San Mateo Bicycle Accidents Lawyer

Representation for Bike Crash Victims

Menlo Park, Redwood City, and Burlingame are the three of the most dangerous areas for cyclists in San Mateo. Intersection accidents at Ringwood Avenue and Van Buren Road, collisions on El Camino Real, and crashes along California Drive all contribute to the nearly 1,300 annual bicycle accidents in San Mateo. Many of these accidents involve vehicle-bicycle impacts, leaving innocent cyclists suffering from life-altering and potentially fatal injuries.

In the past decade, there have been more than 30,000 collisions between bicycles and cars in the Bay Area, according to studies tracked by the California Highway Patrol. Most of these injured cyclists were fortunate enough to escape with only cuts, bruises, bent wheels, and damaged bike frames, but nearly 2,000 of those bike accidents resulted in death or serious injury.

A San Mateo Bicycle Accident Lawyer is Your Ally After an Accident

If you or your child or family member was injured on a bicycle because of a driver's negligence, contact the law firm of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos in San Mateo, California, by calling or contacting us online to discuss your case with an experienced San Mateo bicycle accident attorney for a free case evaluation.

Our San Mateo personal injury lawyers have experience in investigating bicycle accident cases and recovering damages for the devastating aftermath of a cyclist colliding with a comparatively much bigger and more dangerous automobile. We accept cases throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

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Bicycle Accident Injuries

Our lawyers have recovered substantial settlements for wrongful death and catastrophic injuries such as paralysis, loss of limb, or brain damage. But no bike accident injury is minor. As an injured cyclist, you may have broken bones that may not heal correctly or a deep cut or road rash that leads to nerve damage or a life-threatening infection. There may be ligament damage or chronic pain months after even seemingly minor bicycle versus automobile accidents.

Let us determine if you have a case. More and more individuals are choosing to travel our Bay Area roadways by bicycle, whether as commuters or as recreational enthusiasts, and accidents, unfortunately, continue to occur. Our San Mateo bicycle accident lawyers will help you get your injuries properly diagnosed and aggressively pursue all compensation for the medical expenses, lost wages, lost abilities, and pain and suffering resulting from a bicycle collision.

Proving Fault in Bike Accidents

Designated bicycle paths and lanes give you, the bicyclist, a right to share the road with vehicles, but these appointed lanes do not guarantee that drivers will see you. The attorneys at Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos have recovered damages for injured bicyclists who were rear-ended, sideswiped, struck at intersections, or run over while riding on Bay Area roadways by inattentive, preoccupied, or aggressive drivers. Unfortunately, there is an underlying community bias against bicyclists sharing our highways, city streets, and rural lanes and, as a result, police reports and/or witnesses often blame or identify the wrong person (the bicyclist) as being at fault.

The bicycle accident lawyers at our San Mateo firm challenge the defense arguments that the cyclist was at fault. Our experts analyze skid marks (or lack thereof), impact dents, and the nature of injuries to illustrate the driver's speed and actions. We also use human factors experts to show that the driver failed to yield the right of way, took no evasive action, or that the bike rider simply had no reasonable reaction time to avoid a collision.

An insurance company (or jury) may determine that you are partly at fault for your bike accident injuries for ignoring bicycle safety laws, failing to stop at an intersection, riding with headphones, or not wearing a helmet. These factors can reduce your compensation, but they do not determine that you have no case. Our experienced attorneys will work hard on your behalf to obtain the best possible result for you after you have been injured as a bicyclist, even if you were partly responsible for the collision.

Most Common Traffic Violations Causing Bicycle Collisions

Most roadway accidents, including bicycle crashes, occur when drivers disobey California traffic and safety rules. This includes local speed limits specifically designed to reduce the likelihood of bicycle accident fatalities when inevitable crashes occur.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the majority of fatal and serious bike crash injuries occur in urban areas during the evening commute. San Mateo's growing professional population, combined with its mild climate, makes the Bay Area ripe for serious bicycle accidents.

When drivers violate local vehicle and traffic laws, our experienced injury lawyers might hold them accountable for negligence per se. This legal principle allows attorneys to request accelerated liability judgments, and with the right evidence, frequently supports early insurance settlements.

