Biking through Garden Grove’s scenic neighborhoods and thrilling bike paths may be one of your favorite things to do on your own or as a family activity, but that does not mean that riding a bike is without risks. Since many bikers take their bicycles out on public roads, instances of bike wrecks are becoming more and more common. You do not have to accept responsibility for someone else’s negligence when you suffer critical injuries. If another party is to blame, you may have the right to be compensated for your losses in full.
Though dealing with the insurance company and going to court may be the last thing you want to think about, the sooner you act, the greater your chances of maximizing your settlement. With the support of a reputable Garden Grove bicycle accident lawyer from Text Kevin Accident Attorneys, you can build a powerful claim against the at-fault party and demand justice. Contact our law office to request a 100% free consultation today and find out more about how bicycle accident claims in Garden Grove, CA work, whether there are personal injury laws that could have a significant impact on the outcome of your case, and the potential value of the damages you endured.
Garden Grove Bicycle Accident Statistics
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Crash Rankings Results, Garden Grove has seen a considerable number of collisions and biking accidents in recent years. The most recent data is from 2021 and notably includes:
- 610 total injuries and fatalities
- 57 involving alcohol
- 45 bicycle accidents
- 26 motorcycle accidents
- 56 pedestrian accidents
Which Roads and Intersections in Garden Grove Are the Most Dangerous?
You should be especially careful or avoid the following dangerous intersections and roads in and near Garden Grove, CA:
- Lampson Avenue & Haster Street
- Magnolia Street & Chapman Avenue
- State Route 22
Tip
File a bicycle accident police report. The driver who hit you may discourage you from contacting the police. This occurs often when motorists are uninsured, driving with a suspended license, or have a warrant out for their arrest. However, a police report can provide valuable insight and information that can be used to prove the defendant’s liability in court. If you hope to build the strongest case possible, do not forget to file a bicycle accident report with the Garden Grove police.
What Should I Do After a Bicycle Accident in Garden Grove?
The steps you take after a critical bike wreck in Garden Grove could have a profound impact on your insurance and civil claims. Follow the following steps to build a powerful claim against the at-fault party:
- Document the Accident
- Follow Medical Advice
- Notify Your Insurance
- Preserve Evidence
- Call a Lawyer
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Bicycle Accident Injuries
You may be entitled to full compensation for a wide variety of injuries, including:
- Whiplash and Neck Injuries
- Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Broken Bones and Fractures
- Spinal Cord Injuries
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Bicycle Accident Lawyer?
Contingency agreements are a payment structure that makes it possible for injury victims and accident survivors to get the legal help they need without breaking the bank. Some types of legal representatives require a retainer fee, require their clients to pay an hourly rate or set a flat fee. However, when working with a bicycle accident attorney in Garden Grove, CA from Text Kevin Accident Attorneys, you do not need to pay even one penny in legal fees until we win.
Contingency agreements mean the attorney’s payment is contingent on winning your case. If we lose, you pay nothing in legal fees. If we win, a percentage of your payout will cover our costs in accordance with Rule 1.5 Fees for Legal Services by the State Bar of California. The amount that will be taken out of your settlement will vary based on the complexity of the case. After reviewing the details of your case, we will have better insight into whether your contingency agreement will be set as low as 20% or as high as 40% of your award.
Can I Recover Compensation if I Share Some of the Blame for a Bicycle Accident in Garden Grove?
Yes, even if you are partially at fault for the accident, you can still sue for damages. California follows pure comparative negligence laws under California Civil Code 1714. When you are partly liable for the bicycle accident or your subsequent injuries, you are not prohibited from filing a claim. In fact, since the state follows a pure comparative fault system, your portion of liability can reach 99%, and you would still be entitled to a portion of your damages.
Bicyclists and other injury victims who share partial blame for their injuries will be held accountable for their negligence. To do this, the Garden Grove civil courts deduct your percentage of liability from your settlement. For example, if you failed to wear a bicycle helmet when the accident occurred, the driver who hit you may accuse you of being partially at fault for the traumatic brain injury you sustained. If the judge agrees, they might find you 12% at fault. If you were ultimately awarded a $2 million settlement, before you received your funds, 12% of your payout would be deducted. This would leave you with a final award of $1.76 million.
As you can imagine, taking advantage of these partial fault laws is one of the top ways liable parties attempt to reduce their financial responsibility in your claim. Working with a highly skilled Garden Grove car accident lawyer from Text Kevin Accident Attorneys may be the best way to protect yourself. We will conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of your accident and gather the evidence we need to prove the defendant’s liability. Then, when they blame you for the accident, we will have the evidence we need to refute their shared blame accusation.
The Value of Your Settlement
To determine how much your bicycle accident damages are worth, we will need to closely evaluate both your economic and non-economic damages. These include losses that have predetermined financial values and those that are intangible. Some examples of such losses include:
- Pain and suffering
- Bicycle repair expenses
- The cost of purchasing a new bike
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement or permanent disability
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
Note
Punitive damages are not a type of award you have the right to recover. Under California Civil Code Section 3294, punitive damages may apply if the defendant should be further punished for their gross negligence or intentional malice.
Local Results
Garden Grove Man Secures $100,000 Settlement for Neck and Back Injuries Following a Rear-End Car Accident
Case Type | Car Accident |
---|---|
Location | Garden Grove, CA |
Settlement | $100,000.00 |
Garden Grove Bicycle Accidents Have Many Causes
We need to figure out how the accident happened if we are going to hold the liable party accountable. In many cases, biking accidents are caused by negligent drivers. When motorists speed, follow too closely, fail to use a turn signal, or check blind spots, cyclists can suffer catastrophic or even fatal injuries. Other causes of bicycle accidents in Garden Grove include:
- Lack of street lighting
- Unsecured road construction work zones
- Potholes
- Bicycle part defects
- Malfunctioning auto parts
- Missing street signs
- Lack of wildlife warning signs
- Failure to drive safely in poor weather conditions
Pro Tip
Consider the possibility that multiple parties may share liability for your damages. This may complicate your legal claim, but if multiple parties are found liable for causing your bicycle accident, they can share the responsibility of compensating you for the total value of your losses.
