Hemet Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Experienced Bicycle Accident Lawyers Serving Hemet Clients
All accidents are awful and a bicycle accident is no exception. However, the design of bicycles makes bicycle accidents more terrible especially when the bicycle was in collision with a vehicle.
Since bicycles are two-wheeled and technically have no bodies, a bicycle rider is usually the ‘body’ of the bicycle. So when a collision or accident occurs, the rider has no buffer from the impact of the crash, and thus, sustains more grievous injuries. Our Hemet bicycle accident attorney knows of these tragedies all too well.
Statistics from the Federal Highway Administration show that 857 people died in 2018 in bicycle accidents in the United States. In California, 155 people died from bicycle accidents during the same time frame.
Bicycle accidents are caused by many reasons. A few common ones are:
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- A vehicle drifting onto a bike lane
- A vehicle driver not paying attention when pulling in or out of a parking space
- A driver not checking to be sure the coast is clear before opening a car door, thus hitting an oncoming bicyclist
- Poorly maintained roads
- Rear-ending
- Sideswiping
- Hit-and-run accidents
These accidents happen majorly because the driver or road user was negligent. Every road user has a duty of care to use the road in a reasonably safe manner. Thus, if you get into a collision because the other party was negligent, you should be compensated for any injuries sustained from the collision.
If you or your loved one was injured in a bicycle accident in Hemet, California, reach out to our Hemet bicycle accident lawyers today. We are a team of highly experienced legal practitioners led by an excellent and passionate personal injury lawyer.
California’s Three Feet Rule
To reduce the rate at which bicycle accidents occur on California roads, a Three Feet Rule was passed. The key takeaways of the law are:
- Any place where a vehicle passes a bicyclist must adhere to the law, whether or not there is a bike lane in the road.
- Witness testimonies of violations are not admissible – a law enforcement officer must witness the violation before a fine can be issued. This is a potentially problematic provision, as law enforcement may not be in every place at every time.
- A violator of the rule faces at least a $35 fine, and if a collision happens, at least a $220 fine. These amounts are the minimum and they can increase when court fees are added.
- If, however, a driver does not have enough room to give a bicyclist three feet of space, then they must slow down first before safely passing.
The challenge with this rule is that the punishment for violation is mild when compared with the extreme injuries bicyclists can potentially incur. As if that is not bad enough, enforcement of the law is spotty, at best. So, your best bet at getting justice and the compensation you deserve is to hire our Hemet bicycle accident lawyers.
At Banner Associates, our team of bicycle accident lawyers is compassionate and experienced. Our knowledge of California law is unmatched and the way we apply the law in fighting for our clients is an art form in itself.
What You Are Getting From Our Hemet Bicycle Accident Lawyer
We understand how devastating a bicycle accident can be to you and your family. You may come out of the accident with minimal damage to your bicycle, but some major injuries to your person. We also understand how these injuries will affect all the aspects of your life, including increasing your expenses exponentially in the form of medical bills and simultaneously decreasing your income due to an inability to work.
From that understanding, our Hemet bicycle accident lawyer will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Whether it is representing you in discussions with insurance providers to get a satisfactory settlement, or litigating the case, should settlement talks prove dissatisfactory, you get the best defense from our Hemet wrongful death lawyer. Reach out to us at (909) 681-1622 to discuss your case and get started on getting you compensation for your bicycle accident injuries.