Riding a motorcycle provides you with a sense of freedom, but when accidents occur, the results can be devastating. Motorcycle accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries, expensive medical bills, and other financial and personal losses. If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence, our Oceanside motorcycle accident lawyers can help.
Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers wants to provide you with the highest level of legal representation, medical care, and financial compensation. To learn how we can help you move forward after a motorcycle wreck, reach out to our compassionate team of Oceanside personal injury lawyers. Call us today for a free consultation.
Damages an Oceanside Motorcycle Accident Attorney From Our Firm Can Pursue
Motorcycle accidents can cause injuries like broken bones, road rash, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and spinal cord damage. The severe nature of these injuries can mean a lifetime of recovery, including physical therapy or even long-term care.
Our Oceanside motorcycle accident attorneys can look at all of your losses, including those you may experience in the future, in order to fight for the maximum compensation that you are eligible for.
Available damages may include those for:
- Lost wages: This applies if you took time off work to recover from injuries or to attend required medical appointments.
- Loss of future earning potential: Some injuries are so severe they prevent accident victims from performing the duties of their current job, or they may be unable to return to work at all.
- Current and future medical expenses: This applies to any care provided directly after the accident, as well as any ongoing care that’s needed.
- Physical pain and emotional distress: The pain from injuries can cause mental anguish.
- Property damage: Property damage can include damage to the motorcycle or any other property involved.
- Home modifications: Your injuries may require you to adapt your home so you can retain your independence and mobility. This may mean installing ramps or railings or widening doorways.
- Wrongful death: If a person dies in an accident, our Oceanside wrongful death lawyers can help. We can seek damages to cover burial and funeral expenses and the intangible losses the family suffered.
The amount you collect will depend on which of these damages pertain to you and the severity of your losses. Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers can advocate for you to get the compensation you deserve.
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Schedule NowHow Our Oceanside Lawyers Can Pursue Compensation for You
In order to recover compensation, you must first build your case to prove negligence by the liable party. This all takes time and work that you may not be willing or able to put in yourself. That’s where Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers comes in. One of our traffic injury lawyers can take on the complicated legal process for you, allowing you to focus on healing instead.
Our Oceanside law firm can manage your personal injury case so you don’t have to handle your case yourself. With our compassionate advocacy for our clients, we’ve recovered over $40 million for accident victims. If you hire us to take your case, we can:
- Thoroughly investigate the accident to determine the cause of your injuries and identify the liable party or parties.
- Collect evidence, such as medical records, medical bills, police reports, traffic camera footage, photographs, witness accounts, and expert opinions, to support your claim and prove negligence.
- Seek a fair amount of compensation to cover your losses.
- Meet with the liable party and their insurer on your behalf to negotiate a settlement.
- Review the terms of the settlement agreement with you.
- File a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit and represent you in court, if necessary. Our legal team can prepare your case for presentation to a jury.
- Communicate with you and provide you with frequent updates.
- Protect your rights and advocate for your best interests.
- Walk you through the legal process and answer your questions directly and transparently.
You have enough to worry about without having to deal with a legal case. Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers can guide you with utmost professionalism and the compassion that you deserve.
The Cost of a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Oceanside
Among your primary questions about hiring an attorney is likely the cost. This is a reasonable concern: personal injury victims typically have expenses, such as medical bills, that tighten their finances. You may also be unable to work.
At our firm, you don’t have to pay our Oceanside motorcycle accident attorneys unless we win your case, because we work on a contingency-fee basis.
This means you pay nothing unless we win, and our fee is a percentage of the compensation we recover for you. We can explain this arrangement to you in detail so there won’t be any surprises. We also offer free consultations so you can discuss your case with us and ask questions before you make the decision to hire us.
Our Motorcycle Injury Lawyers Will Meet All Legal Deadlines
We strongly recommend consulting with a personal injury lawyer from our team if you are considering legal options. It takes time to build a case, and California only gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, according to CCP § 335.1.
Our legal representatives can provide you with options and explain them to you while advising you on what might be the best course of action in your situation. If you wait too long to file a lawsuit, you risk losing your right to recover compensation for damages through the courts.
It’s free to speak with us and learn the value of your case today.
Call Us NowHow Will Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers Prove Fault?
There are an infinite number of ways the negligent acts of others can cause riders to be injured in motorcycle accidents. Some, however, are more common than others.
Our motorcycle accident lawyers in Oceanside have the experience to investigate and understand the causes behind your injuries. We do this to identify the at-fault party, allowing us to hold them accountable. Some common causes of motorcycle crashes include:
- A driver’s blind spot: It’s common for motorcycles to fall into a driver’s blind spot when they are on the road. If the driver can’t see a motorcyclist, they may try to move over or turn when they don’t have clearance to do so. This can cause them to collide with the motorcyclist or run them off the road.
