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Sunset West Legal Group, PC represents injured motorcyclists across Los Angeles and California, and has recovered over $150 million for personal injury clients, including a $2 million lane-splitting settlement. Founding partner Payton Kashani knows how insurers exploit bias against riders, and how California’s lane-splitting and helmet laws truly apply. We work on a no win, no fee basis, offer free consultations, and are available 24/7. Hablamos Español.
Motorcycle claims are lost to prejudice as often as to facts. Insurers and juries carry a “reckless biker” stereotype, and an unrepresented rider pays for it in a lower settlement. Sunset West Legal Group exists to counter that bias with evidence and California law.
A rider is far more exposed than a car occupant. The same collision that dents a bumper can shatter a life. Yet insurers treat motorcyclists as the author of their own misfortune, and push fault onto the rider at every turn.
We refuse to let that stand. We investigate the crash, apply the law correctly, and hold the at-fault driver accountable.
Over $150 million recovered. More than 200 five-star reviews. No fee unless we win. Available 24/7. Hablamos Español.
Lane splitting is legal in California, the only state that formally permits it, under Vehicle Code §21658.1. Insurers routinely try to blame a lane-splitting rider automatically, but that argument fails when the rider was riding safely.
The California Highway Patrol publishes guidelines for safe lane splitting: keep your speed close to surrounding traffic and avoid splitting at higher speeds. Riding within those guidelines is powerful evidence that you were not at fault.
When a driver changes lanes without signaling or checking mirrors and strikes a rider who was splitting responsibly, that driver bears the responsibility. We have recovered significant settlements in exactly these cases, including a $2 million full-policy recovery in a lane-splitting collision.
California requires every rider and passenger to wear a DOT-compliant helmet under Vehicle Code §27803. But not wearing one does not end your claim.
A helmet defence, if the insurer even proves it, only reduces recovery for head and facial injuries directly linked to the missing helmet. It does not touch your recovery for broken bones, internal injuries, road rash elsewhere on the body, or damage to your bike and gear.
Even that reduction is contestable. We retain biomechanical experts to challenge the assumption that a helmet would have prevented a specific injury, and we limit the scope of any helmet argument aggressively.
The single most dangerous moment for a rider is a car turning left. Left-turn collisions account for over 42% of all crashes between a motorcycle and a car. The turning driver strikes the rider as the motorcycle travels straight through an intersection, and the driver almost always failed to yield.
These cases turn on right-of-way. A driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic, including a motorcycle, and the failure to do so establishes the driver’s negligence.
A rider absorbs the full force of a collision, so motorcycle injuries are frequently catastrophic. They commonly include traumatic brain injuries, spinal-cord damage and paralysis, multiple fractures, internal injuries, severe road rash, and in the worst cases fatal injuries giving rise to a wrongful death claim.
We work with medical experts to prove the full extent of an injury, including the future care and lost earning capacity a serious crash forces on a rider for years.
If the driver who hit you fled or carried too little insurance, you may still recover through your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Sunset West Legal Group has recovered over $150 million for injured clients across California. Founding partner Payton Kashani has been licensed in California since 2012 and named to Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list every year from 2018 to 2022. Attorney Josh Teller supports the firm’s injury cases and holds Rising Stars recognition for 2025 and 2026.
We advise you at every step, negotiate hard with powerful insurers, and try cases before a jury when an insurer refuses to pay fair value. Every case is different, and we treat yours that way.
Your consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win. Our team is available 24/7 to review your case and explain your options.
Get your free consultation · Call us any time · Hablamos Español
At Sunset West Legal Group, we understand that every injury case is different. We have recovered millions for our clients by advising them on the next steps, negotiating on their behalf with powerful insurance companies, and even representing clients in court in front of a jury. Your free consultation is the first step in letting us help you get the justice and compensation you deserve.
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WHY YOU NEED US NOW
I am very pleased by his work ethic and professionalism.
“I met and became acquainted with Mr. Kashani after my previous attorney was not capable of continuing my case to a trial. Mr. Kashani was able to step in and not only settle my case before trial, but he was able to secure a much larger settlement for me. I would certainly recommend him to my friends and family”
Los Angeles, CA - Car Accident
I am very pleased by his work ethic and professionalism.
“I met and became acquainted with Mr. Kashani after my previous attorney was not capable of continuing my case to a trial. Mr. Kashani was able to step in and not only settle my case before trial, but he was able to secure a much larger settlement for me. I would certainly recommend him to my friends and family”
Los Angeles, CA - Car Accident
I am very pleased by his work ethic and professionalism.
“I met and became acquainted with Mr. Kashani after my previous attorney was not capable of continuing my case to a trial. Mr. Kashani was able to step in and not only settle my case before trial, but he was able to secure a much larger settlement for me. I would certainly recommend him to my friends and family”
Los Angeles, CA - Car Accident
