Motorcycle Accidents in La Jolla

Speed and lane position are usually argued from assumptions, so we work from physical evidence instead: where the bike and the other vehicle came to rest, scrape and gouge marks, damage to the bike and the other vehicle, the rider's gear, and any camera or dash footage. Photographs of the scene before it is cleared are worth more than any later reconstruction.

We also look at what the other driver could see. Left turns across a rider's path, lane changes into a rider, and doors opened into traffic are common patterns, and sight lines at the exact location often decide them.

In La Jolla, riders share Interstate 5 and State Route 52 with commuter traffic heading to University City, then drop onto La Jolla Parkway and Torrey Pines Road, where the descent into "The Throat" at Hidden Valley Road compresses fast traffic into neighbourhood streets. Soledad Mountain Road climbs about three and a half miles up the southern slopes of Mount Soledad, and La Jolla Shores Drive and North Torrey Pines Road carry riders past UC San Diego toward Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. Seriously injured riders here are commonly taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla or to UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, both Level I trauma centers.

Inland, riders around Hemet travel the Ramona Expressway, Gilman Springs Road and State Route 74 on Florida Avenue, and State Route 79 south along Winchester Road toward Temecula; the region's Level I trauma center is Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley. In the Coachella Valley, State Route 74, the Pines to Palms Highway, climbs out of Palm Desert, and Interstate 10 and Highway 111 link Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage and Indio, with Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs as the valley's Level I trauma center.

California defines lane splitting as driving a two-wheeled motorcycle between rows of stopped or moving vehicles in the same lane, and the CHP may develop educational safety guidelines for it (Vehicle Code section 21658.1). The statute does not make lane splitting unlawful, so whether a particular maneuver was reasonable is argued from the facts, not presumed.

The negligence and comparative fault rules are the same as in any vehicle case (Civil Code section 1714; CACI No. 405): a rider's own share of fault, if any, reduces a recovery rather than barring it. Most claims must be filed within two years (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1), and a claim against a public entity must usually be presented within six months (Government Code section 911.2). General information only. Exceptions apply and deadlines can be shorter than you expect: confirm yours with an attorney.