Brentwood Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Were you injured in a bicycle accident in Brentwood, CA?

At Cohen Injury Law Group, we advocate for cyclists hurt by careless drivers in Brentwood.

If a driver’s carelessness left you injured while riding in Brentwood, the law can hold that driver responsible. A bicycle offers no protection in a collision, so even a low-speed crash can cause a serious injury. What looks minor at the scene often turns out to be a fracture or a concussion. Our Brentwood, CA bicycle accident lawyer can reconstruct how the crash happened and hold the driver’s insurer accountable for what it cost you. Our founding attorney has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients as a recognized trial attorney. The sooner we start, the more of the evidence we can preserve. Contact our office and we will look into your case.

Bicycle Accident Lawyer Brentwood, CA

When a rider is hurt by a careless driver, a bicycle accident claim lets that rider recover for the harm. Most of these cases involve a driver who did not yield, turned across a bike lane, or opened a door into traffic. The driver who caused the crash, and that driver’s insurer, are usually who the claim is against. Because a cyclist is exposed, these crashes tend to cause fractures, road rash, and head injuries even at moderate speeds. The rider absorbs the force of the impact directly, with no frame or airbag in between. That is why a crash that barely marks a car can put a cyclist in the hospital.

Cycling deaths are not rare. Each year around 1,000 bicyclists are killed in crashes on U.S. roads, and tens of thousands more are injured, according to federal traffic data. On the Westside, cyclists share busy streets like San Vicente and Wilshire with heavy traffic, which raises the risk at every intersection. A driver who is not watching for a bike is a danger the rider cannot always avoid.

Types of Bicycle Accident Cases We Handle in Brentwood

A bicycle crash usually starts with something a driver did, and the pattern of the crash points to the cause. The cases below are ones we handle for injured cyclists in Brentwood.

• Failure to yield. A driver who turns or pulls out without yielding can strike a cyclist who has the right of way, often without ever seeing the rider.
• Dooring. A parked driver who opens a door into the bike lane leaves a rider no time to react, and the fall that follows can be severe.
• Right-hook and left-turn crashes. A driver turning across a cyclist’s path is a frequent cause of serious injury, especially at intersections and driveways.
• Unsafe passing. A driver who passes too closely can clip a rider or force a fall into the roadway.
• Car accidents. A collision with a car often leaves the rider with the most serious injuries.
• Brain injuries. A head striking the pavement can cause lasting harm even when a helmet is worn, and the effects may not show right away.
• Wrongful death. When a crash takes a cyclist’s life, the family may bring a claim.

Why Choose Cohen Injury Law Group as my Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Brentwood, CA?

Insurers often start from the assumption that the cyclist did something wrong, whether the facts support it or not. Showing what really happened is where we begin.

Investigating a Bike Crash

The proof in a bicycle case fades fast: skid marks wash away, the bike gets discarded, and the driver’s account goes unchallenged if no one acts. That first account can decide how an insurer treats the whole claim. We move early to lock down the police report, camera footage, and witness statements, and to document the damage to the bike before it is repaired or thrown out. Getting to those facts first is what shows the driver, not the rider, caused the crash.

Familiar With How These Crashes Happen

Knowing why drivers fail to see cyclists, at turns, in bike lanes, and while passing, is what turns a denied claim into a paid one. That knowledge shapes how we build the case from the first day. Our founding attorney, Wayne Cohen, is a recognized trial attorney who has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. That understanding is what a cyclist should look for in a personal injury lawyer in Brentwood, CA.

Much of the evidence a cyclist needs is held by other people, whether that is a business with a camera facing the street or a bystander who watched the driver turn. Locating and preserving those sources is the work of Nicholas Cohen, the firm’s managing partner, who completed his undergraduate degree at USC and his law degree at Loyola Law School Los Angeles.

Understanding Bicycle Accident Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Bicycle Accident Cases

Liability in a bicycle case runs on ordinary negligence: a driver who fails to yield, turns across a bike lane, or passes too closely has not used the care the law asks for. A driver owes cyclists the same reasonable care owed to any other vehicle, and breaking a traffic rule is itself a sign that care was missing. A cyclist who was partly at fault still recovers, with the award reduced by that share. Because a rider’s body takes the full force of the impact, the recoverable damages in a bike case often run to serious, lasting injuries.

A bicycle claim reaches costs a rider feels long after the crash.

• Emergency care, surgery, and rehabilitation for fractures or road rash are recoverable.
• Time lost from work, and any lasting limit on the work you can do, are covered.
• The cost of replacing the bicycle, the helmet, and damaged gear is included.
• Care that continues after the first round of treatment belongs in the claim.

What Are Important Aspects of a Bicycle Accident Case?

• Insurers often start from the assumption that the cyclist was at fault, so proving right-of-way matters.
• The driver may claim the rider was hard to see, which puts the focus on lighting and lane position.
• The bike itself is evidence, and it disappears fast once it is repaired or thrown out.
• A cyclist’s own auto policy can add coverage when the driver carries too little.

What Is The Bicycle Accident Case Timeline?

A bike case is often decided by who had the right of way, so that is where we start. We reconstruct the crash while the proof is fresh, from the resting position of the bike to skid marks and any nearby camera, and we preserve that evidence before the scene is cleared and the bike is thrown out. California gives a rider two years to file suit, but that proof fades in days, so the early work carries the case. Alongside it, we identify the driver and the coverage that applies, which can include your own auto policy when the driver had too little. Your treatment sets the pace from there, since the claim should reflect the full injury before it is valued. Most bike claims settle once right-of-way is clear, though we prepare each one for trial.

What Should You Bring to Your Bicycle Accident Consultation?

A few things help us prove what happened.

• Any police or incident report written up after the crash.
• Photographs of the scene, the bike lane or intersection, and your injuries.
• The driver’s information and the names of any witnesses.
• Your medical records and the bills you have received so far.
• The damaged bicycle and helmet, which are often the best physical evidence.

Knowing what to do in the moments after a crash, from calling it in to keeping the bike, can decide how strong the claim is. There is no charge to walk through those first steps together.

Where Do Bicycle Accidents Happen in Brentwood?

Some Brentwood streets and intersections see more bicycle crashes than others, usually where traffic is heavy and space for riders is tight. A few corridors stand out:

• San Vicente Boulevard, a busy route with a tree-lined median.
• Wilshire Boulevard, heavy with traffic along the south edge.
• Sunset Boulevard, where curves reduce a driver’s reaction time.

Certain conditions add to the danger:

• Intersections where drivers turn right across a marked bike lane.
• Parked-car lanes, where a suddenly opened door can strike a passing rider.
• Approaches to the I-405, where merging traffic moves fast and drivers rarely expect a bike.

Riders can find route and safety information through the state traffic safety office, and knowing the risky spots is one way to stay clear of a crash.

Reach Out to Cohen Injury Law Group to Schedule a Consultation

A bicycle crash can leave you injured, off the bike, out of work, and facing a driver’s insurer that would rather blame you. Cohen Injury Law Group reconstructs the crash, shows the driver was at fault, and works to recover the full cost of what you have been through. There is no fee unless we recover for you, so cost is never a reason to wait. You can contact us to have us look into the crash.