You were riding, maybe on your usual route or heading home from work, and in one instant there was a car, a horn, a screech, then impact. Now you are trying to make sense of pain, traffic noise, police questions, maybe a damaged bike on the ground. Your phone is buzzing, your body is shaking, and your mind keeps jumping between “Am I okay?” and “What do I do now?”
This is where many injured cyclists find themselves in San Francisco. You are dealing with fear, anger at the driver, worry about medical bills, and confusion about insurance and legal…
You ride through San Francisco trying to stay alert in traffic that changes block by block, and suddenly a bike lane appears where it never was before, a concrete barrier juts out, or a car swerves to avoid a cyclist and cuts right across your path. In a second, you are on the ground, hurt, angry, and wondering how anyone is supposed to ride safely in a city that says it is all about “safe streets,” yet leaves you dealing with broken bones and a totaled bike.
You might be replaying the crash in your head, asking whether the car…
You are probably replaying the crash in your head, wondering whether one choice- not wearing a helmet- just ruined your injury claim. That fear is common, especially when you are dealing with pain, missed work, bike damage, and an insurance company already looking for a reason to pay less. The short answer is yes, you may still recover compensation in California even if you were not wearing a helmet on your e-bike. The harder truth is that not wearing a helmet can affect how much you recover, especially if the other side argues your injuries would have been less severe…
You were just trying to get to the ride. Maybe you were heading across the Bay Bridge with your gear strapped down, or rolling through the Presidio before meeting your group. Then a driver cut you off, or turned left across your lane, or opened a door into you. Now you are hurting, the bike is damaged or gone, and someone has already hinted that you “knew the risks” because you ride.
You might be replaying the crash again and again, wondering if the insurance company is right when it says you “assumed the risk” by riding a motorcycle at…
You replay the crash in your head over and over. The sound of the impact. The car that “came out of nowhere.” The driver saying you were “going too fast” or “came out in front of them.” You are hurting, angry, and already worried that no one will believe your side of what happened.
In a San Francisco bicycle accident, the story often changes quickly. A driver who said “I’m so sorry” at the scene may later tell their insurance company that you were reckless. Witnesses vanish. The police report is short and incomplete. You might be lying in a…
