While cyclists enjoy many benefits, such as increased cardiovascular health and reduced emissions, riding a bike does have serious risks. Even the most careful cyclists are at risk of being involved in a car crash. Because vehicles are much larger than bikes, these collisions frequently involve major injuries. In many cases, these injuries dramatically impact cyclists’ lives.

As experienced Benicia bicycle accident lawyers, we help injured individuals and their families recover the compensation they need to move forward with their lives after major collisions.

Our firm focuses solely on major injuries, and we only take on cases that involve fatal or severe trauma. Because we’ve been specializing in our practice for nearly four decades, we are experts in handling high-value cases.

Because these cases can involve millions of dollars, at-fault parties and insurance companies frequently use an aggressive legal defense to avoid financial responsibility for the accident. For this reason, it’s critical to have an attorney with extensive experience negotiating with insurers and arguing major accidents in court to ensure you receive the full compensation you deserve.

Our law firm treats our cases holistically. This means we value fostering personal connections with our clients and take a compassionate approach to handling their cases.

Often, lawyers will prefer to be strictly business-like and keep their clients at arm’s length during the injury claims process. However, we have found that running our firm holistically helps us better understand the impact of accident injuries on our clients’ lives. This helps us more effectively represent their interests in court and during negotiations.

Data from local traffic enforcement groups like the Benicia Police Department and Solano County Sheriff’s Office indicates that 847 auto accidents happened within Benicia between 2009 and 2020. Out of these accidents, 57 involved a bicycle.

These 57 bicycle accidents caused a total of 56 injuries, as well as one fatality. Notably, the rate of severe injuries for bicycle accidents in Benicia was around 75 percent higher than for crashes overall, meaning bicyclists were more likely to suffer major trauma during traffic incidents.

Reports indicate that the leading causes of bicycle-involved auto accidents in Benicia are:

• Automobile right-of-way violations
• Speeding
• Improper turning
• Driving/biking on the wrong side of the road
• Traffic sign and signal violations

While many cities are installing biking infrastructure to keep people safe, it’s still essential for cyclists to know the best ways to avoid being involved in a crash while riding. For tips about riding your bike safely in an urban area, watch this video:

Bicyclists are some of the most vulnerable roadway users. Because they aren’t protected by vehicle safety features or steel walls, cyclist’s bodies are likely to absorb a significant amount of force during collisions. Furthermore, unlike pedestrians, cyclists aren’t able to quickly maneuver away from obstacles and are typically less capable of bracing their bodies to avoid injury. Finally, cyclists travel much faster than pedestrians and usually fall considerably after being knocked off their bikes.

Because of these factors, cyclists often suffer injuries that are difficult to recover from. It can take months or years for cyclists to fully heal, and the process may require multiple surgeries, long-term physical therapy, and other medical procedures. All of the necessary medical care that injured cyclists need can be highly expensive. Affording these expenses can be difficult, especially for those unable to work due to injuries.

Fortunately, injured cyclists can contact a Benicia bicycle accident lawyer for help. By filing injury claims, collision survivors can obtain payments for various damages, including medical bills and payments for lost income, personal suffering, and more.

However, the injury claim process can be complicated, and financially liable parties may attempt to disclaim financial responsibility. To ensure you receive full compensation for the damages you’ve suffered, having an experienced, skilled lawyer on your side is essential. An excellent attorney will be able to investigate the accident to uncover critical evidence, refer to specialist doctors to evaluate your injuries, negotiate with insurance companies so that you don’t need to accept low-ball offers, and, if necessary, present your case in front of a courtroom.

If you or somebody in your life was seriously hurt during a bicycle accident, contact us so that we can provide you with free, friendly legal advice. To reach us, dial (800) 404-5400 or (707) 564-1900.

Our legal team has assisted families and individuals in the Benicia area since 1982. We’ve achieved many successful settlements and trial verdicts for our clients throughout this period.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.30.23] Image by Rana Sinha from Pixabay ms cha [cs 864]}