Sherman Oaks Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Riders in Sherman Oaks share Ventura Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, Van Nuys Boulevard, and the 101 and 405, right where the two freeways meet. When a driver turns across your path or changes lanes without looking, you pay with your body, and then the insurer tries to make you pay again by blaming your bike, your speed, or your lane position. A motorcycle accident lawyer stops that. Moe Abdallah handles motor vehicle injury cases only, and he takes motorcycle crashes personally. He gathers the evidence, handles the LAPD report and the insurance company, and builds your claim around what your injuries will cost over time, not just this month. Call (323) 716-1992 any hour. Your first review is free, and you pay no fee unless he wins your case. Read on for the roads, the rules, and the first steps for Sherman Oaks riders.

Where Sherman Oaks riders meet cars: Ventura, Sepulveda and the 101/405 interchange

Sherman Oaks sits where the US-101 Ventura Freeway meets the approach to the I-405 San Diego Freeway and the Sepulveda Pass. Surface streets feed it nonstop. Ventura Boulevard is lined with driveways, parking lots, and stoplights. Van Nuys Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard carry traffic north and south, and Magnolia Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard cut across the neighborhood. Every driveway is a place where a driver can pull out in front of you. We do not have neighborhood crash statistics for Sherman Oaks, and we will not call any street a hotspot without data to back it up. We do know how riders get hurt where freeways meet boulevards. Cars merge at ramps while looking at the car ahead, not the bike beside them. Drivers leaving parking lots look for cars, not a narrow headlight. Stop-and-go traffic on the 405 approach puts riders in the gaps between lanes. A motorcycle is small, so drivers often say they never saw you. That is no defense. A driver who changes lanes must first make sure the move is reasonably safe (Vehicle Code section 21658), and every driver must keep to a speed safe for conditions (Vehicle Code section 22350). Moe starts by photographing the scene, finding camera footage, and locking down witnesses before they forget.

Lane splitting on the 101 and 405, and how adjusters twist it

Many adjusters raise lane splitting first. They claim you rode between cars, so the crash was your fault. California law treats riders better than they admit. No statute bans lane splitting. Vehicle Code section 21658.1 defines it and lets the CHP issue safety guidelines. That does not make every instance reasonable, and riders still have to change lanes only when it is reasonably safe (Vehicle Code section 21658) and keep to a safe speed (Vehicle Code section 22350). On a crowded 101 or 405, the question is usually how fast you were going compared with the cars around you, and whether the driver changed lanes without checking. If a car drifted into you while you were moving carefully between slow lanes, that driver is often responsible for a large part of the fault. If you were weaving at high speed, an insurer will say so, and that argument can reduce your payout. California uses pure comparative negligence. You can recover even if you were partly at fault, and your award is reduced by your share (Li v. Yellow Cab Co.). So the real fight is over percentages. Moe uses vehicle damage, witness accounts, and any video to push your share as low as the facts allow.

Left turns, door zones and the other ways drivers hit riders

The most common car-versus-motorcycle crash is the left turn. A driver turning left across oncoming traffic must yield to vehicles close enough to be a hazard (Vehicle Code section 21801(a)). On Ventura Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard, where left-turn lanes and driveways are everywhere, a rider coming straight through can be hit before there is time to brake. The driver usually says, I did not see him. The law says the driver had to look. Other patterns show up in rider cases too. A driver passing a rider must pass on the left at a safe distance without interfering with the rider (Vehicle Code section 21750). A driver exiting a parking lot pulls into the bike lane or the lane of travel. A driver opens a door into the path of a rider. A car in the next lane drifts over while the driver reaches for a phone. Speed disputes follow almost every one of these crashes. Insurers claim the rider was going too fast to stop. Moe answers with skid marks, damage patterns, and sometimes a reconstruction. If a vehicle was involved in a commercial trip, there may be more than one insurance policy in play, so he asks early who the driver was working for and what coverage sits behind the vehicle.

Helmets, uninsured drivers and the rules that shrink a rider's claim

Every rider and passenger must wear a DOT-compliant helmet (Vehicle Code section 27803). If a head injury needs trauma care, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills is a Level II trauma center north of Sherman Oaks. If you did not wear one, you can still bring a claim, but the insurer may argue that the lack of a helmet made a head injury worse and try to reduce your award. If you did wear one, keep it. It is evidence. Do not repair or throw out gear, and photograph all of it. Uninsured and underinsured drivers hit riders hard. California's minimum liability limits are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident, which does not go far when a rider has surgery. Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is the backup, and some riders turn it down in writing without knowing what it does. Read your policy now, then call us if you need help reading it. If a driver flees, a UM claim has strict rules, including a police report within 24 hours. Two more rules matter. Under Proposition 213, a person who owned an uninsured vehicle involved in the crash generally cannot recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering, so tell Moe if your bike lacked insurance. Under Proposition 51, each defendant pays non-economic damages only in proportion to its share of fault, so it pays to find every responsible party, whether that is a driver on Ventura Boulevard, an employer behind a work vehicle, or the City of Los Angeles. Moe sorts out who owes what before the insurer does it for you.

Road defects, Coldwater Canyon Avenue and claims against the City of Los Angeles

Sometimes the pavement, not another driver, puts a rider down. Gravel, potholes, a missing sign, or a malfunctioning signal can cause a bike to lose control. Because Sherman Oaks is part of the City of Los Angeles, a claim over a dangerous street condition goes to the city, and the deadline is short. You must present a written claim within six months of the injury (Government Code section 911.2). If the city rejects it in writing, you have six months from that notice to file suit (Government Code section 945.6). The City Clerk takes claims online or at 200 N. Spring St., Room 395, City Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90012. It does not accept claims by email or fax. After filing, the City Attorney's Claims Division handles the claim. A claim against LA Metro or LA County is separate and goes to those agencies. The usual extra time for injured minors does not apply to government claims. The city is liable for a dangerous condition only if you prove specific elements, including that it knew or should have known about the problem in time to fix it (Government Code section 835). That means photos, dates, and prior complaints matter. Streets like Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Ventura Boulevard have different conditions, so Moe examines the exact spot of your crash instead of assuming. Call before the deadline gets close.

Reports, trauma care and what Moe does after a rider goes down

LAPD's Van Nuys Community Police Station at 6240 Sylmar Ave. serves Sherman Oaks, and LAPD Valley Traffic Division investigates traffic crashes. You can request your collision report through the station page, or call 818-374-9500. Get the report number at the scene. Read it closely. Officers sometimes note a rider's lane position or speed incorrectly, and that detail can shape the insurer's story. For emergency care, Sherman Oaks Hospital on Van Nuys Boulevard has an emergency department, and Encino Hospital Medical Center on Ventura Boulevard offers 24-hour emergency care. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills is a Level II trauma center. Road rash, broken bones, spinal injuries, and head injuries are common after a bike crash, and some symptoms appear days later. Get checked even if you feel fine. Moe moves fast. He sends preservation letters for video and bike data, collects witness names, documents your injuries, and handles every call from the adjuster. He has turned a $900 offer into $75,000 total for a client, and he recovered a $30,000 policy limit for a client with a broken femur and ankle after a head-on crash. Past results don't promise a similar outcome. The nearest civil courthouse is Van Nuys Courthouse East at 6230 Sylmar Ave., which lists a Civil Unlimited clerk's office. The court's Filing Court Locator decides where a given case must be filed, and Moe prepares each file as if it will see a courtroom. He texts and calls you, and you pay nothing unless he wins.

Talk to a Sherman Oaks 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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