The City of Modesto can be liable for accidents caused by broken sidewalks in public areas. However, for accidents occurring outside businesses and homes, property owners would usually be financially responsible.
A skilled Modesto Bicycle Accident Lawyer can help you determine who should be responsible if a sidewalk crack causes you to crash. You can receive full compensation for your medical bills and for the time you are out of work. Contact Maison Law to set up an absolutely free case consultation. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury is worth and how to hold property owners and operators financially responsible.
Who Is Responsible for Repairing Sidewalks in Modesto?
Modesto is responsible for repairing sidewalks around public areas such as government buildings and city parks.
The Modesto Code of Ordinances confirms that home and business owners are actually responsible for the safe upkeep of sidewalks in front of their properties.
“It shall be unlawful for any person owning any building, lot or premises in the City, fronting on any portion of a street where a sidewalk has been installed, to allow any portion of such sidewalk in front of such building, lot or premises to be out of repair, or to become, be or remain defective or to become, be or remain dangerous to the users thereof for any reason. Every person must at all times keep his sidewalk in such condition that it will not endanger persons or property thereon, will not interfere with public convenience in the use thereof, or be or remain an obstruction or impediment to normal, customary and usual pedestrian or vehicular traffic.”
Property owners can contact the city’s Curbs, Gutters, and Sidewalks Unit to make repairs around the city. However, even if they make the repairs (there is a backlog of requests), property owners would still be liable for any accidents a bad spot on the sidewalk caused.
The city does take responsibility for removing trees that damage sidewalks and fixing concrete in places.
Generally, the city or property owners can be liable for accidents involving cracks in sidewalks that catch bicycle tires and send riders to the hard surface. They can be responsible when uneven sidewalk segments that send cyclists out of control to crash. Sidewalks with tree roots growing from underneath, causing riders to crash, can also leave owners and operators liable.
They can be responsible for the victim’s medical bills, their lost time at work, and the physical and emotional pain endured.
Taking on the City of Modesto After a Bicycle Accident
When property owners are responsible for a bicycle accident, the case generally plays out like a normal personal injury case. Victims have up to two years to file a lawsuit and can usually draw from the owner’s homeowners insurance or commercial liability insurance.
But when you must seek compensation from a government agency or department, things get tricky. The City of Modesto, like most government entities, has special protections against lawsuits.
These are a few of the ways a case against the government can change your case:
- Tighter deadlines. When dealing with a city, county, or state government agency, you’ll usually only have months to file. Miss the statute of limitations, and you lose your chance to get help with recovery. A skilled lawyer would make sure you didn’t miss sneaky deadlines.
- Complicated paperwork. A mistake in the information and documentation you provide could be used by the city to deny your claim. Your attorney can handle this entire frustrating process.
- Seeking permission. Government entities enjoy special protections against litigation. You must alert city officials when you intend to take action against them, and they can deny your ability to sue. Your attorney would make sure your case was backed with evidence so the city couldn’t get away with denying your claim.
- Government attorneys. Modesto can afford teams of attorneys to fight your claim and poke holes in your case. It’s wise to have a legal protector on your side to go up against insurers and other lawyers.
Allow a Modesto bicycle accident attorney to stand up for your rights and take care of every frustrating step in this complex claim. Your lawyer handles the filing and sneaky deadlines while you are allowed to focus on healing so you can get back on a bike.
Are Bikes Allowed on Sidewalks in Modesto?
Modesto allows cyclists to use sidewalks in most parts of the city. However, there are some areas marked by signs prohibiting riders on sidewalks. These sections are mostly in areas with a lot of businesses and foot traffic.
The rules are spelled out in Modesto’s Code of Ordinances:
3-3.12 – Permissible Area of Operation of Bicycles.
“A bicycle which is licensed pursuant to this chapter may be operated upon all the streets, alleys and public ways of the city, except that no bicycle shall be operated on the sidewalk area in any business district as defined in the California Vehicle Code.”
When riders use the sidewalk, they must be careful around pedestrians and always yield to them. Riders on sidewalks must also obey traffic laws around intersections and crosswalks.
Additional Information About Modesto Bicycle on Sidewalk Laws
Contact a Modesto Bicycle Accident Lawyer After an Accident
If you are seriously hurt in a sidewalk wipe-out, and the hazard is to blame, you could probably benefit from having a lawyer on your case. To get started, Maison Law offers a free case consultation to all Stanislaus County accident victims. It’s a confidential meeting, and there’s never any obligation.
If we handle your case, we’d identify the party that was liable for your pain. Then we’d demand full compensation for your current medical bills and any that may arise in the future. We’d ask for support to pay for bike repairs or replacement. The income you lost while rendered unable to work must be reimbursed. Our lawyers would also ask for additional compensation for the pain you’ve had to endure and the emotional trauma you must cope with during a difficult recovery.
It’s important to note that you don’t have to have a lot of money to afford legal protection. Maison Law doesn’t get paid unless you get paid. That means we only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our fee is covered out of the settlement check you received.
