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Citrus Heights Motorcycle Accidents Lawyer

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Citrus Heights Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Motorcycles are popular throughout California. Some people ride for pleasure, while others enjoy the convenience of a smaller vehicle that’s easier to park and provides the ability to enjoy California’s terrific weather. However, motorcycles are also inherently dangerous for several reasons. Whether you ride out of necessity or simply enjoy motorcycling, it is crucial to understand the risks you take every time you climb onto your bike. Motorcycle accidents are not only more likely to occur than accidents in passenger vehicles; they are also more likely to cause devastating injuries, some of which can be life-changing or fatal.

The attorneys at the Kreeger Law Firm want to provide our Citrus Heights-area clients and prospective clients with vital information to help them understand the risks of motorcycling in California. It’s vital to know how motorcycle accidents happen, how to avoid them, and what you should do if another driver causes a motorcycle crash with you or a loved one, resulting in painful injuries and expensive economic losses. In addition, if you or a relative has recently been injured in a motorcycle accident caused by another party’s negligence, our firm can provide the legal counsel you need to secure compensation for your damages.

Why Should I Hire a Citrus Heights Motorcycle Accident Attorney?

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries and sustained economic losses in a motorcycle accident that someone else caused, you have the right to hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions through a personal injury claim. Typically, an auto insurance claim is the first step toward recovery after a motor vehicle accident, but dealing with an insurance company is likely a frustrating and protracted experience. Additionally, there is no guarantee that a successful insurance claim will fully cover your losses. As a result, you may need to take further legal action against the at-fault driver through a personal injury claim.

Navigating an insurance claim or a personal injury claim following a motorcycle accident can be extremely difficult on your own. While you are recovering from painful injuries and calculating the economic damage of the incident, you will also need to navigate complex civil court procedures and ensure all your court filings are accurate and filed on time. Hiring an attorney will make this process much more manageable. Your legal team can handle your case proceedings on your behalf while you recover.

The Kreeger Law Firm has years of experience handling complex motor vehicle accident claims, including motorcycle accident claims involving painful injuries and substantial economic losses. Our team can help you approach your case with confidence. We will carefully examine the circumstances of your accident and help you prove liability for your injuries and other damages. We believe in client-focused representation, so we’ll take the time to know you and how your accident has affected your life. Our goal is to help you secure as much compensation as possible for your damages and ensure the party who caused your motorcycle accident is held accountable for their negligence.

How Can Motorcycle Accidents Happen?

Motorcycles are inherently dangerous for several reasons. First, they offer riders no physical protection from crash forces. If a motorcycle collides with another vehicle or object, the rider is highly likely to sustain injuries. Motorcycles are much smaller than enclosed passenger vehicles, and riders are almost entirely exposed. Additionally, they have no safety features like airbags or seatbelts to prevent riders from being thrown off their bikes or cushioning them from crash impact forces.

Motorcycle accidents can occur for many of the same reasons as accidents involving standard passenger vehicles. Some of the most commonly reported causes of motorcycle accidents in Citrus Heights, CA, and surrounding areas include:

Distracted driving, which is the leading cause of all motor vehicle accidents in the country. Even a few seconds of distraction can lead to devastating accidents. Using a cell phone, eating, or even talking with a passenger while driving can potentially cause distracted driving accidents in California.
Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. It is illegal for any driver to operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including prescription medications that interfere with driving safely. Impaired drivers have reduced reaction speeds, hindered spatial awareness, and slowed judgment. Therefore, DUI is extremely dangerous and illegal, and a driver who causes a DUI accident will face criminal prosecution and civil claims from victims.
Poor driving conditions. All drivers must use extra caution when driving in severe weather or at night. Drivers who fail to use appropriate caution during poor road conditions can easily cause devastating accidents.
Speeding. All drivers need to heed posted speed limit signs. Speeding reduces the available window for reacting to changing traffic patterns. If a driver is speeding, they may not have enough time or space to slow down or stop to avoid a crash.

These are just a few of the most common ways in which motorcycle accidents occur in California. If you believe your recent motorcycle accident occurred because of another driver’s negligence, you have the right to claim compensation for your injuries and financial losses.

