contact Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced El Cajon motorcycle accident lawyer.
Why Choose Pines Salomon After a Motorcycle Accident in El Cajon, CA?
Motorcycle accident claims can present challenges that do not always arise in ordinary passenger vehicle collisions.
Because riders have little protection from the force of an impact, their injuries may be severe and their damages substantial. At the same time, insurance companies may scrutinize the rider’s behavior and look for reasons to reduce or deny compensation.
Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers has represented injury victims throughout San Diego County for decades. Our attorneys have recovered more than $100 million for clients, and members of our legal team have received recognition from organizations including Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys.
When you hire our firm after an El Cajon motorcycle accident, we can:
- Investigate how the motorcycle crash occurred
- Identify every party who may be responsible
- Obtain police reports, photographs, videos, and other evidence
- Locate and interview witnesses
- Examine vehicle damage and the accident scene
- Obtain available surveillance or dash-camera footage
- Consult accident reconstructionists and other experts when appropriate
- Review applicable insurance policies
- Document your medical treatment and injuries
- Calculate lost earnings and future financial losses
- Evaluate the long-term impact of permanent injuries
- Challenge allegations that you caused or contributed to the accident
- Handle communications with insurance adjusters
- Negotiate for a fair settlement
- File a lawsuit and prepare your case for trial when necessary
Our goal is to handle the legal burden while you focus on your physical recovery and your family.
Why Motorcycle Accident Claims Can Be Different From Car Accident Claims
Motorcycle collisions often require a different approach than ordinary car accident cases.
Riders Have Less Protection
Passenger vehicles surround occupants with a metal frame, seat belts, airbags, and other safety systems. Motorcyclists generally do not have those protections.
A rider may be thrown from the motorcycle, struck by another vehicle, crushed between vehicles, or make direct contact with pavement or roadside objects.
As a result, motorcycle accidents frequently produce serious injuries even when the collision occurs at a relatively low speed.
Motorcycles Can Be Harder for Drivers to See
The California DMV cautions motorists that motorcycles are smaller and can disappear into vehicle blind spots. Drivers are advised to check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes or entering a road and to watch carefully for motorcyclists.
Many motorcycle accidents happen because another driver:
- Changes lanes without seeing a motorcycle
- Turns left across a rider’s path
- Pulls out from a driveway or side street
- Fails to yield
- Follows a motorcycle too closely
- Opens a vehicle door into a rider’s path
Riders May Face Unfair Assumptions
An insurance adjuster may attempt to portray a motorcyclist as reckless simply because the person rides a motorcycle.
Fault should be determined from the evidence—not stereotypes about motorcycle riders.
Our attorneys can examine witness statements, photographs, video footage, vehicle damage, roadway evidence, and other information when challenging allegations that you caused the crash.
Common Injuries From El Cajon Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents can cause injuries affecting virtually every part of the body.
We can represent riders who suffer:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Herniated discs
- Broken and fractured bones
- Crush injuries
- Road rash
- Severe lacerations
- Burns
- Internal bleeding
- Internal organ damage
- Nerve damage
- Shoulder injuries
- Knee and leg injuries
- Joint damage
- Facial injuries
- Dental injuries
- Amputations
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Psychological and emotional trauma
Some injuries require multiple surgeries, lengthy rehabilitation, and months away from work.
Others can permanently affect someone’s mobility, career, independence, relationships, and ability to participate in activities they enjoyed before the accident.
An injury claim should account for both the immediate consequences of a crash and the long-term impact on your life.
Who Can Be Liable for an El Cajon Motorcycle Accident?
The driver who collided with your motorcycle may be responsible, but other parties can sometimes share liability.
Potentially responsible parties may include:
- A negligent driver
- A commercial vehicle driver
- A driver’s employer
- A trucking company
- An Uber or Lyft driver
- A vehicle owner
- A motorcycle manufacturer
- A vehicle or parts manufacturer
- A motorcycle repair shop
- A business whose negligence contributed to the accident
- A government entity responsible for a dangerous roadway condition
- Another party whose actions contributed to the crash
Identifying all responsible parties can be particularly important after a catastrophic accident because severe injuries may produce damages that exceed a single insurance policy’s limits.
