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Down on Highway 4, Lone Tree Way, or Hillcrest Avenue? The adjuster already assumes it was your fault. You need a lawyer who rides. Our firm is led by one.
While you wait:
Chris Scranton has been riding most of his life, on the street and in Baja. He has also been on 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 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 Lone Tree Way left turn, in a lane split on Highway 4, or on a road with gravel in the curve, and knows how to prove it.
The firm backs the riding community too. Scranton Law Firm sponsors Fun Track Days and FP1, motorcycle track-day and racing programs where riders build skills in a controlled setting. Riders and families can also see every type of case handled by Scranton Law Firm’s Antioch injury team.
Motorcycle claims do not look like car claims. The injuries are worse, the adjusters start the call assuming the rider was at fault, and a handful of California-specific legal questions come up in nearly every file. If your lawyer treats your case like a fender-bender, you will leave money on the table.
Adjusters routinely lean on stereotypes, speeding, weaving, risk-taking, to discount motorcycle claims even when the rider had the right of way. Expect lowball offers and pushback that car drivers rarely face.
California Vehicle Code § 21658.1 expressly authorizes lane splitting. That does not stop the other driver’s carrier from arguing it was unsafe. Liability turns on speed, traffic conditions, and whether the driver who hit you made an unsafe lane change.
California requires DOT-compliant helmets (Veh. Code § 27803), but failure to wear one is not an automatic bar. Insurers can argue comparative negligence on head-injury damages only. You can still recover for fractures, road rash, spinal injuries, and lost wages.
Without a steel cage, airbags, or seatbelt, the same impact that bruises a driver causes traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, or amputations for a rider. Long-term care and reduced earning capacity often dominate the claim.
Eastern Contra Costa County is a tough place to ride. Highway 4’s commute volume, fast-moving arterials feeding the freeway, and aging Caltrans pavement combine into a predictable set of crash patterns. These are the conditions we see most often in Antioch motorcycle files:
Heavy commute volume between Antioch, Pittsburg, and the central East Bay produces frequent unsafe lane changes. Drivers cutting across multiple lanes to reach Hillcrest or Lone Tree exits routinely fail to check for motorcycles.
Drivers turning left across oncoming motorcycles, the single most common motorcycle crash pattern nationwide, show up repeatedly along Lone Tree Way and the Somersville Towne Center corridor. Drivers misjudge closing speed and turn directly into the rider’s path.
Construction debris, loose gravel, and dropped cargo on Hillcrest, Somersville, and Deer Valley Road can put a bike down at speed. What is a non-event in a car is a serious crash on two wheels.
Worn pavement, poorly transitioned lane shifts through construction zones, and faded striping on Hwy 4 create hazards that disproportionately affect riders. These can support a Government Code claim against Caltrans, with a strict 6-month deadline.
Phone use, late-night DUIs, and inattentive drivers along the A Street / 18th Street grid and the Hwy 4 corridor cause a steady share of the motorcycle crashes we handle out of Antioch.
The same crash that produces a sore neck in a sedan can put a rider in a Level II trauma center for weeks. Anticipating future medical needs, not just billed charges to date, is what separates a fair settlement from a low one.
The first hour after a motorcycle crash is different from a car wreck. Your gear is evidence. Your bike is evidence. Adrenaline is going to tell you that you are fine when you are not.
This is the single piece of advice most riders skip. A photo of your damaged helmet at the scene, before you replace it, before insurance asks for it, before it’s mishandled in storage, can corroborate impact angle, speed, and head strike. If you only do one thing on this list, do this.
Miss these and you may lose your right to recover entirely:
Statute of limitations from crash date (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1)
Caltrans pavement defects, City of Antioch road conditions, Contra Costa County (Gov. Code § 911.2)
Most policies require prompt notification after a crash
Adjusters routinely lowball motorcycle claims by leaning on rider stereotypes, speeding, weaving, lane splitting unsafely, even when the rider had the right of way and the other driver caused the crash. Do not give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement, sign a medical release, or accept a quick settlement. Polite refusal is fine: “I’m represented, please direct all questions to my attorney.” If you have not retained one yet, say you are speaking with one and call us at 1-800-707-0707.
Motorcycle injuries are typically catastrophic, and the cost of long-term care often dwarfs the immediate medical bills. A complete claim accounts for what you will need years from now, not just what you have already paid:
Call 1-800-707-0707 any time. We listen, answer your questions honestly, and tell you whether you have a case worth pursuing. No commitment. No fee.
We pull the Antioch PD or CHP report, secure surveillance from Lone Tree Way and Hwy 4 ramp businesses before it’s overwritten, photograph and store your bike and gear, and identify witnesses.
We connect you with orthopedists, neurologists, and physical therapists who will treat on a lien basis. You get the care you need now and pay from the settlement.
For lane-splitting disputes, left-turn collisions, and roadway-defect claims, we retain accident reconstructionists, biomechanical engineers, and roadway-design specialists to nail down liability.
Once you reach maximum medical improvement, we send a demand with the full picture of past and future losses, including a life-care plan where appropriate, and negotiate hard.
If the carrier won’t pay what your case is worth, we file at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez. Most cases still settle. Willingness to try the case is what produces serious offers.
We pull crash reports for our clients as part of intake. You don’t have to deal with the bureaucracy yourself.
More Antioch injury help:
Yes, lane splitting is legal in California under Vehicle Code § 21658.1. It does not automatically make a rider at fault. Insurance adjusters routinely try to blame riders in lane-splitting crashes anyway. Liability turns on whether the rider was operating safely (speed, traffic conditions, gap) and whether the other driver made an unsafe lane change.
Yes. California requires DOT-compliant helmets (Veh. Code § 27803), but failure to wear one is not a complete bar to recovery. Insurers may argue helmet non-use as comparative negligence to reduce damages tied to head injuries. It is a partial defense, not a knockout. You can still recover for fractures, road rash, spinal injuries, lost wages, and other damages unrelated to the head.
Two years from the crash date (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1). Claims against government entities, the City of Antioch, Caltrans, or Contra Costa County, require a written claim within 6 months (Gov. Code § 911.2). Pavement defects, dangerous road design, and Caltrans construction zones often involve government claims, so don’t wait.
You may recover through your own Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Hit-and-run motorcycle crashes on Hwy 4 are unfortunately common and are recoverable through UM coverage in most California auto policies. We build UM claims around available camera footage, witness statements, and physical evidence at the scene.
Adjusters routinely lean on rider stereotypes, speeding, weaving, risk-taking, to lowball motorcycle claims even when the rider had the right of way. The simplest defense is to never give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement and to let an attorney handle all communication.
By documenting future need, not just current bills. For TBI, spinal, and amputation cases we retain a qualified life-care planner to project decades of medical, rehabilitative, and home-care costs. That projection becomes part of the demand and the trial record. Without it, carriers will value the claim on past charges only and leave catastrophic future costs uncompensated.
Nothing up front. Scranton Law works on contingency. Our fee comes out of the settlement or verdict, only if we win. We also front investigation costs, accident reconstruction, expert witnesses, and litigation expenses. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing.
Adjusters lowball motorcycle claims by default. Get a free evaluation from an Antioch motorcycle accident lawyer before you sign anything. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
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.