Possible Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents in Citrus Heights

Motorcyclists are not only at higher risk of experiencing accidents than passenger vehicle drivers, but they are also at greater risk of suffering severe injuries when accidents do occur. Motorcyclists can easily suffer catastrophic injuries from the initial impact with another vehicle as well as the secondary impact of hitting the ground. Some of the most commonly cited motorcycle accident injuries include:

Spinal cord injuries. These injuries can result in devastating long-term medical complications, including paralysis. In addition, the spinal cord cannot self-repair like the rest of the human body, so spinal cord injuries and their effects are permanent.
Traumatic brain injuries. Even when motorcyclists wear appropriately fitted helmets, they can still suffer traumatic brain injuries, some of which may be life-threatening. However, helmets can significantly reduce the risk of fatal head injuries, and California state law requires all riders and motorcycle passengers to wear helmets.
Broken bones. Crash impact forces can easily cause severe bone fractures, which may cause nerve damage or require surgical correction.
Internal organ damage. A vehicle crash can easily cause internal bleeding and other damage to the organs of the body. Some of these injuries may not manifest noticeable symptoms immediately.
“Road rash” is a condition characterized by pieces of asphalt and road debris becoming embedded in the skin from a rider sliding on the pavement after being thrown from a bike.

It’s common for motorcycle accident victims to sustain several of these injuries in a single accident. They may require emergency medical care, multiple surgeries, and extensive recovery time after these accidents. If you or a loved one has experienced injuries like these due to another driver’s negligence, the right Citrus Heights motorcycle accident attorney can be invaluable in your efforts to secure fair compensation for your losses.

Commonly Claimed Damages in Motorcycle Accident Cases

The personal injury laws of California allow a plaintiff to claim compensation for all damages they sustain due to a defendant’s negligence. Your attorney will help you identify the party or parties responsible for your motorcycle accident and calculate the full scope of your claimable damages. In addition, under California law, it’s possible to recover economic and non-economic damages resulting from your motorcycle accident, including:

Immediate medical expenses and anticipated future medical costs. You can claim compensation for your hospital bills and other immediate medical costs, as well as the cost of any long-term care you or your loved one requires due to the accident in question.
Lost wages. If your motorcycle accident has left you unable to work for an extended time, you can claim the income lost during your recovery period. Additionally, if your injuries caused a permanent disability that prevents you from working at all in the future, your Citrus Heights motorcycle accident lawyer can help you recover compensation for the future earnings you lost based on your average income and the expected time you would have worked until retirement.
Property damage. Your motorcycle may have been damaged severely or beyond repair in your accident. Your attorney can help you recover repair or replacement costs for your bike and any other personal property damaged or destroyed in the accident.
Pain and suffering. California does not limit your non-economic damages in a motorcycle accident claim. However, your attorney can help you determine a reasonable amount to claim in pain and suffering compensation based on the severity of your injuries, the length of your recovery time, and your prognosis for future medical complications resulting from the accident.

Along with these damages, some motorcycle accident claim plaintiffs could receive punitive damages at the judge’s discretion. As the name implies, punitive damages punish a defendant’s bad behavior. Judges typically reserve punitive damages for cases in which a defendant’s behavior eclipses the scope of general negligence or when a defendant was engaged in criminal activity when they caused the accident in question. The amount a defendant pays in punitive damages depends on the severity of their actions and their overall financial status; wealthy defendants tend to pay large sums of punitive damages.

It’s also important to remember that if the defendant in your motorcycle accident claim caused your accident due to criminal behavior, such as fleeing from police or DUI, they would likely face criminal prosecution from the state. Therefore, your civil case against them and the criminal case filed by state prosecutors are likely to run in tandem. If you choose the Kreeger Law Firm to represent you, we can provide the legal counsel you need if you are concerned about testifying in the criminal case against the defendant. We can also ensure the judge overseeing the criminal case gives your experience and damages the attention they deserve.

