Granite Bay is a bicycle-friendly city for bike commuters. Granite Bay is close to Folsom Lake and features beautiful scenery and wildlife. Unfortunately, many bicyclists in California enjoy bicycling, but it is ruined by a negligent driver hitting them on the road or at an intersection.

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), 846 bicyclists were killed in motor vehicle collisions in 2019. If that was not bad enough, a substantial portion of the injuries and fatalities in bicycle accidents involved children under fifteen.

The most common types of collisions involving a bicyclist and an automobile include the following:

• A motorist sideswiping a cyclist in a bike lane or narrow street
• Motorists turning left in front of an oncoming cyclist in an intersection
• Motorists turning right into a driveway while a cyclist was riding on the shoulder
• Rear-end collisions

The collision could have been prevented in each accident scenario described above if the automobile driver had exercised due care. If drivers looked before turning and checked for blind spots, there would likely be fewer sideswipes and turning collisions. 

Following the speed limit and not texting while driving can also help reduce the number of serious crashes. Unfortunately, many drivers do not exercise due care and wind up causing serious accidents where a bicyclist’s life is jeopardized.

The Federal Highway Administration produced the video below to educate children of all ages on bicycle safety.

Under California law, drivers of motor vehicles who cause a collision with a bicyclist may be legally liable for the injuries suffered by the bicyclist. The legal buzzword used to describe these types of cases is negligence. 

Your bicycle accident attorney must investigate the accident scene, interview witnesses, review the police report, and depose the defendant to establish negligence. With that evidence, your attorney can present a compelling case that the driver owed you a duty of care and that they breached that duty of care. As a result of that breach, you suffered severe bodily injuries and emotional trauma.

The physical, mental, and financial strain after a severe bicycle accident can be highly stressful and challenging. For example, the injured bicyclist’s medical expenses after an accident between a car and a bicycle tend to be high. 

These economic damages, along with the non-economic damages like being unable to walk or being forced to miss important family events, are compensable through a personal injury claim. The list of damages that are typically pursued through an injury claim includes the following:

• Immediate medical expenses and future medical costs – this consists of the costs incurred immediately after the accident (ambulance, ER treatment) and future medical expenses (e.g., physical therapy and surgeries);
• Reimbursement for the wages you would have earned if the accident never occurred includes compensation for the income you would have generated. However, you were forced to forego it because you needed to visit your doctor or just take time away to rest. You may also get compensation for future wages if your injuries are so severe that you cannot return to work.
• Compensation for the emotional and psychological pain and suffering you endured from the accident.

It is essential to understand that the amount of financial compensation you can expect from a personal injury claim will depend mainly on the available automobile insurance coverage you and the other driver have under your respective policies. 

That is why it is essential to get the name and contact info of the driver’s auto insurance company so it is possible to initiate a claim. Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may also come into play. 

We have been serving the Granite Bay and Northern California communities since 1982 with all types of personal injury claims. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a bicycle accident, please call our experienced Granite Bay bicycle accident attorneys for free, friendly, and compassionate advice. You can reach us at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400.

Proud members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

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^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 7.24.23] Photo by ab sid Rey [cs 895]}