Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Banning

Ideally, everyone who operates any kind of powered or unpowered machine on public roads in the Golden State should be able to trust everyone else around them to act responsibly and lawfully at all times. In reality, though, there are new examples every day of a motor vehicle driver’s negligence leading to one or more other people suffering serious injuries—and when bicyclists end up in incidents like this, they tend to be at especially high risk of sustaining life-changing harm.

If you want to effectively file suit over injuries you suffered in a bike crash, it is important to first know what kinds of situations can serve as valid grounds for this type of lawsuit. Here are some of the more common causes of bicycle accidents in Banning, which the bicycle injury lawyers at Walter Clark Legal Group have extensive experience building strong claims around.

Distracted and Drunk Driving

Despite numerous state laws prohibiting both driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and driving while distracted by or even physically holding a cell phone, drunk and distracted drivers still exist on California’s roads and highways. Even worse, they represent one of the most common causes not only of bicycle crashes in general, but specifically of bicycle crashes in Banning that occur at high speeds and cause especially serious harm as a result.

Right-of-Way Violations and Other Traffic Offenses

Unlike with pedestrians in crosswalks, motor vehicle drivers do not have to yield to bicyclists in bike lanes whenever those lanes intersect with lanes designed for vehicular traffic. However, those drivers do have to yield to bicyclists who have the right-of-way under standard California traffic laws, and a failure to do so could be the basis for a personal injury lawsuit if it directly leads to a bicyclist suffering an otherwise preventable injury.

Failure to Check Blind Spots

One common cause of bicycle wrecks in Banning compared to other types of traffic collisions is a driver neglecting to check their “blind spots”—areas right in front of, behind, and along both sides of motor vehicles which drivers cannot easily see into—before turning or changing lanes. Blind spots on modern vehicles are often big enough to hide a bicyclist entirely from a driver’s normal field of vision, so a driver who does not use their mirrors properly and collides with a bicyclist as a result has acted negligently by the letter of the law.

Are Bicyclists Ever Legally at Fault for Traffic Accidents?

One last thing worth mentioning here is that bicyclists are not immune from civil liability for accidents just because they are more likely to get hurt in a collision compared to someone inside a motor vehicle. In fact, any amount of “comparative fault” assigned to a bicyclist for causing their own accident through their own misconduct can be held against them as a proportional reduction from their final damage award—an outcome which a qualified lawyer can provide crucial help with avoiding.

Talk to a Banning Attorney About Filing Suit Over Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents

Bicycle accidents can happen just about anywhere for just about every reason imaginable. However, there are some particularly common causes of bicycle accidents in Banning that the team at Walter Clark Legal Group sees more often than others, and which can serve as strong grounds for legal action.

A conversation with a bicycle accident lawyer could provide vital information about what steps you should take next and how best to go about demanding the restitution you deserve. Call today to set up a confidential consultation.