Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

Office Location: 3600 Wilshire, Ste. 1136, Los Angeles, CA 90010

California has more motorcyclists than any other state, and we believe there is NO EXCUSE for drivers who treat motorcyclists like second-class citizens. Motorcycles have the same rights to operate on Los Angeles area roads as any other kind of vehicle, and drivers who act like they own the road put bikers at risk of serious—often fatal—injuries.

In a collision with a car, truck, or bus, the biker takes most of the impact and suffers most of the physical trauma. If they’re lucky, bikers will escape from crashes merely with broken bones and road rash. Sadly, many motorcyclists aren’t so fortunate. They end up with debilitating, life-threatening injuries, such as spinal cord injuries and internal damage, if they survive the accident at all.

If you live or work in the Los Angeles area and have suffered an injury in a motorcycle accident, or if you’ve lost a family member to one, you need strong, confident, caring legal representation. The experienced personal injury lawyers at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers are here to help you recover every last cent of compensation you deserve for your physical, emotional, and financial trauma.

Help is nearby! Stop by our office at 3600 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, or connect with us anytime, for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-980-3955, or online by CLICKING HERE to submit your case for review.

Table of Contents

• Why Choose Us?
• Types of Injuries
  • Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries
  • Crush Injuries and Amputations
  • Soft Tissue Injuries
• What Happens Next?
• Testimonials

The Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Near You

Were you injured in a motorcycle accident and now find yourself looking for the “best motorcycle accident attorney near me”? The Los Angeles, California, motorcycle accident team at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, is a group of tough, aggressive, and smart attorneys, paralegals, and case management experts who make it their mission to recover maximum compensation for the injuries their clients suffer in motorcycle accidents. We hold even the most well-funded defendants and the biggest insurance companies accountable for the reckless actions that lead to our client’s injuries.

Over the years, our firm has fought fiercely for the rights of thousands of injured bikers and their families across the nation, and we’ve recovered millions of dollars in compensation to help them recover from their injuries and move on with their lives. With the team at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, on your side, you can rest easy and focus on healing, knowing you’ve got superstar motorcycle accident lawyers in your corner.

California Motorcycle Accident Statistics

Did you know there are more than 800,000 motorcycles registered in the state of California? By taking a closer look at available traffic statistics for these vehicles, we can help spread awareness of common risks to California motorcycle riders and passengers.

According to motorcycle accident statistics from UC Berkeley, the most common types of motorcycle crashes are:

1. broadside collisions (27%) — Also called t-bone accidents, these collisions often happen at intersections.
2. overturn accidents (18.8%) — One tap from a larger vehicle can easily topple a motorcycle, leading to severe road rash injuries.
3. hitting objects/debris (16.2%) — Road debris can cause serious problems for motorcycle wheels, and riders might lose control or wipe out if they overcorrect in an effort to avoid obstacles in their path.
4. rear-end collisions (14.3%) — During these collisions, a trailing car can lift the bike’s back wheel and flip it or crush it against another vehicle. This often ends in traumatic head injuries for vulnerable riders.
5. sideswipes  (10.9%) — Due to its smaller size, a motorcycle might be stuck in a car’s blind spot. When the car attempts to change lanes, they’ll fail to notice the motorcycle and strike its side, pinning a rider’s leg in the process.

The top 5 causes of motorcycle collisions were as follows:

1. speeding (29.5%)
2. automobile had right of way (18.7%)
3. improper turning (17.4%)
4. alcohol or drug use by a driver or motorcyclist (9.6%)
5. improper lane changes (5.8%)

On the brighter side, motorcycle fatalities decreased 9.4% between 2018 and 2019 (from 523 to 474.) The number of deaths from not wearing a motorcycle helmet also dropped 18% between 2018 and 2019.

Riding Has Risks… Which is Why You Deserve the Best Lawyers Available

Bikers injured in accidents—and the families of bikers who have suffered a wrongful death—usually come to us at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, because they know the accident wasn’t their (or their deceased loved ones) fault. When it comes to motorcycle accidents, that’s usually accurate.

