The most common causes of bicycle traffic accidents include:
Injuries to the extremities are the most common bicycle accident injuries seen in emergency rooms and require medical treatment, include:
Head trauma is evident in roughly 60% of all fatal bicycle accidents, and can include:
Abdominal injuries common in bike crashes include:
Neck injuries are less common than head trauma in bicycle accidents, but associated spinal injuries can be extremely serious and result in permanent disability.
While the state of California only mandates that minors must wear a helmet while cycling, some localities do require adults to wear helmets.
However, aside from the overwhelming safety advantages of wearing a helmet, because California is a comparative negligence state, wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle may help to shift liability for damages away from you and onto the defendant in the minds of judges and jurors in the event of an accident with serious injuries.
California defines electric bicycles as fully functional bicycles with maximum 1,000 watt motor and 20 MPH unassisted max speed.
California law generally treats e-bikes as standard bicycles instead of motor vehicles, with a few exceptions. Electric bike operators are not required to have:
However, e-bike riders are required to be 16 years of age or older, and must wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet.
Additionally, e-bikes with over 750 watt motors are prohibited on most bike paths and lanes.
San Francisco forbids anyone 13 years of age or older to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.
Even to avoid road and traffic hazards, you cannot ride on the sidewalk in San Francisco, although you can move out of the bike lane and take over a traffic lane if necessary.
Time is not on your side if you have been involved in a bicycle traffic accident. Over time, evidence washes away, witnesses lose interest or disappear, and the insurance company will be working hard to put liability on the bicyclist. Before you fix your bike or speak to anyone, contact an experienced bicycle accident lawyer. Click here to get started now with your free case evaluation and to speak with one of our personal injury lawyers.
Yes! Bicyclists have the same rights as motorists on the road as drivers. But unlike in some states, in California bicyclists are not automatically deemed “not at fault” when they are in an accident. It’s imperative if you ride your bicycle on the open road anywhere in California that you carefully follow the same laws as motorists.
Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers also represents pedestrian, bicycle, car and Uber/rideshare accident clients with serious injuries.
Municipal negligence may have contributed to your Los Angeles bicycle accident. The number of cyclists killed or injured on LA streets continues to be abnormally high. (Especially compared to other metropolitan areas.)
Making a case against the City of Los Angeles isn’t easy. But if you’ve been injured by poor planning, bureaucratic neglect, or city officials shirking their responsibility, you have the right to seek compensation. But getting it won’t be easy.
You need an experienced bicycle accident lawyer in Los Angeles who focuses on bike accidents on your side who can fight for a fair insurance settlement or take your case to court if need be.
It’s a cyclist’s responsibility to be safe. Should cyclists who are texting while cycling be subject to distracted driving laws similar to those in place to keep motorists off their cellphones? That’s the question for lawmakers.
Current California law already includes a clause that restricts the use of headsets, earbuds, and headphones while cycling but when the issue of texting behind the handlebars was first raised in San Francisco back in 2010 the proposed law was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.
As tempting as it is to target distracted cyclists, there are clearly bigger dangers. Dangers like distracted motorists, poorly designed streets, and lack of bicycle safety education.
