We want to take you a little bit out of our coverage area to a story about a Huntington Beach Police Officer. The officer was on his way to work at around 5:30 in the morning. He was riding his patrol motorcycle when he was involved in a crash on Butterfield Ranch Road.
“It appears the officer and a civilian vehicle hit debris, looks like gravel, on the roadway leading to the crashes,” said a CHP official.
Paramedics took the officer to the hospital, but we are told that his injuries are not serious.
At the Compass Law Group, this story highlights something we already know – motorcyclists face many dangers when they go out on the roadways. Sometimes those dangers involve other drivers, while other times the road itself is the problem.
If you need an Anaheim motorcycle accident attorney, turn to the Compass Law Group for help. We will work to get you the compensation you deserve.
Road Conditions
As we saw in the story above, motorcyclists are vulnerable to road conditions. It is the responsibility of government agencies and those they contract with to ensure the roads are properly maintained. This often requires regular inspections to ensure that there are no problems. This means checking for dangerous potholes as well as clearing out dangerous debris in the roadways.
A failure to do so could lead to motorcycle accidents and injuries.
Reckless Drivers
We know that negligent drivers continue to be a plague on motorcyclists. For the latest reporting year in California, there were over 14,000 motorcycle accident injuries. Out of those, there were 548 fatalities. Closer to home, there were 224 motorcycle rider injuries or deaths in Anaheim for the same year.
These accidents happen for a variety of reasons, with one of the main reasons being because drivers simply do not afford motorcyclists the space they need. They should be treated like any other vehicle on the roadway. Instead, vehicle drivers often follow motorcyclists too closely or changed lanes right into them.
Other times, drivers are operating while distracted by their phones or other devices. We know that technology has become a problem inside vehicles and laws passed have done little to prevent distracted driving accidents.
Always a cause for concern is drunk drivers who make the irresponsible choice to get behind the wheel after they have had too much to drink.
What You Can Do Now
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you can count on the Compass Law Group to be by your side. We will work to recover compensation for the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income if you cannot work
- Punitive damages
- Pain and suffering damages
We do not think that you should have to worry about your finances while you are trying to heal.
