What to Do After a Bicycle Accident in California
A bicycle accident can leave a cyclist dealing with serious injuries, a damaged bicycle, medical treatment, missed work, and questions about what happened. When a cyclist is struck by a car, SUV, truck, rideshare vehicle, bus, or another motor vehicle, the difference in size and protection can make even a lower-speed collision dangerous.
California bicyclists have many of the same rights and responsibilities as other people using the road. Bicycle crashes can involve intersections, unsafe turns, bike lanes, opening vehicle doors, distracted drivers, hit-and-run vehicles, road hazards, and other situations.
What happens after a crash can also affect what information remains available later. Photos, witnesses, video, bicycle damage, medical records, insurance information, and other records may help explain the collision and its effects.
DAG Law Firm, APC represents cyclists injured in serious bicycle and e-bike accidents throughout California. You do not pay attorney fees unless we win your case. There are no upfront attorney fees for qualifying bicycle accident matters handled on a contingency-fee basis. Call (323) 930-2020 or contact DAG Law Firm today to discuss your bicycle accident.
Address Immediate Safety And Call 911 When Needed
Safety and urgent medical needs generally come first after a bicycle accident.
A crash scene may include moving cars, a damaged bicycle, broken glass, vehicle debris, limited visibility, an intersection, or other hazards. When someone can move safely without creating additional risk, getting away from active traffic may help prevent another collision.
A serious bicycle accident may require police, emergency medical services, or both. Emergency responders can address immediate medical concerns while law enforcement may document basic information about the crash.
A police investigation may identify the drivers, vehicles, witnesses, accident location, reported injuries, visible damage, and roadway conditions. A police report does not automatically determine who was responsible, but it may become one part of the information reviewed after the collision.
Someone who appears seriously hurt should avoid unnecessary movement and allow appropriate medical professionals to determine what assistance is needed.
Seek Appropriate Medical Evaluation After A Bicycle Crash
Bicycle accidents can cause injuries that are obvious immediately as well as symptoms that become more noticeable after the initial shock of the crash.
Potential injuries include concussions, traumatic brain injuries, facial injuries, neck and back injuries, shoulder injuries, broken wrists and arms, hip and knee injuries, leg fractures, internal injuries, cuts, and road rash.
Cyclists can experience more than one impact during the same crash. A rider may first strike a vehicle and then hit the pavement, curb, another vehicle, or another object.
Head injuries deserve particular attention because a cyclist may strike the roadway after being thrown from the bicycle. Wearing a helmet can provide important protection, but a helmet cannot prevent every head or brain injury.
Changes involving head pain, balance, memory, concentration, vision, sleep, coordination, or mood should be discussed with appropriate medical professionals.
Learn more about common injuries in California bicycle accident cases and DAG Law Firm’s brain injury practice.
Identify The Driver, Vehicle And Any Company Involved
When another vehicle is involved, identifying the driver and vehicle can be important.
Useful information may include the driver’s name, contact information, insurance company, license plate, vehicle make and model, and vehicle color. Photos of the vehicle and license plate may provide another record of that information.
It may also be important to determine whether the driver was working when the crash happened.
A bicycle accident can involve a delivery driver, rideshare driver, commercial truck, bus, company vehicle, service vehicle, construction vehicle, or another employee driving for work.
When a driver was working, the employer or another business may become relevant depending on the circumstances. A rideshare, delivery, trucking, transit, or other commercial vehicle can also create additional insurance questions.
Identifying these connections early may help determine which people, businesses, insurance policies, and records should be reviewed.
Learn more about who may be liable in a California bicycle accident.
Take Photos And Preserve The Bicycle And Damaged Equipment
When it can be done safely, photos may preserve conditions that change after everyone leaves the accident scene.
Useful photos may include the bicycle, other vehicles, license plates, vehicle damage, bicycle damage, intersection, traffic signals, stop signs, bike lane markings, skid marks, debris, roadway conditions, nearby businesses, and visible injuries.
The bicycle itself may also provide useful information about the crash. Damage to the wheels, frame, fork, handlebars, pedals, brakes, or other components can sometimes help show the type and location of an impact.
Photographing the bicycle before it is repaired or replaced can preserve its condition.
Depending on the accident, a cyclist may also want to keep the damaged helmet, clothing, shoes, backpack, lights, cycling computer, phone mount, and other damaged equipment.
The importance of each item depends on how the crash occurred.
Identify Witnesses, Nearby Cameras And Digital Records
Independent witnesses can become important when a driver and cyclist disagree about what happened.
Potential witnesses may include other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, nearby residents, business employees, bus passengers, rideshare passengers, or people waiting near an intersection.
When possible, saving a witness’s name and contact information may help make it possible to locate that person later.
Nearby video can also help explain a bicycle crash. Possible sources include traffic cameras, stores, restaurants, apartment properties, homes, parking structures, gas stations, buses, dashcams, rideshare vehicles, and other businesses.
Video may show vehicle movement, traffic signals, bicycle position, turning movements, a vehicle entering a bike lane, a door opening, or a driver leaving the scene.
Cyclists who use a cycling computer, GPS device, smartwatch, fitness application, e-bike application, or phone location service may also have digital information showing the route, time, location, or direction of travel.
