Motorcycle riders often get left in the unfortunate position of exposure to risks and elements that passenger car and commercial vehicle operators rarely face. The fact is that riders are taking their lives into their hands, percentage-wise. When you have no roll cage, you’re facing far more significant risks than the dangers faced by better-protected, enclosed motor vehicle conveyance occupants.

The rider’s trade-off is a feeling of liberty and excitement that virtually any other four-wheeled conveyance goes unmatched. Besides immediately getting to the life-saving ER, a wounded rider must also have a lawyer on call. Being thrown from a bike requires planning. Once in a coma, for example, it is left to the family.

Sadly, even when you think the other driver’s liability may be clear, you will likely have to fight his insurance company. You need a lawyer to handle your insurance settlement negotiations to obtain appropriate compensation for your lost wages, expensive medical bills, and physical and emotional trauma. A caring, compassionate lawyer at Ehline Law Firm can help your receive the compensation you are entitled to for your pain, suffering, and economic losses.

What Are Some Common Causes Of Motorcycle Head-On Collisions?

The most common and dangerous cause of a head-on motorcycle collision is when another vehicle operator negligently veers into another rider’s oncoming lane, is driving on a one-way lane, or is simply driving on the wrong side of the road. For example, a tourist from the UK may be confused, or it could be another reason, as discussed below.

What are some other reasons these horrific crashes can occur:

• Distracted driving – There are several ways drivers get distracted. For example, texting while driving, eating fast food, playing with radio dials or GPS controls, or looking at billboards instead of paying attention to the road. Anytime a person takes their eyes or minds away from the mission of driving, they can easily veer into an oncoming motorcyclist’s lane or turn onto a wrong-way road. All it takes is a few short seconds, and boom, rider down.
• Drug or alcohol Impaired driving – Driving while intoxicated by legal or illegal substances makes the vehicle operator lose normal brain functions, reducing reaction time, ability to reason, and overall focus. Because of this, the other driver can become sleepy, tired, or pass out while behind the wheel. For example, a senior citizen on prescription Prozac or Xanax can slide onto a highway ramp or intersection into the wrong lane, colliding with an unsuspecting motorcyclist.
• Driver fatigue – As with impaired driving, not eating right, or taking proper breaks between mile markers, it can lead to fatigue and lack of sensory perception. For example, when tired or fatigued big rig truckers nod off, it can cause a head-on collision with a motorcycle rider even for a few seconds. Most of all, mindless driving like this got so bad that federal and state guidelines were passed to force truckers to take rest stops.
• Trying to beat traffic signals (Left Hand Turns) – A prevalent cause of motorcycle head-on collisions is when the other driver turning left speeds up to beat the yellow light from turning red. Often, they fail to see the oncoming motorcyclist as they are more focused on the traffic light signal phasing. Hence, these vehicle operators can swerve into an oncoming motorcyclist, killing or maiming them.
• Speeding and street racing – When street racers or speeders are trying to beat traffic and get to their destinations quicker, their excessive rate of speed slows their physical reaction times. Because of this, drag racers, in particular, have been known to lose control, swerving their cars into the opposite lane of an oncoming bike as they are sliding out or fishtailing, trying to get control of their vehicle back.
• Unsafe passing on a two-lane highway – We have all seen this at one time or another. Unsafe passing happens when a motorist attempts to pass slower-moving vehicle traffic at the broken yellow lines on two-lane roads. Or the passing vehicle may try and illegally pass on solid yellows. Either way, the other vehicle has insufficient time to pass safely. They may do so haphazardly. Also, since motorcyclists are far less visible than a passenger car, truck, or bus, it may be too late for the car to avoid hitting the motorcycle rider.
• Road debris-related head-on collisions – Road debris can force other vehicles, including bikers, to take evasive action, especially after a storm or flood. Even when the government does its job of removing lane obstructions, you can still get hit. Obstacles like hail bails falling from a flatbed truck can force a motorist to swerve suddenly into another biker’s lane or cause them to fly across the center median into oncoming motorcycle traffic.
• Unsafe or high-speed turns – When a car or another motorized vehicle loses control on a curve while driving too fast for the conditions presented, they can quickly launch their cars into the wrong lane. Unsafe turns are a significant cause of killer head-on vehicle crashes.
• Lane splitting – When a cyclist shares lanes with an inattentive driver, the rider loses in most cases and runs over, gets badly hurt, or is killed.

What Are Some Common Head-On Collision Injuries?

Head-on collisions with motorcycle riders naturally lead to more fatalities and severe, permanent injuries than those to occupants of enclosed vehicles.

CA Helmet Law

Even if the rider is wearing safety gear and even choosing the fitting DOT-approved helmet, the G-forces involved will mean specific injuries at a minimum. Imagine the forces of a speeding, oncoming motorist, especially when the negligent driver is going the wrong way while driving on a busy highway or intersection. Helmet law or not, brain damage happens more with riders than car passengers.

Most of the time, the other drivers won’t have the visibility or the time to evade the crash, especially during a brake failure on a downhill slope. Sometimes, even when they brake and slow down, the motorcyclist may flip or drop their bike to avoid getting run over by the oncoming car. Even if you wear a helmet, it won’t save your life then.

