Have you or someone you love been injured in a bicycle accident in Santa Ana? Did this accident cause you severe injury, trauma, or financial loss? If so, the Santa Ana personal injury attorneys at OnderLaw would like to speak with you about your eligibility for compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit.

We specialize in helping Santa Ana residents get compensation for their injuries, and we can do the same for you and your family. Call us today for a free consultation, and let us help you get the just compensation you deserve after a bicycle accident.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer for My Bicycle Accident?

We provide legal assistance for Santa Ana residents wishing to file either a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the party responsible for their injuries. This is a complex process and requires establishing that someone was negligent by providing evidence of the responsible party’s fault.

Injury victims in California aren’t required to hire an attorney to file an injury claim, but doing so brings several advantages that can make the ordeal simpler and easier for you and may even mean getting more compensation than you would on your own.

We can help explain how damages work and ensure that you’re demanding an amount of compensation that correlates with your injuries. Some damages relate to the material costs of treating or living with an injury, and some relate to the mental toll of dealing with the injury itself. An experienced attorney can help you decide which damages apply to your case and what amount of compensation to demand.

A bicycle accident that ends in severe injury is never a pleasant experience. Attempting to file a comprehensive and complete injury claim while also dealing with getting treatment for your injuries can be overwhelming. Your attorney can take the burden of building and filing your claim off your shoulders and allow you to use your time and energy to recover from your injury instead of filing paperwork or fielding calls from insurance adjusters. We work hard, so you don’t have to.

We can also help file a lawsuit if necessary. The majority of claims are finished with a settlement before the case goes to court. A settlement is a payment intended to compensate you for your losses if you drop any claim you have against the responsible party. If the insurance company doesn’t believe your case has merit, they can deny payment entirely, leaving you with few options. With a qualified attorney to assist you, you have the option of taking your case before a judge or jury with a lawsuit. Just the threat of suit can sometimes tilt the odds in your favor, as the costs of litigation and court fees can sometimes be higher than the cost of a fair settlement.

Hiring an attorney isn’t absolutely necessary, but it certainly helps.

Why Choose OnderLaw to Represent Me?

There are many reasons why OnderLaw is the right choice to help you with your bicycle accident case.

We have almost two decades of experience with personal injury law. We’ve seen every type of injury imaginable, from bicycle accident claims to wrongful death lawsuits, and we know the ins and outs of the claims process in California. We can use this wealth of experience to help you get the compensation you need.

We understand and appreciate how difficult a debilitating injury can be for our clients. We know you need more than quality legal counsel during this difficult time. You need an attorney that will provide support and guidance as well. We take this responsibility just as seriously as providing you with top-tier legal representation.

We work on a contingency fee arrangement because we know the cost of good legal services can put undue financial strain on some of our clients. This means there are no up-front costs for our work, and we only take payment for our services if we obtain money for you.

The main reason our clients choose OnderLaw is we get the results they need. We’ve distinguished ourselves by obtaining over $3 billion in settlements and awards since 2002. If you’re still not convinced, head over to our Testimonials page to hear from some of our past clients.

Bicycle Laws in Santa Ana

Here are some laws and ordinances relating to using a bicycle in Santa Ana and Orange County:

  • As in the rest of California, anyone under age 18 is required to wear a safety helmet when they ride a bicycle in Santa Ana.
  • Bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks in Santa Ana unless they can’t use the roadway. When using sidewalks, you must ride at a walking pace, and pedestrians have the right-of-way.
  • You must stop at all red lights and traffic signs, just like other vehicles on the road.
  • When using the roadway, you should attempt to move at the same speed as traffic. If you’re unable, you should move as far to the right of the roadway as possible.
  • California law requires cyclists to use hand signals when turning left or right.
  • It’s illegal to repair or attempt to sell bicycles on a public sidewalk in Santa Ana.

Causes of Bicycle Accidents

Bicycle accidents can often be more dangerous than motor vehicle accidents. This is due to several factors, including the lack of safety equipment on bicycles, their small size making them more difficult to see, especially in inclement weather or at night, and the fact that cyclists are normally required by law to share the road with vehicles many times their size.

Bicycle accidents have a variety of root causes in Santa Ana, including these driver behaviors:

  • Speeding
  • Distracted driving
  • Impaired driving
  • Dooring
  • Failure to yield
  • Failure to stop
  • Unsafe lane changes
  • Weaving through traffic
  • Turning without signaling

Common Injuries in Bicycle Accidents in Santa Ana

The range of injuries sustained in bicycle accidents is also greater than in car accidents for the same reasons these crashes are more dangerous than those involving only motor vehicles. Bicycles have little to no safety equipment, they must share the road with vehicles moving twice as fast and weighing 100 times more, and they are less visible in traffic. Some of the common bicycle injuries we see include:

  • Abrasions (road rash)
  • Broken bones
  • Sprains and strains
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Whiplash
  • Concussion
  • Facial and dental injuries
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Laceration
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Coma
  • Death

Compensation for Bicycle Accidents in Santa Ana

Compensation for any injury claim varies widely depending on the circumstances leading up to the accident and the severity of the injury. The amount you may be able to obtain is nearly impossible to estimate without a detailed review of your case, but in general, the more severe your injury, the more compensation you should demand from the responsible party.

Assessing the amount to demand requires a review of the losses you’ve sustained as a result of the accident. This applies to material losses as well as immaterial ones. Monetary losses are easy to tally and support with evidence, but the non-monetary losses are just as important and require the help of an attorney to understand and estimate accurately.

Economic damages are any losses with a definable monetary value, such as property damage. Some other examples include:

  • Lost wages
  • Medical bills
  • Transportation

Non-economic damages are losses without a specific monetary value. These damages relate to the effect the injury has on your well-being and mental health as opposed to the cost of treating or living with the injury. There are several categories, such as:

  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Reputational damage
  • Pain and suffering

In bicycle accidents involving gross negligence or intentional malice, California allows some claimants to pursue exemplary damages, or punitive damages, as well as compensatory damages. Exemplary damages do not compensate you for any loss but rather punish the responsible party for their negligent behavior and deter them from ever behaving the same way again. There is no cap on the amount of exemplary damages you might receive in California, but they are only awarded in cases of extreme malice, oppression, or fraud, and the burden of proof is much higher. These damages can only be awarded by the court.

Orange County and California Bicycle Accident Statistics

Here are some informative statistics regarding bicycle accidents in Santa Ana and elsewhere:

  • More than 2,500 collisions between cyclists and motorists were reported in Orange County last year.
  • More than 14 cyclists were killed on Orange County roads in 2018.
  • There were 4,570 bicyclist collisions in Orange County between 2015 and 2019, with 72 fatalities.
  • Between 2008 and 2017, 162 bicyclists were killed in California.
  • Bicyclists ages 45 and older are at the highest risk of serious injury.

Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you love suffered serious injury in a bicycle accident in Santa Ana, don’t wait any longer. Contact the attorneys at OnderLaw today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Even if you don’t choose us to represent you, we will still review your case and advise you about all the options available.

You have nothing to lose. Call today, and get on the road to recovery after a bicycle accident.