I am a lawyer in CT and practice in this area of the law.  If the death resulted from another person's fault, then you have a negligence claim against the at fault person.  If the person that caused the accident has car insurance then you are entitled to make a claim against the policy fup to the maximum amount of the policy.  if the at fault driver did not have any insurance, then yo can try to obtain money from the insurance company of your family memeber driving the motor cycle.  I suggest obtaining a copy of the police report and bringing it to a lawyer to review to determine the extent of the recover in this situation.  most lawyers will give you a free consultation.

I am so sorry for your loss!  If you need to speak to a California lawyer, although the answer above this  is absolutely correct, feel free to email me at actionlaw@yahoo.com

I am terribly sorry to hear of your recent loss. Your question is complex and involves a lot of facts that you did not disclose so it would be imprudent to tell you what recovery is available to you without knowing a lot more facts and that why you should immediately call or go see a personal injury trial lawyer like myself with 25 years of experience to determine what your rights are because your case could be worth nothing or millions of dollars.

Generally speaking you need to determine who the heirs are to see who can bring the claim. Then you need to know the facts of the collision to make a determination of who or what caused the collision and whether the decedent died of these causes or some other reason.

Once an attorney makes these preliminary determinations then you can start to figure out what recovery is available. Again generally the heirs are entitled to claim the medical expense funeral cots and lost wages past present and future. In addition the heirs are entitled to general damages for the loss of society comfort and affection. The extent to which you can recover these damages depends on eh insurance available from the party at fault and possibly the decedent under their own auto policy under the uninsured or under insured motorist coverage.

Most good personal injury attorneys will discuss your case for free and take your case on a contingent or percentage fee basis if appropriate. Which means you do not pay a fee until a recovery is obtained.

I would be happy to discuss the facts of your case. I have over twenty five years experience in handling personal injury matters and have handled motorcycle cases including ones that involved the death of the rider. I would prefer to speak or met with you in personal rather than swap

e-mails as that is a little impersonal. You may call my Northern California office at (415) 981-1850 or send me your contact information to my email at bellilaw@earthlink.net and I will call you at your convenience.

.

I am known as "The Biker" lawyer in the State of California. Go to my website at www.bikerlawyer.net or search google for biker lawyer. I also write a blog called the Biker Law Blog. I strongly suggest that you call me for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1. I can tell you over the phone what you are entitled to and we can go from there.

Norm