Riverside Bicycle Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been involved in a bicycle accident in Riverside, contact our personal injury attorneys at The Dominguez Firm. You have rights and we can help you pursue maximum compensation for your injuries or wrongful death case due to a bicycle accident.

Call The Dominguez Firm today at (800) 818-1818 for a free consultation regarding your Riverside bicycle accident injury case.

Bicycle Accident Statistics in Southern California

According to the California Active Transportation Safety Information Pages (CATSIP) by UC Berkeley, Southern California leads the state in bike accidents and fatalities. :

• Riverside County ranked 8th in California for bicycle crash statistics between 2017-2021.
• Riverside County ranked 6th for cyclist fatalities in California between 2017-2021.
• On average, 2.43% of all bicycle accidents in Riverside County resulted in bicyclist fatalities.
• Los Angeles County accounted for 172 (22.7%) of all 758 California bicycle fatalities between 2017-2021.
• By comparison, Riverside County accounted for 39 fatalities, or 5.1% of all California bike accident fatalities, between 2017-2021.

Stay Safe When Riding Bikes

Several organizations offer tips for bike riders to avoid a collision or reduce the instance of severe injuries if involved in a bike crash. These include:

• Ride in bike lanes or as far to the right as you safely can on the road.
• Wear a helmet to protect yourself from head injuries. California law requires all riders under 18 to wear a helmet.
• Wear bright colors with reflective patterns for higher visibility.
• Maintain and frequently test your bike’s brakes, wheels, and other safety equipment.
• Be aware of other bicycle riders and motor vehicles.
• Equip headlights and reflectors on your bike or helmet.

How Do Bicycle Accidents Happen?

Many traffic accidents involving cyclists result from negligent drivers causing the bicycle crash. Other causes of Riverside bicycle accident injuries include poor road conditions or other bicycle riders.

Our experienced bicycle accident lawyer has helped accident victims whose Riverside bicycle accidents resulted from:

• A negligent driver turning right across the bike lane and failing to signal their intent to turn to an approaching bicyclist
• A motor vehicle operator on their phone or otherwise distracted driving and drifting into the bike lane
• A negligent driver or passenger opening car doors into bike lanes as a bike rider approaches
• The mechanical failure of bike parts causing injury to an accident victim
• Poorly kept roads that caused bicycle accident victims to lose control of their bikes

Our experienced Riverside bicycle accident attorney at The Dominguez Firm can help you pursue justice against the negligent driver or city officials responsible for your injuries in your bike crash.

What Do I Do After a Bicycle Accident in Riverside?

If you are able, here are some steps you should take after a Riverside bicycle accident while at the accident scene and in the days and weeks following your injuries.

• Seek medical attention immediately, even if you don’t think you have serious injuries.
• Get the contact information of any witnesses to your bicycle accident.
• Take photos of the accident scene, property damage to your bike and equipment, and any visible injuries.
• Keep any evidence of the cycling accident, including your damaged bike, helmet, clothing, and personal effects.
• Do not admit fault to police or insurance representatives. Detail the events as they happened for the police report but do not provide additional information.
• Contact a bicycle accident attorney from our law firm.

You may need to supply evidence for a Riverside bicycle accident case if you suffered injuries and require medical care. However, not every injured cyclist can collect evidence after the accident occurs, especially if they have serious injuries requiring immediate medical care.

An experienced bicycle accident attorney can use their knowledge from previous bicycle accident cases to recreate the events of your bike accident using the police report and other evidence gathered from the scene after you left to receive medical treatment.

What Are Some Common Bicycle Accident Injuries?

Bicycles offer riders very little protection from high-speed collisions with larger motor vehicles, leading to broken bones and physical pain. Common bike accident injuries include:

• Scrapes and cuts
• Broken bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Bicycle traffic fatalities
• Permanent disability or disfigurement

You can file a personal injury claim with either the negligent driver’s or your own insurance company, but continue gathering evidence for your Riverside bicycle accident lawyer in case you need to go to court.

