Maison Law represents injured bicycle accident victims in the South Bay Los Angeles area.
Bicycle accidents are more common than you might think, especially in areas like South Bay Los Angeles, with its dense population and high-traffic intersections. But despite the presence of dedicated bike lanes and safety laws, crashes between cyclists and motor vehicles still occur, resulting in severe, life-altering injuries.
At Maison Law, we stand up for bicyclists who have been injured by reckless drivers in the South Bay Los Angeles areas of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Palos Verdas Estates, and Torrance.
If you’re suffering injuries, financial losses, and mental trauma from a bicycle accident, our firm will protect your right to compensation. Don’t wait until it’s too late to take legal action. Contact Maison Law today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
In recent years, South Bay Los Angeles has become a hub for sports and entertainment events, with brand new venues like SoFi Stadium and The Forum in Inglewood popping up. With the area’s influx of visitors from around the world, local bicyclists are at an even greater risk of being injured in an accident with drivers who have never navigated busy roads like Admore Avenue in Manhattan Beach or El Segundo’s Continental Boulevard.
Unfortunately, injured bicyclists are often neglected by insurance companies, only receiving the lowest amount possible for their injuries. On top of that, bicyclists are frequently blamed for causing accidents on the road by drivers, further complicating their path toward recovering compensation.
But that’s where the Bicycle Accident Lawyers at Maison Law can help. We advocate on behalf of injured cyclists in South Bay Los Angeles, by protecting them from liability after being involved in an accident and ensuring they receive financial compensation for the following damages:
If you are injured in a bicycle accident by a passing vehicle because you had to swerve around a parked car in the bike lane, or because construction was blocking your path, you are still entitled to compensation. In fact, California Law protects bicyclists from being assigned blame in this instance, because the onus of care is on the driver to safely share the road with bicyclists, whether they’re in the bike lane or not.
For example, the bike path on Hermosa Beach Blvd has a marked lane for bicyclists and should be ridden in the same direction as the vehicle traffic. But if a bicyclist must leave the bike lane, they are permitted to do so in certain circumstances.
CVC 21208(a) outlines when a bicyclist is permitted to move outside the bike lane:
So, if a bicyclist gets injured by a vehicle when leaving the bike lane, who is liable? The answer will be dependent upon why the bicyclist had to leave the bike lane. However, any form of negligent driving will result in serious consequences for the driver in the form of citations to felony offenses.
If you can establish that a driver’s direct violation of the law resulted in your bicycle accident, you may be able to establish another driver’s carelessness or “Negligence Per Se” and recover damages. Negligence Per Se means the driver broke the law, which directly caused your injuries. So, if the driver that caused your accident received a ticket or citation for texting and driving, speeding, or anything that violates the law, proving “Negligence Per Se” will be fairly easy in your case.
Proving Negligence Per Se is much easier than proving regular negligence.
Regular negligence would be, for example, if someone was driving recklessly and hit you, but no citation or record of a driving violation.
Proving ordinary carelessness or negligence usually involves an investigation to obtain video footage or witness statements. If no law is recorded being broken, then it can be difficult to build a case.
Sometimes, there is no available evidence, and your case becomes one person’s word over another’s. For these reasons, it is important to report your accident to law enforcement the moment it happens and speak with one of our experienced Bicycle Accident Lawyers at Maison Law about your legal options.
If you suffer an injury on your bike after an accident with a driver, seek medical attention immediately. Nothing is more important than your health. Call out to another cyclist or pedestrian to help you get immediate medical attention. After you get medical care, it is recommended to:
Understanding the factors that can potentially harm your bicycle accident case is essential to knowing the value of your lawsuit. While a highly experienced Bicycle Accident Attorney will be able to highlight the reasons you deserve to be compensated, they will also work aggressively to protect you from the factors that could reduce your compensation. These factors include:
Information that your attorney will need is any and all details about the case. The more information an attorney has, the more they can help build your case, as well as ensure you’re protected from liability. When pursuing a settlement through a lawsuit, information can make or break your case. For example, let’s say a driver doesn’t have their headlights on at night and hits you on your bike while you’re crossing the street at an intersection in Hermosa Beach.
You partner with an attorney and file a lawsuit. However, now, the driver is saying that they had their headlights on, and you weren’t watching where you were going. The fact of whether the driver had their headlights on or not could make or break your case. Later, the attorney could subpoena the traffic camera footage at the intersection and show that the driver was in fact, driving without their headlights on, making them liable for your damages.
However, not all cases are fortunate enough to have cameras in the area of the incident. So, after a bicycle accident, it’s important for you to:
Whether you’re looking for an easy bike path or a quick bike route to get to work, South Bay Los Angeles offers numerous bikeways throughout the city. The four types of bikeways in South Bay Los Angeles are defined as follows:
According to the Statute of Limitations in California, you have two years from the day your bicycle crash occurred. However, there are some exceptions. For example, if a government vehicle ran a red light to make a left turn and caused your accident. You would have six months, instead of two years, to file a personal injury claim because government accident claims have different deadlines.
Another exception would be the “discovery rule.” This rule delays the statute of limitations if you could not have reasonably known about your injuries right away. For example, let’s say a truck makes a right turn at an intersection without seeing you in the bike lane next to them, and they hit you before they can stop.
You fall and hit your head at a low speed with your helmet on. You seem fine, so you brush yourself off and continue on your way. Years later, however, you begin to have neurological issues that your doctor says must be from a time when you suffered some sort of blunt trauma to your head. In this situation, the “discovery rule” applies as the two-year clock does not start running until the day your injury was discovered.
There is no set dollar amount for the trauma and pain experienced by bicycle accident victims. However, an experienced Bicycle Accident Lawyer will help you understand the value of your case by calculating your economic damages (such as lost wages and medical bills) and non-economic damages (emotional harm, depression, and anxiety). These damages combined include:
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident in South Bay Los Angeles, the Bicycle Accident Attorneys at Maison Law can help. We understand how traumatic a bike accident can be, especially when you have to fight with the insurance company to get what you’re owed. But you’re not alone in this fight.
Maison Law is here to help restore your life and protect your right to compensation after an accident. If you’re concerned about the financial, physical, and mental impact a bicycle accident has had on your life, don’t be.
Contact Maison Law today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. There are no hidden fees for our services, and you will only be charged once we win your case.
