Legal options might be available to you if you’ve sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident in Encinitas, California. If your claim is successful, you can potentially recover compensation for your lost wages, medical expenses, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and more.
At Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers, our Encinitas motorcycle accident lawyers have been helping clients in the area since 2012. Our attorneys have more than two decades of combined experience, and we have collected over $40 million for personal injury victims to date. If you choose us to represent you after a motorcycle crash, we are confident that we can secure compensation for you as well.
We’re available 24/7 to take your call at (619) 344-0360 if you have any questions or would like to get the process started. Our personal injury law firm offers a free initial case evaluation to go over your accident situation and provide legal advice. Further, there is no obligation to hire us afterward.
How Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After You’ve Been Hurt in a Motorcycle Accident in Encinitas
Riding a motorcycle is generally a more skillful, exhilarating activity than driving an automobile, yet it is significantly more dangerous at the same time. Virtually every motorcyclist in Encinitas, CA, will tell you that the risk is well worth the reward – the visceral experience of riding a bike is tough to beat in almost every circumstance.
Part of this risk is that motorcyclists can suffer severe, catastrophic injuries and damages in the event of a wreck. California law allows accident victims to pursue compensation from the at-fault party after such an event – and that’s where Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help. While you focus on medically recovering from your motorcycle accident, our Encinitas personal injury lawyers can take care of your claim from beginning to end:
- We can conduct a thorough investigation into your motorcycle accident, where we’ll be able to collect evidence and fully evaluate your damages.
- Once we understand the extent of your claim, we can aggressively negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
- In case the at-fault party refuses to settle your claim for an adequate amount, we’ll have the ability to file a lawsuit and take your case to court.
To start forming an attorney-client relationship or to learn more about your legal options, call or send us an online message today.
Encinitas Motorcycle Accident Statistics
The Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) maintained by the University of California, Berkeley, makes available detailed statistics regarding motor vehicle accidents across the state. As of this writing, the latest full year from which data can be viewed is 2021. Regarding motorcycle accidents in Encinitas, the numbers are as follows:
- 2021: 21 injury-causing accidents
- 2020: 17 injury-causing accidents
- 2019: 21 injury-causing accidents
- 2018: 35 injury-causing accidents and 1 fatality
- 2017: 41 injury-causing accidents and 2 fatalities
Fortunately, these figures reveal that injury-causing and fatal motorcycle accidents do not occur especially often in Encinitas.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you deserve any less compensation after you’ve been hurt in a crash. Contact our law office serving Encinitas to find out more about what we can do for you if you’ve been injured.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Encinitas, CA
Motorcycle accidents share most, but not all, of the same causes as other types of motor vehicle accidents. Some of the more prevalent include the following:
- Failing to yield the right of way, such as left-turn accidents occurring at intersections
- Aggressive driving and riding behaviors, such as tailgating or speeding
- Distracted driving or riding
- Drunk driving or riding
- Intoxicated driving or riding
- Poor weather or roadway conditions
- Defective machinery or equipment
Our Encinitas motorcycle accident attorneys can help you understand your legal rights and pursue the compensation you deserve. Reach out today to schedule a free case review.
How Valuable Is My Encinitas Motorcycle Accident Claim?
One major factor that will determine the value of your motorcycle accident claim is the severity of the injuries you’ve suffered. The claims that are based on the most significant, life-altering injuries are generally worth the most. However, no two claims are alike, and many other factors could influence the evaluation, such as:
- Availability of evidence
- Terms of any applicable insurance policies
- Medical prognosis
- Contributory fault
To have a better idea of how much your claim might be worth, we recommend giving our law firm a call to set up a free case assessment. During that meeting, we can look into the facts of your case and provide you with additional insight.
What Damages Can I Pursue From a Motorcycle Accident Claim in Encinitas?
One major category of damages you can recover after a motorcycle accident is called economic damages. Intended to make up for the financial losses you’ve experienced due to the crash, they include things like:
- Decreased earning capacity
- Lost wages
- Medical bills and other expenses
The other major category you can receive is called non-economic damages, which make up for the other consequences of the accident that are not exactly financially related. Examples include:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
In rare motorcycle accident cases – such as those where the at-fault party acted with extreme indifference to the safety of others – punitive damages may be available as well.
We Can Pursue Compensation for All of Your Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Unfortunately, it’s rarely the case that a motorcyclist will walk away from a serious accident unscathed, especially if another motor vehicle is involved. Our Encinitas motorcycle accident lawyers can help you receive compensation for injuries such as the following, to name a few examples:
- Back injuries
- Road rash
- Chest injuries
- Paralysis
- Lacerations
- Puncture wounds
- Organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Neck injuries
- Amputations
Our legal team is here to help you pursue the compensation you need and deserve after a motorcycle crash caused by someone else. Learn more about the legal services we can provide today by giving us a quick call.
Can I Still Receive Compensation for My Encinitas Motorcycle Accident Injuries if I Share Some of the Blame?
The short answer to this question is yes, you can. California follows the victim-friendly doctrine of “pure comparative negligence” when it comes to the issue of contributory fault.
Under a pure comparative negligence doctrine, a percentage of fault will be assigned to you, and your financial award could be reduced based on that percentage. To illustrate, if you are given a $500,000 monetary award for your motorcycle accident injuries and are assigned 20% of the blame, your $500,000 may be reduced by 20% to $400,000.
Since this doctrine does allow the at-fault party to potentially reduce their liability for your claim, it can be important to have an experienced lawyer on your side to fight back against allegations that you are to blame for the crash.
After a Motorcycle Accident in California, How Long Will I Have To File a Claim?
After most motorcycle accidents in the State of California, you’ll have two years to file a claim. If you file your claim too late, you will essentially lose your ability to pursue compensation from the at-fault party. A court of law will in all certainty dismiss your case, and you will likely not have any bargaining power when it comes to negotiations with the at-fault party.
However, there are exceptions to this deadline that could apply, depending on the facts and circumstances of your case. For that reason, you should feel free to contact our law firm to make sure you know how much time you have to file in your situation.
Schedule a Free Case Assessment With an Experienced Encinitas Motorcycle Accident Attorney
It can be confusing to know what your best course of action is for compensation after a motorcycle accident in Encinitas, CA. You might not have been in this position before, and you might be dealing with a number of debilitating consequences.
We want to be there to help you through this difficult time to the best of our ability. While you recover from your motorcycle accident injuries, our lawyers can guide you through the process of receiving a monetary award or settlement.
Our Encinitas motorcycle accident attorneys work on contingency, which means that you do not have to pay us anything upfront to hire us. It also means that we will only receive attorney’s fees if we obtain compensation for you.
Learn more today by calling us. Your initial consultation is free of charge.