Everyday motorcycle head-on crash injuries you could suffer include:

• Severe spine and neck injuries like disc burst fracture or even tetraplegia or partial paralysis.
• Degloving and amputations from compound fractures or outright dismemberment.
• CTE, mild traumatic or traumatic brain injuries, and skull fractures.
• Damage to internal organs, internal bleeding, and hematomas.
• Lacerations, cuts, and piercings from flying or falling objects.
• Broken arms, legs, wrists, and facial fractures.
• Whiplash and other soft-tissue injuries.

The settlement value must be painstakingly determined during the insurance claims process. Each injury will have a different value to the insurance adjuster, who will try and argue you were fully or partially at fault for breaking roadway rules, etc. This is why you need the right motorcycle lawyers in Los Angeles to guide your insurance claim and focus yourself on healing and job re-training to restore your quality of life.

Getting Legal Aid In the Aftermath Of A Head-On Collision?

The deadly threat of a motorcycle head-on catastrophe is a real possibility for all riders of LA roads. The immediate aftermath of a wreck like this typically sees a rider facing lengthy hospital stays, a long road of physical therapy, possibly job re-training, or worse, a trip to the funeral parlor.

This fact remains valid irrespective of how fast the rider was traveling. Even a snail’s pace head-on crash sees the rider confronting another enclosed vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, directly into cyclists.

The Motorcycle Accident Statistics Don’t Lie?

• Recent Trends in Fatal Motorcycle Crashes

“In 2005 there were 4,553 motorcycle rider fatalities, of which 2,021 (44%) were from single-vehicle crashes, and 2,532 (56%) were from multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes. Of the 2,532 deaths from multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes, 2,260 (89%) were from two-vehicle motorcycle crashes. More than 85% of the 2,260 motorcycle riders killed in two-vehicle crashes were in accidents involving passenger vehicles. Among the fatalities in two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles and passenger vehicles, 98% of the fatalities were motorcycle riders, and only 2% of the deaths were passenger vehicle occupants.”

As discussed, a large swatch of these cases involves loss of life, and severe brain injuries, if the rider even can make it out alive. Grass clippings and roadway defects can lead to costs of property repairs or a wrongful death claim for a motorcyclist’s family members. These victims will be seeking loss of consortium and lost income/earning capacity of a dead or brain-dead breadwinner.

Survivors left dealing with the grief, and financial strain of the breadwinner’s loss must hire a veteran advocate. They need a personal injury lawyer who can carry the day inside and outside the courtroom.

Michael Ehline is a True Fighting Lawyer?

You had better believe it! Michael Ehline is that Super Lawyer. Mr. Ehline is a highly rated Circle of Legal Trust Motorcycle Lawyer Section member. Also, he has voted for a Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2009 – 2014. And that organization makes up a core group of elite attorneys. We have won millions against negligent truck drivers and others on behalf of motorcycle accident victims in Los Angeles County.

Only 5% of lawyers are selected. Ehline is also a vetted officer in the Legal Torch consumer law publication. Also, he is a regular contributor to Personal Injury Lawyer Warriors Magazine.

• Our AVVO Ratings Prove We are The Motorcycle Rider’s Friend

Additionally, Ehline has been a 10-star member of AVVO. He is most recognized as the “Motorcycle Rider’s Friend” by “Show Me Motorcycles.” This company is a riding members-only publication that deals with all things two-wheeled and motorized.

So Ehline Law Firm is the professional law corporation families call. Our Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorneys are the logical choice. Families faced with terrible emotional scars after a wreck call us. These are families often ripped off by shyster insurance adjusters. So with lead Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney Michael Ehline by your side, we act as your sword and shield during this challenging time as you get back on your feet.

Cases like this often require around-the-clock medical care. Most of all, fallen riders may need assistance with the simplest tasks. And these are things a whole person would take for granted. So this is serious stuff, and dealing with insurance companies takes a velvet hammer of a motorcycle law advocate to get the job done swiftly and decisively. Call (213) 596-9642 now for a professional, aggressive legal advocate with years of experience winning millions of dollars in disputed liability accidents in Los Angeles. It takes a few minutes, and you get a no-hassle consult from a riding attorney to discuss your potential case with other motor vehicle drivers, parts manufacturers, and others to cover your motorcycle accident injuries and property damage amounts.

Will Our Compassionate Motorcycle Attorneys Take Time To Discuss Your Motorcycle Accident Case?

Yes. Our caring legal team of paralegals, investigators, and law clerks wants to listen to your story. One of our caring and compassionate legal counselors will be liberal with their time. Our staff will console you and hear your dilemma. We will be patient and take the time to get to know you. After all, you are undergoing this terrible chapter. Our job is to hear you out and offer strength by your side with a legal solution.

In our conversation, we will do our best to train you in personal injury law basics. So that way, you can participate in strengthening your potential claims. Money damages are the goal. Why not find out how to get them from a lawyer? Let us give you some face time over the phone or in person. Aren’t you sick of arrogant lawyers? You should discover the Ehline difference today!

Call Our Los Angeles Head on Motorcycle Accident Attorneys 24 Hours a Day

You mustn’t delay; call Ehline Law Firm toll-free at (213) 596-9642. Or you can contact us at the form above right now. It would help if you never let a head-on motorcycle collision devastate your life beyond what you can control.

We can give you some control through civil law recourse towards indemnification either in or out of court. Contact our compassionate, local Los Angeles motorcycle lawyers today! For prompter service, you can also use our below online contact form 24 hours a day to put our proven track record in motorcycle crash cases to work for you after a head-on crash in Los Angeles County, CA.

Citations:

“Fatal Two-Vehicle Motorcycle Crashes (NHTSA)”: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810834

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