World Executives Digest| A Details about Bicycle accident lawyer |Before discussing about the Bicycle accident lawyers in California, it is important for the readers to know the statistic of bicycle accidents. Nearly 47.5% of the population in the United States enjoys bicycle riding. Though it looks very enchanting, the number of accidents taking place on the streets of California is rising every year. As per the reports of NHTSA, there have been a total of 857 reported cases on bicycle accidents in 2018. When there is a collision between a vehicle and a bicycle, the damages caused to the bicycle is more and hence, these accidents have high fatality rate. 71%of these accidents take place in the urban areas due to heavy traffic.
Causes of bicycle accidents:
Bicycle accidents can take place due to many reasons and one of the top reasons for such an accident is collision with a car or a vehicle. In 90% of the instances, bicycle accidents have been a cause of vehicular collision because of the obvious reason that vehicles are bigger in size and faster in speed. Also, in vehicles, the protection is more as you have seat belt or helmet but there is no such protection for the cyclists. Some of the major reasons of collision are:
- Unpredictable moves by the cyclist
- Crossing roads
- When the motorist runs a red light signal
- A driver opens up the door in the path of the cyclist
- If the bicyclist is riding on the wrong side of the road
30% of the injuries have been due to car accidents and 70% of them has been due to miscellaneous reasons which are quite severe and the victim has the right to claim for compensations. These reasons include:
- If the bicyclist falls off the bicycle because of bad roadways
- Poorly repaired bicycles
- Bicyclist falls due to attacks
- Collision with another cyclist or pedestrian
- Collision with objects
- Fall off from bikes due to loss of balance
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Bicycle accidents- who to sue?
As far as the bicycle laws are concerned, it is very much same with the rights enjoyed by motor cycles. In case of bicycle accidents, the cyclist has the right to file a lawsuit only if the accident has been caused due to negligence of a third party. Here’s what you can do after an accident:
- File a lawsuit against the driver at fault or the driver’s insurance company
- File a lawsuit against the government if the accident was due to collision with roads or improper maintenance of roads.
- File a lawsuit against the manufacturer or the repairer in case the accident took place due to poorly manufactured or repaired bicycle.
- File a lawsuit against the dog owner in case the accident was due to dog attack.
It is only an attorney who can help you in receiving the right compensations. Rather, he has to pay for the injuries and damage caused to the other party or parties. In California, the plaintiff will not be able to receive compensation if he is responsible for the accident. If the plaintiff is partially responsible, the compensations will be given on the basis of comparative negligence.