Electric bikes have popped up on many California city streets offering an affordable and easy ride. You still have to pedal these electric bikes, but the electric motor inside allows you to use up less of your own energy.
E-bikes are generally allowed in most places normal bikes are permitted. And in some places, that means you’ll be riding in traffic lanes along with cars, trucks, and SUVs.
This close contact with careless drivers can lead to dangerous collisions for riders. A relatively minor bump can send an unprotected rider into a serious crash to receive a severe injury. It’s important that Spin Bike-Share riders who are injured know the steps to take to get full insurance coverage from an at-fault driver.
If you or a loved one are hurt on a Spin bike, please take advantage of a free case consultation with a real Bakersfield Bicycle Accident Lawyer. It’s a chance to find out what your bicycle injury is worth and how to hold an insurance company fully accountable.
Bakersfield First-Ever Bike-Share Program Arrives
The City of Bakersfield has partnered with Spin to bring electric bikes to the streets of Bakersfield. The bike-share service launched on April 4, 2022.
The new e-bike transportation option offers 125 pedal-assist bikes with electric motors stationed around town.
KGET-TV reports that riders must download the Spin app and will then pay $1 to unlock any orange Spin bike they find on the sidewalk. From there, it’s 39 cents a minute to ride. There are 50% discounts for low-income riders and students.
You have to be 18-years-old to ride a Spin bike. They are legal for riding on the city’s multi-use trail. The bikes come with a basket on the front to stash your personal property in. You also have a hook-up to navigate streets with your phone hands-free.
Spin recommends that all riders wear helmets and will even send you a free helmet if you cover the shipping costs.
Who Is Responsible in a Spin Bike Accident in Bakersfield?
Spin Bikes only go 15mph and no faster. You may take a tumble on your bike, but the real threat is any contact you may have with careless motorists in much larger vehicles.
You could be struck by a vehicle and suffer an even harder collision with the pavement. This impact might lead to a broken arm or leg, or a traumatic brain injury. The costs of recovery could be enormous and you shouldn’t have to pay the financial consequences of an accident that wasn’t your fault.
In California, all bicycle riders are owed a special duty of care from motorists. This is true even when a bicyclist isn’t following traffic laws. Drivers are expected to monitor the road closely enough to spot cyclists and then slow down to avoid the chance of a collision. When they don’t show this care, motorists can be held partially or fully responsible for the injuries that result.
The driver could owe financial support even if the victim didn’t have a helmet on at the time. California doesn’t require the riders of Spin E-Bikes to wear helmets even though Spin does ask that every rider use one.
Compensation Available After a Spin Bike Accident in Bakersfield
The injured cyclist or the cyclist’s family should file a claim for damages against the at-fault driver’s car insurance policy. This claim would list the cyclist’s hardships caused by the accident.
The list of hardships would start with every medical bill the victim faces. This would include estimates on any care expected to be necessary in the future. The lost wages a victim must forfeit while missing work over an injury should also be reimbursed.
The physical pain and the emotional distress a victim endures in the accident and recovery can also contribute to the amount on a settlement check. Emotional anguish includes the loss of enjoyment of life victims may experience, including the difficulty of being off a bike and doing other things they love.
For families who tragically lose someone in a bicycle accident, a wrongful death claim is permitted. This claim seeks to protect the family from economic harm by asking for money to pay for a memorial service and burial. The wrongful death claim also seeks help in the future when a family will have to move on without the guidance and financial support the deceased can no longer provide.
Spin Liability in a Bicycle Accident
When you sign up for a Spin e-bike rental on the app, you’ll be agreeing to a “waiver of liability.” It may be hard to notice, but it’s there.
This waiver means that Spin isn’t liable for any accidents that occur in the normal course of using a bicycle for travel.
But this protection doesn’t erase all liability for Spin. A poorly maintained bike that malfunctions and sends you into an accident could still leave Spin responsible. Your Bakersfield bicycle accident lawyer would be investigating Spin’s safety and maintenance records to determine if more than one party may have to provide compensation to you.
Contact a Spin Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Bakersfield
If you or a loved one are seriously injured in an accident involving the Spin bike-share program, please contact a skilled Bakersfield bicycle accident lawyer before talking to an insurance representative. There are benefits available to you and your family that insurance companies don’t want you to know about.
To make sure your family is protected from an insurance company’s bad faith practices, contact an experienced attorney such as Martin Gasparian for a free case consultation. Mr. Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, works closely with victims and families to earn the compensation they’ll need to get back on their feet again physically and financially. He wants to see that all injured riders can return to their bikes.
