Primary Location
Seal Beach Personal Injury Lawyers
207 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740
Phone: (213) 214-1592
Call us at (855) 855-8910
Call us at (855) 855-8910
You probably already know how it happened. A car made a left turn right into your path, and you had no way to avoid it. Left-turn crashes kill more motorcyclists than any other type of car-versus-bike collision. And if you rode through Seal Beach, you know exactly how fast it can happen at the intersections along PCH.
When a car turns left in front of a motorcycle, the geometry is brutal. The rider slams into the side of the car at travel speed, or the car clips the bike broadside. No crumple zones. No airbags. Your body absorbs the full force of the impact.
Motorcycles are small and quick. Drivers turning left routinely misjudge how fast a bike is approaching. They glance, think they have a gap, and turn. By the time they realize the gap wasn't big enough, it's too late.
California Vehicle Code Section 21801 [1] doesn't leave room for excuses. If you're making a left turn, you yield to oncoming traffic. Period. When a driver turns into the path of an oncoming motorcycle, they've broken the law, and they're liable for the damage they caused.
We won an $845,262 verdict for a rider in a left-turn collision where the driver pulled out from a stop sign. The defense threw everything at it, arguing our client was 70% at fault. The jury saw through that and still awarded real money. That kind of fight is what we do from our office at 207 Main St in Seal Beach.
Riders around here know the trouble spots. PCH through Seal Beach moves fast, 45 to 50 mph in stretches, and left turns across oncoming traffic at signalized intersections are a constant hazard. All it takes is one driver who doesn't look twice before turning.
Seal Beach Blvd at Westminster Ave is another one. Heavy traffic, frequent left turns, and drivers who rush through gaps they shouldn't have taken. We hear about crashes at that intersection more than almost anywhere else in town.
Main Street downtown brings a different kind of risk. Tourists and weekend visitors who don't know the roads make unpredictable left turns near the restaurants and shops. They're not looking for bikes.
A few other areas that give riders problems:
Where you crashed matters for your case. Intersection layout, signal timing records, and sight lines all become evidence.
Here's the hard truth about left-turn motorcycle crashes. The rider hits the car at whatever speed they were traveling. There's no way to soften that impact on a bike.
Broken femurs. Shattered pelvises. That's what happens when a rider's leg hits a car door at 40 mph. And TBIs happen even with a helmet on, because the sudden stop rattles your brain inside the skull. Internal bleeding. Road rash that goes clear down to the bone. Separated shoulders from going over the handlebars. None of this is minor.
We recovered $4.2 million for a rider who collided with a paratransit vehicle. The medical bills alone in a case like that can run into six figures before you even start physical therapy.
Under California law, you can claim every dollar of your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and the cost of any care you'll need going forward. The insurance company will try to minimize all of it. That's their job. Ours is to make sure they don't get away with it.
If your motorcycle accident in Seal Beach involved a left-turning driver, the injuries are often more severe than a typical crash because of the head-on angle of impact. Left-turn collisions are among the deadliest motorcycle crashes. When they prove fatal, our firm pursues wrongful death claims for Seal Beach families.
What you do in the first hour after a crash shapes the entire case. Don't skip any of these steps.
Call 911. You need a police report that documents the intersection, the signal status, and what witnesses saw. Leave your motorcycle where it landed unless you need to move for safety.
Then pull out your phone and take photos of everything. The intersection layout. Signal lights. Where your bike ended up. Where the car stopped. Damage to both vehicles. Your injuries. Your helmet. Your riding gear. Get photos from multiple angles.
Talk to witnesses while they're still there. Other drivers sitting at that intersection watched the whole thing happen. Grab their names and numbers before they drive off.
Go to the ER even if you feel okay. Adrenaline masks pain. Hairline fractures and internal bleeding don't always announce themselves right away. A medical record from crash day ties everything together for your claim.
Hold on to your helmet and gear. Don't throw them away and don't let anyone else handle them. They show the point of impact and the force of the collision.
