Glendale Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Glendale's mix of fast freeways and dense surface streets is challenging terrain for riders. The 2 (Glendale Freeway), the 134 (Ventura Freeway) and the 5 (Golden State Freeway) carry heavy, fast-moving traffic, while Brand Boulevard, Central Avenue, Colorado Street and Glenoaks Boulevard are crowded with turning cars, opening doors and drivers who simply don't look for motorcycles. The foothill and canyon roads up toward Montrose and the Verdugo hills draw weekend riders into curves where a car crossing the center line can be catastrophic.

Most serious motorcycle crashes are not the rider's fault — they happen when a driver turns left across a rider's path, changes lanes without checking, or fails to yield. California law protects riders, but insurers often try to blame them anyway.

Why Glendale motorcycle crashes happen here

• Left-turn drivers failing to yield on Brand Boulevard, Central Avenue and Colorado Street
• Lane-change and merge collisions on the 2 and 134 Freeways
• Drivers not checking blind spots for lane-splitting riders
• Door-opening and parking conflicts near the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria
• Center-line crossings on the Verdugo foothill and canyon roads toward Montrose

The California law that protects riders

California is the only state where lane-splitting — a motorcyclist riding between lanes of slow or stopped traffic — is expressly legal. Vehicle Code §21658.1 authorizes the practice and directs the CHP to develop safety guidelines. That matters because insurers often argue a lane-splitting rider "caused" the crash; in reality, a driver who changes lanes into a rider or fails to share the road can be at fault. California's pure comparative negligence rule also means that even if a rider is found partly responsible, they can still recover, with damages reduced by their share of fault.

Injuries and case types we handle

• Road rash and severe lacerations
• Broken bones and crush injuries
• Traumatic brain injury, even with a helmet
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Left-turn and lane-change collisions

Compensation you may be able to pursue

Riders may seek economic damages — emergency and long-term medical care, future treatment, lost wages, lost earning capacity and damage to the motorcycle — and non-economic damages for pain, suffering, disfigurement and loss of enjoyment of life. Every claim depends on its specific facts and the coverage available, so we make no guarantees. What we do is push back hard against the unfair assumption that the rider is to blame and pursue the full value of the harm done.

Deadlines, courthouse and how MMG Law helps

California generally gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a personal-injury lawsuit (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Glendale motorcycle cases are handled within the Los Angeles County Superior Court; with the Glendale courthouse closed, they are typically heard at the Burbank Courthouse or the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown.

MMG Law Firm rides with you from an office right here in Glendale. Attorney Ghazaryan is a Glendale-based, bilingual Armenian-American attorney who knows these freeways, the canyon roads and this community, and who understands the bias riders face. We offer free consultations in English, Armenian and Russian and work on contingency — no fee unless we win.