Cycling Accidents

Representing Victims of Cycling Accidents

For the last 20 years, as a cyclist, and as a triathlete, Joe rides between 5,000 to 6,000 miles yearly. If you are a passionate cyclist like Joe, you want someone that understands the road you’ve taken. He has been down the same road himself and understands the passion and the danger of this sport. If you have suffered a severe injury or been in an accident on an Orange County or San Diego roadway or bike path, choose a personal injury lawyer that can represent you with full understanding and empathy.

Unfortunately, cycling accidents are frequent in California. Most cyclists know the dangers of biking and take the necessary precautions to help prevent accidents. As more and more people take up cycling as a mode of transportation, no one expects or wants to become the victim of a serious biking accident.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a cycling accident, Higuera Law Offices can help you navigate these overwhelming, treacherous legal waters. After you are in a bike accident, it’s essential to work with an attorney that has experience in personal injury representation. Since cycling accidents have their own niche practice area, you must work with a firm that has experience in this type of litigation.

In one case, our firm was able to secure a $750,000 settlement for a triathlete that was struck while bike riding.

Bikers Face Dangers

Cyclists in California often face many dangers since the roadways are busy. Whether it’s drivers of buses, commercial trucks or passenger vehicles that fail to see cyclists when they are sharing a traffic lane or a designated bike lane, bikers are regularly subject to inherent risks.

The occupants of motor vehicles are generally well protected by airbags, seat belts and the heavy-duty metal that encapsulates them inside. However, cyclists rely on a helmet to protect them in an accident.

It’s no wonder that bicycle-related injuries result in more than 500,000 emergency room visits annually and hundreds of fatal accidents.

California’s Bicycle Laws

The State of California says that bicyclists have the same responsibilities and rights as granted to motor vehicle drivers. This means that someone that is riding a bicycle can also be subject to the same laws, such as giving pedestrians the right-of-way, driving under the influence and using traffic signals.

California has also required that motor vehicle drivers give cyclists at least three feet of space when they are passing or driving alongside them. Additionally, no one may stop, park a car or bicycle in a designated bicycle path.

One law that most California drivers do not fully understand is that cyclists have the legal right to “take the lane,” [even if they are moving slower than traffic] in the following circumstances:

• When preparing to turn left
• When passing
• When attempting to avoid roadway hazards
• When a lane is too narrow to share safely
• When approaching an intersection where a right turn is authorized

Both bicyclists and motor vehicle drivers should be familiar with the rules of the road. Additionally, bicyclists must ride with the same flow of vehicle traffic unless they are passing, legally making a left turn, riding on a narrow road, riding on a one-way street or when the right side of a road is closed for road construction. If there is a designated bike lane, cyclists that travel slower than the flow of traffic must use this lane, unless they are making a left turn, avoiding hazards, passing or approaching a right turn area.

Receive Compensation and a New Bike

If you are the victim of a bicycle accident and have been seriously injured, our top-rate personal injury team can evaluate your case at no obligation. Additionally, Higuera Law Offices can help you receive compensation for a bike free of charge as well as repair any damage to your bike.