Bicycle Accident Lawyer in San Mateo, CA

San Mateo County is home to one of California’s most active cycling communities. On any given weekend, you’ll find groups cruising up Cañada Road for Bicycle Sunday, solo commuters navigating Whipple Avenue, and families enjoying the Bay Trail. Cycling in this part of the Bay Area is popular for good reason: it’s sustainable, healthy, and practical.

Unfortunately, accidents can still happen even with such a robust cycling culture. When bike and e-bike crashes happen, the risk of severe injuries is high. The attorneys at Danko Meredith are here to help. Based here in San Mateo County, our team can help accident survivors and their families seek compensation to aid in recovery and moving forward.

To set up a free consultation with our bicycle and e-bike accident lawyers near San Mateo, CA, contact our Bay Area law firm today. You can also call Danko Meredith at (650) 453-3600.

Where Bike and E-Bike Accidents Happen in San Mateo

Despite the strong cycling community in San Mateo County, bike and e-bike accidents can still occur along these major roads:

• El Camino Real: Many local cyclists avoid taking El Camino Real because of the high-traffic volume and high speeds. The biggest danger is crossing El Camino Real from any safer roads.
• San Mateo Drive/California Drive: While the road seems safer than major arterials in the area, many cyclists still face dangers due to narrow roads, incomplete cycling infrastructure, on-street parking, and traffic or crossing hazards from the nearby Caltrain line.
• Fashion Island Boulevard: If cyclists wind up on Fashion Island Boulevard, they have to be wary of narrow lanes, heavy traffic, and aggressive drivers, especially getting near the ramps to Highway 101.
• 19th Avenue: Many drivers use 19th Avenue as an alternative to busier streets in San Mateo, which means more traffic than cyclists may expect. The street parking and narrow roadways mean a greater risk of getting doored.

In addition to these urban areas, many local cyclists also ride along Whipple Avenue, the Bay Trail, and Cañada Road, particularly on Bicycle Sunday. While popular with cyclists on the Peninsula and throughout the Bay Area, there’s still a risk of serious crashes in these places.

Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in San Mateo

At Danko Meredith, our bicycle accident attorneys carefully investigate each bike and e-bike crash to understand what went wrong and who is legally responsible. Here are some common causes of bike accidents in San Mateo.

Dooring

Dooring occurs when drivers or passengers open their doors into a bike lane or traffic as a cyclist approaches. These kinds of bike and e-bike accidents can cause severe injuries to cyclists.

Unsafe Turns and Passing

Drivers may be too impatient, attempting to overtake a cyclist for a right turn or to get into a driveway. In fact, some drivers might even refuse to yield the right of way or simply lose sight of a cyclist in their blind spot.

Speeding and Reckless Driving

All kinds of reckless actions behind the wheel can endanger cyclists and pedestrians. This includes excessive speed, frequent lane changes, not using turn signals, and ignoring traffic signs.

Distracted Driving

Examples of driver distraction include texting while driving, rubbernecking, looking up directions, and adjusting vehicle settings on a screen. Some drivers can also be inattentive if they rely too heavily on their car’s self-driving mode.

Drunk/Intoxicated Driving

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol puts countless people at risk. When an impaired driver causes a crash involving a bike or e-bike in San Mateo County, our lawyers can hold them accountable. The DUI accident lawsuit is separate from any criminal charges the intoxicated driver will face.

Bicycle/E-Bike Defects

Various mechanical failures or design flaws could result in a major bike crash. In the case of e-bikes, there may be issues with the top speed or other features that result in cyclists losing control.

Hazards in the Road or with Road Design

Cyclists face many safety hazards when roads are not maintained. Potential dangers include potholes, uneven pavement, broken streetlights, malfunctioning traffic signals, and obstructed views at intersections.

Potential Injuries in a Bike Accident

Even if a cyclist is wearing a helmet, they can experience major injuries that can have lasting effects on their life.

• Broken Bones and Joints: A hard fall can cause cracked ribs, broken wrists, broken arms, and other types of fractures.
• Head Trauma and Brain Injuries: Even with a helmet, cyclists can suffer severe head trauma, including traumatic brain injuries (TBI) like concussions and brain contusions.
• Face and Dental Injuries: Cyclists can suffer major facial injuries and dental trauma in a crash, such as tooth loss, tooth fractures, broken noses, and other kinds of injuries.
• Road Rash and Other Soft Tissue Injuries: Cyclists can experience major lacerations, road rash, ligament injuries, and injuries to muscles.
• Damage to Internal Organs: The impact of a bike collision can cause harm to various internal injuries, including trauma to the lungs, kidneys, liver, and spleen.
• Neck, Back, and Spine Injuries: A hard fall can cause ruptured discs, fractured vertebrae, and injuries to the spinal cord that cause partial paralysis, paraplegia, or quadriplegia.

