Careful work on the cases that 

change people's lives

When an injury affects your health, your work and your family, the details of the case matter. We investigate early, document the full cost of the injury, and handle the insurance companies so you can focus on getting better.

MILLIONS

Recovered for Our Clients

$0 Fees

Unless We Win the Case.

What causes most motorcycle

crashes with cars?

The pattern we see most often is a driver who turns left across the rider's path at an intersection and later says, "I never saw the motorcycle." Other common causes include drivers changing lanes into a rider in their blind spot, opening a parked car door into the rider's path, rear-ending a rider stopped at a light, following too closely, and road hazards such as potholes, gravel, and uneven pavement left by construction crews.

"I didn't see him" is not a defense. Drivers have a duty to look for motorcycles, and failing to see a vehicle that was there to be seen is usually evidence of carelessness, not an excuse for it.

How do helmet laws affect a motorcycle

accident claim?

Helmet rules are set by each state. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have universal helmet laws covering all riders. Most others require helmets only for riders under a certain age, often 18 or 21. Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire have no general helmet requirement for adult riders.



Not wearing a helmet usually does not prevent a rider from bringing a claim, because the helmet did not cause the crash. What some states allow is an argument that the lack of a helmet made a head injury worse, which can reduce the damages for that injury. Other states do not allow that argument at all. A helmet has no bearing on injuries to the legs, arms, or spine, which are the most common motorcycle injuries.

Who pays a motorcyclist's 

medical bills?

In an at-fault state, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the main source, along with the rider's own medical payments coverage and health insurance.



No-fault states are more complicated. In several of them, including New York and New Jersey, motorcycles are treated differently from cars, and a motorcycle policy does not provide the same personal injury protection benefits. That can leave health insurance as the first payer and makes the rider's own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) especially important. A rider's household car policy may also provide some coverage. Reviewing every policy in the household is one of the first things we do.

How is fault proven in a 

motorcycle accident?

Speed and visibility are the questions in most cases, and both can be answered with evidence. That evidence can include video from traffic cameras, dashcams, and nearby businesses; data from the car's event data recorder; the rider's own helmet camera or phone data; skid marks and the final resting position of the vehicles; and an accident reconstruction expert in serious cases.

Comparative fault rules decide what happens if the rider is found partly responsible. Most states reduce the recovery by the rider's share of fault as long as it stays under the state's cutoff, usually 50 or 51 percent. A few states, including Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., can bar recovery for any fault, which makes the fault evidence even more important there.

Is lane splitting legal?

In most states it is not. California expressly allows lane splitting, and a small number of other states allow lane splitting or slower lane filtering under specific speed and traffic conditions. Riding between lanes where it is not allowed can be used to argue the rider was partly at fault, but it does not automatically end the claim, especially if the driver also did something wrong.

What injuries are common in 

motorcycle accident?

Riders most often suffer leg and foot fractures, pelvic fractures, arm and wrist injuries, road rash and degloving injuries, spinal injuries, and traumatic brain injuries, even with a helmet. Many of these injuries need surgery and long rehabilitation, and some lead to permanent limits on work and daily life. The claim should account for future care, not only the bills already received. If a rider does not survive the crash, the family may bring a wrongful death claim.

What should a rider do 

after a crash?

Get medical care right away and follow through with it. Do not repair or sell the motorcycle or throw away the helmet and riding gear, because they are evidence of how the crash happened and how hard the impact was. Take photos of the bike, the other vehicle, the road, and your injuries. Write down what you remember, including what the other driver said at the scene, while it is fresh. Avoid recorded statements to the other driver's insurer until you have advice.

Motorcycle accident cases 

in other states

Riders travel, and many of the riders who contact us were hurt on a trip or a rally ride in another state. We review motorcycle accident cases from anywhere in the country. When a case has to be filed where we do not have an office, we work with locally admitted counsel in that state. If a commercial truck was involved, see our truck accident lawyer page, and for bicycle and e-bike riders, see our bicycle accident page.

Motorcycle accident questions

people ask us

Talk with Onal Injury Law 

about your case

Onal Injury Law has offices in Elmwood Park and Cliffside Park, New Jersey, Staten Island, New York, and Sugar Land, Texas. We review injury cases from anywhere in the United States. When a case has to be filed in a state where we do not have an office, we work with locally admitted counsel in that state so the case is filed in the right court and handled under the right law.

The first consultation is free and confidential, and we speak English, Turkish, and Spanish. Injury cases are usually handled on a contingency fee, so there is nothing to pay up front, and we explain the fee agreement and case costs in writing before you sign anything. Call (201) 335-6788 or request a free case review.

FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE IN ALL PERSONAL INJURY CASES

Personal injury cases are complex and deeply consequential. Each one involves specific facts, medical realities, and long-term implications for the person affected. Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers bring experienced judgment and disciplined preparation to every matter we handle.