Pasadena Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Most drivers who hit a motorcycle say the same thing: I never saw him. Then the insurance company says the rider was speeding, splitting lanes or not wearing the right gear. If you were hurt on a bike in Pasadena, you are probably hearing both. A rider can be cut off by a left turn on Colorado Boulevard, a merge onto the 210 or 134, or a car that drifts into your lane. California law still protects you. You can recover even if you carry some of the blame, and the law does not treat riders as second-class road users. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles motorcycle crashes for Pasadena riders. Moe takes your call himself, moves quickly on video and the bike itself, and keeps you updated by call and text. The review is free, and you pay nothing unless he wins. Se Habla Español.

The left turn and the other ways Pasadena drivers hit riders

The classic car-versus-bike crash is a driver turning left across a rider who had the right of way. The Vehicle Code says a left-turning driver must yield to oncoming traffic close enough to be a hazard (section 21801(a)). Drivers also change lanes without a shoulder check, pull out of side streets and parking lots, and open doors into a rider's path. On a bike, any of those can mean a broken leg, a shattered wrist or worse, because you have no frame around you. Pasadena's busy surface streets set the stage for these crashes. Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, Washington Boulevard and Orange Grove Boulevard all carry heavy traffic and many intersections. The city's own 2020 to 2024 data ties 80 percent of its fatal and serious-injury collisions to 13 percent of its roads, and those streets are on the list. That data covers all road users, not just motorcycles, so we use it as context and not as proof. A rider on any of these streets can be hit in seconds. Your proof is the driver's statement, the skid marks, nearby cameras and your bike's damage.

Riding the 210, the 134 and the Arroyo Seco Parkway

Freeway crashes bring different rules and a different agency. I-210 and SR-134 run through Pasadena, and the SR-110 Arroyo Seco Parkway ends at Glenarm Street. The CHP normally handles freeway crashes, so your report comes from them, not Pasadena Police. Merges, sudden slowdowns and cars changing lanes without looking are the usual setups. Then comes the lane-splitting argument. No California statute prohibits lane splitting. Vehicle Code section 21658.1 only defines it and lets the CHP publish safety guidelines. Every driver, rider included, still has to change lanes only when it is reasonably safe (section 21658(a)) and keep to a safe speed (section 22350). So an insurer that says splitting lanes is illegal is wrong, but one that says you rode unsafely for the traffic can make a comparative fault argument. We get ahead of that argument. We pull speed evidence, traffic flow, the other driver's phone use and the CHP report, and we show a jury that the driver, not the rider, made the move that caused the crash. The CHP report and any freeway cameras are where that starts. We also look at whether a truck or van blocked the driver's view of you.

Helmets, gear and the way insurers shrink a rider's claim

California requires every rider and passenger to wear a fastened helmet that meets the state standard (Vehicle Code section 27803). If you did, keep it. A cracked helmet is evidence of the force you took. If you did not, your claim is not dead. A missing helmet does not bar recovery, but an insurer may argue it made your head injury worse and ask to cut your award on that basis. California also uses pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab Co., so a share of fault lowers your recovery and does not erase it. Proposition 51 matters when two parties share blame, since each is liable for pain and suffering only in proportion to its fault. Proposition 213 can bar pain and suffering if your own bike was uninsured or you cannot show proof of insurance, with a narrow exception when the other driver was convicted of DUI. Insurers use all of this, and they count on riders not knowing the rules. They also lean on the phrase 'he was going too fast' with nothing behind it. A $900 offer once turned into $75,000 total in one of Moe's cases, but past results are no promise of a similar outcome.

Road defects, gravel and claims against the City of Pasadena

Cars are not the only thing that puts a rider down. A pothole, loose gravel, a sunken utility cover or a badly marked lane can toss a bike at any speed. If a public road condition caused your crash, the claim may run against the city or another public agency, and the clock is short. You must present a written claim within six months of the crash (Government Code section 911.2). The City of Pasadena handles claims through the City Attorney's Liability and Claims office. If the agency rejects you in writing, you then have six months to file suit (section 945.6). To win, you must show the condition was dangerous, that it caused your crash and that the city created it or knew about it in time to fix it (section 835). We could not verify the city's filing method or address from its website, so confirm it before you send anything, or let us handle it. Photograph the spot, note the exact address and keep the clothing and tires. Miss the six months, and a good claim can disappear. Call us early, even if you are unsure the city is involved.

Injuries, Huntington Hospital and what your claim can cover

On a bike, nothing absorbs the hit for you. Common injuries after a motorcycle crash include fractures, road rash that scars, spinal injuries and head injuries even with a helmet. Huntington Hospital in Pasadena says it has the only Level II trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley and the largest emergency department there, right here in Pasadena. Get checked even if you walked away, and tell the doctor you were on a motorcycle so the right scans are ordered. Document every visit, because insurers read gaps in treatment as proof you were fine. Your claim can include medical bills, future treatment, lost income, the cost to repair or replace the bike and your pain and suffering. A policy-limit figure can be low when injuries are bad. California's minimum liability coverage is now $30,000 per person, which may not cover a surgery. That is why we check your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and the driver's policy, before any number is discussed. Pain, scarring and lost riding time count too. Never give a recorded statement to the other side's adjuster without talking to us.

Reports, the courthouse and what Moe does in the first days

Start with the report. For a crash on a Pasadena street, Pasadena Police takes it, and you request a copy through the department's public records page. For a freeway, it is the CHP. If you drove, file the DMV's SR-1 within 10 days when anyone was hurt or damage passed $1,000 (Vehicle Code section 16000(a)). Moe moves on the evidence next. He sends preservation letters for video, asks you to leave the bike as it is until it can be photographed and inspected, photographs the scene and talks to witnesses. He calls you himself and updates you by text. The Pasadena Courthouse at 300 East Walnut Street is the local LA Superior Court location, but the court's filing locator decides where a civil injury case is filed, so we confirm that before filing. You do not need to sort that out yourself. Two years is the general deadline to sue a private party (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). We do not charge a fee unless we win. Call (323) 716-1992 any time of day, and the first conversation costs nothing.

Talk to a Pasadena motorcycle accident lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our motorcycle accidents representation →

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