Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, fights for the rights of injured bike accident victims in Echo Park. Our skilled bicycle accident lawyers offer a free case consultation to all victims in Echo Park. Reach out to our office to schedule a confidential case review as soon as possible. There’s also no obligation to you or your family for this meeting. It’s a great opportunity to find out how to hold bad drivers and car insurance companies 100% responsible for the costs of a full recovery.
Should I Call a Lawyer After a Bicycle Accident?
After a bicycle collision that results in only property damage or only very minor injuries, you may not need an attorney to handle your case. Unfortunately, accidents involving defenseless cyclists aren’t often minor. When victims suffer broken bones, head and spine injuries, or permanent disfigurements, insurers anticipate the high price of medical care and look for ways to avoid paying out a major settlement.
Pictured: Class I Bike Lane at Glendale Boulevard and Montana Street Intersection in Echo Park
This is when a lawyer can be of most benefit. Your lawyer fully investigates your accident and has your case backed with evidence when car insurance adjusters try to point the finger of blame at you, or try to question how badly you are hurt. Then, once we’ve forced shady insurance reps to accept liability, we demand the maximum in compensation possible for you. Our skilled Echo Park Bicycle Accident Attorneys can often win you much more than you could earn by filing yourself.
Echo Park Bicycle Accident Dangers
Echo Park is a great community that’s situated around a beautiful park. It’s a great place to ride a bike for exercise or for family time. Unfortunately, some riders have to leave the safety of a greenway and get out among cars and SUVs to reach their destinations.
There are some bike lanes across Echo Park and also some streets where riders can seize the full lane with the same rights as a motorist. But riding along with distracted and reckless drivers can lead to devastating bicycle accidents.
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) reported 428 bicycle accidents involving injury in Los Angeles in 2024. At least 12 cyclists were killed in those collisions. Echo Park is a quieter section of L.A., but the traffic madness does find its way into our community, leaving cyclists of all ages at risk.
Victims can need support for their medical bills, in recovering financially from lost paychecks while they can’t work, and for the pain and suffering they experience. But shady insurers will try to limit the support they receive. In some cases, injured riders are left to pay some or all of their recovery bills.
Types of Bike Lanes Around Echo Park
Class I Bike Trails – These paths and greenways offer cyclists riding options that are usually far away from traffic. These bike routes may be paved or may be dirt paths that are sometimes shared with walkers and joggers. Riders should be cautious in spots where a bike path might cross a street.
Pictured: LA River Bike Path in Elysian Valley
Class II Standard Bike Lanes – This is the conventional bike lane most of us have seen along some streets in Echo Park. They are usually small lanes marked off on the side of the road with a single white line. They’ll usually include bicycle symbol lane markings and bike lane street signs. Riders are supposed to use these lanes, where provided, if they can’t keep up with the speed of traffic. Bicyclists should beware as they come up to intersections. Drivers needing to make a right turn will be veering over into the bike lane. At some intersections, bike lanes are marked off in green paint to increase visibility.
Pictured: Standard Bike Lane along Sunset Boulevard at Alvarado Street
Class III “Sharrows” Bike Routes – Bike routes aren’t real bike lanes. They are streets with generally less traffic and slower speed limits, where cyclists and drivers will share the road. They are normal streets, but with more signage and lane markings to remind drivers that they must be on the lookout for cyclists in the lane. Drivers might see “sharrows” symbols on the road (share + arrows)… these are painted on the pavement indicated by a bike symbol and two arrows above it. The sharrows will usually be along the right side of the lane to help cyclists remember that they must try to stay along the right side of the lane if possible.
Pictured: Sharrows Symbol Along Class III Bike Route on Rampart Boulevard at Beverly Boulevard in L.A.
Class IV “Separated” Bike Lanes – Class IV bike lanes are also known as “protected” bicycle lanes. They are the safest type of bike lane because they physically separate traffic from riders. The lanes can be protected by plastic pylons, cement dividers, or even parking spaces.
Pictured: Class IV Bike Lanes Along Figueroa Street Near 8th Street in Los Angeles
California Traffic Laws Intended to Keep Echo Park Cyclists Safe
Bicyclists remain at risk when they are near traffic, despite the many rights and protections that California vehicle codes (CVC) provide.
Perhaps the biggest rights cyclists have been granted is the right to use regular street lanes when needed.
California Vehicle Code 21200. Right to the Road for Bicyclists
“(a) (1) A person riding a bicycle or operating a pedicab upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle…”
Riders can take a full lane when there are no bicycle lanes provided. They can also grab a lane if a bike lane is blocked or if they can keep up with traffic.
AB 1909 Drivers Passing in Left Lanes
This bill was passed in 2022 and changed some existing vehicle codes. It is a major upgrade in rider safety. It forces drivers who are traveling alongside bicyclists to change lanes when they attempt to pass. They must switch to the left lane if possible. Otherwise, drivers must be extremely cautious when passing a cyclist in the same lane. There must be at least 3ft of room for drivers to go ahead and pass. The three feet for safety law is covered in CVC 21760.
California Vehicle Code 21212. Bicycle Helmet Law. Cyclists 18 years old or older can go without a helmet in California. All bicyclists under 18 must wear one.
Los Angeles Sidewalk Bicycle Riding California has no all-encompassing law about cyclists riding on sidewalks. It’s allowed in most parts of L.A. and Echo Park as long as riders yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. However, Los Angeles has a few spots where cyclists should stay off sidewalks. You can check out the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) to find out where riding on the sidewalk is against the law. LAMC SEC. 56.15.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Echo Park
When a bicyclist is hit by the driver of a motor vehicle, one of two driver behaviors is usually present. The driver was either operating aggressively or inattentively. Here are some common causes of bicycle accidents in and around Echo Park:
- Failure to check blind spots when changing traffic lanes.
