After an Accident Motorcycle Injuries Motorcycle Injury FAQ Motorcycle Lawyer

$6.5 Million recovered for a teenager injured in a solo car rollover.

$5 Million recovered from construction companies for a truck/auto accident.

$1.9 million for the wrongful death of a husband in a defective tire/rollover case.

$1.2 million for a motorcyclist injured in a car accident.

$1.1 million for a teenager who injured her shoulder in a low-impact auto accident.

$1.1 million in a wrongful death case where a driver lost control of his car coming from a Christmas party.

More Case Results

California Motorcycle Injury FAQ

Do I really need a motorcycle accident attorney?

Minor accidents can often be resolved directly with your insurer -- but motorcycle accidents are rarely minor. A Northern California motorcycle injury attorney has the negotiating skills and experience to get you a better settlement than you may have gotten on your own. Your attorney will take into account all of your injuries -- physical, financial and emotional -- when proposing a settlement. And if you're seriously injured or grieving, a lawyer can take over bureaucratic headaches, allowing you to concentrate on getting better.

The insurance companies started calling right away. Do I have to take the first settlement offer they make?

Absolutely not. You can and should negotiate if you don't think a settlement offer is fair. In fact, some insurers try to save money by "lowballing" accident victims with settlement offers that don't begin to cover all of their injuries. These offers are often made right after the accident -- sometimes even at the scene -- in hope that hurt or shocked riders will accept a small amount of money and waive their right to sue later. At the least, a settlement offer should cover the costs of your medical treatment, repairs or replacement for your motorcycle, the wages you didn't earn if you were off work and any other financial costs the accident caused. If you're being harassed by persistent insurers or insulted with a low offer, you should call Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis & Larsen to protect your legal rights and get all the compensation you deserve.

I wasn't wearing a helmet. Will that hurt my case?

It might reduce how much money you can win, but it won't stop an otherwise good case. California's legal system uses pure comparative negligence, which means if you helped contribute to your own injuries, your monetary winnings will be reduced in proportion to the amount of fault you bear. That is, if a jury decides you were 10% at fault, your winnings will be reduced by 10%. And if your injuries couldn't have been prevented with a helmet, it might not matter at all.

The driver who hit me said the accident was my fault because I was lane splitting. Is that right?

No! California is the only state in the Union that allows lane sharing/lane splitting. You do still have a duty to lane split only in a "safe and prudent manner," according to the California Highway Patrol. But generally, lane splitting accidents happen because drivers aren't looking for a motorcycle in their lane, so they "don't see" one even when it's right there. That's a failure on the driver's part -- not yours -- to take reasonable care.

Can I afford a motorcycle accident lawyer?

The California motorcycle accident attorneys at Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis & Larsen work on contingency, which means that we don't expect a fee up front. In fact, we don't get paid until we win your case -- and if you don't win, we don't get paid at all. And because we know accident victims are often stretched thin, we never ask for an initial consultation fee. Call us today at 1-888-526-8405 to speak confidentially with an experienced motorcycle accident attorney about your case.