How Much Is My El Cajon Motorcycle Accident Case Worth?
There is no reliable “average” motorcycle accident settlement.
The value of your claim depends on the individual circumstances of your accident and injuries.
Factors may include:
- The severity of your injuries
- Your medical expenses
- Whether you require surgery
- Your future medical needs
- The length of your recovery
- Whether your injuries are permanent
- Whether you can return to your previous job
- Your lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- The severity of scarring or disfigurement
- Your physical pain
- Your emotional suffering
- How the accident affects your daily activities
- Whether you are able to continue riding
- Damage to your motorcycle
- The strength of the liability evidence
- Whether you share responsibility for the accident
- Available insurance coverage
For example, a rider who sustains a broken arm and fully recovers may have very different damages from a motorcyclist who suffers spinal cord damage and requires lifelong medical care.
Our El Cajon motorcycle accident attorneys can investigate your losses and evaluate the full effect of your injuries before determining what amount of compensation to pursue.
What Compensation Can I Recover After an El Cajon Motorcycle Accident?
Depending on the circumstances, an injured motorcyclist may pursue economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages compensate you for measurable financial losses such as:
- Ambulance expenses
- Emergency room treatment
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Diagnostic testing
- Doctor appointments
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Prescription medication
- Medical equipment
- Future medical care
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Motorcycle repairs or replacement
- Damage to riding gear
- Transportation costs
- Other accident-related expenses
Non-Economic Damages
A severe motorcycle accident can affect much more than your bank account.
Non-economic damages may compensate you for:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Inconvenience
- Loss of consortium
In some cases involving especially wrongful conduct, punitive damages may also be available.
Can I Recover Compensation if I Was Partially at Fault?
Potentially.
California uses a pure comparative negligence system. This allows responsibility to be divided among the people or entities involved in an accident. An injured person’s compensation can generally be reduced according to their percentage of fault. Pines Salomon’s existing El Cajon page discusses this same comparative-fault rule.
For example, suppose your total damages were $300,000 but you were determined to be 20% responsible for the motorcycle accident. Your recovery could potentially be reduced by 20%.
Insurance companies may attempt to argue that a rider was:
- Speeding
- Lane splitting unsafely
- Following too closely
- Making an unsafe lane change
- Riding in a blind spot
- Distracted
- Otherwise contributing to the crash
Our attorneys can investigate the evidence and fight efforts to assign you more responsibility than the facts support.
How Can an El Cajon Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help With the Insurance Company?
Insurance adjusters investigate claims to determine what their companies are legally required to pay.
In motorcycle cases, an insurer may argue that:
- You caused the crash
- You were lane splitting unsafely
- You were speeding
- Your injuries are less serious than you claim
- Your injuries existed before the accident
- Some medical treatment was unnecessary
- You could have returned to work sooner
- Another party was responsible
- Your claim is worth less than the amount you are requesting
Our attorneys can handle insurance communications on your behalf, present evidence supporting your claim, respond to allegations of comparative fault, and negotiate for compensation reflecting the full impact of your injuries.
If the insurer refuses to make a reasonable offer, we can evaluate whether filing a lawsuit is appropriate.
How Much Does an El Cajon Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Cost?
Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.
This means you do not pay attorney’s fees upfront. Instead, the attorney’s fee is an agreed-upon percentage of the compensation recovered in your case. Pines Salomon’s existing motorcycle and El Cajon pages describe the firm’s contingency-fee representation.
Our team can explain the fee agreement and answer your questions during your free consultation.
Contact an El Cajon Motorcycle Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
A serious motorcycle crash can leave you facing painful injuries, extensive medical treatment, time away from work, damage to your motorcycle, and uncertainty about your future.
You do not have to deal with the insurance company and legal process on your own.
Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers has more than 80 years of combined legal experience and has recovered over $100 million in settlements and verdicts for injured clients.
Whether your motorcycle accident happened on I-8, SR-67, SR-125, Main Street, Second Street, Jamacha Road, Fletcher Parkway, or another El Cajon roadway, our San Diego motorcycle accident attorneys can investigate the crash, fight attempts to unfairly blame you, and pursue compensation for your injuries and losses.
Contact Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced El Cajon motorcycle accident lawyer.