Motorcyclists are often blamed before the evidence has even been examined. If another driver’s actions caused your crash, Gordi can investigate what really happened, challenge unfair fault allegations, and pursue the compensation your injuries and losses warrant.
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★★★★★
Elmm was extremely communicative and straightforward throughout the process. They’ve helped me resolve my case timely and ensure that all of my medical needs were met. Truly grateful and would use their services again!
– Nadia O.
★★★★★
About a year and a half ago I was involved in a car accident, even though I had dash-cam footage and a police report the insurance company didn’t want to accept liability or pay almost anything, their best offer was $4,000. That’s when I found Gordi, and she and Jeff went to a literal battle for me. We finally settled with them for much more than the initial offer, with the other insurance accepting 100% liability. It’s rare to find a lawyer who’s as understanding and willing to work for you as hard as Jeff & Gordi did for me. I highly recommend them.
– Uros L.
Motorcycle riders are sometimes portrayed as reckless simply because they ride. But fault after a crash should be determined by evidence, not stereotypes.
Did the Driver Yield?
A driver making a left turn, entering a roadway, changing lanes, or otherwise crossing a rider’s path may have had a duty to yield before moving.
Did the Driver Look?
Motorcycles are smaller than passenger vehicles, but drivers still have a responsibility to pay attention to surrounding traffic. “I didn’t see them” doesn’t automatically excuse a collision.
Was the Rider Really Speeding?
Speed is a common allegation after motorcycle crashes. Physical evidence, video, witnesses, vehicle damage, and reconstruction evidence may help determine whether that claim is supported.
Where Were the Vehicles Before Impact?
Lane position, direction of travel, braking, skid evidence, and impact points can help establish how the crash developed.
What Evidence Can Verify the Story?
Traffic cameras, surveillance video, dashcams, witnesses, police records, electronic vehicle data, and the motorcycle itself may help establish what actually occurred.
Your case should be evaluated based on what happened, not what someone assumes about motorcycle riders.
“I didn’t see the motorcycle” may explain what a driver remembers. It doesn’t necessarily establish whether they exercised reasonable care.
The investigation may need to determine whether the driver:
If a reasonable driver should have seen an approaching motorcycle and responded differently, their failure to do so may become important evidence of negligence.
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The answer may begin with the driver who caused the crash, but it doesn’t necessarily end there. After a serious motorcycle collision, we investigate both who may be legally responsible and what insurance coverage may be available.
The At-Fault Driver
The driver’s liability insurance is often the first source of compensation when careless driving caused the collision.
An Employer
If the driver was working at the time, an employer and its insurance coverage may become relevant depending on the driver’s relationship with the employer and what they were doing when the crash occurred.
Other Responsible Parties
Another driver, vehicle owner, business, contractor, or other party may sometimes share responsibility for causing the collision.
A Government Entity
When a dangerous roadway condition or traffic-control issue contributes to a crash, a public entity responsible for the road or infrastructure may need to be investigated. These claims can involve significantly different deadlines and procedures.
Your Own Insurance Coverage
If the responsible driver has no insurance or not enough coverage for serious injuries, applicable uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may provide another potential source of recovery.
Finding out who caused the crash is only part of the investigation. Finding every applicable source of compensation matters, too.
An insurance company may want to discuss settlement while you’re still receiving treatment. But at that point, you may not know whether you’ll need another surgery, how long rehabilitation will take, whether you can return to the same work, or which limitations will become permanent.
Depending on your injuries, compensation may account for:
Before deciding what a claim is worth, you need to understand what the crash may continue to cost you.
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Motorcycle collisions often involve multiple impacts. You may first be struck by a vehicle, then thrown from the motorcycle, hit the pavement, and slide or collide with another object.
Each stage can cause a different injury:
Head and Brain Injuries
Impact with the roadway, vehicle, or another object can cause concussions, skull fractures, and traumatic brain injuries.
Fractures
Arms and wrists may be injured while trying to brace for impact, while the legs, ankles, hips, pelvis, and ribs can fracture during the initial collision or contact with the ground.
Spinal Injuries
Sudden compression, twisting, or direct impact can damage the back, neck, vertebrae, discs, nerves, or spinal cord.
Road Rash and Soft-Tissue Damage
Sliding across asphalt can damage multiple layers of skin and underlying tissue, potentially causing permanent scarring and requiring substantial treatment.
Internal Trauma
A forceful collision can injure the chest, abdomen, or internal organs even when there isn’t an obvious external wound.
Leg & Foot Injuries
Lower extremities are particularly exposed on a motorcycle and may be struck, crushed, twisted, or pinned during a collision.
One motorcycle crash can create several separate injuries, and each may have its own treatment, recovery period, and long-term consequences.
A rider doesn’t need to be traveling on an isolated highway for a serious crash to happen. Some of the greatest risks arise during ordinary traffic on Phoenix’s wide arterial roads, busy intersections, and multilane freeways.
A collision may happen when:
These situations can develop quickly, especially where multiple lanes, turning traffic, merging vehicles, and higher speeds come together.
Understanding exactly how the vehicles approached one another can be critical to determining why the collision happened and who was responsible.
After a serious motorcycle accident, you may have been injured, disoriented, or taken directly to the hospital. You weren’t thinking about skid marks, traffic cameras, witness information, or insurance coverage. So if you couldn’t document the scene yourself, don’t assume you’ve already lost the evidence needed to pursue a claim.
Here’s what you can do now:
You didn’t need to build your case at the crash scene. But evidence can disappear, so investigating what remains may become increasingly important with time.
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A police report can be useful, but it isn’t necessarily the complete investigation of a motorcycle collision. Important evidence may exist elsewhere, and some of it may only become available through additional investigation or legal process.