Motorcyclists face all kinds of dangers on the road:

• Bikers have small visual profiles. Let’s face it: drivers are often mentally lazy. There are more cars and trucks on the road than any other type of vehicle. Over time, drivers of those vehicles fall into the trap of feeling like theirs are the ONLY kinds of vehicles on the road. Mentally, they’re not keeping a sharp eye out for the much smaller visual profile of a motorcyclist. That’s one reason why so many motorcycle accidents involve motorists cutting bikers off or turning into their path. Drivers just don’t see bikers as well as they see other cars and trucks—BUT THAT’S NO EXCUSE!
• Bikers are more prone to accidents because of unsafe road conditions. Cars and trucks have relatively wide tires, and they have at least four of them. That allows cars and trucks to ride safely over all kinds of road hazards, from cracks, grooves, and holes in the pavement to sand, salt, and gravel. That’s not always the case for motorcycles, however. Bikes have thinner wheels, making it more likely to lose control because of a road hazard. Of course, everybody knows that roads can’t be perfectly smooth all the time. But when it’s really unsafe for a biker, there should at least be a warning, and motorists should take care not to increase a biker’s risk by crowding him. In other words, just because you wrecked on a rough road surface doesn’t mean it’s your fault.
• Bikers get less respect. As a culture and a community, bikers get the short end of the stick. Motorists (not to mention law enforcement) don’t always respect them. That attitude of treating motorcyclists like second-class citizens also translates into how motorists drive around bikes. It’s as if they think they’re doing you a favor by sharing the road, even though it’s the law! At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we don’t tolerate that kind of disrespect of our clients. Our team DEMANDS RESPECT for our clients, and we get it.
• Bikers have less physical protection. Riding a motorcycle means sacrificing some physical protection to experience the true freedom of the open road. You recognize that if you get into a wreck it could mean you’re subjected to more harm than you would be if you drove a car, but that doesn’t mean you WANT to get hurt, and it doesn’t mean you should. Motorists should take MORE care when they see a motorcycle on the road, not less, because of what can happen when a rider collides with a car, truck, or the pavement. When they don’t, WE FIGHT BACK.

Altogether, these risks result in serious accidents every day in Los Angeles, where 2,441 people were injured or died on their bikes in a recent year. That’s more than six per day.

At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we understand the dangers motorcyclists face. We’re not afraid to take a stand and defend motorcyclists’ rights to enjoy the road and expect safe, respectful conduct from motorists.

We pursue drivers of cars, trucks, and buses whose actions put motorcyclists’ lives in danger for every penny of compensation they and their insurance companies owe our clients. Our clients may run risks when they ride a motorcycle, but they still deserve the best legal representation in Southern California when someone else’s careless actions leave them injured, or worse.

Rider Injuries We’ve Seen and Helped With

As we mentioned above, in a motorcycle accident that involves a collision with another motor vehicle, the lucky riders are the ones who escape with their lives, a minor broken bone or two, and a road rash scar to show their grandkids. Unfortunately, not every biker can hope to be that lucky. The sheer physics of a wreck involving a motorcycle and a motor vehicle put riders at a huge disadvantage. Here are some of the typical injuries our clients have suffered in motorcycle accidents.

1. Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis

These injuries break our hearts because they often result in partial or total paralysis and leave our clients potentially unable to ride ever again. They also break our clients financially a lot of the time, as they can cost upwards of a million dollars to treat in the first year alone. If even a fraction of those costs aren’t covered by insurance, injured bikers and their families can end up in dire straits. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we have the experience to understand the complicated medical and practical challenges of spinal cord injuries, and we have the knowledge to evaluate just how much money our clients will need to return to a “normal” life.

