When riding a motorcycle, you must expect that the drivers of the other vehicles on the road are not going to see you. Here is what the DMV states in the California Motorcycle Handbook: "There are no guarantees that others will see you. Never count on "eye contact" as a sign that a driver will yield to you. Too often, a driver can look right at a motorcyclist and still fail to "see" him/her. The only eyes that you can count on are your own. If a vehicle can enter your path, assume that it will. Good riders are always "looking for trouble"—not to get into it, but to stay out of it." Page 22. With so many cars on California highways and roadways, California motorcyclists must be extremely careful to avoid being an accident victim.
Add on top of the difficulty of seeing a motorcyclist, driving drunk, driving tired or driving distracted. The likelihood of being injured on a motorcycle goes up, up and up. Many motorcycle accident deaths each year are caused by inattention, drunk driving, and rider error.
Motorcycle Accidents and Fatal Injuries
I have represented motorcycle drivers and their families as a result injuries or death caused by another driver not seeing the motorcyclist sharing the road with them. These car drivers were not intoxicated, they were not impaired, they just did not see the motorcycle rider as they made a lane change or turned across or into a lane. Several of these riders were killed on impact while others were seriously injured. Some of these cases include a Riverside motorcycle rider who was driving through an intersection when a car turned left into the pathway of the motorcycle causing a fatal injury. A Rialto motorcyclist traveled down a three lane road when a van crossed all three lanes and struck the motorcycle causing serious injuries to the motorcyclist. One more example, but certainly not the only, a Riverside man traveling on his motorcycle as he went to work, a driver turned in front of the motorcyclist again causing the instant death of the rider. Inland Empire motorcycle accidents, such as these, are tragic accidents in seen in Ontario, Riverside and Orange County, California. They can often be avoided with more attention by drivers and riders. These two motorcycle wrongful death claims could only be settled for the policy limits of the car drivers because there were no other assets to pay a judgment. While these settlements were the maximum available, they could never fully compensate the loved ones left behind. This is almost always the case.
Contact Our Inland Empire Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Today
If you are a motorcycle rider that has been injured as a result of a negligent driver, you need to speak with a personal injury lawyer or auto accident attorney that understands how to evaluate your case and can fight for your rights and prove your case. David H. Ricks at the Inland Empire Law Group has experience, is a proven trial attorney and will work very hard to secure an excellent recovery for you or your loved one. Call David H. Ricks at 909-481-0100 or 1-888-MY-IELAW.
