Bicycle Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles

Committed to Representing Injured Bikers in California

Riding a bicycle is a popular way to get around Los Angeles, serving as an eco-friendly and heart-healthy alternative to congested traffic. Unfortunately, drivers are not always careful to respect the space around bicyclists: In a single year, about 467,000 cyclists sustained injuries in crashes in the United States, while more than 1,000 cyclists died from their injuries.

For injury victims and their families, these crashes can easily become life-altering. To cope with these changes, often these individuals will need financial compensation to handle the medical bills, lost wages and other expenses related to a bike accident. This is when a victim needs the support of a skilled accident lawyer in Los Angeles. However, not just any attorney will do. You need a Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyer who is familiar with this type of crash, its harms, and the needs of the victims and their families.

At the law firm of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, our Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyers have helped many clients in the aftermath of life-altering bicycle accidents and injuries. We never hesitate to take on tough and complicated cases. Over the years, we have built a reputation for success because of our ability to represent and protect the rights of severely injured clients. In fact, our firm has been ranked #1 in Personal Injury in California in 2008 and 2010 (the last year such rankings were published) by Best Lawyers in America and rated Tier 1 in Personal Injury in U.S. News-Best Lawyers Los Angeles rankings every year since 2011.

Do you need to speak with a qualified attorney about your bicycle accident claim? Call us at (866) 634-4525 or contact us online to schedule a free case review. 

What Causes Bicycle Accidents?

There are as many different causes for bicycle accidents as there are for motor vehicle accidents – but because bikers are less protected, they face a far greater risk of sustaining catastrophic injuries or fatal injuries than either drivers or passengers. There can also be multiple factors involved in a bicycle accident: A collision with a pedestrian or a car door may not cause serious injuries on its own, for example, but it could send the cyclist into the path of oncoming cars or trucks.

Some of the most common ways that bicycle crashes occur in L.A.:

• Collisions at intersections – A cyclist stops at an intersection but a vehicle driver does not, resulting in a rear-end crash. Often, the driver is going too fast or following too closely and cannot brake in time.
• Left-turn collisions – As a cyclist comes through an intersection, a car already in the intersection makes a left-hand turn. A driver who is not paying attention can slam into or pull directly in front of the bicyclist, causing the bicyclist to crash into the side of the car.
• Right-hand turn (“right hook”) collisions – As a bicyclist and car approach an intersection, the car makes a right-hand turn, crossing the bike lane and crashing into the bicyclist, who is going straight. Sometimes, the vehicle’s driver fails to use the turn signal to alert the cyclist.
• Collisions with doors – An occupant of a vehicle might open a door without checking whether a bicyclist is approaching from behind. It can prove extremely easy for the cyclist to slam into the door.

How Do You Prove Your Bicycle Accident Claim?

Although many bicycle accident claims involve a negligent party, identifying and proving acts of negligence can present challenges. At Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, we are diligent about thoroughly investigating our bicycle accident cases because we need to prove to an insurer that our client deserves the compensation for which we are asking – or to prove to a jury that our client was not at fault.

Many forms of negligence can lead to bicycle accidents, and some of our cases have involved:

• Careless driving – Every driver should safely share the road with bicyclists by paying attention and complying with all applicable traffic laws. We all know that careless drivers can make mistakes or poor choices. These can include distracted driving, forgetting to signal, or failing to yield properly.
• Aggressive driving and road rage – It is no secret that California drivers are often in a hurry. Motorists move significantly faster than cyclists, and impatient drivers sometimes turn aggressive. Drivers may tailgate a bicycle to try to get the cyclist to move over or speed up. Drivers may also try to improperly pass bicyclists and come too close, crashing into them. Road rage drivers may even attempt to threaten or purposefully injure cyclists.
• Impaired driving – Drunk drivers have a difficult enough time paying attention and not hitting other cars—it can prove particularly difficult for drunk or drugged drivers to see and avoid hitting bicyclists. Drunk driving is a completely preventable cause of many life-threatening or fatal bike crashes around Los Angeles.
• Opening vehicle doors in a cyclist’s path – As mentioned above, open door accidents happen often in Los Angeles. While these accidents do not involve collisions with moving cars, cyclists can suffer devastating injuries if they suddenly hit a fixed car door and get thrown from their bikes and into traffic, other objects, or the road. Vehicle occupants commonly fail to check their mirrors before opening their doors like the law requires.

Of course, drivers are not the only negligent parties who may contribute to accidents. An employer may face responsibility for an employee’s negligence if the driver was on the job at the time of the crash. In addition, the negligence of other companies and parties may lead to bicycle accidents.

Such negligence can include:

• Improperly designed bike lanes or other dangerous road conditions – Departments of Transportation have the duty to design and maintain safe roads, and this includes bike lanes and bike paths. When a bike lane, road, or path contains potholes or other hazards, or is dangerously designed, the responsible government agency should face liability if a bicyclist suffers serious injuries.
• Improperly designed bicycles or components and defective bike helmets – Bicycle manufacturers have the duty to sell safe bicycles for proper use. When a corporation sells a defective bicycle or bicycle part, and a malfunction causes the cyclist to crash, victims should hold the corporation accountable for the cyclist’s extensive losses. The same goes for defective bicycle helmets that failed to work properly, leading to catastrophic brain injuries.

What Financial Compensation Is Available for Bicycle Crash Victims?

Because of the severity of many bicycle accident injuries, victims can incur astounding losses. Our lawyers know how to calculate high-value claims worth millions of dollars to ensure that catastrophically injured clients receive the amount they need to recover as much as possible, from medical care to lost wages to pain and suffering.

Our bicycle accident attorneys represent clients with catastrophic and life-threatening injuries, including:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Spinal cord injuries
• Paralysis and loss of motor control
• Bone fractures
• Wrongful death
• Internal organ damage
• Hemorrhage

When Should You Contact a Los Angeles Bicycle Accident Lawyer?

In any case, your choice of a lawyer is important. Nevertheless, do not take too much time to contact the right law firm. If you do, you may find collecting evidence more difficult as time passes.

California law also only gives you a limited amount of time to bring a lawsuit:

• If you must sue the government, you typically get only six months from the date of your accident.
• If you must sue a private citizen, you usually get only two years from the date of the accident.

Millions in Recovery for Catastrophic Bicycle Injuries

Bicycle accidents can leave victims facing a lifetime of disabilities, financial losses, and pain and suffering. However, do not lose hope, as our highly skilled and committed Los Angeles attorneys at Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, know how to help accident victims in this dire situation. We dedicate ourselves to taking the most challenging injury cases because we know we have the ability to help seriously injured clients and their families.

In addition to our reputation in California and across the United States, our history of results for our clients speaks for itself. We represent clients who suffer millions of dollars in losses after catastrophic injuries, and we regularly and successfully obtain the settlements and verdicts they truly deserve to compensate them for their enormous losses.

For assistance with a bicycle accident claim in Southern California or nationwide, call (866) 634-4525 or contact us online.