Because some video systems automatically overwrite old recordings, identifying possible cameras early can matter.
Keep Insurance, Medical, Work And Expense Records
A bicycle accident can create many different records after the crash.
If another vehicle was involved, keep the driver’s insurance information along with claim numbers, letters, emails, and other insurance communications. Additional coverage may sometimes involve the vehicle owner, employer, rideshare company, delivery company, or another business.
Medical records may help show when the cyclist was evaluated, what injuries were identified, and what treatment followed. Records may include emergency care, hospital treatment, imaging, specialist visits, surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation, prescriptions, and medical bills.
A serious injury can also interfere with work. Pay records, schedules, employer communications, medical work restrictions, and other papers may help document missed shifts, reduced hours, or other employment effects.
Receipts for bicycle repairs, bicycle replacement, a damaged helmet, transportation, medical equipment, prescriptions, and other accident-related expenses may also be useful.
There is no standard settlement amount for a bicycle accident. Learn more about how much a California bicycle accident case may be worth.
Bike Lanes, Dooring, Distracted Drivers And Hit-And-Run Crashes
How the bicycle accident happened can affect which information becomes most important.
A bike-lane collision may involve a driver turning across the cyclist’s path, entering the bike lane, moving toward the curb, exiting a driveway, passing too closely, or stopping in the rider’s path. Traffic signals, lane markings, video, witnesses, and the positions of the bicycle and vehicle may help explain the sequence of events.
A dooring accident can happen when someone opens a vehicle door into the path of an approaching cyclist. Photos, surveillance video, bicycle damage, witnesses, and the position of the parked vehicle may become important.
Distracted-driving crashes may involve a motorist who does not see a cyclist before turning, changing lanes, entering a bicycle lane, leaving a driveway, or approaching an intersection.
A hit-and-run presents a different problem because the driver may not initially be known. Vehicle color, make and model, a partial license plate, direction of travel, witnesses, nearby cameras, dashcam footage, and debris left at the scene may help identify the vehicle.
Learn more about California bicycle laws, bicycle accidents caused by distracted drivers, dooring bicycle accidents, and hit-and-run bicycle accidents.
Road Hazards And Disputes About Responsibility
Not every bicycle accident involves another vehicle.
A cyclist may crash because of a large pothole, broken pavement, construction, debris, an unsafe drainage grate, or another road condition. In these situations, identifying who owned, controlled, or maintained the location may become important.
A city, county, contractor, property owner, or another party may potentially be connected to a dangerous condition depending on where and how the crash happened.
Bicycle accidents can also result in different accounts of the same collision. A driver may claim that the cyclist entered an intersection unexpectedly, failed to stop, changed lanes, was outside a bike lane, or was difficult to see. The cyclist may describe an unsafe turn, lane movement, close pass, opening door, or another event.
The complete sequence matters. Photos, roadway markings, traffic signals, video, witnesses, vehicle damage, bicycle damage, and other information may help explain what occurred.
The fact that someone claims the cyclist did something wrong does not by itself resolve responsibility for the crash.
Bicycle Accident Deadlines And Why Acting Early Can Matter
California bicycle accident deadlines depend on the circumstances and on who may be involved.
An ordinary personal injury case involving private parties generally follows a different timeline from a claim involving a city, county, public transportation agency, dangerous public road condition, or another government entity.
Government-related injury claims can have much earlier requirements. A personal injury claim against a government agency generally must first be submitted to the appropriate agency within six months of the injury, subject to exceptions and additional rules.
Other deadlines may apply after an agency responds. Hit-and-run accidents, minors, wrongful death claims, property damage, and other situations can also raise different timing questions.
A cyclist should not assume that every bicycle accident has the same deadline.
Timing can also matter for reasons beyond filing a lawsuit. Surveillance video may be overwritten, witnesses may become harder to locate, vehicles and bicycles may be repaired, road conditions may change, and debris may disappear.
Learn more about how long you may have to file a bicycle accident claim in California.
California Bicycle Accident Resources And How DAG Law Firm Can Help
After a serious bicycle accident, health and immediate safety generally come first. When circumstances allow, identifying the driver, saving insurance information, taking photos, preserving the bicycle, gathering witness information, identifying cameras, and keeping medical and accident-related records may also help create a clearer record of what happened.
DAG Law Firm’s California bicycle accident resources provide more information about who may be liable in a bicycle accident, how much a bicycle accident case may be worth, common bicycle accident injuries, California bicycle laws, distracted-driver bicycle accidents, dooring accidents, hit-and-run bicycle accidents, and bicycle accident filing deadlines.
DAG Law Firm, APC represents cyclists injured in qualifying bicycle and e-bike accidents throughout California. Whether a crash involved an unsafe turn, bike lane, distracted driver, opening vehicle door, hit-and-run motorist, rideshare vehicle, commercial driver, public bus, or dangerous roadway condition, the specific people involved, injuries, insurance, records, and circumstances matter.
Learn more about California bicycle accident claims and the types of cases DAG Law Firm handles.
You do not pay attorney fees unless we win your case. There are no upfront attorney fees for qualifying bicycle accident matters handled on a contingency-fee basis. Call (323) 930-2020 or contact DAG Law Firm today to discuss your bicycle accident.
