Oakland Bicycle Accident Lawyers
At Estey Bomberger, we handle far more bicycle accident personal injury and wrongful death claims that most California personal injury law firms. As an avid cyclist and personal injury attorney, founding partner Mike Bomberger is sensitive to the dangers that a cyclist faces on the road and has dedicated himself to representing bicycle accident victims and their families in personal injury claims. Mike's expertise as a cyclist and a personal injury attorney has led him to be particularly knowledgeable and successful in bicycle accident litigation. With Mike’s unique cyclist perspective and a skilled legal team, the Oakland bike accident lawyers at Estey Bomberger recovered millions of dollars in damages for personal injury and wrongful death claims resulting from bicycle accidents.
Who is Responsible for a Bicycle Accident?
Cyclists are often blamed for accidents that are in fact caused by automobile drivers. A collision with a motor vehicle may only account for one third of all bicycle accidents, but they are responsible for the majority of catastrophic injuries and deaths, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A large percentage of vehicle vs. cyclist collisions are due to the fact that drivers could not see the cyclist before hitting them. However, simply stating the cyclist was not visible does not excuse the driver of responsibility. If the cyclist was following all traffic laws, and the driver should have seen the cyclist, the driver may be liable. In cases where a bicycle accident occurred because of faulty bike parts, helmet failure, or dangerous road conditions, a manufacturer, distributor, retailer or government entity could be responsible for any injuries or wrongful death that the cyclist suffered.
Oakland Bicycle Accident Injuries
Bicycle accidents cause very serious injuries. According to the NHTSA, head trauma is responsible for 75 percent of all serious injuries and fatalities for a bicycle accident victim. Head injuries are classified as either external or internal. External head injuries are usually surface wounds to the scalp while internal head injuries may damage the brain and skull. External and internal head injuries can lead to more specific problems that include: skull fractures, hemorrhaging, subdural or epidural hematomas, cerebral contusions, concussion, dementia and comas. Although wearing a helmet is always recommended, a helmet may not prevent all head injuries. Other serious injuries that a cyclist can suffer from are:
- Fractures/broken bones
- Severed limbs/ amputation injuries
- Lacerations
- Ruptured organs
- Spinal cord injuries
- Abrasions or road rash
- Wrongful death.
Bicycle Accident Statistics
The NHTSA has provided the statistics below for 2008:
- In the U.S., there were more than 700 bicycle accident fatalities and 52,000 cyclist injuries (more than 100 fatalities each year are in California).
- Every 6 hours a cyclist is fatally injured.
- Nearly 1 million children, each year, are injured due to bicycle related accidents.
- Sixty-nine percent of the time, cyclist fatalities happen in densely populated, urban areas.
- Bicycle accidents at non-intersection locations account for 64 percent of all accidents.
- Twenty-eight percent of the time, bicycle accidents happen between the busy traffic hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Filing an Oakland Bicycle Accident Personal Injury Claim
The Oakland bicycle accident attorneys at Estey Bomberger have successfully won millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for bicycle accident victims’ personal injury or wrongful death claims. Our Oakland personal injury law firm limits the amount of cases we handle at any given time so that we may fully devote our resources and time to carefully preparing each case. Call an experienced Oakland bicycle accident attorney at (510) 978-4380 or fill out our online case evaluation form. An attorney at Estey Bomberger will respond to your inquiry shortly.