As we continue through National Safety Month, we want to highlight a potential danger that anyone who lives in San Diego County has encountered: sharing the road with people riding bicycles. Whether we are driving or riding a bicycle, this situation is one that can lead to stress and much worse if mistakes are made.
Every San Diego bicycle accident lawyer with any experience has heard many horrifying stories of devastation, as the forces at work when a vehicle collides with a bicycle are clearly far from equal. Below you’ll find some statistics relating to bicycle accidents. You’ll also find some ideas for bicyclists and motorists to keep in mind in hopes of minimizing the chance that you or someone you love will be involved in such a disastrous crash.
The California Office of Traffic Safety, or OTS, keeps and organizes data that relates to all different types of traffic accidents that occur throughout the state. A link to a breakdown of the statistics regarding traffic crashes in San Diego County can be found here. The most recent data available from the OTS is from the calendar year of 2013.
During that year, 875 bicyclists were either killed or injured in San Diego County bicycle accidents. Of those 875 people, 58 were younger than 15 years old. That’s nearly 17 people every week who suffer through a bicycle accident in San Diego County.
The only reason a San Diego bicycle lawyer would get involved with the aftermath of an accident is because someone made a mistake that led to harm. Below are some ideas for motorists to consider as they share the roads with bicyclists:
It should be said that it’s not always motorists who are at fault for these crashes. Bicyclists should keep some things in mind as well while on the roads. A few ideas include:
We certainly hope that you ride safely, but if you or someone you love is harmed in this type of a crash, you will also need to make sure that you take steps to protect your legal rights.
Contact a San Diego bicycle accident attorney at Gomez Trial Attorneys to schedule a free initial consultation.
John Gomez founded the firm alone in 2005. Today, John acts as President and Lead Trial Attorney. He has been voted by his peers as a top ten San Diego litigator in three separate fields: Personal Injury, Insurance and Corporate Litigation. Since 2000, he has recovered over $800 million in settlements and verdicts for his clients with more than 160 separate recoveries of one million dollars or more. A prolific trial lawyer, John has tried to jury verdict more than 60 separate cases.
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No Fees Unless We Recover Money On Your Behalf