Motorcycle Accidents in Yreka Area
Yreka is a small city located in one of California’s most stunning landscapes. Those who live in the area know that driving through Siskiyou County offers some incredible mountain views. For this reason, the area is a popular place to take a motorcycle ride to enjoy the fresh air and awesome scenery. While motorcyclists enjoy many benefits such as an exciting hobby and reduced gas mileage, being a motorcyclist also comes with a drastically increased risk of injury in the event of an accident. Accidents can happen anywhere, and Yreka and the surrounding Siskiyou County are no exception. These areas have seen a number of motorcycle collisions in recent years. Those who drive on local roads may want to know more about motorcycle accidents in their area.
Motorcycle Accident Overview
According to information gathered by UC Berkeley research groups, there were 260 traumatic vehicle accidents in Yreka between 2006 and 2018. Out of these accidents, around 5 percent were motorcycle collisions. This is significantly less than the rate for the nearest major city, Redding, for which nearly 8 percent of traumatic accidents involved a motorcycle. However, Yreka is a relatively small city, and motorcyclists typically need to travel outside city limits to reach their destination. For this reason, it is useful to look at the statistics for all of Siskiyou County including unincorporated areas where people travel on highways.
During the same time period, Siskiyou County saw 2,278 injury-causing crashes. One hundred and ninety-nine of these accidents involved a motorcycle. This means that just under nine percent of collisions were motorcycle accidents. This is slightly higher than the motorcycle accident rate for Humboldt, another similarly populated Northern California county.
Injury Severity
The rate of severe injuries suffered in traumatic accidents was significantly higher for motorcycle collisions than crashes in general. The data shows that people involved in motorcycle collisions were over twice as likely to suffer a severe injury. However, the rate for both moderate and fatal injuries was about the same regardless of whether or not a motorcycle was involved. Across all accidents, about five percent involved a fatal injury and around 43 percent involved non-severe, visible trauma.
Time
Motorcycle accidents in Siskiyou County most often took place over the weekend, including Friday. Monday also saw a relatively high rate of accidents. Across all days of the week, motorcycle collisions were most frequent between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., especially after 12 p.m. Motorcycle collisions dropped sharply after 9:00 p.m. and hardly any crashes took place between midnight and 9:00 a.m.
Primary Cause
According to information from authorities, the leading cause of these accidents were factors outside of the driver’s control, which accounted for almost one-quarter of crashes. The most dangerous traffic violation for motorcyclists was improper turning, which also caused around one-quarter of the accidents in question. Other violations that were frequently listed as the primary cause of Siskiyou motorcycle accidents were speeding and driving under the influence.
Violations that caused very few motorcycle crashes included improper passing, unsafe lane changing, tailgating, and falling asleep at the wheel.
Getting Help
After a crash, people can find themselves in a very difficult situation. Recovering from injuries can be a long, painful process that takes both physical and mental strength. While many people are able to recover their health, there is also the issue of finances. Hospital bills, ambulance rides, and other expenses aren’t cheap and being injured often means taking time off work. To help cover these expenses, people who’ve been injured can often file personal injury claims in order to seek payment from the people responsible for the crash.
If you think that you may have grounds for a personal injury case, the best thing you can do is talk with a Yreka motorcycle accident attorney. Even if you are unsure of whether or not you have a case, getting advice from a lawyer is a good idea because phone consultations are usually free. An experienced attorney will be able to guide you in the right direction and let you know what options are available to you. To learn what to look for in a lawyer, see the below video:
More Articles from Ed Smith, Yreka Motorcycle Accident Attorney
- Fatal Crash in Yreka
- How Can a Yreka Personal Injury Lawyer Help?
- Yreka Rollover Accident Kills Driver
Yreka Motorcycle Accident Attorney
I’m Ed Smith, a Yreka motorcycle accident attorney. If a motorcycle collision has seriously injured you or a loved one, call (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400 and speak with me to receive free, friendly advice.
I have helped people in Yreka get the payments they are justly owed for motorcycle accident cases since 1982. For information about my practice, I encourage you to view the settlements and verdicts my clients have been awarded. You can also learn more about me by reading some of my client reviews at:
I am a part of multiple lawyers’ groups, including:
Photo: ab
:ms llo [cs 851]