John W. of Marin asks: “I participated in the Jensie Gran Fondo last Saturday. Four bicyclists were struck by a motorist, apparently intentionally, as they were riding. What is the law regarding the punishment of a driver in a road rage situation like this?”
On Saturday October 7, a beautiful Indian summer day in Marin, approximately 1,300 cyclists gathered to ride through the rolling hills of Marin to support the Marin Bike Coalition in its annual Jensie Gran Fondo. As the day went on, what started as a fun-filled day turned to tragedy when the driver of a blue Dodge Ram pickup allegedly swerved to the right and struck 4 bicyclists knocking them to the ground and then sped off. The hit and run collision is the worst injury in the event’s history.
Guerneville, Ca ( August 27th 2017) – Christopher Patti an avid cyclist from Berkeley, Ca, was struck and killed when the driver of a BMW lost control of his vehicle on CA 116 in Guerneville. According to witnesses the driver was taking a curve at too fast a speed and lost control, slid across two lanes hitting Mr. Patti and a guard rail. The driver of the BMW then fled the scene and later abandoned the car near Rio Nido. The CHP later identified the driver of the BMW as 28 year old Jonathan Ritter.
June 20, 2017 – Moises Chavez 51, a San Francisco resident, was struck and killed by an unidentified person driving a car while riding his bike along Alemany Boulevard near the intersection with Silver Avenue. The fatal collision occurred around 5:30 pm Tuesday evening.
Turlock, CA (May 17, 2017) – A bicyclist was killed Wednesday morning when a 2016 silver Chevy Silverado pickup truck fatally struck him along the right side of the roadway.
San Francisco, CA (May 17, 2017) – A bicyclist was severely injured early Monday morning May 15th 2017, after colliding with a vehicle in the Mission district of San Francisco, California.
The Dolan Law Firm annually co-sponsors Bike to Work Day in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through our partners, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Bike East Bay and the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, we are distributing over 20,000 free, reflective pant leg straps for bicyclists. We are proud to be recognized by these organizations as local, bicycle-friendly attorneys. We also sponsor the California Bicycle Coalition which advocates for the rights of cyclists in Sacramento.
A male bicyclist was killed on Wednesday morning, February 8, 2017, after colliding with a car in North Berkeley at the intersection of Sacramento and Ada Streets, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The driver stopped at the scene and was cooperating with police. Streets in the area were closed while police investigated the circumstances of the collision. Additional information on the fatal collision can be found on the Berkeleyside website.
Update: Berkeleyside reports that the cyclist who died in the collision has been identified by community members and co-workers as Joseph Hurlimann.
We have put together an updated list of the laws we believe every California cyclist should know, along with one key law for vehicle drivers. Please visit our California bicycle laws page. And if you are in crash, visit our bike accident checklist page to learn the steps you need to take to ensure your safety and protect your legal rights.
Berkeley, CA (October 5, 2016) – A bicyclist was left with serious injuries after a vehicle collided with the bicyclist in Berkeley on Tuesday, October 4, 2016. The bicyclist was heading west on Allston Way and the vehicle was traveling northbound on Sacramento street when the crash took place. A witness to the aftermath of the crash was Michael Yamamoto who reported that the cyclist “was on the ground on the median. The car had a smashed windshield when I drove by.” Other witnesses reported that they saw the bicyclist in the median of the street after the crash.