Accident attorneys at Sette Law in Sacramento are well aware of the sobering statistics – in car crashes and solo accidents the biggest loser is almost always the rider of a motorcycle. Injury lawyers personally deal with the pain and disabilities inherent in most vehicle verses motorcycle accidents and we feel the time is now, as early as April, to remind all drivers to be aware of the risks faced by Sacramento motorcycle riders.

Attorneys work with statistics compiled by state law enforcement and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Unfortunately, our Sacramento accident lawyers report that motorcycle riders experience much higher accident rates than do drivers of automobiles. The NTHSA reports that out of 100,000 car accidents in 2006 – 13.10 involved fatalities. Our Sacramento injury attorneys say the comparison to motorcycle deaths in crashes is staggering – 72.34 percent per 100,000 crashes.

As Sacramento injury lawyers who also appreciate and participate in the recreational sport of motorcycle riding, we want to offer a few more sobering statistics. In 2012 motorcycle accidents rose 7.1 percent over the previous year with 4,957 deaths due to motorcycle accidents. Furthermore, injury lawyers say the NHTSA calculates bike riders are 26 times more apt than vehicle occupants to die in a motorcycle accident. Our injury attorneys also point out that motorcyclists face a five-fold greater risk of injury in an accident. In fact, in 2012, 93,000 people recorded injuries due to a motorcycle accident. Our Sacramento injury lawyers think these statistics are pretty compelling.

Sacramento Injury Lawyers note Disproportionate Injury Rates
In addition, older riders seem to be disproportionally represented in motorcycle accidents. Our attorneys point out that NHTSA data from 2011 indicates 56 percent of bike riders killed were over 40 years old. One reason may be the popular of bigger heavier bikes among more mature riders. Large ‘touring’ type bikes have a greater tendency to roll over in a motorcycle accident. Our Sacramento accident lawyers also attribute the increase of injury to older riders to more fragile physical condition that can come with age. Our Sacramento injury lawyers say the data supports the heightened risk for mature riders – between 2002 and 2011, there was a 78 percent increase in deaths to riders over the age of 40 in motorcycle accidents. Injury attorneys compare this to deaths over the same period to younger riders, which declined.

However, our Sacramento accident lawyers point out that there is an exception. In 2007, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that riders of “Super Bikes,” that can reach speeds of 190 mph, had a four times higher rate of death rate in motorcycle accidents. Lawyers say this may be due to a couple of factors – speed, of course, and inexperienced young riders.
Our Sacramento injury attorneys understand the allure of motorcycles – our region is a great place to enjoy the freedom and excitement of riding a motorcycle. Accidents, both our attorneys and safety officials say, are preventable, and conscientious riders can enjoy the freedom of motor bikes by employing effective safety measures.

For example, helmets can significantly reduce the severity of injury or of death in a motorcycle accident. Injury lawyers know that head injuries are the number one cause of death in motorcycle accidents. Compared to a rider wearing a helmet, a rider not wearing an approved helmet faces a 40 percent greater chance of death in a Sacramento motorcycle accident. Attorneys also point to a 15 percent increase of a serious injury to riders with no helmet. Our Sacramento accident lawyers see this mitigation as both easy and affordable for motorcycle riders throughout our community.

Our Sacramento injury attorneys also look to motorcycle associations for tips about safe riding. One group states that most accidents are caused by a car turning left in front of a motorcycle. Accident attorneys point out that motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable on this kind of crash. Avoiding this situation calls for extreme awareness on the part of the motorcyclist in order to avoid a Sacramento accident. Our attorneys say this is also true when it comes to lane changes. Automobile drivers may not notice a motorcyclist and precipitously dart over into the bike rider’s lane. Again, our Sacramento injury lawyers say it’s in the motorcyclist’s best interest to survey traffic constantly and anticipate movements that could lead to a motorcycle accident.

Injury attorneys know that it seems a bit ‘unfair’ that so much responsibility be placed on the motorcyclist. However, considering the statistics on death and injury it’s clear the rider has the most to lose in a Sacramento motorcycle accident. Our injury attorneys also want to highlight another very serious threat to motorcyclists, one that can easily be avoided! NHTSA figures for 2012 that show about 27 percent of fatalities were legally drunk at the time of their motorcycle accident. Injury lawyers say that 2,000 of those fatalities were due to single-car crashes. An astounding 43 percent of riders were alcohol impaired. Sacramento injury lawyers add that the incidence is even higher on weekend evenings when authorities recorded an increase of 64 percent of rider fatalities registering inebriated at the time of the motorcycle accident.