Evidence that one of the following traffic violations caused your injuries may result in implied driver liability:

• Speeding
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Unlawful turns
• Failure to obey traffic signs and signals
• Drunk driving
• Texting while driving
• Tailgating (failure to keep a safe distance)
• Unsafe lane changes
• Driving without a valid license
• Entering bicycle lanes and opposite lanes (swerving)

Speeding, unlawful turns, and failure to yield accidents most commonly affect San Mateo cyclists. Bay Area visitors also frequently misunderstand local cycling rights or collide with bikers while distracted by GPS systems. Even seemingly innocuous actions, such as opening a car door without checking for cyclists, may contribute to negligence in an accident.

The experienced bike accident attorneys at Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP might quickly engage private crash investigators to preserve essential liability evidence, including your clothing, accident debris, and witness information.

Your experienced attorney might also request relevant police reports, demand local businesses preserve potential video evidence, and require negligent drivers to turn over accident photographs. The sooner you call an injury attorney following a bicycle accident, the more evidence we might obtain.

Compensable Injuries Commonly Suffered in San Mateo Bike Collisions

When bicycles and vehicles collide, it's not surprising that unprotected cyclists suffer from more serious injuries. Pursuing insurance settlements with liable drivers requires proof that the driver's careless conduct, such as distracted driving, caused a compensable injury.

Examples of the most common bicycle accident injuries include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries: A traumatic brain injury may range in severity, from a concussion to a skull fracture and brain death. Many bike accident fatalities result from head trauma. Even the best helmets cannot compensate for high-velocity collisions on El Camino Real.
• Spine & Spinal Cord Damages: Spinal cord injury conditions, such as paralysis, slipped discs, and nerve pain, commonly result from spinal injuries. Serious disabilities, including paraplegia, may occur when negligent drivers strike cyclists directly or run over fallen riders.
• Fractures: Wrist, ankle, and leg fractures commonly occur when cyclists use clip-ins and cannot fall safely after motor vehicle collisions. They might also result when heavy vehicles directly impact riders' bodies or high-speed collisions propel riders into the unforgiving pavement.
• Chest and Lung Punctures: Rear-ending cyclists can result in handlebars puncturing or otherwise bruising riders' chest cavities. This may cause serious internal bleeding, resulting in potentially fatal lung and heart damage.
• Road Rash (Friction Burns): Falls resulting from vehicle collisions often throw cyclists across rough sidewalks and pavement. The faster the vehicle is traveling, the more likely the rider will sustain an extremely painful road rash. These friction burns may require extensive debridement (medical cleaning), infection monitoring, skin grafts, and multiple cosmetic procedures.

Even seemingly minor conditions, such as mild concussions and abrasions, may cause debilitating secondary syndromes and complications. It's important to get prompt medical attention, no matter how seemingly minor your accident was. Even if you think you only got a few scrapes and bruises, you may have other injuries that require treatment without knowing it.

Knowledgeable bicycle accident lawyers in San Mateo might demand compensation for your medical bills, medications, physical therapy, corrective surgeries, lost income, pain, emotional suffering, and more.

How can cyclists recover compensation after San Mateo traffic accidents?

California law requires passenger vehicle owners to carry at least $15,000 in injury insurance and $5,000 in property damage insurance. These are low minimums that rarely compensate victims suffering from serious injuries. One night in the hospital can leave cyclists with a $15,000 bill.

Most personal injury cases settle out of court; however, some cases may develop into bicycle accident lawsuits, should an insurance company be unwilling to negotiate toward a fair settlement. While plaintiffs' lawyers generally start by making auto insurance claims, generally demanding the value of these low policies, they might also choose to file in civil court or negotiate private settlements with liable defendants.

In some cases, victims of drunk driving or road rage accidents might qualify for additional compensation from the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB). Experienced bicycle accident attorneys know how to maximize the value of your case.

How much does it cost to hire a Bay Area bike crash lawyer?

It will cost nothing upfront or out-of-pocket to retain needed personal injury attorneys in San Mateo. At Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP, we know that bicycle accident victims and their families already struggle with medical bills and lost wages. Our dedicated litigators accept viable cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we don't get paid unless and until you recover damages following a biking accident. This may include common traffic crashes and accidents caused by roadway debris and bicycle defects. We might even front all initial investigations, record requests, and court costs.

Connect With Our Top-Rated San Mateo Bicycle Injury Attorneys Today

There's no financial risk associated with scheduling a free and confidential consultation with the Bay Area bicycle accident team at Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP. We might help struggling victims recover needed damages for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain, bicycle damage, and more following San Mateo traffic accidents. Discuss your unique claims with our office today by calling a bike accident attorney at (650) 345-8484 or contacting us online.