Bicycle Accidents matters in Bakersfield
Bakersfield offers real cycling, from the popular Kern River Bike Path to commuter and student routes around CSU Bakersfield, but the city's wide, fast arterials force riders to share space with high-speed traffic. Where a bike path ends and a busy roadway begins, or where drivers underestimate how quickly a cyclist is moving, the risk of a serious collision rises sharply. A close pass, a right-hook turn, or a driver drifting into the bike lane can change a rider's life in an instant.
After a crash, insurers often suggest the cyclist was hard to see or rode unpredictably. Careful investigation usually shows the driver simply failed to give the space the law requires.
Why Bakersfield Cyclists Get Hit
- Wide, fast arterials that mix bicycles with high-speed vehicle traffic
- Transitions between the Kern River Bike Path and open roadways
- Student and commuter routes around CSU Bakersfield
- Drivers passing too closely or turning right across a rider's path
- Distracted motorists and doors opened into bike lanes
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 because of traffic or roadway conditions, the driver must slow to a reasonable speed and pass only when doing so would not endanger the cyclist. A violation of this statute is strong evidence of negligence, and we use it together with witness accounts, roadway evidence, vehicle damage, and any available video to show that a driver crowded a rider unlawfully.
Injuries, Case Types & Compensation
With little protection beyond a helmet, cyclists often suffer severe harm, including traumatic brain injuries and concussions, spinal and neck injuries, fractured collarbones, wrists, arms, and legs, road rash, dental injuries, and facial trauma. In the most serious crashes, surviving family members may bring a wrongful-death claim.
Under California law, an injured cyclist may seek economic damages such as medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity, along with non-economic damages for pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Because California follows pure comparative negligence, a rider who is found partly at fault, for example for a lighting or lane-position issue, can still recover, with the award reduced by that share rather than barred. Insurers often try to paint cyclists as reckless or invisible, so we build the case on the physical evidence and the driver's legal duties. We make no promises about outcomes or amounts, since every claim depends on its own facts and the strength of the evidence.
The Two-Year Deadline & Kern County Court
Most California bicycle-injury claims must be filed within two years of the crash under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and missing that deadline typically bars the case. If a public entity may share fault, such as for a dangerous roadway condition, a much shorter claim deadline can apply, so prompt advice matters. Bakersfield bicycle lawsuits are generally handled by the Kern County Superior Court, whose main courthouse sits on Truxtun Avenue in downtown Bakersfield.
How MMG Law Firm Helps
Led by attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan, MMG Law Firm represents injured cyclists across California from our Glendale office, roughly 110 miles from Bakersfield via I-5 and the Grapevine. We handle the investigation, preserve the evidence, negotiate with insurers, and appear in Kern County court when your case requires it, so you can focus on recovery. Consultations are free in English, Armenian, and Russian, and we work on contingency, meaning 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.