Injured in a Motorcycle Crash in Kern County? Talk to Colvin Accident Lawyers.

Colvin Accident Lawyers is a motorcycle accident lawyer Kern County riders can contact. The firm is based in Bakersfield, California. A motorcycle crash can leave you hurt, out of work, or grieving within seconds.

Motorcycle Crashes on Kern County Roads

State Route 58 runs through the Bakersfield area and over the Tehachapi Pass. State Route 99 carries heavy traffic through the Central Valley. Interstate 5 climbs the Grapevine. Each route mixes commuters, long-distance drivers, and agricultural trucks.

A motorcycle is smaller than a car, so it is easy to overlook. A driver who merges, changes lanes, or turns left across traffic may not see a rider in time. Speed differences on these routes make a rider’s approach harder to judge.

Caltrans publishes annual collision data for California state highways, including Kern County routes.

Steps to Protect Your Claim After a Kern County Motorcycle Crash

Get medical care as soon as possible, even if your injuries seem minor at the scene. Some injuries, such as head trauma, may not show symptoms right away.

Keep every appointment and follow your doctor’s care plan. Save every bill and receipt. Gaps in treatment can give an insurer a reason to question how hurt you were.

Document the scene while you can. Photograph the motorcycle, the road surface, skid marks, traffic signs, and visible injuries. Write down the names and phone numbers of witnesses.

Ask for the crash report. The investigating agency, such as the California Highway Patrol, Bakersfield Police Department, or Kern County Sheriff’s Office, may prepare one. Keep a copy of anything you receive.

Think carefully before giving a recorded statement to an adjuster. Know what you’re agreeing to before you answer. Colvin Accident Lawyers can handle communications with insurers for you.

Who May Be Responsible for a Motorcycle Crash

Responsibility may rest with the driver who caused the crash, a commercial driver’s employer, or a public agency when a road defect created the danger.

A driver turns left across a rider’s path. A car changes into a lane a rider already occupies. A driver follows too closely. California law says a driver “shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent” (Cal. Veh. Code § 21703).

Road hazards cause crashes too. Potholes, loose gravel, debris, and missing warning signs can make a road dangerous. Liability against a public entity depends on several conditions set by statute.

Claims against a public entity have their own deadline. For death or injury, a written claim must be presented not later than six months after the claim accrues (Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2). That is shorter than the general two-year rule.

Helmets, Gear, and How Fault Is Decided in California

California requires helmets for riders and passengers. Your own share of fault reduces recovery.

A driver and any passenger must wear a safety helmet meeting the state’s requirements. It is unlawful to operate a motorcycle when the driver or a passenger is not wearing one (Cal. Veh. Code § 27803).

Fault is often a central question in accident claims, and how responsibility is assigned depends on the facts of each case.

Insurers may argue that speed, lane position, visibility, or helmet use contributed to a crash. How those arguments are weighed depends on the facts of each crash.

Injuries and Damages in Motorcycle Accident Cases

Motorcycle crashes often cause road rash, broken bones, spinal injuries, and head injuries. Under California Civil Code section 1431.2, economic damages are objectively verifiable monetary losses, and non-economic damages are subjective, non-monetary losses.

Economic losses are objectively verifiable money losses. Examples include medical expenses, lost earnings, and costs of repair or replacement. Non-economic losses are subjective harms, such as pain, suffering, and emotional distress (Cal. Civ. Code § 1431.2).

For non-economic damages, each defendant is liable only for its own percentage of fault. That rule applies under the same statute.

Catastrophic injuries can bring long-term care, home or vehicle changes, and years of lost work. Records of treatment, work history, and receipts show what the injury has cost. Keep them organized from the start.

Wrongful Death After a Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Kern County

A surviving spouse, domestic partner, child, or issue of a deceased child may bring a wrongful death claim after a fatal motorcycle crash. Intestate heirs (when there is no surviving issue) and certain dependents may also qualify, and the decedent’s personal representative may assert the claim on their behalf. Other dependents may qualify too.

Under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 377.60, the claim may be asserted by the decedent’s surviving spouse, domestic partner, children, and issue of deceased children. If there is no surviving issue, it may be asserted by those who would inherit by intestate succession. The decedent’s personal representative may also assert it on their behalf. If there are no surviving children or their issue, parents and others entitled to inherit by intestate succession may assert the claim. Whether or not they qualify that way, the putative spouse, children of the putative spouse, stepchildren, parents, and legal guardians (if the parents are deceased) may qualify if they were dependent on the decedent. So may a minor who lived in the decedent’s household for the previous 180 days and relied on the decedent for half or more of support.

California law sets a two-year limit for an action for the death of an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1), but if the responsible party is a public entity, a claim must first be presented to that entity within six months after the cause of action accrues (Cal. Gov. Code § 911.2(a)). Early action helps preserve crash evidence, witness memories, and records.

Families often face funeral and burial costs and lost financial support. These losses are part of the economic damages described above.

Talk With Colvin Accident Lawyers About Your Motorcycle Crash

Colvin Accident Lawyers can review the facts of your crash, your injuries, and the deadlines that may apply. For a motorcycle accident lawyer Kern County residents can reach, that starts with a conversation.

Donald Norman Colvin is the responsible lawyer for this site. Our team handles motorcycle accident claims for riders, passengers, and families. The first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation to continue.

No lawyer can know how a case will end. A consultation is a time to review your facts and timeline.

The California Courts Self-Help Guide states that injury lawsuits generally must be filed within two years, subject to exceptions and tolling.

If a crash on a Kern County road left you hurt or took someone you love, you don’t have to sort out insurance and deadlines alone. Call or contact Colvin Accident Lawyers now to talk through what happened.

Colvin Accident Lawyers, Bakersfield, California — responsible for this site.