Depending on what happened, Elmm Law Group can work to identify and preserve:
That evidence can become especially important when the other driver claims you were speeding, appeared suddenly, or were somehow responsible for the collision.
Your case shouldn’t depend solely on the other driver’s version of what happened.
Investigate My Motorcycle Crash
Motorcycle collisions can involve visibility disputes, allegations of speeding, helmet arguments, serious injuries, and assumptions about how riders behave. Your attorney should understand the specific issues that can arise when a motorcycle is involved.
17+ Years of Arizona Legal Experience
Gordi brings more than 17 years of experience within Arizona’s legal system to the legal and factual questions surrounding your claim.
Former Arizona Assistant Attorney General
Her prior experience helped develop the investigative discipline she now applies when examining evidence, testing the other side’s arguments, and building personal injury cases.
Direct Access to Gordi
Gordi works directly with her clients. She stays familiar with your injuries, the evidence, the insurer’s position, and the decisions that can affect your claim.
Focused on Personal Injury Cases
Elmm Law Group’s focus on personal injury allows the firm to concentrate on accident investigation, serious injury documentation, insurance negotiations, and litigation when necessary.
No Attorney Fee Unless We Recover
There is no upfront attorney fee. You owe an attorney fee only if Elmm Law Group recovers compensation for you.
A rider may leave a Phoenix surface street, enter a state-controlled freeway, pass through a construction zone, and return to city streets within a single trip. Where the collision happens can affect which agencies, records, and potential parties become relevant.
For a Phoenix motorcycle accident, we may need to determine:
Elmm Law Group is based in Phoenix and handles personal injury cases throughout Arizona.
What if the driver says they never saw my motorcycle?
Not seeing a motorcycle doesn’t automatically excuse a driver from responsibility. Drivers are expected to maintain an appropriate lookout and make sure movements such as turns, lane changes, and merges can be made safely. Evidence about vehicle positions, visibility, speed, traffic conditions, witnesses, and the driver’s actions may help determine why the collision occurred.
Can I still have a claim if the insurance company says I was speeding?
Potentially. An allegation that you were speeding isn’t the same as proving it. The available physical evidence, vehicle damage, video, witness testimony, electronic information, and accident reconstruction may help establish how the vehicles were actually moving. Arizona’s comparative-fault rules can also allow recovery when responsibility is shared.
Does not wearing a helmet prevent me from recovering compensation?
Not necessarily. Arizona generally does not require motorcycle helmets for riders who are 18 or older. However, an insurer may argue that the absence of a helmet contributed to particular injuries. Whether that argument is relevant depends on the injuries, circumstances, and evidence.
What if the driver who hit me doesn’t have enough insurance?
Additional coverage may need to be investigated. Depending on the circumstances and applicable policies, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may provide another potential source of compensation. Other responsible parties or insurance policies may also need to be considered.
Should I repair my motorcycle after the crash?
Be cautious about repairing or disposing of a severely damaged motorcycle before determining whether it may need to be inspected or documented. The damage itself can sometimes provide useful information about the collision.
What if I can’t remember exactly how the crash happened?
Serious injuries, shock, or loss of consciousness can affect memory. You shouldn’t guess or fill in details you don’t remember. Police records, witnesses, video, vehicle evidence, photographs, and other information may help reconstruct what happened independently.
Do I need a motorcycle accident lawyer?
Not every collision requires an attorney. But legal help can become particularly important when injuries are serious, fault is disputed, the insurer is blaming you, available coverage is uncertain, or the long-term effects of your injuries aren’t yet known.
Ask Gordi About Your Motorcycle Accident →
The driver may say you came out of nowhere. The insurer may question your speed, visibility, helmet use, or decisions in the moments before impact.
You shouldn’t accept those claims without investigating what actually happened.
Tell Gordi about the crash. Elmm Law Group can examine the available evidence, evaluate the arguments being made against you, and help you understand whether another party may be responsible for your injuries.
The consultation is free, and there are no upfront attorney fees. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Gordana “Gordi” Mikalacki, Esq. is the founder and lead attorney at Elmm Law Group. She earned her J.D. from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, one of the premier law schools in the Southwest. Before founding Elmm Law Group, she served as an Arizona Assistant Attorney General, where she gained a direct understanding of how government agencies and large institutional defendants approach litigation. She also clerked for the Arizona Court of Appeals, giving her a deep command of Arizona appellate law and the legal standards that govern personal injury claims in this state.
That background matters in motorcycle accident cases. Gordi understands how the other side thinks, how insurers build their defenses, and what arguments are most likely to succeed in Maricopa County Superior Court. She does not hand your case off to a paralegal or a junior associate. She works directly with every client, from the initial consultation through resolution.
Gordi is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and she consults with clients in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian. If you were injured in a Phoenix motorcycle accident and want to speak with an attorney who will listen carefully and give you an honest assessment of your case, Gordi is ready to help.
Related Reading:
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer: 2026 Guide to Your Arizona Claim
How Old Do You Have to Be to Ride a Motorcycle? (2026 Guide)
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer: Your Rights After a Bike Crash in 2026
Given our firm specializes in and exclusively handles personal injury cases, we’re able to provide one-on-one Client-Attorney contact to ensure our clients feel heard. Also, we don’t get paid unless you do! Our team can provide multilingual services in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian.
If you’ve been injured in a car crash, motorcycle wreck, pedestrian accident, trucking collision, or from a dog bite, call our Phoenix personal injury lawyer today for a FREE consultation. We’re available 24/7!
Take your first step towards speaking with our office by contacting us for a FREE consultation today. Call us at (480) 329-5084 or complete the form below. We look forward to evaluating your case!