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After a serious motorcycle crash, the insurance company treats the rider like the problem before the facts are even collected. You need a lawyer who rides. Scranton Law Firm is led by one, and we have represented injured riders and their families across Northern California for more than 50 years. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
Chris Scranton has been riding most of his life, on the street and in Baja. He has also been through the other side of it: multiple surgeries, months of rehab, and the long stretch of not being able to do what you love.
That matters in your case for a practical reason. An adjuster's first move is to assume the rider was reckless. A lawyer who rides knows what actually happens at a left-turn intersection, in a lane split, or on a road with gravel in the curve, and knows how to prove it.
The first hours shape the insurance claim. Protect your health first, then protect the evidence before it disappears.
Get medical help even if adrenaline is masking symptoms. Internal injuries and concussions show up late.
Vehicles, skid marks, lane position, debris, signals, road defects, and your visible injuries.
Names and numbers before people leave the scene. Independent witnesses beat rider bias.
Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, camera footage, and damaged parts. Do not repair or throw anything away.
Do not give the insurance company a recorded statement before you understand the legal impact.
Before camera footage, vehicle data, and scene evidence are gone. 800-707-0707.
Adjusters assume the rider was speeding, lane splitting unsafely, or taking unnecessary risks. We counter assumptions with crash evidence, witness statements, and reconstruction work.
Spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, fractures, road rash, amputations, and long-term pain. The demand has to account for future care, not just today's bills.
Nearby camera footage, damaged gear, road-condition proof, and vehicle data disappear quickly. Early investigation is the difference between a disputed claim and a proven one.
Each scenario has its own liability question and its own evidence. Here is what usually decides them.
The most common way riders get hit: a driver turns left across your lane and says they never saw you.
How we prove it: signal timing, sight lines, vehicle speed, scene photos, and reconstruction analysis.
Lane splitting is legal in California. Insurers still call it unsafe and try to put the crash on you.
How we prove it: traffic speed, lane position, road conditions, and Vehicle Code section 21658.1.
The driver leaves. You are left with the injuries and the bill.
How we prove it: camera searches, police follow-up, and a UM/UIM claim on your own policy.
Gravel in a curve, potholes, debris, construction zones, and bad pavement on roads like Kirker Pass and Morgan Territory.
How we prove it: roadway inspection, maintenance records, notice evidence, and the six-month government claim deadline when it applies.
A driver drifts into your lane on I-680, SR-242, or Highway 4 without checking the mirror.
How we prove it: damage patterns, dashcam and traffic camera footage, and witness statements.
When a rider does not come home. We represent the family with the urgency the case demands.
How we prove it: immediate investigation, expert support, beneficiary analysis, and trial-ready damages work.
Motorcycle injuries run more severe than car injuries, and settlements follow. There is no formula, but the severity of the injury drives the range more than anything else.
Road rash, fractures, and injuries needing months of treatment without surgery.
Surgery, hardware, lasting impairment, and significant time away from work.
Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or amputation. Often limited only by available insurance.
Loss of support, companionship, and funeral costs. We pursue every policy that applies.
Ranges are illustrative and based on general experience with California motorcycle injury claims. They are not a prediction for any individual case. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Read our full guide to motorcycle settlement values.
We analyzed every fatal crash in Contra Costa County recorded by the federal government from 2019 through 2024. The two-lane roads riders love are on the list.
From the Sunol Grade on I-680 to Ygnacio Valley Road and Morgan Territory, Contra Costa County has some of the best riding in the Bay Area and some of the least forgiving roads. We know where the crashes cluster, which intersections have camera coverage, and where witness canvassing pays off.
509 people killed in 469 fatal crashes over six years. Highway 4 leads. Half of all fatal crashes at night. See the full rankings and hotspots.
Read the report →Six-month government deadline: if a road defect, missing signage, or a government vehicle contributed to the crash, a written government claim must be filed within six months. Miss it and that part of your case is gone.
You call or send the form. We review the crash facts, coverage, and liability, and tell you plainly what your case involves.
Police reports, camera footage, witness interviews, and your gear. Disputed liability gets a reconstruction expert.
Orthopedic and neurological specialists across Northern California who treat on a lien basis, so nothing comes out of your pocket while the case is open.
A full demand package with all medical costs, future care, and lost income. Most cases settle here because carriers know we try cases.
If the carrier will not pay fair value, we file suit in the county where the crash happened.
We resolve liens and paperwork so your money reaches you fast. You pay nothing unless we win.
What the law actually says, what the CHP guidelines recommend, and how insurers use it against riders.
Read the guide → Case valueHow injuries, fault, and coverage shape the number, with the factors that move it.
Read the guide →More on insurance tactics, evidence, and injury claims in the Legal Knowledge Hub.
Yes. California Vehicle Code section 21658.1 recognizes lane splitting. That does not stop insurance companies from arguing that a rider was splitting lanes unsafely, so the facts, traffic conditions, speed, and scene evidence still matter.
Your case is not automatically over. Police reports are important, but they are not the final legal decision. California uses comparative negligence, which means you may still recover compensation even if fault is disputed.
Case value depends on liability, injuries, medical care, lost income, future treatment, pain and suffering, insurance limits, and long-term impact. Serious motorcycle injuries often require a deeper damages analysis than a quick insurance offer reflects.
We look for uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage, possible additional defendants, and any available evidence that can identify a hit-and-run driver. Your own policy may be one of the most important parts of the claim.
If the crash caused serious injuries, disputed fault, surgery, long-term care, lost income, or a death in the family, legal help is usually worth discussing before you speak with the insurer. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover money for you.
California requires helmets, and the insurer will raise it. It can affect the damages for head injuries, but it does not erase a claim against a driver who caused the crash. Injuries to other parts of the body are not reduced by helmet use.
An attorney reviews your details and calls you back. Available 24/7 in English and Spanish.
Or call 800-707-0707While you wait:
Call now, before the insurance company locks in a version of the crash that leaves out the rider's side.
Attorney Advertising. Scranton Law Firm, 2450 Stanwell Dr, Concord, CA 94520. Responsible attorney: Christian Scranton, California State Bar #196959. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No attorney-client relationship is formed unless the firm agrees to represent you.
