Ventura Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Experienced Ventura Bicycle Accident Attorney Serving Injured Bicyclists

If you or someone you love was injured while riding a bike, contact Ventura bicycle accident lawyer Craig Murphy for a free one-on-one consultation.

There are many great reasons to ride your bike instead of taking a bus or driving a car. You get some good exercise, fresh air, and not to mention, you lessen your carbon footprint. Ventura is one of the most beautiful places in the country to ride your bike; whether you are riding in Sycamore Canyon at Point Mugu State Park or you are taking the city roads to work. Unfortunately, California is also one of the most dangerous places to be a cyclist.

In 2012, California had more bike accident fatalities than any other state with 338 riders killed by motor vehicles. This could certainly be attributed to the constant comfortable weather that we experience. The nicer it is, the more people like to be out in the sunshine experiencing nature. And while there are more people on their bikes, there’s a higher chance of accidents.

Read Our Bicycle Accident Guide

These accidents often involved a bicyclist and motor vehicle. While the driver in their vehicle might have no damage to their car and barely feel the collision, it could have life-threatening injuries to the rider of the bike. Even something as simple as being bumped by a car could send a cyclist flying over their handlebars.

Injuries Suffered in Ventura Bicycle Accidents

There are several circumstances that typically lead to bicycle accidents. The first being the most common one that we see. While sharing the road with other vehicles, a bicycle rider gets hit by a car perhaps trying to veer into a lane, neglecting to see the bicycle. Another common instance is quite the opposite. Sometimes on the road, a cyclist is compromised for a number of reasons and swerves into oncoming traffic, resulting in getting hit by a vehicle. Lastly, there may be something on the road that the rider cannot avoid such as sticks or rocks. They hit that object and are thrown over their handlebars. These are all real examples of accidents that have happen in Ventura.

Most often, when you read about these accidents, there are a few injuries that most of these people have in common. Because these riders are mostly unprotected, except for a helmet usually, their whole body is exposed to trauma. However, it is most common to see serious head injuries in relation to bicycle accidents. This along with spinal injuries, including neck and back, are the most common serious injuries that bicyclists suffer. Often these injuries to the head and spine are what causes the most fatalities. With the head injuries, there will often be a loss of consciousness and sometimes that can range from a concussion to a coma.

Injuries that can take a huge toll on the body and make for a slow recovery are internal injuries and broken bones. Organs can be bruised and severely damaged in a collision, especially if part of the body is run over by the vehicle, or the bicycle lands on the abdomen with great force. These injuries can require surgeries and a lot of recovery time in the hospital. Broken bones are less life-threatening than the rest of these injuries, but still can have a big negative impact. You may be unable to go back to work or normal daily activities for some time. This is especially true for those who need to ride their bikes to get from point A to point B. If you are seriously injured, that may no longer be an option for you.

If your injuries are so severe that your life is either permanently or temporarily and significantly changed, you have a case. You don’t have to surrender to the pain and try to forget about the accident. This lifestyle of limited activity does not have to be your new normal. You should not avoid continuing your medical treatment because you are worried about the bills and co-pays. Your health is number one priority. A Ventura bicycle accident lawyer will make sure that you are fully and fairly compensated, so you don’t have to worry about the finances and you can just focus on getting healthy. Let your Ventura bicycle accident lawyer take on the legal matters.

Reducing Bicycle Accidents in Ventura

Ventura has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as one of the few places that is trying to make their area safer for bicyclists. There are strides being made to improve conditions on the road, and it is something that will benefit both motorists and cyclists alike. If you have tried riding your bike, it will not come as a surprise to you to know that roads, in most areas of the country, were built with motor vehicle traffic in mind. It totally excludes the cyclists from the picture. Therefore, it is dangerous for bicycles to share the road with cars. This is particularly ironic with you consider that California law states that bikes have equivalent rights on the road and cars are required to share it with them. Ventura hopes to make roads safer for bicycles by changing their design to be more accessible.

Unfortunately, there is another issue that leads to bicycle accidents and fatalities. Perhaps you’ve decided to go out to a party and know that you don’t want to drink and drive. You might think that riding your bike is the next best option. When someone gets a DWI, it is because they were impaired and made a foolish mistake by operating a motor vehicle. The same thing is true when someone decides that they are going to try to ride a bicycle while intoxicated. This, and riding without a helmet are the two leading causes of death in bicycle accidents. Riding your bicycle on roads that are already dangerous for bicyclists while drunk makes it even more dangerous.

Read Our Bicycle Accident Guide

Hiring a Ventura Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Just as you wouldn’t settle for just any doctor to perform your surgery after your accident, you should not settle for just any lawyer to represent your case. This may be one of the most important decisions you make following your injury. The right attorney will be a good Ventura bicycle accident lawyer who does not back down when the insurance companies are looking to throw away your case, and they will try to do this every time. It is too easy for them to simply blame the whole accident on you, even if you were absolutely not at fault. A good personal injury lawyer will be able to take your case to trial and know exactly how to defend your case.

When you are looking for the right person to take on your case, we are confident that you won’t have to look any further than us. We are willing and able to do whatever it takes to make sure that this accident is taken seriously and that you are fully compensated for the injuries that have majorly affected your life.

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