Bicycle Accident Lawyer - Glendale CA

Types of Bicycle Accidents

There are various types of bike accidents depending on how and where they occur. They include:

a.   Left-Cross bicycle Accidents

These types of bike accidents happen at intersections. As the name suggests, left-cross bike accidents happen when the bicycle rider and the driver enter the intersection both at once.
As the driver makes a left turn, the car and the bike will either crash head-on or the car will cross the road in front of the bike.

b.   Right-Hook bicycle Accidents

These kinds of bike accidents are similar to left-cross accidents except that in this case, the car driver makes a right turn.

Chances are that the driver might not notice the bike in front heading in the same direction and can crash into the bike.

c.   When the car door is suddenly flung open

This is the most self-explaining bike accident. It happens when a bike is being driven towards a parked car but then the door of the parked car is suddenly flung open. The cyclist may not have enough time to engage the brakes and can end up hitting the open car door and plummeting head first over the car door.

d.   Sideswipe Accidents

These types of bicycle accidents happen when a car hits the bike in the sides as it swipes along. This can happen when the driver suddenly gets closer to the bike riding along with the car. Perhaps the car driver could be attempting to avoid an obstruction on the other side hence moves towards the side of the bicycle and ends up sideswiping the bike.

Negligence or recklessness is the major cause of most bicycle accidents. The car driver could be careless, distracted, or clueless about traffic laws when the bicycle accident happened and the cyclist ends up paying the price for such negligence or ignorance by the car driver.

What to do after a Bicycle Accident?

Right after the bicycle accident happens is a hectic, confusing, and terrifying moment. You might not be able to think straight. However, here are some of the things you need to remember if you ever get into a bike bicycle accident.

• Remain within the bicycle accident scene until the police come
• Make sure that you get a medical checkup and treatment. Even if you think that you are not injured, for your own safety just ensure that it is the doctor who says that you are fine. This is because you could have sustained some internal injuries which you might not be able to feel pain immediately after the bike accident.
• Never admit blame/liability or negotiate with the car driver or their insurance companies after the bicycle accident. It is better to let your lawyers do all the talking on your behalf. This is because you may end up admitting liability which will be used against you later in court.
• Record details and contact info from the car driver as well as potential witnesses who were present and saw the bike accident happen
• Take pictures of the bike accident scene, the damage to your bicycle, your injuries as well as damage to other cars involved in the bicycle accident
• Record and maintain a journal where you include all your treatment visits and costs that you incur as a result of the bicycle accident
• Reach out to a seasoned bike crash attorney and obtain the legal advice on the way forward

Who will be responsible for settling your medical expenses?

Bicycle accidents often result in injuries. Some injuries are more severe than others, especially considering that riding a bicycle leaves most of your body exposed to being hit by a car or hard ground surface. You would need to undergo emergency medical treatment which leaves you with huge medical bills. The question now would be, who should bear the costs of all those medical expenses?

For a car accident involving two cars, the insurance companies are often involved as cars are usually insured. The insurance company would therefore end up paying your medical expenses. However, if the accident was between a car and a bicycle, then the answer is not as obvious as it seems.

Unlike other states, California is not one of the no-fault states for car accidents. What this means is that the insurance does not pay your medical bills without asking who is to blame for the bicycle accident.

You can call us and speak to our bicycle accident lawyers or free consultation if you got injured in a bike crash.

FAQs about bicycle Accidents that often get asked and answers