2. Traumatic Brain Injuries and Brain Damage

Whether you love helmets or hate them, California has a mandatory motorcycle helmet law for riders and their passengers. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we encourage all of our motorcycle-riding clients to wear a helmet. We’ll tell it to you straight: neglecting to wear a helmet can make it more difficult to recover damages if you get hurt in a motorcycle accident. Still, while helmets can help prevent death in a wreck, they’re not foolproof. Even the best helmet can’t save a rider from a traumatic brain injury at highway speeds most of the time.

3. Crushed/Amputated Arms and Legs

Motorcycle wrecks can inflict catastrophic forces on a rider’s body. Riders can also get pinned underneath other vehicles in an accident. In either case, there’s a high risk that motorcyclists will sustain multiple crushing fractures in an accident. Those injuries can lead to amputation. Advances in prosthetics technology have made it possible to live a relatively normal life after an amputation, but that doesn’t mean these injuries are any less traumatic and painful. Plus, prosthetics aren’t cheap. We help get you the money you need to adapt to life without a limb.

4. Orthopedic and Soft Tissue Injuries

Even when you escape a bike wreck in one piece, your body still takes a beating. Broken bones, torn ligaments and tendons, and other soft-tissue and internal injuries might not threaten to end your life, but they can still complicate your day-to-day routine and cost you in lost time at work, high medical bills, and chronic pain. To add insult to injury, sometimes these are the kinds of injuries it’s hardest to get the insurance companies to pay attention to. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, WE MAKE THEM PAY ATTENTION, AND THEN WE MAKE THEM PAY.

Bike Accident in Los Angeles? Now What?

If you’ve read this far down the page, it probably means you (or someone close to you) have had a motorcycle accident and you need to figure out what to do next. Here’s what we usually tell people in your position:

• First, make sure you’re seeing a doctor and getting the care you need. Nothing is more important than protecting your health. Don’t try to make big decisions while you’re hazy on pain meds or still waiting to hear from a doctor about a plan for recovery. In other words, prioritize and stabilize your health after an accident of any kind.
• Second, DON’T GET TAKEN FOR A RIDE BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY. When someone else’s negligence or recklessness hurts you in a bike wreck, you can bet the insurance company will try to get you to “go away” by offering you a quick settlement payment in cash. DON’T FALL FOR IT, and DON’T SIGN ANYTHING. Insurance companies offer quick money when they know they’re on the hook for their policyholder’s legal liability. Let a lawyer handle the negotiations with the insurance company.
• Third, CALL STEWART J. GUSS, INJURY ACCIDENT LAWYERS at 866-980-3955 or contact us online. We fight aggressively for injured motorcyclists and their families. We make sure insurance companies pay attention to our clients’ needs. We. Get. Results. An initial consultation with our team won’t cost you a dime, and we take most cases on a contingent fee, which means we don’t get paid unless and until you do!
• The sooner you contact us, the better. The clock has already started ticking on your deadline to take legal action. The more time you give your lawyer to investigate your accident, identify parties with potential legal liability to you, talk to experts, and negotiate with insurance companies, the better your odds are of recovering MAXIMUM compensation, getting your life back on track and, hopefully, getting your bike back on the road.

Call Our Los Angeles Motorcycle Injury Attorneys Now!

The motorcycle accident injury team at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, doesn’t mess around. We FIGHT HARD for bikers injured in accidents, and for families who have lost a loved one because of someone else’s negligent or reckless actions.

We have a nationwide reputation as TOUGH, HARDWORKING LAWYERS who protect their client’s rights and get results.

We’ve worked to protect the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. If a motorcycle accident has taken you or a loved one off the road and caused physical, emotional, and financial pain, call our office right away to schedule a free consultation! Since we take all of our personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 866-980-3955 or contact us now by CLICKING HERE.

See what past clients have to say:

Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“Attorney Guss and his team did a great job representing me in my personal injury case. They communicated every step in the process very clearly and timely, responded patiently to all my questions, and always worked towards my full satisfaction. I would not be able to reach the same settlement amount without their help and advice, nor get the necessary medical treatment for my injury.”

– Lucia B