- A driver sideswiping a bicyclist who is sharing the same lane of traffic.
- Turning into the path of an oncoming bicyclist.
- Making a right or left turn into a bicyclist.
- Failing to yield the right-of-way to a bicyclist at a red light or stop sign.
- Opening a car door into the path of an oncoming bicyclist.
- Rear-ending a bicyclist.
Common Bicycle Accident Injuries
Other than maybe a helmet, bicyclists don’t have any physical protection in the event that they’re in a crash with a motor vehicle. That’s why their injuries are often serious or sometimes even fatal. Here are some examples of common injuries that bicyclists suffer in accidents with motor vehicles:
- Concussions and traumatic brain injuries, even when wearing a helmet.
- Traumatic spinal cord injuries with resulting paralysis.
- Multiple severe fractures.
- Medical or traumatic amputations.
- Damage to vital internal organs.
- Facial and dental injuries.
- Deep cuts and dangerous road rash.
- Wrongful death.
Bicycle Accident Hit-and-Runs in Echo Park
Los Angeles County has the highest hit-and-run rate in the nation. Most people don’t realize it, but if they’re on a bike and injured as a result of the negligence of a hit-and-run motorist, the bicyclist’s uninsured motorist coverage from their car insurance could be triggered. It might also be triggered if the victim was a pedestrian who was walking a bicycle through a busy intersection. If you do have uninsured motorist insurance, it probably also covers your spouse and any family member who is a blood relative and a resident of your household.
What to Do if You’re the Victim of a Bicycle Accident in Echo Park
In the event of a bicycle accident with a motor vehicle, you should proceed the same way that you would if there were two drivers. Call 911 and ask that police and paramedics be sent to the scene. Police can investigate the accident and write up a report. Paramedics can treat you at the scene and take you to a nearby emergency room. They’ll write up their own report too.
Then, call the Echo Park Bicycle Accident lawyers at Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC right away. No matter how pushy the insurer for the person who hit you might get, don’t give a statement of any kind, even if you’re told that your case file will be closed. We know how to make them open it again quickly. California doesn’t require you to help the opposing insurer build its defense against you.
When you hire us, we have only one objective, and that’s to obtain the highest settlement or award on your behalf that you deserve. Remember, call 911, get to an emergency room and call us. We’ll arrange for a free consultation and case review.
Compensation Available for Injured Echo Park Bicyclists
Cyclists must receive full compensation for their struggles and their expenses while trying to recover from a frightening collision. They may be off their feet, off their bikes, and unable to work for weeks or months. They shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll support themselves and their families.
Your lawyer will be demanding compensation for these hardships and more:
- Past medical invoices and those expected in the future.
- Lifetime support for any permanent disability. Money to pay for restorative surgery if a scar or a disfigurement is left behind.
- Support for the physical pain suffered.
- Support for a loss of enjoyment of life. Help in dealing with the emotional trauma, including PTSD symptoms that victims must cope with. Help with the mental strain of having to give up activities and hobbies due to physical injuries.
- Money to pay for transportation to medical appointments and travel costs to see out-of-town specialists. These costs can be substantial when a victim is in a cast or relying on a wheelchair and can’t drive.
- Reimbursement of lost paychecks while victims must miss work. A lifetime of financial support for victims who can’t return to their former careers due to an injury. Help with finding and training for a new, suitable job.
- Reimbursement for property damage, including for a new bike if necessary.
Support for Families After a Child Is In a Bicycle Accident
Sadly, children on bikes are far too often the victims of careless drivers. They may be riding in quiet neighborhoods around Echo Park when a speeding driver comes along and causes a terrifying accident.
Children have less muscle and tissue to protect them from collisions. Their still-developing bones can break more easily. With their size and lower profile on a bike, they can even be run over to suffer even more serious consequences.
In recovery, parents may have to think about more than just the immediate emergency room bills. Young victims are always at risk of seeing further complications as they grow and mature.
Their bodies continue to develop into their teen years, and an old wound or broken bone can cause complications unexpectedly. Doctors may find that additional surgeries and physical therapy are immediately necessary to make sure the child’s bones and muscles are allowed to grow normally as they mature.
Your lawyer would be asking for support for these potential medical needs now, so the child never has to wait for care that’s needed in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a bicycle accident claim in California?
Two years. California allows personal injury victims up to two years to file an injury claim. But victims shouldn’t wait years to move on a claim. Evidence can disappear, and witnesses may become hard to find.
Can my family ask for support after losing a loved one to a fatal bicycle accident?
Yes. Families seek support for things like funeral costs and leftover medical bills by filing a wrongful death claim. This claim also seeks financial assistance so the family can replace the income the deceased may have provided to support close relatives. The lost emotional support that family members will have to cope with in the future can also factor into the size of a settlement check. Parents who lose a young child in a tragic accident can also ask for additional support for the time and companionship they’ve lost with a young victim over a lifetime.
How can I afford to pay an Echo Park Bicycle accident lawyer?
If you feel Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys can help you improve the outcome of your injury claim, you don’t need to worry about how you’ll pay us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you receive from an auto insurance company.
Contact an Echo Park Bicycle Accident Attorney
After a scary bicycle collision, victims should get the best medical care available without having to worry about how much their hospital bills will be. Allow us to handle your case and fight for your rights, while you are given the time to focus on healing and getting back on your bike.
Schedule a free case review with Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC. It’s a risk-free way to determine the level of support you should demand and how to hold a reckless driver fully accountable.