Proving Fault for Your Motorcycle Accident

A motorcycle accident claim is a type of personal injury claim, and each personal injury claim hinges on the legal concept of negligence. This word refers to a failure to use reasonable care in a given situation. For example, all drivers have a duty of care to refrain from consuming alcohol before driving. Therefore, if a driver operates a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, this is a clear breach of their duty of care to refrain from drunk driving. Your attorney will help you identify the party or parties responsible for your motorcycle accident and gather evidence to prove their negligence.

First, your attorney will likely want to gather as much material evidence as possible from the scene of the accident. This could include the police report from responding officers, traffic camera data, if available, and vehicle computer data. Your attorney may also seek to obtain the at-fault driver’s cell phone records if there is reason to suspect the accident occurred due to distracted driving.

A good attorney will also work quickly to obtain statements from any eyewitnesses who saw the accident occur. Some of these individuals were likely interviewed by the police who responded to the accident, and we can obtain sworn statements and cross-reference them with statements they offered to police. We assure you that we will uncover all available evidence from your accident to ensure the appropriate parties are held accountable.

Next, your attorney will help you calculate your claimable damages. You only have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit if you suffered a measurable loss. A good Citrus Heights motorcycle accident lawyer will work carefully to ensure you explore every potential avenue of compensation open in your claim. Additionally, your attorney will gather whatever evidence you require to prove your claimed damages resulted from the defendant’s negligence and not some other cause.

Comparative Negligence in California Personal Injury Claims

It is vital for every personal injury plaintiff in California to understand its pure comparative negligence statute. This law states that a plaintiff still maintains the right to claim compensation for damages in a personal injury claim even if they were partially responsible for causing those damages. The court will assess each party’s actions and assign them fault percentages. If they bear any responsibility for the accident in question, the plaintiff will have their case award reduced by their fault percentage.

Some states will bar plaintiff recovery if a plaintiff is more than 50% at fault, but California does not enforce such limits. This means that theoretically, a plaintiff can still recover 1% of their case award if they are found 99% at fault. However, in a $100,000 claim in which the plaintiff is found 20% at fault, they lose $20,000 or 20% of their case award under California’s pure comparative negligence law. Your Citrus Heights motorcycle accident attorney will advise you as to how California’s pure comparative negligence law will affect your case’s outcome, if at all.

What to Expect From Your Citrus Heights Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Choosing the right attorney to represent your motorcycle accident claim will significantly impact the outcome of your case. The Kreeger Law Firm will provide you with the full scope of our professional resources and experience to guide you to a positive outcome in your motorcycle accident claim. When you hire our team to represent you, we will conduct an extensive investigation to uncover all critical evidence necessary for ensuring your recovery. Our team will also assist you with filing your auto insurance claim as a preliminary step toward securing full recovery for your losses.

Anyone who has ever dealt with auto insurance claim adjusters will tell you that these experiences are rarely straightforward or pleasant. Insurance companies have little incentive to pay out on claims, even valid ones, and generally look for any justifications they can find to deny or reduce a claim. Our firm will handle correspondence with the at-fault driver’s insurance carrier on your behalf, helping you draft your demand letter for coverage and ensuring you maximize your compensation through their insurance policy. Once you have exhausted available insurance options, we will start working on your personal injury claim to ensure you maximize your total recovery from your motorcycle accident.

Some motorcycle accident cases are more complex than others. For example, liability for your damages may not be immediately clear, or the defendant may contest liability or the scope of your claimed damages. If necessary, our firm can coordinate expert witness testimony on your behalf from accident reconstruction experts, engineers, and medical experts to support your case. We will keep you informed about your case proceedings as they unfold and prepare you for all necessary court appearances.

Find Your Legal Team Now

A motorcycle accident lawsuit may be your best chance at securing compensation for damages caused by another driver’s negligence. California offers a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims, and while this may sound like a generous timeframe, it’s essential to act quickly and secure legal representation to build the most robust case possible. The Kreeger Law Firm can provide the legal guidance you need to navigate your motorcycle accident case with confidence. Contact us today and schedule a case review with our team, and we will let you know how our firm can assist in your recovery.