El Monte Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Reviewed by Adrianos Facchetti, Esq., California State Bar No. 243213 (verify license).

If a car hit you while you were riding in El Monte, you may be dealing with injuries, a damaged bike, missed work, and an insurance company that already has its own version of what happened. For broader injury claims in the area, our El Monte Personal Injury Lawyer resource explains how California injury cases are usually handled. This guide focuses on what matters when you are on a bicycle.

An El Monte bicycle accident lawyer looks at who caused the crash, what evidence supports your account, and which insurance policies may apply, including your own. The Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti offers a free consultation if you want help sorting through your options.

Legal Assistance After a Bicycle Accident in El Monte

There is hardly any protection for a cyclist in an accident. Even at a low speed, a bicycle accident could leave you broken bones, a concussion, or unable to work for weeks.

Right after an accident, there are several questions that cyclists have. Who is paying for my medical expenses? What happens if the driver claims that I am at fault? What if the driver is not insured? What is the deadline?

Legal advice in most cases includes:

• Collection of evidence before it disappears, mostly video footage
• Identification of all responsible parties
• Search for all available insurance coverage, including the one on your car insurance
• Evidence of your injuries, treatment, and loss of earnings
• Handling of insurance companies to prevent statements that could be turned against you
• Review of all settlements prior to signing any agreement

However, not every accident requires legal assistance. In the case of serious injuries, disputable liability, or insufficient driver’s insurance, a legal review may be beneficial.

Typical Causes of Bicycle Crashes in El Monte

The typical causes of bike accidents that involve cars are listed below:

• Not yielding the right of way at an intersection, driveway, or exit from the parking area
• Unsafe turn maneuvers, including “right hooks” and turning left in front of the bicycle rider
• Opening a car door to the rider approaching the stopped vehicle (“dooring”)
• Distracted drivers due to phone usage or GPS screens
• Speeding
• Closely passing a bike rather than providing sufficient clearance between them
• Unsafe lane change maneuver
• Poor condition of the street, including potholes, deteriorated pavement surface, or other debris
• “Hit and run” accidents
• Bicycle crashes with commercial, delivery, or ride-share vehicles

In the busy streets of El Monte, such as Valley Boulevard, Garvey Avenue, Rosemead Boulevard, and Santa Anita Avenue, turning traffic, driveways of businesses, and parked cars may become dangerous points for cyclists. These are just labels; more importantly, they point out the sight line issues, right-of-way considerations, and camera locations.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for Your Bike Accident?

The driver who hit you is usually the primary suspect, but there might be others responsible based on the circumstances:

• Careless drivers who did not yield the right of way, looked the other way, or drove too closely
• Employers of commercial drivers if the driver was on duty
• Drivers from ride-share companies or food delivery businesses, depending on whether they were logged into the app and/or making deliveries
• Public authorities if a dangerous road condition was one of the reasons for your accident
• Property owners if a hazardous private property condition, such as the blockage of a view of the driveway, contributed to the accident
• Vendors of bicycles or automobiles in case the accident was caused by some defects such as malfunctioning brakes or frame failure

There’s no liability of the city just because the accident took place on the public road. Public entity claims require you to prove a legally hazardous condition and have a different procedure and deadline requirements.

If you happen to be the one causing the accident, then we have an article dedicated to the situations when you can sue for being hit with a bicycle.

Injuries and Damages Associated With a Bicycle Accident Case

Common injuries resulting from bicycle accidents include:

• Broken bones, usually in the wrists, collarbones, and legs
• Head injuries and concussions
• Spinal injuries
• Road rash requiring wound treatment or skin grafts
• Internal injuries
• Injury to shoulders, knees, and wrists
• Injury to teeth and facial area

There are some injuries, such as concussions, that cannot be entirely determined at once. Prompt medical examination will not only help your health but will also link the injury to the accident.

Depending on the case specifics, it might include:

• Medical bills, both current and potential
• Loss of earnings
• Reduced earning capacity due to the injury
• Pain and suffering
• Damage or replacement of the bike and its accessories
• Future medical needs, which are backed by your doctors

There are no formulas that determine the value of a case. Value depends on the injuries sustained, fault distribution, the available evidence, and the amount of coverage.

Evidence that Can Support Proof of Fault

Many bike accidents result in an opposing view between the version told by the driver and the one told by the cyclist. Evidence is the deciding factor.

Possible forms of helpful evidence could be:

• A copy of the police report
• Photos of the crash site, your bike, the car, the street, and your injuries
• Names and accounts of witnesses
• Surveillance video footage from traffic cameras and businesses near the accident
• Footage from dashcams of other cars on the street
• Documentation from medical professionals
• Letters or emails from the insurance company
• Statements from the driver at the scene of the crash
• Estimates for repairing your bike
• Your helmet, clothes, lights, and other damaged items

Before you dispose of your bike or helmet, make sure they have been documented and possibly analyzed for damage patterns.

California Bicycle Laws, Insurance, and Deadlines

Drivers must give cyclists room. California’s Three Feet for Safety Act, Vehicle Code § 21760, generally requires drivers to pass bicycles with at least three feet of space or slow down and pass only when it’s safe. Drivers also have a general duty to use reasonable care around cyclists.

Your own conduct can be examined too. Insurers may raise issues like lane position, riding at night without required lights, running a signal, or helmet use. California requires helmets for riders under 18, but not for adults. Not wearing a helmet generally doesn’t decide who caused the crash, though an insurer may argue it affected a head injury.

Comparative fault can reduce, not erase, a claim. If you’re found partly at fault, compensation may be reduced by your share. For example, if you’re found 20% responsible, your recovery may be reduced by 20%.

Insurance can come from more than one place. Coverage may involve:

• The driver’s liability insurance
• Your own auto policy’s uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, which can apply in some cases even when you were on a bike
• Medical payments coverage on your own policy, if you have it
• Your health insurance

If the driver had little or no insurance or drove off, our guide to California bicycle accident claims and UIM coverage explains how that coverage may apply.

Deadlines matter. Many California personal injury claims generally must be filed within two years under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Exceptions can apply. If a public entity may be involved, such as a government vehicle or dangerous public road, a formal claim is often required within six months under California Government Code § 911.2.

Early review matters even when the deadline seems far away. Business video is often recorded over within days, and witnesses become harder to reach.

Free Case Evaluation for a Bicycle Accident in El Monte

Did you get injured in a bicycle accident in El Monte or other nearby cities such as Rosemead, Temple City, or South El Monte? The Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti will offer you a free case evaluation in order to analyze the situation, possible liabilities, and insurance that might be applicable.

We will examine the police report, photographs, treatment, and any contact you had with any insurance company. We represent our clients under the contingency fee arrangement, which means that there is no charge up front and no lawyer’s fees unless a recovery has been made. There is no guarantee of any result, but a discussion may shed some light on the way forward.