Masjedian Law Firm · Accidents
Bicycle Accidents
Cyclists have full rights to the road. When a driver’s carelessness puts a rider down, we prosecute the claim with the same seriousness as any vehicle collision.
Cyclists have full rights to the road. When a driver’s carelessness puts a rider down, we prosecute the claim with the same seriousness as any vehicle collision.
A cyclist hit by a car suffers car-crash forces with no steel around them. Doorings, right-hook and left-cross turns, unsafe passes, and drivers drifting into bike lanes account for most serious bicycle collisions — and nearly all of them are preventable driver failures.
California law protects riders explicitly. The Three Feet for Safety Act (Vehicle Code § 21760) requires drivers to give at least three feet when passing a cyclist. Opening a door into traffic without checking violates § 22517. Cyclists generally hold the same road rights and duties as drivers (§ 21200). These statutes give bicycle cases sharp legal teeth.
Common defense themes — and answers. “The cyclist came out of nowhere” meets sight-line analysis and camera footage. “No helmet” matters only to head-injury causation, not to who caused the crash. Comparative negligence arguments are contested percentage by percentage, because each point is money off a serious claim.
Damages in bicycle cases. Fractures, shoulder and clavicle injuries, head trauma, dental and facial injury, and the bike itself. We document current care, project future treatment, capture lost work, and pursue every applicable policy — including your own UM/UIM coverage when the driver is uninsured or flees.
Why this firm. Insurers discount cyclist claims expecting an unrepresented rider or a volume firm. A trial-prepared file resets that expectation.
California Vehicle Code § 21760 requires a driver passing a cyclist to leave at least three feet of clearance, or to slow and pass only when safe if three feet isn’t possible. A violation is strong evidence of negligence in a passing collision.
California law (§ 22517) prohibits opening a vehicle door into moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe. The person who opened the door — and their insurer — is typically liable for a dooring crash.
California’s general statute of limitations for personal injury is two years from the date of injury (CCP § 335.1). Shorter deadlines can apply — notably a six-month government claim requirement when a public entity is involved — so it is best to speak with an attorney promptly.
Adults are not required by California law to wear helmets, and the absence of one is relevant only to head-injury causation, not to fault for the collision. It does not bar your claim.
These cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis. You pay nothing up front and owe no attorney’s fee unless the firm recovers money for you.
Submissions are reviewed directly by the attorney. Confidential.