How Do I File a Bicycle Accident Claim with My Insurance Company?

Never speak with an insurance company without contacting your personal injury attorney first to review your statement. When filing your claim, you don’t accidentally want to admit or imply fault.

Contact our law firm for a no-obligation free consultation with a bicycle accident lawyer. At The Dominguez Firm, our priority is protecting our attorney-client relationship to help you in recovering maximum compensation to cover medical expenses from your accident.

What If Insurance Denies My Injury Claim?

If the negligent driver’s insurance provider denies your claim, you can file a lawsuit to seek fair compensation for your injuries. Compensation can include economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

How Do I Pay My Medical Bills After a Bicycle Accident?

If the insurance company denies your claim, you may seek appropriate compensation through litigation with an experienced Riverside bicycle accident attorney.

In your lawsuit, you can charge a negligent driver for causing the bike accident, the city for failing to maintain safe roadways, or the company employing the driver if the driver was working at the time of the crash.

In your lawsuit, you can cite economic and non-economic compensation for your injuries or emotional distress, including:

• Medical care costs
• Physical therapy
• Lost wages from being unable to work
• Property damage to your bike and equipment
• Emotional distress
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of quality of life

Your bicycle accident lawyer can explain what types of compensation you should pursue based on your bike accident case circumstances.

Can I Pursue Additional Compensation or Damages?

You may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the court determines that the motor vehicle driver intentionally caused you harm through fraud, malice, or oppression. However, the intent to harm must be clearly demonstrable apart from negligence.

Who Is Liable in My Bicycle Accident Case?

You will need to name a defendant to bring charges against and will need to determine the party most likely responsible for your bicycle accident injuries.

If a negligent driver hit you, you could file a suit against the driver to recover compensation for medical expenses and damages to your bicycle and other equipment.

If a hit-and-run driver caused your cycling accident and you couldn’t collect their license plate information, you can file a claim through your own insurance. If your insurance provider denies or underpays your claim, you can sue for appropriate compensation to cover your bills for hospital treatment, physical therapy, and other personal injury costs.

Your incident may not involve another driver but could be due to poor road maintenance by the city. You can bring charges against the city or other responsible municipality for failing to maintain the roads, leading to your cycling injuries.

If a driver was working for a ride-share service, delivery service, or using a metered company vehicle, you may pursue appropriate compensation from the employer.

California is a comparative liability state, meaning that if you were partly responsible for your injuries, the court would reduce your compensation based on the percentage of fault.

A Loved One Suffered a Fatal Bike Accident: What Can I Do?

Bicycle traffic fatalities are sometimes the unfortunate result of a bicycle collision with a larger vehicle, especially at high speeds. You may pursue compensation with a wrongful death claim if you lost a spouse or immediate relative in a Riverside bicycle accident.

Wrongful death claims are claims made by surviving family members of a person whose death occurred due to an accident. A victim’s family can pursue compensation for the tangible and intangible value provided by the deceased, including:

• Burial and funeral costs
• Lost financial support that would have been provided by the deceased
• Loss of consortium
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of moral support

Do I Need a Riverside Bicycle Accident Attorney?

Insurance companies often look for ways to deny claims or underpay accident victims. Find a knowledgeable bicycle accident attorney for your best opportunity to recover appropriate compensation and damages for your injuries.

How Do I Find a Reputable Riverside Bicycle Accident Lawyer?

Bicycle crashes fall under the umbrella of personal injury law. However, not all personal injury attorneys have experience fighting for bike accident victims. Contact The Dominguez Firm today to schedule a free consultation for your case.

Call Our Riverside Bicycle Accident Lawyers at The Dominguez Firm

At The Dominguez Firm, we serve our clients based on our three core values of compassion, service, and results. We work on contingency, so you don’t pay us unless we get a settlement or win for you. Most people who worry about being able to pay do not realize that you will never need to pay upfront.

If you were injured in a bicycle accident in Riverside, CA, you have the right to sue those responsible. Call The Dominguez Firm today at (800) 818-1818 for your free consultation.