- Disobeying the rules of the road: A careless driver may run red lights. Aggressive drivers may ignore stop signs and turn in no-turn areas, increasing the risk of an accident with motorcycle riders. Not following speed limits may also increase the severity of an accident.
- Driving distracted: Today’s modern world is full of distractions. Drivers may become distracted by electronic devices, billboards, or other passengers and fail to avoid a collision with a motorcyclist.
- Road hazards: Debris in the road and potholes can cause cars to swerve out of control. Road hazards can be especially hazardous to motorcyclists who don’t have a lot of vehicle weight to balance them. Such accidents may be the fault of Oceanside’s Street Maintenance division or a contractor.
To learn more about how we can establish fault in your accident injury claim, call our team today to arrange your free case review. Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers is here to answer your questions and tell you more about your legal options in San Diego County.
What Are Common Injuries Our Lawyers Can Recover Compensation For?
Recovering damages depends on many factors, including the severity of your injuries. Here are some of the more common types of motorcycle injuries our Oceanside attorneys can recover damages for:
- Broken bones: Broken bones often occur in motorcycle accidents. The arms, collarbone, legs, and ribcage are prime locations for fractures.
- Road rash: Road rash happens when the motorcycle rider gets dragged along the ground due to the impact of the crash.
- Head injuries: Head injuries can include concussions and more severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
- Spine and neck injuries: It is common for riders to get whiplash due to the impact of the accident. Whiplash involves the neck going forward, then violently snapping back. More severe spine injuries may result in paralysis.
- Chest injuries: Chest injuries can happen when riders hit their handlebars or the ground. This can lead to cracked ribs and internal organ damage.
Any of these injuries could impact you for years to come and threaten your financial future. Our Oceanside catastrophic injury lawyers can connect you with the right providers to treat your injuries, even if you do not have health insurance.
Steps to Take Before Contacting Our Oceanside Legal Team
A motorcycle crash carries a higher risk of injury, so taking protective steps after an accident can save your life and begin the process of building your case should you decide to take legal action against the liable party.
Here is what Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers recommends you do after a wreck:
- Move to a safe place: If you are able to do so, find a safe place to contact and wait for first responders. You don’t want to risk further injury by remaining in the middle of the road or highway.
- Call the police: You or someone else should call 911 to bring police and EMTs to the accident scene. Officers from the Oceanside Police Department will prepare a report after investigating the accident, which you can request a copy of as evidence for your case.
- Seek medical attention: Some symptoms of major injuries, such as head and spinal cord injuries, may not present right away, so you could have a severe injury without knowing it. Allow medical personnel to give you a full examination to be on the safe side.
- Gather evidence: If you are able, take photographs of the scene and request a copy of the police report. You can also collect contact information from witnesses.
Even if you are unable to take some of these actions, such as documenting the accident scene or gathering evidence, our attorneys in Oceanside can do them for you. Always prioritize your health after an accident: do not wait at the scene to gather evidence when you should be at the hospital.
If you’ve been injured or a loved one has been killed through an act of negligence, you need the highest level of legal representation.
Schedule a Free ConsultationOceanside Motorcycle Accident Lawyer FAQs
Below, we’ll go through some of the questions that may come up after a motorcycle accident in Oceanside, California.
Is Lane Splitting Legal in California?
Lane-splitting is another common cause of motorcycle accidents. It involves the motorcyclist driving between car lanes. Motorcyclists may split lanes to get to their destination sooner.
The dangers of lane-splitting mean it’s illegal in many states. In California, it is legal to engage in lane-splitting, but the California Highway Patrol (CHP) does have a disclaimer about the risks of doing so.
What Rights Do Injured Motorcycle Passengers Have in Oceanside?
Injured motorcycle passengers have the right to seek compensation for injuries and damages resulting from a motorcycle accident. As a passenger, you are entitled to the same legal protections as the motorcycle operator, and you can pursue a claim against the at-fault party or parties.
How Does the Rule of Pure Comparative Negligence Affect a Motorcycle Claim in California?
In California, the rule of pure comparative negligence plays a significant role in motorcycle accident claims, including those involving injured passengers.
The rule of pure comparative negligence allows injured parties to seek compensation even if they are found to be partially at fault for the accident. However, it also means that their compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to them. So, for example, if you were awarded $100,000 but were 20 percent at fault, then you could only receive $80,000 in compensation.
Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers can fight to show that you were minimally or not at all responsible for the accident so we can pursue maximum compensation for your family.
Consult Our Motorcycle Accident Legal Team Today
You may have suffered severe injuries as a result of your motorcycle crash. You may be feeling crushed by physical pain and trauma, as well as financial burdens. Don’t go through this alone. Our Oceanside motorcycle accident lawyers can fight for you to get the compensation you deserve.
Ryan Sargent and his team at Sargent Law Firm Injury Lawyers have years of experience dealing with personal injury cases involving vehicle accidents. Our client testimonials speak to our terrific service and our winning results. We fight relentlessly to make sure you get what you are owed.
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, call us today.