Motorcycle rear-end
crash lawyers.
A distracted or tailgating driver hit you from behind. California law presumes the following driver is at fault. We build the case and pursue every dollar you're owed.
Rear-end motorcycle crashes
Stopped at a light. Struck from behind. Fault presumed against the striking driver.
California Vehicle Code § 21703 requires drivers to maintain a following distance that allows them to stop safely given the traffic and road conditions. When a following driver strikes a rider from behind, California courts apply a strong presumption of negligence against that driver — the law assumes a driver maintaining a proper following distance and reasonable attention would have been able to stop in time.
For a motorcyclist, being struck from behind is uniquely dangerous. There's no crumple zone, no seatbelt, and often minimal warning before impact. Even a relatively low-speed rear impact can throw a rider from the bike, crush them between the striking vehicle and one ahead, or cause severe neck and back injury from the sudden, unbraced acceleration of the body.
Distracted driving — particularly phone use — is a common cause of these crashes. We routinely request cell phone records early in the case, before carrier retention periods expire, and look for vehicle event data recorder ("black box") data showing the driver's speed and braking in the seconds before impact.
A driver's claim that "the rider stopped suddenly" is the most common defense and rarely succeeds — drivers are legally required to anticipate that traffic ahead may stop. Under California's pure comparative fault rule (Civil Code § 1431.2), even a disputed fault finding only reduces recovery — it doesn't eliminate it. Contact us today — dashcam footage and phone records disappear fast.
Step-by-step
What to do after a rear-end crash.
Fault is often presumed in these cases — but building a complete record, including phone and vehicle data, maximizes your recovery.
Free case review →Get the officer's name, badge number, and report number. Note whether the driver made any statement about being distracted or not seeing you stop.
Document the impact damage, skid marks (or the lack of them, which can indicate the driver never braked), and the final resting position of both vehicles.
Anyone in nearby vehicles or on the sidewalk who saw the impact is valuable — particularly if they can speak to how much following distance the striking driver had.
Rear-end impacts can throw a rider from the bike or cause a whiplash-type neck injury. A same-day medical visit establishes the causation record your claim depends on.
Impact damage to your bike and helmet helps document force and direction. Don't repair or discard anything until we've had it examined.
The striking driver's insurer will often try to claim you stopped suddenly without cause. Do not give a recorded statement. We request phone and vehicle data early to establish exactly what happened.
Common injuries
No warning. No
protection. Serious impact.
A rear impact on a stopped or slow-moving motorcycle produces a distinct injury profile, often more severe than the same impact between two cars.
Fault is presumed against them. So they attack elsewhere.
Here's what insurers typically try when the presumption of fault runs against their driver.
Questions & answers
Rear-end crash FAQ.
Two years to file. Phone records and dashcam footage vanish sooner.
California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 gives you two years from the crash date to file a personal injury lawsuit. But cell phone carrier records showing distracted driving, and dashcam footage from nearby vehicles, disappear within a matter of weeks to months. If a government vehicle was involved, the deadline is six months under Government Code § 911.2. The sooner we start, the more evidence we secure.