Sacramento injury attorneys may be pointing out the obvious – but drinking alcohol and driving a motorcycle is a high risk recipe for disaster. When alcohol plays a role in a motorcycle accident, lawyers know that judgment is impaired and the rider may be the actual cause of the motorcycle accident. Attorneys say that following vehicles too closely or pushing the bike to excessive speed, can lead to the bike rider being held liable for a Sacramento motorcycle accident.

Our injury attorneys at Sette Law, like so many people in our region, appreciate the thrill of riding a motorcycle. However, our profession also highlights the serious nature of any motorcycle accident. Lawyers regularly work with the often painful aftermath of accidents. Our injury attorneys are consequently involved in the details and statistics about motorcycle accidents. Thus, we know that riders are vulnerable and bear great responsibility for their own safety.

news reports that a retired CHP officer was killed in a motorcycle accident after he ran his motorcycle into a car.

The accident occurred after the officer failed to stop at a stop sign and crashed into a car. Although he was wearing a helmet, he suffered severe injuries and died as a result. The driver of the car suffered minor injuries.

This motorcycle accident is a tragic reminder that accidents can happen to anyone. The El Centro police noted, “There’s no way to guarantee that unfortunate event are not going to happen to you. The best thing we can do is pay strict attention to what’s going on, minimizing our risks and accepting the fact that we need to slow down, look, and occasionally become somewhat burdened by the fact that we have to wait.”

As a California personal injury attorney, I agree. Drivers of all types of motor vehicles need to slow down and pay attention to the conditions around them to reduce California car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and truck accidents.

For more information, or if you have been injured as the result of any roadway accident, contact The Law Office of Frederick J. Sette, dedicated to helping the injured for more than 15 years.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is pushing for greater awareness regarding motorcycle safety as well as advocating mandatory helmet laws. According to a USA Today article, more than 12 motorcyclist die each day in the United States from motorcycle accidents, with head injuriesas the leading cause of death.

California is one of 20 states in the country that require all riders to wear helmets. 27 other states only require helmets for those under 18, while three states – Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire – have no helmet laws whatsoever. Over the last several years motorcycle deaths have continued to increase with the exception of last year, which several experts attribute to the economy.

A recent article in the Press-Democrat further notes that in California, motorcycle deaths have double since 2000, from 276 to 560 in 2008.

Setting aside statistics for a moment, for your own personal safety wearing a motorcycle helmet is critical. If you are in a crash, nothing protects your head from serious impact and trauma if you fail to wear a helmet.

As a California motorcycle accident attorney, I have seen far too many life-threatening injuries result from motorcycle crashes. Even if traveling in a state that doesn’t require you to wear a helmet, please consider wearing one.

For more information, or if you or a loved one has been injured in a California motorcycle accident, contact The Law Office of Frederick J. Sette, dedicated to helping the injured for more than 15 years.

According to Recordnet.com, a collision between a bicyclist and a motorcycle in Lodi ended tragically after a bicyclist attempted to cross the road and was hit by a motorcyclist.

The motorcycle was unable to maneuver quickly enough to avoid the accident. Tragically, the bicyclist died from his injuries and the motorcyclist sustained critical injuries.

With the increasing popularity of bicycles as a mode of transportation, we all need to increase our awareness of each other on the road. Further, while it is unknown the exact circumstances surrounding this accident, it serves as a important and frightening reminder to all motorists and bicyclists to follow some basic safety tips to help keep California roadways safe.

These tips include:

For all drivers – motorcyclists, car drivers, truck drivers and bicyclists – avoid distracted driving. Texting while driving is illegal in California and has been shown to increase the risk of accidents and death significantly.

Further, whatever your mode of transportation, follow safety precautions. Whether this means wearing a helming, wearing bright clothing or following the rules of the road, taking simple actions can save your life and prevent injury.

Finally, use common sense and be aware of your surroundings. Taking time to anticipate another’s movements can often avoid an accident completely.

Unfortunately, even with precautions and safety measures accidents do happen. Hopefully though, by working together we can improve the safety of California roadways.

For more information, or if you or a loved one has been injured in a California accident, please contact the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette, a California attorney dedicated to helping those injured for more than 15 years.

