Many inexperienced attorneys who handle personal injury cases consider a motorcycle accident as just another car accident case. They do not recognize or understand the differences between car accidents and car/motorcycle accidents. This can lead to lawyers making serious mistakes in the prosecution and handling of motorcycle injury cases. An experienced Stockton motorcycle accident attorney can recognize the nuances in these kinds of cases.
It is important for any lawyer handling a motorcycle accident to be aware of the special rules and regulations which apply to the operation of motorcycles. If you are a motorcyclist reading this article, then you will remember the special study you had to do, training you had to receive, and the specialized license that you receive from the DMV for the operation of a motorcycle in California. (If you were injured in a motorcycle accident and did not have a motorcycle operator’s license, that does not prevent you from recovering from the party responsible for the accident. You should contact a lawyer immediately, though, to assess and protect your rights.) It is the actual negligence of the parties that the law looks at, not whether you had a driver’s license.
An inexperienced personal injury attorney will not understand the unique aspects concerning the operation of a motorcycle, and is ill-prepared to handle a case on behalf of an injured motorcyclist. However, the insurance companies are well aware of the differences between a car verses car accident and a car verses motorcycle accident.
Because of the nature of the collision, it is often true that the only one injured is the motorcyclist. Moreover, because the motorcyclist is being hit by a several thousand pound vehicle the injuries are frequently severe and could result in the wrongful death of the motorcyclist. Despite what may be suggested to you as a motorcyclist, the fact that you may have been riding a motorcycle, instead of being an occupant in a car, does not mean you deserve your injuries, or that you are entitled to less compensation than what is owed for such injuries. A motorcyclist has every right to operate that motorcycle on the roads in the state of California, and a car driver who negligently operates their motor vehicle and causes injury to that motorcyclist, owes the motorcyclist full compensation for all injuries the motorcyclist suffered as a result of the car driver’s actions. In summary, if you are a motorcyclist who has been injured in a collision, you are not a second class citizen, and you should not let the responsible insurance company treat you like one, nor hire an attorney who considers you as one.
The Cooper Personal Injury Law Firm has over 35 years of experience in successfully resolving motorcycle injury claims. Call us today to schedule your FREE consultation! Why wait? Delaying the matter could cost you everything!