Bicycle Accidents matters in San Bernardino
Cycling in San Bernardino means navigating broad, high-speed arterials, intersections built for cars, and a road network that often leaves riders with little dedicated space. Around Cal State San Bernardino, students and commuters ride to and from campus through busy corridors. Recreational cyclists use the Santa Ana River Trail, but the connections between off-street paths and the street grid are where conflicts with vehicles frequently occur. Add long signal cycles and drivers unaccustomed to sharing the lane, and the risks for cyclists climb.
A collision between a car and a bicycle is profoundly one-sided. The rider absorbs the impact directly, and serious injury can follow even from a relatively low-speed crash.
Why bicycle crashes happen here
- Wide, fast arterials with narrow or no bike space
- Drivers passing too closely instead of moving over
- Right-hook and left-cross collisions at busy intersections
- Conflict points where the Santa Ana River Trail meets surface streets
- Heavier traffic and turning movements near the Cal State San Bernardino area
The Three Feet for Safety Act
California's Three Feet for Safety Act, 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. If 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 will not endanger the cyclist. A driver who clips a rider while passing too closely has likely violated this law, and that violation can be powerful evidence of negligence.
Injuries and case types
- Head and traumatic brain injuries, even with a helmet
- Broken bones and joint injuries
- Road rash and deep lacerations
- Spinal and neck injuries
- Wrongful death
Compensation you may pursue
Under California's pure comparative negligence rule, you can recover even if you were partly responsible, with your award reduced by your share of fault. Recoverable damages can include economic losses such as medical bills, ongoing care, lost wages, and diminished earning capacity, plus non-economic losses like pain, suffering, and the loss of activities you love. We never quote amounts or promise outcomes — the value depends entirely on your facts.
Deadlines and the courthouse
California's two-year deadline under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 applies to most bicycle injury claims, and if a public entity may share fault a much shorter government-claim deadline can apply. Waiting risks both your claim and the evidence. San Bernardino bicycle cases move through the San Bernardino County Superior Court at the San Bernardino Justice Center.
How MMG Law Firm helps
We are based in Glendale, an easy drive to San Bernardino on the 210, and we represent injured cyclists here and throughout California. We reconstruct how the crash happened, document the driver's failure to give safe passing distance, and press the insurer for full and fair compensation. 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.