The Dolan Law Firm is proud to sponsor again Bike East Bay’s Pedalfest! Join us on Saturday, July 22, 2017, from 11 am to 6 pm at Jack London Square, for a free celebration of cycling, family, food and fun. Enjoy dare-devil stunts, art bikes, and live music on a pedal-powered stage. Bike East Bay promotes healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safe, fun and accessible.
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.
Recently I was approached by a prospective client, who, while walking along a busy San Francisco Street, was hit by a car in the crosswalk. She was thrown to the ground and sustained a fracture to her wrist and tailbone. The car took off and there was/is no way to identify it or the driver. She wanted to know if there was any way she could bring a legal action to recover the costs of her medical bills, which were in the thousands of dollars. She did not have health insurance, she did not own a car, nor was she on any applicable policy of insurance held by a family member which would have given her coverage.
Today is Bike to Work Day in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a proud sponsor of the Marin, San Francisco, and East Bay bicycle coalitions, I want to take a moment to remind everyone about bicycle laws and the rights and responsibilities of car drivers and bicyclists on our roadways.
Bike lanes are just that: lanes designed for bikes. Many are painted with a solid white line; some are green with a solid white boundary. California Vehicle Code Section 21209 restricts motor vehicles from driving in a bike lane except to: a) park where permitted, b) enter or leave the roadway or c) to prepare for a turn within a distance of 200 feet from an intersection.
May is national Bike Month and Thursday May 12th is Bike to Work Day (BTWD) in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Dolan Law FIrm is proud to sponsor BTWD across the Bay Area. The annual event is celebrated by thousands of people choosing to leave their cars at home and participate in a healthier alternative to get to work, school and other activities.
Who can be held liable for a bicycling accident? In many cases, it’s motor vehicle drivers who are not wary of a bicyclist’s right to be on the roads. Liability for biking injuries comes down to negligence in many situations, so proving that the driver involved was negligent is key to your case.
Every year about 30 people lose their lives and over 200 more are seriously injured while traveling on San Francisco streets. Yet, San Francisco is determined to be a safe place for walkers and bikers. The City’s Vision Zero initiative carries with it the goal to eliminate all fatal traffic accidents by 2024, including those involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
This article was written by Chris Dolan and published by The San Francisco Examiner. Click here to read more of Chris Dolan’s weekly articles at SFExaminer.com.
This week’s question comes from Jim C. in Concord who asks; “I was walking down the sidewalk, in the same direction of travel as the cars along side of me, when I was hit from behind by a person on a bicycle.
I was badly injured. The bicyclist told the police that he didn’t see me before hitting me because he was balancing a box on the handlebars which blocked his view. What is the law on bicycles on the sidewalk and who is going to help me pay for my injuries?”
Bike To Work Day is today and, according to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Market Street is the most heavily bicycled road west of the Mississippi River.
In 2013, four bicyclists were killed on the streets of San Francisco, the highest annual figure since 2001, while 21 pedestrians were killed in 2013. In 2014, 18 pedestrians were killed as well as three bicyclists. In continuing efforts to make San Francisco roadways safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, in 2011 the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency began installing green bike boxes at some intersections along Market Street that are meant to safely separate pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.