Bicycle Accidents

Published on: June 1, 2023

Why Los Angeles Bike Accidents are on the Rise: Causes and Preventive Measures

Los-Angeles-Bicycle-Accident-Attorneys Cycling in Los Angeles, a city known for its sprawling urban landscape, endless traffic, and sunny weather, can be both exhilarating and treacherous. Recently, there’s been a concerning surge in bike accidents. Understanding the reasons behind this rise and the preventive measures we can take is crucial for every cyclist and motorist in the city.

The Rising Trend

Over the past few years, Los Angeles has seen an increase in bike accidents. With more people using bicycles for commuting, exercise, and leisure, the risk of accidents has inherently grown. According to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, cyclist injuries and fatalities constitute a significant percentage of all roadway accidents in the city. This upward trend calls for an urgent examination of its causes and effective solutions.

Published on: April 28, 2023

California Bicycle Laws

by Steven M. Sweat

As California bicycle accident attorneys, we like to inform cyclists of their legal rights when it comes to riding a bike in the Golden State. California has specific laws that apply to bicyclists. These laws are designed to help ensure the safety of bicyclists and other road users. If you’re a bicyclist in California, it’s important to understand these laws and follow them to avoid accidents and potential legal consequences.

Here are some of the key bicycle laws in California:

Helmet Laws: In California, all bicyclists under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that all bicyclists wear a helmet, regardless of their age.

Published on: January 20, 2023

California Expands Law on Motorists Passing Bicycles

by Steven M. Sweat

Many Californians enjoy bicycling as a fun recreational activity, an opportunity to get exercise while enjoying the outdoors, and as a means of transportation. As cycling has increased in popularity in the last few years because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of bicycle accidents and resulting injuries have sharply increased. An Oct. 2021 report by the American College of Surgeons found that trauma caused by bicycle accidents surged by 100% during pandemic-related lockdowns.

Some of the dangers involved with riding bicycles can be attributed to sharing the roads with motor vehicles. Both cyclists and motorists must understand the rules of the road and their responsibilities while riding or driving. To try to curb the number of bicycle accidents and their resulting injuries and fatalities, the California Legislature recently passed a bill that aims to protect bicyclists and decrease the danger that they will be involved in accidents. This law became effective on Jan. 1, 2023. Here’s some information about the new law and its impact on the rights and responsibilities of motorists who share the roads with bicyclists.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

Published on: November 16, 2021

Criminal Charges Filed Against Driver Who Hit Six Cyclists

by Steven M. Sweat

In Sept. 2021, an incident involving a 16-year-old teenager who struck six cyclists after blowing clouds of exhaust fumes on a group of cyclists was widely reported in the news media. The incident happened in Texas. Initially, the teen was released by the police from the scene without charges. However, the district attorney’s office in the county where the incident happened recently filed charges against the teen.

While the case is pending in Texas, if a similar incident happened in California, the perpetrator would also likely be charged with serious crimes. In either state, the injured victims would also be entitled to pursue compensation through personal injury claims regardless of the outcome of the criminal case against the defendant. Here is some information about the incident and how it might be handled if it happened in California.

Texas incident

Published on: July 12, 2021

CicLAvia Returns to Los Angeles to Promote Cycling

by Steven M. Sweat

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Los Angeles should be the perfect setting for riding bicycles, but the lack of bicycle infrastructure and heavy traffic makes it dangerous. Fortunately, a long-running festival is set to return to the city this year. CicLAvia is scheduled to return to Los Angeles after a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This open street bicycling festival will begin on Aug. 15 in Wilmington followed by events on Oct. 10 in downtown LA and Dec. 5 in South LA. CicLavia is operated by a nonprofit organization with the goal of promoting public health and mass transit. During the event, streets along the route will be closed and filled with cyclists, pedestrians, and vendors.

History of CicLAvia

The first CicLAvia festival was held in October 2010. Organizers modeled the event on the regular car-free festivals that are held in Bogota, Colombia each Sunday. More than 100,000 people attended the first CicLAvia festival in 2010, far exceeding the nonprofit’s expectations. The first event featured open streets stretching from East Hollywood to Boyle Heights, drawing many people outdoors to enjoy the open, traffic-free spaces and fresh air.

Published on: March 16, 2020

CA Court Rules on Bike Accident Claim Against City of Los Angeles

by Steven M. Sweat

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In California, cities have immunity when people are injured while using paved or unpaved trails because of the design or location of the trail. The immunity does not apply when the injuries are caused by a dangerous condition that is unrelated to the trail, however. In Reed v. City of Los Angeles, Cal. Ct. App., Case No. B294531, the courts considered whether a badminton rope stretched across a bicycle trail was an unrelated dangerous condition or could have caused injuries to people regardless of whether they were using the trail.[1]

Factual and procedural background

On Sept. 12, 2015, Sells Reed III was riding his bicycle at 5:30 a.m. on a paved path that was adjacent to some sports fields in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. Some people who were not connected to the City of Los Angeles had stretched a rope of a badminton net across the path. Reed did not see the rope and struck it, causing him to fall backward from his bicycle and to suffer multiple injuries. He filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles, alleging that the city had constructive notice of the existence of a dangerous condition on public property or that the city’s public employees were negligent in the performance of their jobs, resulting in his injuries.