Salinas News reports that the holiday weekend has been a deadly one on the Central Coast. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) three separate crashes have resulted in the deaths of five people in Monterey County. Four other people suffered major injures as the result of the two car accidents and one motorcycle accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured or suffered a wrongful death as the result of any type of personal injury accident, it is important to contact an experienced central coast accident lawyer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

Both of the car accidents involved head-on collisions. In the first accident, the driver of a Yukon collided head-on with a driver in the southbound lane, killing the driver instantly. Drugs and alcohol were not suspected to be involved. In the second accident, two Toyota Pickups collided while the driver of one was trying to pass slower moving vehicles. Both drivers died at the scene, while a total of three passengers in the two trucks were taken to area hospital with serious injuries.

The motorcycle accident occurred after the motorcyclist attempted to pass cars by driving on the shoulder and lost control of his cycle, sliding into the ditch, killed himself and his passenger.

All three of these incidents are under investigation. It is unknown what factors contributed to the crashes. Often, even where an accident seems straightforward, many other factors may contribute to both causing an accident and its severity. Here, it is unknown whether issues such as roadway design, faulty auto or motorcycle parts or driver error on any of the parties may be partly or fully to blame for the tragic outcomes. How this fault is determined will affect compensation available.

For more information, or if you or a loved one has been involved in a serious accident, please contact the dedicatedcentral coast personal injury lawyers at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for a free consultation.

A 50-year-old woman who was riding as a passenger was killed in a Sacramento motorcycle accident this past Saturday night. According to Sacramento news, the woman and her driver were thrown from the motorcycle after being hit by a car that was heading north. The driver of the car was uninjured, but the driver of the motorcycle sustained serious injuries.

If you have been injured in a car accident or motorcycle accident, it is important to contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer to evaluate your case and help you obtain compensation.

The potential for an injury from a motorcycle accident is great. Because of the lack of any shell protecting the rider from the full force of a crash, falls from motorcycles may result in serious, even fatal injuries. In an effort to increase safety and awareness, NHTSA has created safety initiatives combining outreach, legislation and enforcement to minimize the risk of injury when a crash occurs.

For example wearing a helmet can significantly decrease the risk of a head or brain injury. In order to promote safety, NHTSA as designated May as "Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month."

Whether wearing a helmet would have altered the outcome in this situation is unknown. However, helmet usage remains the number one safety tip to follow to avoid serious injury.

For more information or if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the experienced California motorcycle attorneys at the Sette Law Office for a free consultation.

According to the SanFrancisco Examiner, a major-injury motorcycle accident earlier this week disrupted traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge during morning rush hour.

A southbound motorcyclist rear-ended a Toyota 4Runner just north of the toll-plaza.

Further, according to Nevada Highway Patrol reports, last night a 49-year-old Landers, California woman died after being struck by a car traveling in the wrong direction.

When motorcycles and cars collide, the potential for injury to the motorcyclist is great. Unlike cars, motorcycles have no shell protecting the rider from the full force of an impact when an accident occurs. As a result, crashes often lead to serious, even fatal, injuries.

Although motorcycle fatalities are down, these accidents serve as a reminder of rider and motorist safety. These safety tips include the following:

• Wear a helmet and other safety gear

• Don't drink and ride

• Pay attention to speed and roadway conditions

• Try to avoid motorists blind spots

• Assume people in cars can't, or don't, see you.

Recently, the California Highway Patrol has launched several campaigns to raise public awareness about motorcycle safety.

For more information, or if you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette, dedicated to helping the injured for more than 15 years.

According to KTVU San Francisco, two people were killed in a hit and run accident on the Highway 4 Bypass when a pick-up truck swerved into the lane of another car. The car then crossed the median and hit a motorcycle head on. Both the driver and passenger were thrown from the motorcycle and died shortly thereafter. The pick-up driver fled the scene and the driver of the car sustained serious injuries to her leg.

The motorcycle crash is still under investigation.

Unfortunately, the potential for serious injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents is great. Motorcycle drivers have little protection from the impact of a crash, and as a result, falls from motorcycles often end in serious, even fatal, injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 5,000 motorcycle deaths occur each year in the United States.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car or motorcycle accident, please contact the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette, a California personal injury attorney committed to helping those injured in accidents for over 15 years.