North Highlands Bicycle Crash
While having a North Highlands bicycle crash is a devastating experience, riding a bicycle is a wonderful exercise. It is an inexpensive way to run errands and go to work and allows its riders to enjoy the outdoors. However, although bicyclists account for only about one percent of those who use this form of transportation, there were nearly 467,000 injuries and more than 1,000 deaths to bicyclists in 2015, most of them caused by traffic accidents.
Risk Factors in a Bicycle Crash
In a North Highlands bicycle crash, as well as in other locations, certain risk factors make it more likely that an accident will occur. These risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include:
- Age: Bicycle riders between the ages of 50 and 59 exhibit the highest risk of a fatality in an accident. This may be because more older people are taking up bicycle riding for exercise and as a family activity.
- Male bicycle riders die six times more often than females. They also are four times more likely to be injured than female riders in a North Highlands bicycle crash.
- More than one-third of all bicyclist injuries are to children and teens.
- Urban areas are more likely to be the scene of a bicycle accident than in rural areas.
- Thirty-seven percent of either bicycle riders or motorists were impaired by alcohol at the time of a collision.
Compensation in a North Highlands Bicycle Crash
California operates as a comparative fault state. This means that more than one party may be at fault in a North Highlands bicycle crash. A percentage of that fault is assigned to the driver and the rider if both were negligent. For example, the rider may have neglected to indicate a right turn, while the driver may have been speeding and turning in the same direction. The driver might be assigned 70 percent of the negligence in the accident, while the bicycle rider might be assigned 30 percent. In this case, the bicycle rider would still be able to obtain 70 percent of the compensation that is awarded. A lawyer experienced in handling cases involving cyclists can help by reviewing evidence, performing accident reconstruction, along with other methods, and build a claim for compensation for the injured rider.
How Motorists Exhibit Negligence in a North Highlands Bicycle Crash
Ninety-five percent of all traffic accidents are caused by motorists and involve some type of driver error. The most common errors committed by drivers that can result in a collision with a bicycle rider include:
Disobeying the distance law from bicyclists: In California, motorists are mandated by law to keep three feet away from any bicycle rider. Failure to do so, which results in an accident, can be considered negligent.
- Speeding: Speeding is the number one cause of traffic collisions. A driver who is speeding is less likely to see a bicyclist and requires more time to stop in an emergency situation.
- Distracted driving: Texting or talking on a cell phone is a major cause of traffic accidents. Other forms of distraction include eating while driving, changing a radio station or accessing GPS.
- Driver fatigue: Drivers who do shift work, don’t get sufficient sleep the night before or suffer from sleep apnea are more likely to be involved in a collision with a bicycle rider.
North Highlands Bicycle Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a North Highlands bicycle accident lawyer. When a North Highlands bicycle crash caused by a negligent driver results in medical expenses, lost wages and other costs, you might be able to receive the compensation you deserve. Contact me at (916) 921-6400, and I will be honored to give you free and friendly advice. You can reach me at (800) 404-5400 if you are calling from other parts of Northern California, and you have the option of going to my website at AutoAccident.com and connecting with me by filling out the online form.
I’m a proud member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, which is a group that invites only the top lawyers in the country to join who have proven high legal standards. In addition, I’m a member of Million Dollar Advocates, a group of the top trial lawyers who have obtained either a case settlement or verdict in excess of $1 million for a client.
I’ve helped many North Highlands residents, as well as numerous Northern Californians, for 37 years to obtain compensation in all types of motor vehicle accidents, wrongful deaths, and brain injuries.
To find out more about my law firm, visit the following pages to see client reviews and some of our previous cases and how they were resolved at:
Photo Attribution: Depositphotos_1242210_l-2015
:cd llo [cs 798] cv