Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Torrance

If a driver hit you on your bike in Torrance, you may be sore, short on work hours and staring at a bent frame. You may also have an adjuster on the phone asking for a recorded statement. Hold off on that call. Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. is a Los Angeles motor-vehicle injury firm. Attorney Moe Abdallah personally handles each Torrance bicycle accident case. Maybe a car turned right across your path on Torrance Boulevard. Maybe a door swung open, or a driver clipped you while passing on Hawthorne. Either way, the evidence starts fading the day of the crash. Your helmet, clothes and bike are proof. So are nearby cameras. Call (323) 716-1992 any hour, day or night. Se habla español. The review is free, and our fee comes only from a recovery.

Riding in a South Bay city built around big arterials

Torrance runs on wide, fast boulevards. Hawthorne Boulevard, which is State Route 107, carries about 70,000 vehicle trips a day according to the city, and it funnels shoppers toward Del Amo Fashion Center. Crenshaw Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard, Western Avenue, Artesia Boulevard and Del Amo Boulevard cut across town, and Pacific Coast Highway, State Route 1, crosses the city as well. Interstate 405 and Interstate 110 sit close by, so plenty of drivers are merging, exiting or hurrying when they reach a surface street. You share those lanes with turning cars, delivery vans and drivers watching for a gap. The California Office of Traffic Safety counted 36 bicyclist victims in Torrance in 2023, which ranked the city 24th among 62 cities of similar size, and 44 bicyclist victims in 2022, which ranked it 15th among 61. A lower number means worse. We do not have a city list of the worst intersections for riders, and we will not make one up. What matters for your case is the exact spot where you went down, because that tells us who owns the road, who may have video and which agency wrote the report.

What a driver owes you under California bike law

A person riding a bicycle on a road has the rights of a driver and the duties of one too (Vehicle Code section 21200). That one rule answers a lot of insurer talk. Drivers must also leave at least three feet when passing a cyclist. Since AB 1909 took effect on January 1, 2023, a driver must change lanes to pass if another lane is open and it is practical. That matters on multi-lane boulevards like Hawthorne and Crenshaw, where a driver who hugged your lane instead of moving over has a hard time explaining why. And and if three feet is not possible, the driver must slow down and pass only when it is safe (Vehicle Code section 21760). The fine climbs to $220 when a collision injures the rider. Dooring has its own rule. Nobody may open a vehicle door into moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe, and the door cannot hang open longer than needed (section 22517). A rider moving slower than traffic should stay near the right edge, but not when passing, preparing a left turn, avoiding hazards, or riding in a lane too narrow for a bike and a car to travel side by side (section 21202). Adults need no helmet in California, and riders under 18 do (section 21212). We lay these rules next to the facts and show which rule the driver broke.

When the insurer says the cyclist caused it

Adjusters reach for three lines. You were too far into the lane. You appeared from nowhere. You skipped a helmet. None of those ends a claim. California follows pure comparative negligence, so a jury may assign you a share of fault and your damages shrink by that share, but you are not shut out (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). Even a rider found partly at fault can recover the rest. We meet the lane-position story with the narrow-lane exception in section 21202. We meet the sudden-appearance story with video, skid marks, the driver's phone records and neutral witnesses. A helmet point matters mostly for head injuries, and a medical opinion can answer it. The earlier we gather proof, the less room the other side has to rewrite events. Moe also takes the insurer's calls. You never have to sit through a recorded statement with someone paid to find holes in your account. If the driver's policy is thin, we look at your own underinsured motorist coverage as well. Since California minimum liability limits are only $30,000 per person, a serious bike injury can outrun the at-fault policy fast.

Police reports, bike evidence and what to save

Ask the responding officer for the report number before you leave the scene. Torrance Police Department takes collision report requests through LexisNexis eCrash online, and the department says to allow at least 15 days after the crash. A fee applies. You can also ask by mail or in person at the Records Division, 3300 Civic Center Dr., with a request form, a copy of photo ID and an $18 check or money order. Reports go to the people involved, injured parties and their representatives. If anyone was hurt, or property damage topped $1,000, the driver must file an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days. Do not wait on that. Photograph the road, the driver's plate, your bike from several angles and any marks on the pavement. Keep the helmet, shoes, clothing and the bike unrepaired. Write down witness names while you still remember them. Shops and homes along Torrance Boulevard or Sepulveda may have cameras, and many systems record over old footage within days. We send preservation letters quickly, and we request the driver's phone records through the case process when distraction is in play.

Treatment after a bike crash in Torrance

Get checked even if you can ride home. Fractured collarbones, wrist breaks, hip injuries, road rash and head injuries are common when a rider hits pavement, and adrenaline hides pain. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center sits on West Carson Street just outside Torrance city limits, in West Carson, and it is run by LA County Health Services, which says its hospitals are among the top providers of emergency and trauma services in the county. Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance, at 4101 Torrance Boulevard, runs a 24 hour emergency department at (310) 303-5600. Torrance Memorial Medical Center, at 3330 Lomita Boulevard, also treats emergencies. Paramedics decide where to take you based on your condition. Whichever door you use, tell staff you were hit on a bicycle, describe every sore spot and keep your discharge papers. Gaps in treatment give an adjuster an easy argument that you were not really hurt. If a concussion is possible, say so out loud, because headaches, fog and dizziness can show up days later. We put the records and bills into one timeline so the claim shows your whole injury. Save receipts for medications, braces, rides to appointments and a replacement bike or helmet, since those costs belong in the claim too.

City claims, Caltrans roads, hit-and-runs and deadlines

Most private-party bike claims must be filed in court within two years (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). Road defects change the clock. A pothole, broken pavement or a lane that pushes a rider into traffic can be a dangerous condition of public property, and the entity is liable if the condition caused your injury, the risk was foreseeable and the entity made it or knew about it in time to fix it (Government Code section 835). You must present a written claim within six months of the crash (section 911.2). The City of Torrance takes claims only by mail or in person at the City Clerk's Office, 3031 Torrance Boulevard, not by email or fax. The city notes that Caltrans, not the city, maintains Pacific Coast Highway, Western Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard north of PCH, so the right agency depends on where you fell. If the claim is rejected in writing, you have six months to sue (section 945.6). Extra time for minors does not stretch government deadlines. If the driver fled, your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply, and you must report to police within 24 hours. A suit is filed where the court's Filing Court Locator sends it, which may be the Torrance Courthouse at 825 Maple Ave or a downtown courthouse. Moe starts on all of it right away.

Talk to a Torrance 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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