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.

How Maison Law Helps South Bay Los Angeles Bike Accident Victims

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:

Economic damages: financial damages you incurred due to the accident.

- - Medical bills
  - Lost Wages
  - Loss of future potential earnings
  - Loss of property
  - Cost of property repair or replacement

Non-economic damages: these are subjective, non-compensatory damages.

- - Pain and suffering
  - Emotional distress
  - Depression
  - Anxiety
  - Loss of consortium

Punitive damages: these are damages awarded to serve as punishment to the at-fault party.

- Reckless behavior (DUI, street racing)
- Actions performed out of spite

Bicyclists Injured Leaving the Bicycle Lane in South Bay Los Angeles

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:

If the bicyclist is passing another bicyclist or pedestrian in the lane
If the bicyclist is turning left at an intersection or into a private driveway
If it is necessary to avoid debris in the lane or other hazardous conditions
If the bicyclist is approaching an authorized right turn

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.

Negligence Per Se in a South Bay Los Angeles Bicycle Accident

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.

How to Strengthen Your South Bay Los Angeles Bicycle Accident Claim

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:

Report the injury to police: It is recommended to always call the police after an accident. A police report will serve as evidence, as well as assign liability to one party or the other. The South Los Angeles Police Department can be reached here.
Take your own photos of the scene and get witness statements. Any evidence you can gather to support your claim will come in handy later, especially if you decide to take legal action to pursue compensation.
Follow up on your injuries with a doctor. Any injuries you’ve sustained from your accident will become a part of your case, and you will need a doctor to corroborate your injuries. Insurance companies will not consider compensating your injuries without verifiable medical documentation.
Contact Maison Law to protect your rights to compensation. Most accident victims find themselves overwhelmed by the incident and fail to realize the enormous impact a serious bicycle injury can have on their lives. Our experienced attorneys can help you understand your options and get you the compensation you need to make a full recovery.

What Factors Could Decrease My Settlement?

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:

Comparative negligence: if you are found partially at fault, your settlement can be reduced by your percentage of liability. This is made clear in California’s Comparative Negligence Law, which states:
1. “Under the pure comparative negligence rule, the state allows the plaintiff to claim damages for the 1% they are not at fault even when they are 99% at fault.”
Pre-existing conditions: pre-existing medical conditions unrelated to the accident could complicate and potentially decrease the settlement.
Lack of strong evidence: the inability to prove the liable party’s fault or carelessness in the accident can undermine your case and reduce your settlement.
Delayed medical treatment: delays in seeking medical treatment after the accident may count against you as it implies your injuries were not that severe.
Inconsistent statements: inconsistencies in your statement or re-telling of the incident can hurt your credibility and diminish settlement prospects.

What Information Will My Attorney Need After a South Bay Los Angeles Bike Accident?

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:

Document the accident: use your phone to take photos and videos from different points of view. Focus on critical details like skid marks, traffic signals, stop signs, damage to other vehicles or property, nearby landmarks and weather conditions.
Draw a picture: a simple drawing to illustrate the position of the driver at the time of the incident could justify your actions and strengthen your case.
Obtain witness information: Was there anyone else there to witness the accident? Testimony in your case can go a long way in proving your damages. So, it’s important to get the full name, contact info, and brief statements from anyone who may have witnessed your bicycle accident.

Types of Bikeways in South Bay Los Angeles

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:

Class 1: standard bike path that provides bicycle travel on a paved right-of-way completely separated from any street or highway. Examples include the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, a 22-mile path along the LA County coastline.

Class 2: referred to as a “bike lane,” a Class II bikeway provides a striped and line-drawn for one-way travel on the street or highway. Examples include Colorado Avenue between the Metro and the Pier in Santa Monica.

Class 3: this is generally referred to as a “bike route,” this bikeway is for shared use with pedestrians or motor vehicle traffic, which is identified by signage. These are typically found on roadway routes that are signed but not necessarily separated from traffic. Examples include Grand Avenue, Loma Vista, and Main Street in El Segundo.
Class 4: cycle tracks or separated bikeways provide a right-of-way for exclusive bicycle travel, typically adjacent to a roadway and protected from vehicular traffic. These are on-street facilities reserved for bicyclists with physical separation from vehicle traffic, such as curbs, bollards, or landscaping. Examples include the North Spring Street Bridge and Los Angeles River Bikeway in Los Angeles.

How Much Time Do I Have to File a South Bay Los Angeles Bicycle Accident

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.

What is the Typical Compensation for a South Bay Los Angeles Bicycle Accident?

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:

Special Damages: medical bills, ongoing treatment, costs that accumulate when you’re unable to work, like rent or mortgage payments

General Damages: these are non-economic hardships like pain and suffering, anxiety, depression, mental trauma

Wrongful Death Damages: these damages may be sought by a spouse or close relative for funeral arrangements, burial expenses, and medical treatment before a loved one’s death
Punitive Damages: these damages are rare, but if the driver engaged in reckless driving with the intention of hurting you, then you could sue for punitive damages

Contact Maison Law | South Bay Los Angeles Bicycle Accident Lawyer

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.

South Bay Los Angeles Bike Accident Lawyer