Motorcycle Accidents matters in Hollister
A Riding Town With Real Risks
Hollister is widely known as the birthplace of the American motorcycle rally, and each year riders gather downtown and travel the surrounding back roads. Beyond the rallies, the open two-lane stretches of SR-25 and SR-156 are popular with riders drawn to the rolling terrain between Hollister, Gilroy, and San Juan Bautista. The same features that make these roads appealing, gentle curves, light development, and long sight lines, also create danger when commuter cars, produce trucks, and farm equipment share the pavement.
Most serious motorcycle crashes are not the rider's fault. Left-turn collisions, where a driver turns across a rider's path at a San Benito Street intersection or a SR-25 junction, are among the most common. Drivers also fail to check blind spots when changing lanes, follow too closely, or pull out from rural driveways without seeing an approaching motorcycle. During rally weekends, increased traffic and distracted drivers add to the risk throughout downtown Hollister.
Fighting the Bias Against Riders
Insurance adjusters frequently assume a motorcyclist was speeding or riding recklessly, and they use that bias to reduce or deny claims. Building a strong case means countering those assumptions with facts: the CHP or Hollister Police report, scene measurements, witness statements, and the physical evidence on the bike and the other vehicle. California's helmet law is relevant to head-injury claims, but wearing or not wearing a helmet does not automatically decide fault for the crash itself.
The firm gathers this evidence early, works with treating providers at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and beyond, and documents the full extent of injuries, which for riders often include fractures, road rash, and traumatic brain injury.
What a Rider's Claim May Recover
No attorney can promise a specific result. The value of a Hollister motorcycle accident claim depends on the severity and permanence of the injuries, medical and rehabilitation costs, lost earnings, and the effect on your life. California does not cap most injury damages. Under the state's pure comparative negligence rule, a rider can recover even when partly at fault, with the award reduced by that share. If the at-fault driver carries minimum coverage or none, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may apply.
California Deadlines for Riders
Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, you generally have two years from the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. If a public entity may share fault, a written claim is usually due within six months under Government Code section 911.2. Cases that move forward are filed in the San Benito County Superior Court in Hollister. Acting quickly preserves the evidence a rider's case depends on.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with motorcycle accidents
Riders walk in facing a built-in bias, and Mihran M. Ghazaryan's job is to dismantle it. He documents the mechanics of the crash — often with reconstruction — to show what actually happened, presents your injuries in full, and pushes back hard when an insurer tries to blame the rider. You deal directly with the attorney building that narrative, not a rotating intake team.
Types of motorcycle accidents we handle
Left-turn and right-of-way collisions
The classic cause: a car turning across the rider's path. Witness statements and timing analysis are key.
Lane-change and unsafe-merging crashes
California lane-splitting is legal — but reasonable. We document compliance with CHP guidelines to defeat shared-fault claims.
Road-defect and dooring claims
Government-entity claims have a six-month presentation deadline. Dooring claims involve California Vehicle Code §22517.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every motorcycle accident claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Get medical care immediately — adrenaline and gear can hide serious injury.
- Photograph the bike, your gear, and the scene before anything moves.
- Preserve your gear — helmet, jacket, gloves — without cleaning it.
- Identify any witnesses; bystanders often vanish quickly after motorcycle crashes.
- Call us before talking to either insurer.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.