Motorcycle Accidents and Police Bias in California Cities

If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident in the Los Angeles and Orange County cities of Anaheim, Los Alamitos, Cypress, Irvine, or Santa Ana, Marina del Rey or Santa Monica, you counted on the police to take a report and be unbiased in relating the facts. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. This seems to be especially true in the inland empire areas like Riverside and San Bernardino. When it comes to motor vehicle accidents the reporting officer usually - and is supposed to - prepare a neutral report, but it’s a different story concerning bike and motorcycle collisions. This is why it is vital for you to consult a Los Angeles or Orange County Motorcycle Accident Attorney once you have obtained a copy of the traffic collision report, if not sooner.

We Will Help You Fight That Biased Motorcycle Collision Police Report

You don’t want a biased police report complicating your efforts to get what you deserve. Much of the time, the officer assigned to investigate your accident crash has his or her own notion of who’s to blame. Many cops assume the rider is to blame when the crash involves a car and motorcycle (or when a car and bike are involved). This can stem from the investigator’s experience with motorcycle crashes or just because he or she doesn’t like motorcycles. Either way, it’s not fair to you when the crash on a motorcycle incident was not your fault.

Another factor in their bias may be the type of motorcycle you ride. Some patrolmen see sport bikes as too fast or too powerful for the road. Others look at those who ride cruisers like Harley-Davidsons or Victories like they are all in “Biker Gangs.” Again, this preconceived notion is unfair to the rider and may get in the way of compiling an accurate, fair report of your accident. Finally, if you were riding in excess of the speed limit, most reporting officers will automatically hold you responsible even if your speed had nothing to do with causing the accident.

You may have been “lane splitting,” which is completely legal, and going faster than the rest of the traffic and been hit by a careless driver of an automobile. The reporting officer, in taking the statements of all parties will rely on the driver of the auto for your estimate of speed. Most of the time, the driver of the car will overestimate your speed because he was traveling slowly or even stopped just before he or she struck your motorcycle.

Unless the reporting officer has done an exhaustive investigation of the motorcycle accident and measured skid marks to calculate approximate speed and reaction time, he will rely on the driver’s statement as the estimate of speed. This being the case, the reporting officer will asses blame against you, the motorcycle rider. In most Orange County motorcycle accidents, the rider could not avoid the collision.

Sometimes, the driver causing the accident drives off without knowing he or she was to blame. If you were alert and got the license number, we can track the driver down and get you the compensation you deserve. Contact the Orange County Motorcycle Accident Attorneys today. Or if you were hurt on a two wheeled motor vehicle collision in LA, call our experienced injury attorneys in Los Angeles at 1-888-400-8721.