Garden Grove Bicycle Accident FAQs
Bicyclists must follow the same rules of the road that individuals traveling in motor vehicles do. If you are riding in an area with bicycle lanes, you are encouraged to take advantage of them. You should stop at traffic lights and stop signs, ride your bicycle with the flow of traffic, and yield to the right of way when there are pedestrians in a crosswalk. Failure to follow the right-of-way laws could have an impact on the amount of compensation you recover if the at-fault party accuses you of sharing the blame for your injuries.
If you get hit by a car while biking, do not panic. Do your best to remain calm and contact emergency responders. You need to get law enforcement officials and an ambulance to the accident scene immediately. In the meantime, take photos of your injuries, the state of your bike, and traffic conditions so accident reconstructionists have this information as they begin their investigation. You should also get the names and contact details of witnesses to the bike wreck.
Then, get a medical evaluation and the treatment you need. Once you are stable, reach out to a Garden Grove personal injury attorney from Text Kevin Accident Attorneys for help. We are available 24 hours a day, so you can get the legal support you need when you need it most. Once you have an advocate on your side who can handle all of the details of your bicycle accident case, you can rest easier.
If you are unsure how much longer you have to file your bicycle accident lawsuit, it is important to reach out to your legal advocate as soon as possible. California’s personal injury statute of limitations laws under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 are strict. If your claim is not filed within two years of the accident, you may be barred from pursuing your case any further. Of course, there are limited situations in which the statute of limitations could temporarily toll or pause.
For instance, immediately after your bike accident, you may not believe your injuries are that serious. However, one week later, when you head to the Garden Grove emergency room and discover you have a serious whiplash injury related to the accident, you may begin to consider your legal options. In this case, the statute of limitations would likely expire two years from the date you were diagnosed with your whiplash injury, not two years from the accident date.
Children are also often huge biking fans and make up a large number of bicycle accident injuries that occur across the state of California and the entire country. When a child is injured in a bike wreck, the statute of limitations can get particularly complex. In many cases, if a child is injured, the statute of limitations will pause until the child reaches the age of 18 and can file a claim for themselves. However, parents can act sooner and file a legal claim on their child’s behalf to recover the compensation they will need to pay for the child’s medical care, ongoing treatment, and other expenses the child may require as they grow up coping with the trauma of their injuries.
Connect With our Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Garden Grove Today
Fighting for fair compensation should not be as challenging as it is. Liable parties will say anything and go to great lengths to avoid paying you fairly for your suffering. When you have a dedicated Garden Grove bicycle accident attorney from Text Kevin Accident Attorneys handling your case, you can make the at-fault party pay. Do not get stuck covering even one penny of your expenses if someone else’s negligent actions caused your damages.
By working with a respected bicycle accident law firm, you can ensure that the individual or entity who caused your injuries is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. When you are ready to take back control of your future but are unsure of where to begin, do not hesitate. Fill out our confidential contact form or call our office to schedule your no-cost, risk-free consultation today.
Garden Grove FAQs
All bicyclists under the age of 18 are required to wear a helmet when riding a bike. However, bikers over the age of 18 are also strongly encouraged to wear bicycle helmets by the Garden Grove Police Department. Failure to wear a bicycle helmet could have a significant impact on the outcome of your legal plan.
You can expect the at-fault party to argue that you are partially responsible for your injuries and that you showed a blatant disregard for your safety and well-being when you chose not to wear a helmet. If you hope to protect yourself from serious injury and avoid allowing others to use your lack of helmet against you, do yourself a favor and wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how old you are.
There is no average settlement for a bicycle accident in Garden Grove that can be trusted. Most law firms quoting average settlement amounts do not provide contacts for where their numbers come from. Are they talking about the average bicycle accident settlement for their law firm specifically? For all bicycle accident settlements across the state? Are these national average bicycle accident settlements? Are these settlements from insurance companies? Trial verdicts? A combination of both?
Unfortunately, without these parameters in place, finding out what the average settlement for a bicycle accident is may be difficult or impossible. There are far too many factors in place that can impact the amount of compensation awarded in a bicycle lawsuit or insurance claim. Most bicycle accidents and victims searching for average settlement amounts are looking to find out how much they could recover if their claim was successful.
For this reason, we strongly advise you to contact our legal team to discuss your opportunities for financial relief. When you do, we can go over the various injuries you sustained, their anticipated value, and discuss the possibility of punitive damages being awarded in your case. Only then will you have a better understanding of what your personal bicycle accident claim could be worth.
Garden Grove Points of Interest
A landmark church known for its stunning architecture and beautiful campus.
Location: 13280 Chapman Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Website: christcathedralcalifornia.org
An annual event celebrating the city’s strawberry-growing history with a parade, carnival, and food.
Location: 12762 Main St, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Website: strawberryfestival.org
A unique and imaginative playground and park for children.
Location: 13630 Atlantis Way, Garden Grove, CA 92844
Website: ggcity.org
A community park with sports facilities, playgrounds, and picnic areas.
Location: 9301 Westminster Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92844
Website: ggcity.org
A historical museum showcasing local history and heritage.
Location: 12174 S Euclid St, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Website: gardengrovehistoricalsociety.org
A park designed specifically for dogs to play and socialize.
Location: 13601 Deodara Dr, Garden Grove, CA 92844
Website: ggcity.org
Garden Grove Neighborhoods We Serve
- West Garden Grove