Criminal Laws
Criminal Laws
At the California Attorney Group, we know that motorcycle accidents occur for a variety of reasons and under a variety of circumstances. Perhaps the weather has made road visibility unpredictably poor; perhaps the weather has made the road so wet that your bike has slipped out from under you on a turn. As unfortunate as these examples are none of these deal with criminal issues—even if this results in a motorcycle crash, no law in Los Angeles, Riverside, Indio or Corona has been broken.
However, there are a number of circumstances in which criminal laws can pertain to a motorcycle accident you may be involved in. Perhaps a person who changed lanes forced you off the road; or perhaps you were broadsided by a car, or even another motorcycle, who ran a red light as you made your way through an intersection; or perhaps you were struck by a drunk driver; or perhaps the other driver involved in the accident is not licensed, or fails to provide proof of insurance. All of these examples involve criminal issues that will be pertinent as you proceed with your civil action with the help of the California Attorney Group. If you or a loved one has become a victim of a motorcycle accident, do not hesitate to contact us at (866) 650-0505.
The breaking of a criminal law is not the legal basis on which the victim of a motorcycle accident will pursue damages, compensation, or any other kind of civil litigation following that accident. Criminal law is confined to the area in which the California state, government or local Los Angeles or Riverside governments will seek to punish for breaking laws, law such as drunk driving laws, or traffic laws. A private citizen will not seek to sue or litigate anyone for violation of a criminal law. Instead, a private citizen, such as anyone living in Los Angeles, Riverside or Palm Springs who is seeking financial awards due to a motorcycle accident, would pursue legal action through civil law. Civil law is the channel in which legal disputes between two individuals or parties go to settle claims and responsibilities owed to them through the law.
With this in mind, an individual pursing a civil claim after a motorcycle accident will still need to be mindful of criminal laws which were broken before, during or after the accident. To take from one of the examples above, say you are enjoying a night out in Riverside on your new Ducati, only to have a drunk driving riding back from Temecula suddenly swerve into you and knock you off the road. You are probably injured, but with some luck not too badly. With a little more luck, a Riverside police officer manages to pull the drunk driver over, and you contact us at the California Attorney Group.
Not only is this driver criminally responsible for his drunk driving, reckless endangerment, and variety of other criminal laws, but he is also vulnerable to civil reprisal if you choose to press forward with the help of the California Attorney Group. But even if convicted of several of these criminal counts, as the victim, you would see no financial compensation. However, if you are smart enough to hire an attorney after your motorcycle accident, we will advise you of your rights to pursue litigation and we will let you know that you have an excellent civil case, exactly because this person broke criminal law.
This, of course, may sound somewhat confusing, but that’s because the law typically is. This is, of course, another reason to make sure you hire an attorney, who will help you navigate the difficult, confusing and tedious work involved in a civil case following a motorcycle accident in Southern California. And if you find yourself in this situation in Los Angeles or Riverside, please do not hesitate to ask any question, but rather contact the California Attorney Group today at (866) 650-0505.
But the law works both ways. Perhaps you were injured in a motorcycle accident while on your bike after running stop sign; or perhaps you were riding with a suspended or expired license. In these cases, criminal matters are still a separate issue, and do not necessarily leave you as the one responsible for your injury in a motorcycle accident. In fact, you may still very well be able to file a civil claim, even while being at fault for breaking a criminal law.
If this is the case, then the situation demands a seasoned and technically proficient attorney: one who knows the procedure for filing an litigating, who can hire the right experts, who knows Los Angeles and Riverside, and who has a history of success in cases involving motorcycle accidents. You will find this immediately by contacting the California Attorney Group at (866) 650-0505, or on the web at CaMotorcycleAttorney.com.
What happens immediately after a motorcycle accident is criminally just as important as anything preceding it. In both Los Angeles and Riverside, after an accident information MUST be exchanged between drivers. This includes driver’s license information, vehicle registration, and insurance information. Not only is getting this information important in making sure you can contact the other driver and proceeding with your case, but it is LEGALLY NECESSARY. Leaving the scene of an accident without exchanging information constitutes a hit-and-run offense for both parties in Riverside. It’s easy to imagine being shaken after even a minor accident, and simply forgetting to exchange information. But being charged with a hit-and-run, regardless of whether or not you are at fault for the accident, can be incredibly damaging to your civil case, possibly even preventing it entirely.