E-Bike Crashes Can Cause Fatal and Catastrophic Injuries

The rise of e-bikes in San Mateo County has resulted in many serious injuries in recent years. These e-bikes can reach speeds of 20 mph and higher.

Greater speed means more serious impacts during collisions, a higher risk of cyclists losing control of their e-bike, and a danger of catastrophic injuries or fatalities.

Compensation After a Bicycle or E-Bike Accident

Our San Mateo County bicycle and e-bike accident attorneys will fight to recover the full spectrum of damages available under California law, which includes economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are the financial losses tied to the accident and your injuries. This includes:

• Past, Current, and Future Medical Bills: Emergency or stabilizing care, surgery, physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and ongoing medical visits.
• Damage to Property: Repair or replacement of the bike or e-bike, as well as any costs due to damaged personal belongings and other property.
• Lost Wages and Future Earnings: Loss of income due to leave or time off while healing, and diminished earning capacity if injuries change career prospects.
• Accommodations for Disability: Changes to your home, transportation, or lifestyle if a catastrophic bike injury results in long-term or permanent disability.
• Funeral Expenses: Costs of burial, cremation, and remembrance services if you lose a family member in a fatal bicycle or e-bike accident.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages cover the deeply personal and emotional consequences of your injuries.

• Pain and Suffering: Chronic pain after a bike or e-bike crash, in addition to emotional distress from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Reduced Quality of Life: Loss of enjoyment in hobbies and other daily activities, as well as decreased feelings of contentment, happiness, and overall well-being.
• Loss of Consortium: When a bicycle injury affects a person’s ability to share affection, intimacy, and love with a partner or spouse.
• Loss of Companionship: The loss of a loved one’s society, help around the home, or parenting after a fatal bike or e-bike accident.

Punitive Damages

In rare cases of gross negligence, it’s possible to receive punitive damages after a bike or e-bike accident. Also known as exemplary damages, punitive damages punish the negligent party rather than compensating accident victims or their families for their losses.

Our bike accident lawyers near San Mateo can let you know if you may be able to seek punitive damages in your case.

California’s Pure Comparative Negligence Rule

Pure comparative negligence means that you can seek compensation after a bicycle accident if you were partly or mostly at fault. Your share of liability will be deducted from your compensation.

For example, say that you were in an e-bike crash near the Bay Trail and were awarded $100,000, but you were 25% at fault. Because of pure comparative negligence, you would still receive $75,000.

Insurance companies will try to shift as much blame onto cyclists as possible in order to reduce payouts. The attorneys at Danko Meredith will push back against claims of fault so you can receive as much compensation as possible.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Bicycle Accident in San Mateo?

Liability in a bike or e-bike accident depends on how and where the crash happened. The attorneys at Danko Meredith will ensure the right party is held responsible. Potentially liable parties include:

• Negligent Drivers: This includes drunk, reckless, and distracted motorists and commercial drivers.
• Employers of Negligent Drivers: This includes freight companies, package delivery services, and rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft.
• Bike/E-Bike Manufacturers: This includes the maker of the bicycle or e-bike, as well as manufacturers of any parts.
• San Mateo County or California Road Authorities: This includes the city of San Mateo and agencies like SamTrans or Caltrain.

Real Bicycle Accident Case Results from Danko Meredith

Here are two of our past verdicts and settlements that involved biking accidents. In both of these cases, we took on the respective states for problems with road design and road maintenance.

$9.5 Million Verdict: Fatal Accident Involving a Cyclist

A 62-year-old Redwood City man named Chris Chandler was hit by a car while crossing El Camino Real. The police claimed Chris rode his bike into oncoming traffic and treated his case as a possible suicide. That was not the case. Eyewitnesses confirmed to us that Chris was in a marked crosswalk and walking his bike when he was killed.

Through uncovered state documents, we learned that this crosswalk was deemed unsafe because yielding vehicles could block a person’s view of oncoming traffic. The state of California refused to fix this dangerous crosswalk because not enough pedestrians or cyclists were hurt to justify the expenditure.

