A rider has no crumple zone, no airbag and no steel around them. A left turn made across a rider’s path, a driver changing lanes without checking a mirror, or a car door opening into traffic can produce injuries that would be minor in a car and are life-changing on a bike. Road rash, fractures, shoulder and knee damage and head injuries are common.
There is a second problem riders face that other injured people do not, which is the assumption that the rider must have been at fault. Manoukian Law Firm takes that assumption seriously and answers it with evidence. Attorney Vaheh Manoukian handles each case himself from the Chatsworth office, and there is no fee unless the firm recovers for you.
What to do after a motorcycle accident
- Accept transport and get evaluated. Riders often refuse an ambulance because of adrenaline, and the gap in records is used later to argue the injuries came from somewhere else.
- Do not let anyone move your bike or your gear more than safety requires. The damage patterns on the motorcycle, the helmet and the jacket are evidence.
- Photograph the scene if you are physically able, or ask someone to: both vehicles, the roadway, the lane lines, debris and any traffic controls.
- Get witness names and numbers. Independent witnesses matter more in rider cases than in almost any other case type.
- Ask the responding agency for the report number, and note whether CHP or a city department responded.
- File a DMV SR-1 within ten days if there was an injury or over $1,000 in property damage (Vehicle Code 16000).
- Keep your helmet and riding gear. Do not clean them, discard them or send them to anyone.
- Decline a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company until you have spoken with a lawyer.
How these cases work in California
A motorcycle claim is a negligence claim: duty, breach, causation and damages. The disputes are usually about who did what in the seconds before impact and how much of the harm the crash caused. Because riders are frequently blamed, the investigation has to establish position, speed, sightlines and timing rather than leaving it to assumption.
Two California rules come up constantly. First, lane splitting is lawful. Vehicle Code 21658.1 defines lane splitting as riding between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane, and authorizes the CHP to develop educational guidelines. A rider who was splitting lanes was not doing something illegal, and an insurer who treats it as automatic fault is wrong on the law. Second, Vehicle Code 27803 requires riders and passengers to wear a helmet that meets federal safety standards. Not wearing one does not bar a claim, but a defense may argue it contributed to head injuries specifically.
California applies pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab (1975). If a rider is assigned a share of fault, recovery is reduced by that share and not eliminated. Careful reconstruction can move that percentage significantly.
Insurance sets the practical ceiling. Since January 1, 2025, the minimum liability coverage is 30/60/15 under Vehicle Code 16056, which is often far below what a serious orthopedic injury costs. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which insurers must offer under Insurance Code 11580.2, is worth checking on every policy in the household. Medical damages are the amounts actually paid or owed under Howell v. Hamilton Meats (2011).
How Manoukian Law Firm handles motorcycle cases
The first job is to replace assumptions with facts. That means obtaining the traffic collision report, canvassing for camera footage from nearby businesses and residences before it is overwritten, photographing the roadway from a driver’s actual sightline, and preserving the motorcycle and the gear for inspection. Damage to a helmet can corroborate a head strike. Damage to the bike helps establish angle and speed. In contested cases a reconstruction expert works from that physical evidence.
The medical side is documented through treating physicians rather than summaries. Orthopedic injuries require imaging and specialist care, and road rash needs proper wound documentation and photographs over time because scarring is part of the harm. Where a head injury is involved, symptoms may develop over days and a neuropsychological evaluation may be appropriate. See brain injuries.
Insurance communication runs through the office. When a driver’s policy is not enough, the firm looks for additional coverage, including underinsured motorist benefits and any commercial policy that may apply if the driver was working. Every case is prepared as though it will be tried. Valley cases are generally heard in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s North Valley district in Chatsworth or Northwest district in Van Nuys, a short drive from the firm’s Chatsworth office.
Riders who were hit as vulnerable road users may also want to read about bicycle accidents, scooter injuries and ordinary car accidents.
What can be recovered
Economic damages include ambulance and emergency care, surgery, hardware and implants, physical therapy, prescriptions, follow-up procedures, scar revision, lost income during recovery, reduced earning capacity if an injury limits the work you can do, future medical care and the replacement or repair of the motorcycle and gear.
Non-economic damages cover pain, permanent limitation, disfigurement, and the loss of things you used to be able to do, including riding. For riders with permanent orthopedic injuries, the long-term picture is often more significant than the initial hospital bill, which is why the claim should not be evaluated while treatment is still in progress.
When a rider does not survive, family members identified in Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 may bring a wrongful death claim, with a separate survival action under section 377.30.
Deadlines
The general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit in California is two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1. If a public entity is responsible, including a claim based on a dangerous road condition or a government vehicle, a written claim must be presented within six months under Government Code 911.2, with a shorter lawsuit deadline after rejection. Road defect cases in particular need early attention because conditions get repaired and repaved.
Case results
Our client suffered catastrophic injuries after being struck by a commercial delivery driver who was on the job.
Our client developed ongoing neck pain after a multi-vehicle rear-end collision on the highway, requiring pain-management treatment.
First offer: $0. The insurer valued our client's injuries at $5,000 to $10,000, and called it a “soft impact.”
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Was I at fault because I was lane splitting?
No, not automatically. Lane splitting is lawful in California under Vehicle Code 21658.1. Fault depends on how each person was operating in the circumstances, and an insurer treating lane splitting as an admission is stating a position, not the law.
What if I was not wearing a helmet?
Vehicle Code 27803 requires a helmet, and not wearing one may be argued to have contributed to head injuries. It does not bar your claim, and it has no bearing on injuries to the rest of your body.
The driver had minimum coverage. Is that all I can recover?
Not necessarily. There may be underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy or a household policy, an employer’s commercial policy if the driver was working, or another responsible party. Every declarations page should be reviewed before anyone concludes the claim is capped.
What does it cost to hire the firm?
Consultations are free and motorcycle cases are handled on a contingency fee. There is no fee unless the firm recovers for you, and the fee and cost terms are explained in writing beforehand.
Should I repair my motorcycle right away?
Talk to a lawyer first. The bike is evidence, and once it is repaired or sold for salvage the physical proof of speed and impact angle is gone. The firm can usually arrange a prompt inspection so repairs are not held up long.
Talk with an attorney
If you were hurt riding anywhere in California, call Manoukian Law Firm at (818) 818-5031. Calls are answered around the clock, consultations are free, and there is no fee unless the firm recovers for you. The office serves clients in English, Spanish and Armenian, and can meet by phone, by video, at your home or in the hospital when travel is hard. You can also read about Vaheh Manoukian or contact the office.
Serving clients across California
The office is on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, and the firm represents injured people throughout California. If you cannot travel, we meet by phone, by video, at your home or in the hospital.