Published on: February 21, 2020

Los Angeles Traffic Deaths Jump Despite Vision Zero

by Steven M. Sweat

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Countries and cities around the world have started Vision Zero initiatives to eliminate all traffic fatalities. In 2015, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti started the city’s Vision Zero initiative to work toward the elimination of all traffic deaths by 2025. Unfortunately, data demonstrates that traffic fatalities have continued to rise despite the initiative. There are several reasons why the traffic fatality rates show no signs of slowing, including poor infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians, distracted driving, and traffic congestion on the city’s streets and roadways.

Statistics

According to data released by Vision Zero and reported by the Los Angeles Times, 244 people died in traffic accidents in Los Angeles in 2019. While this represents a slight decrease of 0.8% from 2018, the statistics about pedestrian and cyclist deaths are more troubling. Since the start of Vision Zero in 2015 in the city, the total number of traffic fatalities has increased by 33%. Pedestrians represent a small percentage of accidents that occurred at 8%. However, they represent 44% of the fatalities that happened over the five years since the start of Vision Zero. In 2019, pedestrians represented 55% of the traffic fatalities that happened in Los Angeles.

Published on: September 26, 2019

Is Los Angeles the Most Dangerous City in America to Ride a Bike?

by Steven M. Sweat

Los Angeles should be one of the best cities to ride bicycles in the U.S. With its balmy weather, year-round warmth, sunshine, and spectacular views, bicyclists should be able to enjoy riding their bicycles for recreation and transportation. The streets are very congested, making bicycling a good option for getting to your destination faster than you might if you drove your car. While these factors should make Los Angeles ideal for bicycle riding, it is instead the most dangerous city in America for people to ride their bicycles. The dangers to cyclists in Los Angeles result from several different factors that the city needs to address.

Statistics

From 2014 to 2016, 180 bicyclists were killed in Los Angeles, and many others were seriously injured. The city had more bicycle fatalities than any other city in the U.S. It also surpassed the bicycle fatality rates of every state other than California, Florida, and New York.[1] The high number of fatalities results from several factors, including congestion, a lack of bicycle infrastructure, poor road maintenance, and failures to act by politicians.

Published on: September 3, 2019

Why are there so many bicycle accident in urban areas like Los Angeles?

by Steven M. Sweat

Why do urban areas like Los Angeles CA have so many bicycle accidents? While there has been a large push in cities around the world to encourage cycling, some major urban areas, including Los Angeles, have entrenched safety problems for cyclists. In 2018, Bicycling Magazine named Los Angeles as the worst city in the U.S. for bicyclists and reported that Los Angeles County had more cyclist deaths than all but three states as a whole during the three years from 2014 to 2016. While the city has engaged in efforts to reduce bicycle and other traffic fatalities, the data demonstrates that more needs to be done.

The problem of bicycle fatalities in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has attempted to address the problems of bicycle safety by devoting additional funds to safety projects such as road diets. Despite these efforts, however, cycling fatalities have increased. In 2018, for example, preliminary data for Los Angeles shows that 21 cyclists were killed in accidents with motor vehicles, which was an increase from the 17 who were killed in 2015 at the beginning of the Vision Zero initiative.

Published on: July 18, 2019

Award of $250,000 To Parents of Boy Killed in Bike Accident Upheld

by Steven M. Sweat

People who lose loved ones in accidents that are caused by the negligence of others have the right to file wrongful death lawsuits against the responsible parties. When they are unable to reach a settlement agreement, they can go to jury trials. In Hernandez v. First Student, Inc., Cal. Ct. App. Case No. B281161, the parents of a 13-year-old boy who was killed while riding his bicycle went to trial. However, they did not secure the outcome that they wanted and filed an appeal. The case demonstrates the importance of making timely objections during a trial to preserve the record on appeal. If an attorney fails to make objections at the proper time, the arguments may be forfeited on appeal.

Factual and procedural background

On May 2, 2013, 13-year-old Jonathan Hernandez was riding his bicycle on a sidewalk. He entered into the street without stopping, and he was struck by a school bus. The bus was being driven by Barbara Calderon and was owned by First Student. At the time, Calderon was returning the bus to the school after completing her route. Michael Kennedy was an aide who was also on the school bus at the time.