The state’s best settlement offer before trial was just $100,000. The jury agreed with us that the crosswalk was not safe, Chris could not have avoided the fatal accident, and Chris was not to blame in any way.

In a unanimous verdict, the jury awarded Chris’ family $9.5 million.

$2.2 Million Judgement: Cyclist Brain Injury

In another past case, we secured a $2.2 million jury verdict against the state of Hawaii for a 41-year-old cyclist who suffered a serious brain injury. The cyclist was training for a triathlon an hour before dawn. He lost control of his bicycle on Kalanianaole Highway and landed on his head.

There were no witnesses to the bike accident itself, but we reconstructed what happened using fibers left in the pavement and by examining two punctures in the bike’s front tire.

The cyclist fell near the shoulder of the road by some white reflector poles. One reflector pole was missing, leaving just the black base mount. The cyclist could not see this black base mount, ran over it (puncturing his tire), and lost control.

Our team also tracked down multiple witnesses who noted that the white reflector pole had been missing for months. Further research found that the poles should not have been placed in the path of cyclists to begin with.

While the state of Hawaii refused to accept responsibility for what happened, the judge agreed with our team, awarding our client $2.2 million.

Deadline to File a Bicycle Accident Lawsuit in California

In California, you generally have two years from the date of the bicycle or e-bike accident to file a personal injury claim or wrongful death claim. You cannot take legal action after the two-year statute of limitations has expired.

Exceptions to the Two-Year Statute of Limitations

There are a few exceptions to the two-year deadline. For example, you have only six months to act if your accident involved a local, state, or federal government agency or employee.

Why It’s Best to Speak with a Bike Accident Attorney ASAP

It’s best to speak with our San Mateo County bicycle and e-bike accident lawyers as soon as possible. The attorneys at Danko Meredith can begin collecting evidence, building your case, negotiating a fair settlement, and meeting all key deadlines.

How a San Mateo Bicycle Accident Lawyer Can Help with Your Claim

Don’t face the claims process alone. By hiring a bicycle or e-bike accident attorney from Danko Meredith, you can experience the following benefits.

• Learn How Much Your Claim Is Really Worth: Our lawyers will help calculate current losses and estimate the long-term effects of your injuries on your health and quality of life.
• Gather Evidence and Secure Witness Testimony: Danko Meredith can investigate the accident site and compile testimony from witnesses about what happened and/or where the crash occurred.
• Access to Expert Witnesses and Other Resources: Our law firm has access to some of the leading expert witnesses in the country. These experts can help us build a compelling case for you.
• Communication and Negotiation with Insurance Companies: Our attorneys know how to negotiate with insurance companies and the tactics they use. We won’t back down because we know the true value of your claim.
• Representation If Your Case Goes to Trial: Our bike accident lawyers are prepared to go to trial if it’s best for your case. We can also leverage this during settlement negotiations.
• Peace of Mind During a Difficult Process: Let our law firm focus on the paperwork, deadlines, and investigation. You can focus on recovering from your injuries and planning for the future.

Why Choose Danko Meredith for Your Bike Accident Case in San Mateo

The team at Danko Meredith is proud to represent accident victims throughout San Mateo County. We know how serious bike and e-bike accidents can be, which is why our lawyers look out for families in San Mateo and neighboring communities along the Peninsula.

• A Record of Handling Complex Accident Cases: Danko Meredith was established in 2009 to represent working Californians harmed by powerful entities. We have a track record of success in high-stakes litigation and standing up to giants.
• We’re Ready to Go to Trial If It’s Best for You: Our law firm won’t let corporations, insurance companies, or the state push you around. Our lawyers are ready to push back and even go to trial if it’s best for you.
• If Our Lawyers Don’t Win, You Don’t Pay: Our law firm offers free case reviews, and our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. That means you only pay if our lawyers secure a settlement or win a verdict in court.

Contact Our Bike Accident Attorneys Near San Mateo, CA

If you’re a cyclist who got seriously hurt in a crash, you need lawyers who can advocate for you and who understand the full extent of your injuries. Danko Meredith is ready to take on insurance companies, bike manufacturers, and even local and state governments. For a free consultation with our bicycle and e-bike accidents lawyers near San Mateo, CA, contact our Bay Area law firm today. You can also call our attorneys at (650) 453-3600.