California Bicycle Accidents: Why They Are So Common, and How to Best Avoid Them.
As life-long bicycle riders, and as San Francisco bicycle accident attorneys, we have extensive experience with most types of bicycle accidents. Over the next few weeks, I will, in detail, describe the most common types of bicycle versus automobile accidents, how they usually occur, how to best avoid them, and what to do if you do suffer personal injuries in a bicycle crash that has been caused by the negligence of another.
First, bicyclists on public roadways are entitled to absolutely all the same rights as automobile or truck or motorcycle drivers. With these rights, bicyclists also assume all of the same responsibilities, and are subject to the same rules of the road, including all the local and county ordinances, as well as state laws. The first step in avoiding bicycle accidents with car drivers is to learn and obey bicycling rules of the road. It sounds so simple, however the truth is that many cyclists just do not follow the rules of the road. As bicycle accident attorneys, we encounter so many ways that bicyclists contribute to causing accidents with automobile drivers. The next installments will suggest basic “Rules” to survive by. I welcome your feedback.
Bicyclists Strike Back
Posted by: Claude Wyle
September 13, 2007
Topic: Dangerous Intersections
The San Francisco bicycling community is in an uproar after the latest truck bicycle crash which occurred this last Monday, in which a woman was struck by a truck while her bicycle at the intersection of Octavia and Market Streets in San Francisco. The truck driver was making an illegal right hand turn, and fled the scene without stopping. He was later stopped by police and cited for the illegal right turn.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition held a demonstration Friday to demand that the City fix what they call a "dangerous situation" at the intersection and freeway on-ramp.
The bicycle coalition also issued a statement. "This is the latest in what has become an all-too-frequent series of bicyclist knock-downs in this famously dangerous intersection, and we're absolutely fed up with the city's tolerance for a known dangerous condition on San Francisco's premiere bicycling, pedestrian, and transit street," "Join us this Friday at a public demonstration to demand that the city address this dangerous condition.
"It's not only bicyclists who are dissatisfied with the design of this intersection. Drivers are likewise upset that they cannot legally turn right because there is a bike lane.
As San Francisco bicycle attorneys, we look not only at the liability of the truck driver in making his illegal right turn, but also at the safety of the intersection. If indeed this is a dangerous condition of public property, the City must also be made accountable to this seriously injured woman, and this intersection must be changed before more bicyclists are hurt.
San Francisco Motorcycle Attorneys Recover $2,250,000 for Injured Motorcyclist
Posted by: Claude Wyle
August 30, 2007
Topic: Motorcycle Accidents
Our San Francisco motorcycle accident attorney team is proud to report that we recently settled a motorcycle case for $2,250,000. Our 26 year old client was riding his Suzuki motorcycle in Marin County, when a driver of a minivan pulled a U-turn directly into his path. Although our biker told the CHP that he had been going 65 mph, our accident reconstruction experts were able to refute the defendant's allegations of comparative negligence, and our motorcyclist client, who suffered fractures to both arms and both legs, and who underwent 11 surgeries was able to make the negligent van driver fully accountable. Please feel free to check out our main site at www.ccwlawyers.com, or our bike focused site at www.ccwbikelawyer.com.
San Francisco Intersections, A Danger to Bicyclists and Pedestrians
Posted by: Claude Wyle
August 30, 2007
Topic: Dangerous Intersections
It is no secret that San Francisco maintains some of California's most dangerous intersections for bicyclists and pedestrians. Masonic-Fell and Market-Octavia are two of the most notorious for bicycle accidents. These intersections pose a particular problem to cyclists and pedestrians because cars are forced to turn without dedicated lanes or signals. Numerous deaths and serious injuries have occurred at dangerous San Francisco intersections, and now Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is working to resolve this ongoing problem. Until these intersections are made safe, injured bicyclists and pedestrians will need bicycle accident and pedestrian accident attorneys.
Mirkarimi is asking the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to study the most dangerous intersections in San Francisco and for re-engineering, to reduce auto versus pedestrian/cyclist accidents. Some may argue that the sharing of city streets by cars, pedestrians and cyclists will always pose a risk of serious injury, however motorists need to learn how to Share The Road, and the City needs to make the road safe. For more, please see an interesting blog http://district5diary.blogspot.com/2007/07/steve-jones-fighting-death-monsters.html
For more information on how our Dangerous Intersection Attorney can assist you, contact http://www.ccwlaywers.com/
Teenager suffers head injury during bicycle accident.
Posted by: Claude Wyle
August 30, 2007
Topic: Bicycle Injuries
Last Wednesday, a teenage Vallejo boy suffered a head injury when his bicycle collided with a car. The boy was riding southbound on Laurel Street, and then struck the front of a car as he attempted to turn east on Reis Avenue. The youth was not wearing protective gear or a helmet. While the cause of the accident is still unknown, speed does not appear to be a factor. This is yet another example of the importance of wearing a helmet while cycling, which likely could have prevented this bicyclist's head injury.
For more information, visit:
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/
ci_6250857
For more information on our San Francisco Bicycle Injuries Lawyers please visit http://www.ccwlawyers.com/.