You have two years under CCP Section 335.1 [2] to file a lawsuit. But don't wait. Camera footage gets deleted, witnesses forget details, and physical evidence at the scene changes. The sooner you call us at (855) 374-1714, the stronger your case will be.
Here's the thing about left-turn cases. The law is pretty clear. Section 21801 says you yield to oncoming traffic before turning left. If the driver turned and you were right there on your bike? They broke the law. Simple as that.
But simple doesn't mean the insurer rolls over. Expect them to flip the script. "Your client was speeding." "Your client was lane splitting." "Your client should have braked sooner." None of that erases the fact that their driver turned into oncoming traffic without yielding.
Here's what actually proves these cases:
California is a comparative fault state. If a jury decides you were 10% at fault for going five over the speed limit, your award gets reduced by 10%. But the driver who turned left without yielding? They carry the bulk of the blame. You still collect.
Left-turn collisions share some characteristics with lane splitting accidents in Seal Beach, particularly when insurance companies try to shift blame to the rider. The legal strategy for fighting back is similar.
The bills after a left-turn motorcycle crash pile up fast. Here's what California says you can recover.
Economic damages are the numbers you can count. ER and hospital bills. Surgeries. Months of physical therapy. Future treatment your doctors say you'll need. Every paycheck you missed. And if you can't go back to the same job, that gap in earning power has a dollar value too.
Non-economic damages are harder to quantify but just as real. The pain that won't quit. That jolt of fear every time a car starts to turn in front of you. Hobbies you gave up. Scars you see in the mirror every morning. California puts no cap on these damages in personal injury cases.
Our team recovered $1.25 million for a motorcycle crash victim who needed spine fusion. In another case, we got $4.6 million for serious injuries from a car-versus-motorcycle collision. Those are real numbers for real people, and every single one of those cases was hard fought.
Don't take the first offer. Insurance adjusters lowball motorcycle riders because they know you need money. That first number they throw out? It almost never covers your actual losses. Talk to us before you sign anything.
We've recovered more than $600 million for injured clients. Here are results from motorcycle cases our attorneys have handled.
A $9 million verdict for a rider whose crash was caused by defective brakes. Our client broke their leg in the accident, and the manufacturer tried to dodge responsibility.
A $5 million settlement for the family of a 24-year-old rider killed in a motorcycle crash. The family depended on that young rider, and we made sure they were taken care of.
An $845,262 verdict in a left-turn collision. The defense pushed hard for 70% fault on our client. The jury disagreed.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Our attorneys have handled personal injury cases across California and Arizona. We know how Seal Beach insurance companies operate, and we know how to push back.
That number reflects real results for real families — medical bills paid, lost wages recovered, and futures protected.
You pay nothing upfront. Our fee comes out of your settlement or verdict. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
Accidents do not follow business hours. Neither do we. Call (602) 905-7766 any time — nights, weekends, and holidays.
Our Seal Beach team works out of 207 Main St. We know the roads, the courts, and the insurance adjusters you are up against.
“After a crash, you need a team that answers the phone, explains your options, and fights for every dollar you are owed. That is what we do at The Simon Law Group.”
Over 250 years of combined attorney experience
Seal Beach office at 207 Main St | Licensed in California and Arizona
The turning driver is almost always at fault. California law under Vehicle Code Section 21801 requires left-turning vehicles to yield to all oncoming traffic. If they turned into your path, they violated your right of way.
That's not a defense. Drivers have a legal duty to check for all oncoming traffic before making a left turn. Failing to see a motorcycle doesn't excuse the failure to yield. It actually supports our case that the driver wasn't paying attention.
Yes. California uses a comparative fault system. Your recovery may be reduced by your percentage of fault, but the turning driver's failure to yield remains the primary liability factor in most left-turn cases.
These are among the most serious motorcycle collisions. The rider hits the car at or near full travel speed, often causing broken bones, head injuries, and internal organ damage. Many victims face months or years of recovery.
No. Initial offers in motorcycle accident cases are almost always far below the true value of your injuries and future treatment needs. Talk to an attorney before you sign anything.
Our Location
Primary Location
207 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740
Phone: (213) 214-1592