Motorcycle Accident Child Injury Attorneys in Los Angeles, CA
Getting seriously injured in a motorcycle accident can be a traumatic and overwhelming experience. Your stress and anxiety is only exacerbated when your child is also seriously injured in a motorcycle crash.
Your mind may be swirling with important questions and concerns about what steps to take in the wake of a major motorcycle accident and you may also be forced to take significant time off of work to recover from your bodily injuries (while also tending to your injured child’s needs).
If you find yourself in this precarious situation, it is extremely important to take the time to speak to an experienced motorcycle accident child injury lawyer in Los Angeles.
They can help during this difficult time and pursue financial restitution for your harms and losses. If you are concerned about paying a large retainer fee or hourly cost for a lawyer, do not fret.
An experienced motorcycle accident child injury attorney typically does not charge retainer fees or hourly costs.
Instead, motorcycle accident lawyers will not charge you any upfront costs and often work under a contingency fee agreement where they will not get paid unless and until you get paid.
Can a Child Ride On a Back Of a Motorcycle in California?
Yes, it is acceptable for a child to ride on the back of a motorcycle. However, under California law, a child needs to be at least 4′9 tall in order to lawfully ride on the back of a motorbike.
This is the height at which a child no longer requires a car seat. At that point, your child is able to reach the passenger footrests that are typically included on a motorcycle. If your child is not this height, odds are that your child would be considered an illegal passenger.
How Old Does a Child Have To Be To Ride On a Back Of a Bike?
In California, there is no age requirement for a child to ride on the back of a motorcycle. However, as mentioned above, there is a height requirement that must be met.
Are There Any Requirements for a Kid To Be To Ride On a Back Of a Motorbike?
Generally, yes there are certain safety requirements that must be met for a child to legally ride on the back of a motorcycle. Specifically, the California legislature enacted a universal helmet law that applies to all motorcyclists (including passengers).
According to California Vehicle Code Section 27803, all motorcycle operators and passengers are required to wear a safety helmet. Not doing so is against the law.
Tips To Protect Your Child From Injury While Riding On a Motorcycle
There are certain precautions you can take to help protect your child from suffering burns and road rash injuries while riding on a motorcycle.
These precautions include:
- Ensuring your child wears a safety helmet
- Ensuring your motorcycle has a passenger seat and footrests
- Making sure your child is tall enough to reach the footrests
- Ensuring your child wears long pants, closed-toed shoes, protective gloves, and a heavy jacket while on the back of your motorcycle
What Can I Do if My Child Is Injured in a Motorcycle Crash?
It is an unfortunate reality – when a motorcycle is involved in an accident, the people in the bike bear the brunt of the damage, especially when they are hit by a larger vehicle like a sedan, SUV, or truck.
In many instances, a serious motorcycle accident can leave the motorbike operators and passengers suffering a broken bones injury, back muscle sprain injury, head injury, spinal cord injury, laceration, lost limb, and other significant bodily harms.
If you, or a loved one, was involved in a motorcycle crash, here are some important steps you can take in the wake of the crash to help minimize the damage while also protecting your legal rights.
Seek Medical Attention
In the immediate aftermath of the motorcycle accident, one of the most important actions you can take is getting to a hospital right away to ensure you and your child are treated by experienced medical professionals.
Even if you think you did not suffer a “serious” injury, you may just be running on adrenaline and not have a full understanding of the extent of your injuries. In fact, some injuries may not fully appear for a few days after the accident.
This is why you need to be treated by a doctor to get a thorough medical evaluation. The same evaluation needs to be done for your son or daughter.
Call Local Law Enforcement
If you are physically able, contact the police. This is extremely important since police typically generate an accident report and will retain records that can be used as evidence later on the injury claims process.
Collect Contact and Auto Insurance Information
Try to get the contact and insurance information of the motorist who hit you. If the collision involved multiple motorists, try to get the contact and insurance information for all relevant parties.
This is important because it will help identify if the motorist, or motorists, who hit you have sufficient auto insurance coverage to compensate you and your child for your harms and losses.
Write Down What You Recall from the Motorcycle Accident
The viability of a motorcycle accident injury claim is dependent upon the amount of available evidence that can be used to reconstruct what happened and assess the extent of the damage you incurred from the crash. This is why it is extremely important to write down as much as you remember from the collision.
This includes noting the location of the crash, the time the wreck occurred, and the surroundings (e.g., any stop signs, red lights, etc.). Do your best to take a mental picture of the accident scene.
Take Photos of the Accident Scene
If you have a smartphone and are physically able, take the time to snap some photos of the accident scene, including the damage done to your motorcycle, your injuries, and your child’s injuries.
Contact Your Motorcycle Insurance Carrier
It is important to be proactive and notify your motorcycle insurance carrier that the crash occurred. This is absolutely necessary in order to pursue, and ultimately recover, financial restitution for your harms and losses. Please be advised that you do not have to share any information about your bodily injuries or your medical treatment.
Contact a Motorcycle Accident Child Injury Attorney in Los Angeles
One of the most important actions you can take after a motorcycle crash is contacting an experienced and savvy Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Child Injury Lawyer.
When you have a motorcycle accident child injury lawyer on your side, it will help level the proverbial playing field against the large auto insurance companies and help ensure your child receives the financial restitution they are owed for their harms and losses.
In addition, a skilled and knowledgeable Los Angeles motorcycle accident child injury attorney will take the following actions to help build a compelling and persuasive case on behalf of you and your child:
- Speak to witnesses
- Retrieve accident reports from local authorities
- Retrieve and review all relevant medical records
- Take photographs of the motorcycle accident scene
- Consult with reputable accident reconstructionists and other notable accident experts
- Negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company
- File all of the necessary claims forms and related paperwork
Our Motorcycle Accident Child Injury Lawyers Can Help
Getting injured in a motorcycle accident is bad. Learning that your child was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident can be even worse. This is because children are still developing and growing.
As a result, when they suffer a serious bodily injury, the ramifications can be long-lasting and impact your child for years or even decades. In these scenarios, it is critically important to find the best motorcycle accident attorney in Los Angeles possible to advocate for you and your child.
Now is the time for action. Contact a motorcycle injury attorney immediately to schedule a free, confidential case review.