Santa Monica Bicycle Accident Lawyer

You were on your bike, a driver turned across you or passed too close, and now you are looking at road rash, a broken collarbone or worse. Then the adjuster calls and asks why you were riding where you were. That script is common in bike cases. It is why you should talk to a bicycle accident attorney in Santa Monica early. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. handles motor-vehicle injury cases only, and cyclists hit by cars are part of that work. Santa Monica is a small city with a lot of riders. State data for 2023 counted 48 bicyclist victims here, ranked eighth worst among 103 comparable California cities. Moe pulls the video, the police report and the driver's policy, then builds your claim from your medical records. Cyclists hold the same rights on the road as drivers. Call (323) 716-1992 for a free review. There is no fee unless we win.

Why so many Santa Monica riders end up hurt

Santa Monica is a compact city where the I-10 begins and the Metro E Line ends at the Downtown Santa Monica station on Colorado Avenue, so freeway drivers, transit riders and cyclists share the same downtown grid. The California Office of Traffic Safety ranked Santa Monica 8th of 103 similar-size cities in 2023 for bicyclist victims, with 48 people hurt or killed. Rank 1 is the worst, so the city sits near the top of a bad list. The city's own Wilshire Safety Study says half of all fatal and severe crashes happen on only ten percent of the streets. The city names Wilshire Boulevard as a top Vision Zero priority, and the main streets riders cross every day include Lincoln, Ocean Park, Olympic, Santa Monica Boulevard, Pico, Main Street and Colorado Avenue. Common bike crashes on streets like these involve a driver backing out of a parking space, turning right across a rider's path or passing too close. Many of these crashes come down to a driver who did not see you, and the proof may be on a doorbell camera, a storefront camera or a camera on a nearby vehicle. Tell us the block and the time, and we will go after that footage.

The two intersections the city flagged for riders

Santa Monica analyzed collision data from 2006 to 2018 and named two Vision Zero Priority Intersections. Both matter to cyclists. The first is Ocean Park Boulevard at Lincoln Boulevard. The city says its plan there includes adding bike lane protection, high visibility roadway markings and limiting high risk turn movements. The second is Olympic Boulevard at 14th Street, where the plan calls for dedicating more space to bicycles, refreshing crosswalks and optimizing traffic signal timing. The city picked these two intersections from its data on where severe and fatal injuries happened most. If you were hit at either spot, that record can help show the risk was known, which may matter if the street layout played a part in a claim against the city. Wilshire Boulevard is the third focus. Council adopted the Wilshire Safety Study on February 11, 2020, and Phase 1 began May 8, 2023, along with repaving between Ocean Avenue and Centinela Avenue. Construction zones and changed lane lines can catch riders off guard, so photograph the pavement and any cones or barriers before you leave.

Close passes, doorings and what the Vehicle Code says

California law gives cyclists real tools. Under the Three Feet for Safety Act, a driver must not pass a bike going the same direction with less than three feet of clearance. Since 2023 the driver must also change lanes to pass when another lane is open and it is practical. If three feet is not possible, the driver must slow down and pass only when it is safe. The fine is $35, or $220 if the pass injures a cyclist (Vehicle Code 21760). A violation costs the driver money, and it also helps prove fault. Dooring is covered too. Nobody may open a vehicle door on the traffic side unless it is reasonably safe and does not interfere with moving traffic, and that includes you (Vehicle Code 22517). Downtown parking is tight and rideshare drop-offs are constant, so car doors swing open all day long. The plain rule is that a person riding a bicycle has all the rights and duties of a driver (Vehicle Code 21200). A rider moving slower than traffic rides as close to the right edge as practicable, but may move left to avoid hazards or when the lane is too narrow for a bike and a car to share safely (Vehicle Code 21202). That rule answers the adjuster who says you should have hugged the curb.

How the insurer will try to put the blame on you

Expect questions about your lights, your speed, your clothes and your helmet. Adults in California have no helmet requirement, only riders under 18 do, so a missing helmet is not a legal fault for most adults. It can still come up as an argument that your head injury was worse than it had to be, and we meet that argument with the medical records. California follows pure comparative negligence. You can recover even if you were partly to blame, but your award drops by your percentage of fault (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). That is why every point of blame the adjuster pushes onto you costs real money. Do not give a recorded statement to the driver's insurer. Do not guess about speeds or distances. Say you want to talk to a lawyer first. We handle the calls, send the insurer the records that matter and keep your own words from being twisted. If the driver had the minimum $30,000 per person coverage, we also look at your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and any other policy that may apply, such as the driver's employer.

The police report, bike evidence and what to save

The Santa Monica Police Department writes reports for crashes on city streets. You can request a copy through the city's Public Records Request Center by choosing Police, call the Records Unit at (310) 458-8431, or go in person to the Public Safety Facility. The city must say within 10 days whether the records exist and can be provided. A fee may apply. Ask for the report even if the officer did not cite anyone. Then protect your own evidence. Do not repair or clean the bike. Keep the helmet, the broken parts, the torn clothes and your phone or bike computer with its ride data. Photograph the road, the lane markings and the driver's car. Save any app record of your route. If a Big Blue Bus or other vehicle was nearby, note its number, and we can ask whether it recorded video. Business footage is often overwritten within days. California also requires a driver involved in a crash with injury, or more than $1,000 in property damage, to report it to the DMV on an SR-1 within 10 days (Vehicle Code 16000). We can tell you what applies to you.

Treatment, trauma and what the records need to show

A cyclist has no steel frame around the body. Typical injuries are broken wrists, collarbones, ribs and hips, road rash that scars, and head injuries even with a helmet. Santa Monica has two hospital emergency departments: Providence Saint John's Health Center on Santa Monica Boulevard and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Nethercutt Emergency Center) on 16th Street. Paramedics choose the hospital based on your condition. Go even if you think you walked it off. Adrenaline can mask pain, and concussion symptoms may not start for hours or days. Keep every bill, imaging report, therapy note and referral. Tell each provider the bike crash caused the problem, so the chart says so. Gaps in treatment are the first thing an adjuster points to. Also keep a simple log of missed work, pain levels and what you can no longer do, like commuting by bike or lifting a board. Past results do not predict a similar outcome, but Moe has recovered $105,000 for an uninsured client with a broken sternum and $75,000 after an insurer first offered $900. Your damages can include medical bills, future care, lost pay, bike and gear replacement, and pain.

Government claims, the courthouse and how Moe runs your case

Some bike crashes involve a public entity. A city truck, a Big Blue Bus or a road defect can bring a government claim into play. You must present a written claim within six months of the crash (Government Code 911.2). In Santa Monica, claims go to the City Clerk at 1685 Main Street, on the city's claim form, and the form covers Big Blue Bus claims too. If the city rejects the claim in writing, you then have six months to file suit (Government Code 945.6). To hold the city liable for a dangerous road condition, you must prove it created the problem or knew about it in time to fix it (Government Code 835). Against a private driver, you generally have two years to sue (Code of Civil Procedure 335.1). The Santa Monica Courthouse at 1725 Main Street is part of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and we confirm the correct filing court with the county before filing. Moe takes the calls himself and keeps you updated by call and text. He moves fast on video, he is available 24/7, and se habla espanol. You pay nothing unless he wins.

Talk to a Santa Monica bicycle accident lawyer

Call (323) 716-1992 for a free, no-obligation case review. You pay nothing unless we win, and we'll handle the insurance companies for you. Learn more about our bicycle accidents representation →

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