Bicycle Accidents matters in Oakland
Oakland has grown into a serious cycling city, but its streets still test riders every day. The loop around Lake Merritt draws heavy recreational and commuter traffic, the bike lanes along Telegraph Avenue thread through dense urban activity, the Bay Trail carries riders along the shoreline, and the city's tight, busy grid leaves little margin when a driver is inattentive. Close passes, dooring, and drivers turning across a bike lane are everyday hazards.
MMG Law Firm represents injured cyclists throughout California and knows how to apply the laws written to protect them while pushing back on the reflexive assumption that the rider was at fault.
Why Oakland bicycle crashes happen here
- The Lake Merritt loop mixes cyclists, runners, and steady vehicle traffic at close quarters.
- Telegraph Avenue's bike lanes run through dense traffic with frequent turns and parked-car dooring risk.
- The Bay Trail and shoreline routes cross driveways and access points where drivers do not expect bikes.
- Oakland's congested grid produces right-hook turns and unsafe passing on narrow streets.
The Three Feet for Safety Act
California's Three Feet for Safety Act, codified at Vehicle Code section 21760, requires a driver overtaking a bicycle traveling in the same direction to pass at a safe distance of at least three feet. When three feet is not possible, the driver must slow to a reasonable speed and pass only when it will not endanger the cyclist. Violating this rule is strong evidence of negligence in a close-pass or sideswipe collision, and we use it to establish a driver's fault.
Injuries and the cases we handle
With only a helmet for protection, cyclists struck by cars often suffer traumatic brain injury, fractures, collarbone and wrist injuries, road rash, spinal damage, and wrongful death. We handle unsafe-pass and sideswipe crashes, dooring cases, right-hook and left-turn collisions, and crashes caused by potholes or other roadway defects.
Compensation available under California law
Injured cyclists may pursue economic damages — medical treatment, future care, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity — and non-economic damages for pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of the activities they love. California applies pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but is not barred even if a driver tries to shift blame onto you. No lawyer can guarantee a specific outcome.
Deadlines, courthouse, and how MMG Law Firm helps
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 generally gives you two years from the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. Acting early lets us preserve the bike, the damaged gear, vehicle data, and witness accounts before they disappear. Oakland lawsuits are typically filed in the Alameda County Superior Court, with civil matters heard at the René C. Davidson Courthouse downtown near Lake Merritt. We are based in Glendale, about 370 miles south, and we represent cyclists across California. We do not keep an Oakland office, and we are honest about that. We investigate, manage insurers, and negotiate remotely, and we travel to Alameda County court when your case requires it. Consultations are free in English, Armenian, and Russian, and we work on contingency — no fee unless we win.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with bicycle accidents
Mihran M. Ghazaryan documents the bike-specific facts insurers prefer to ignore — door-zone collisions, unsafe passing, and right-hook turns — and counters the reflexive assumption that the cyclist was at fault. He gathers the scene evidence, witness accounts, and medical record that put the claim on solid ground, and handles the insurer directly so you can heal.
Types of bicycle accidents we handle
Door-zone collisions
California Vehicle Code §22517 makes opening a door into traffic the responsibility of the door-opener. We frame these cleanly.
Right-hook and unsafe-merge crashes
Drivers turning across a bike lane without yielding. Lane-position and bike-lane markings are central.
Hit-from-behind crashes
Often the most serious injuries. Visibility analysis and reconstruction matter here as much as in any motor-vehicle case.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every bicycle accident claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Get medical attention — concussion symptoms can take days to appear.
- Photograph the bike's resting position, the lane markings, and the vehicle.
- Save the bike, your helmet, and clothing without cleaning them.
- Identify witnesses; pedestrians and other riders often see what police miss.
- Call us before contacting either insurer.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.