California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Our motorcycle results are public. Settlements our clients received in rider cases include:

• $5 million (2022, Hanford): a pickup turned left in front of a motorcyclist, causing a traumatic brain injury and serious back, neck, and hip injuries.
• $4.1 million (2020, Riverside): a parcel delivery truck pulled out into a motorcyclist's path.
• $3.7 million (2022, Salinas): a big rig making a wide turn struck a motorcyclist stopped at a stop sign.
• $3 million (2025, San Diego County): a city street sweeper turning around struck a rider commuting to work.
• $3 million (2020, Los Angeles): a car and a motorcycle collided, leaving the rider with a serious hip injury and other serious injuries.
• $2 million (2024, Fresno): a van turned left in front of a motorcyclist. A business was among the defendants.

See more motorcycle accident results on our settlements page. Riders often meet an adjuster who assumes the motorcycle was to blame, so we answer with evidence, such as the crash report, scene photos, witnesses, and the damage to both vehicles.

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different.

UC Berkeley SafeTREC lists the top primary crash factors in California motorcycle crashes that killed or seriously injured someone in 2024 (provisional statewide data):

• unsafe speed: 29.8 percent
• improper turning: 20.4 percent
• automobile right-of-way violations: 18.1 percent
• driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs: 8.4 percent
• traffic signal and sign violations: 5.5 percent

One crash stands out nationally: in 46 percent of 2023's fatal crashes between a motorcycle and one other vehicle, the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking (NHTSA). The law requires the turning driver to yield to oncoming traffic close enough to be a hazard (Veh. Code §21801). Our motorcycle accident statistics page covers more California and national crash data.

With no frame around them, riders take much more of a crash's force than people in cars. Per mile traveled, motorcyclists died in 2023 at almost 28 times the rate of passenger car occupants (NHTSA, DOT HS 813 732). In California, 522 motorcyclists were killed in 2024, SafeTREC reports from federal fatality data.

The injuries in rider claims typically include brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, fractures, road rash and degloving, and internal injuries. Severe injuries change the claim: future medical care, often priced in a life-care plan, and lost earning capacity usually drive the damages. Our catastrophic injury attorneys handle cases like these.

Possibly several, since everyone in California is responsible for injuries caused by a lack of ordinary care (Civ. Code §1714(a)). Each may carry its own insurance:

• The driver's employer, if the driver was an employee on the job at the time (Civ. Code §2338).
• A rideshare company's insurance: from the moment a driver accepts a ride request until the ride ends, $1 million in primary coverage is required, through the company's policy, the driver's, or both (Pub. Util. Code §5433).
• A seller of alcohol, only in a narrow case: furnishing alcohol to an obviously intoxicated minor who then caused the crash (Bus. & Prof. Code §25602.1).
• A manufacturer, when a defective tire, brake, or other part caused the crash.
• A city, county, or the state, if a dangerous road condition it created or had notice of, such as loose gravel, a deep pothole, or a broken guardrail, caused the crash (Gov. Code §835). Those claims carry a six-month deadline; see our motorcycle accident deadlines guide.

Finding each defendant early can be the difference between collecting one small policy and recovering for the full harm.

After the investigation, we prepare a demand backed by the medical records and the crash evidence, negotiate with each liable insurer, and, if an insurer won't pay fair value, may file suit. You make the decisions; we handle the insurers, the medical liens, and the litigation.

Value depends on the injuries, medical costs, lost income, how fault is divided, and the insurance available. Our guide to what motorcycle settlements are worth explains how those factors interact.

The rules that matter most after a crash:

• Fault: everyone is responsible for harm their lack of ordinary care causes others (Civ. Code §1714(a)).
• Helmets: riders and passengers must wear a safety helmet that meets state standards (Veh. Code §27803). Our helmet law page explains how a claim can be affected.
• Lane splitting: state law defines it and lets the CHP develop educational guidelines for it (Veh. Code §21658.1). See lane splitting in California.

Deadlines at a glance:

• Lawsuit for your injuries: 2 years after the crash (Code Civ. Proc. §335.1).
• Your motorcycle and riding gear: 3 years (Code Civ. Proc. §338(c)(1)).
• Written claim to a city, county, or the state: within 6 months of the crash (Gov. Code §911.2).
• Lawsuit after the agency denies that claim in writing: 6 months from the notice (Gov. Code §945.6).
• Hit-and-run: for your own uninsured motorist coverage, report it to the police within 24 hours and give your insurer a sworn statement within 30 days. The other vehicle must have made contact with you or your bike (Ins. Code §11580.2(b)).
• Uninsured motorist claim: within 2 years of the crash, sue the uninsured driver, reach an agreement with your insurer, or start arbitration by certified mail (Ins. Code §11580.2(i)).
• SR-1 report to the DMV: within 10 days (Veh. Code §16000).
• Injured child: the two years generally start at age 18 (Code Civ. Proc. §352), but that pause doesn't apply to a claim or lawsuit against a government agency.

Exceptions are in our deadlines guide.