Bike/Bicycle Accidents

San Mateo, California, Bicycle Accident Lawyer

A bicycle simply doesn't afford any protection. An accident involving a bicycle and a car, bus, or truck often results in catastrophic injuries to the bike rider, injuries that lead to permanent disability or death. If your family has been struck by such a tragedy, it is important to recover the maximum compensation possible to provide for future expenses.

Attorney Reuben J. Donig has extensive experience in these complex and difficult cases. If you would like Mr. Donig to review your claim, please contact our San Mateo office and arrange a free consultation. Our personal injury firm serves clients throughout California's San Francisco Bay area.

Bike accident claims: getting the information you need

A lawyer cannot rely on the police report alone when representing a client who has been injured in a bicycle accident. As your attorney, Mr. Donig will work with accident reconstructionists and scientific experts, and will interview witnesses to try to identify all factors contributing to the crash. He will call on life care and occupational experts to accurately calculate the full value of a claim for a permanent injury such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury, or, if the bicycle accident was fatal, a wrongful death claim. Then he will give you the information you need to make good decisions throughout the case.

Sources of compensation for an injured bicycle rider

A number of sources may be liable for damages, including the victim's health and auto insurance policies. For example:

• A car insurance policy belonging to any member of the bike rider's household may, under both personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist provisions, cover injuries from a bicycle accident.
• If the bike helmet failed to protect the head of the rider, or the bicycle's brakes failed, the victim may be able to make a defective product claim.
• If the driver of a motor vehicle ignored traffic laws and drove into the bike lane, drove too fast for visibility or weather conditions, didn't notice the bicycle reflectors in the headlights, or failed to stop for a traffic signal at an intersection, the driver was negligent.
• If the bicyclist was in an accident while working for a bike messenger service, there may be an employment claim involved.

An experienced attorney will help you coordinate all sources of compensation to see that you recover the maximum benefit possible from your claim.

Dealing with an insurance company after your bicycle accident

If you've been seriously injured and haven't yet been contacted by an insurance company representative, you probably will be soon. Don't sign anything they give you, and don't talk to them unless you've talked to a lawyer first. The early stages of a settlement are critical, and it is important to preserve your right to a personal injury trial. If you would like to speak with our lawyer about your claim, please call 650.638.2336 or e-mail our San Mateo office to arrange a free consultation.

No attorney fees unless we get results

All cases at our firm are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we charge no attorney fees unless our client recovers compensation as a result of our efforts.

Reuben J. Donig
San Mateo, California, Personal Injury Lawyer