Bicycle Accidents matters in San Francisco
San Francisco has invested heavily in bike infrastructure, yet its cyclists still ride alongside heavy traffic on streets that were never designed for safe coexistence. The Wiggle's zigzag route across the city, the bike lanes along Market Street and Valencia Street, and the busy Embarcadero waterfront path all put riders close to turning cars, double-parked vehicles, and suddenly-opened doors.
When a bicycle and a car collide, the cyclist has no protection, and the injuries are often serious. Knowing the rules that protect riders, including California's three-foot passing law, is key to holding careless drivers accountable.
Why bicycle crashes happen here
The city's most-used cycling routes also concentrate the most conflict:
- Market Street's bike lanes and the heavily-traveled Valencia Street corridor mix cyclists with turning and stopping vehicles.
- The Wiggle channels riders through neighborhood intersections where drivers may not expect bike traffic.
- The Embarcadero blends commuters, tourists, and delivery vehicles along the waterfront.
- Dooring, where a parked driver flings open a door into a passing rider, is a constant danger on dense streets lined with parking.
Unsafe passing, right-hook turns across a bike lane, and failure to look before opening a door are among the most common causes we see.
The Three Feet for Safety Act
California's Three Feet for Safety Act, codified at Vehicle Code section 21760, requires a driver passing a bicycle traveling in the same direction to leave at least three feet of clearance. When three feet is not possible, the driver must slow down and pass only when it is safe to do so. This law gives cyclists a clear legal standard, and a violation can be powerful evidence of a driver's negligence. California law also addresses dooring by prohibiting opening a vehicle door into traffic when it is unsafe. We use these statutes, along with witness accounts and physical evidence, to establish fault.
Injuries and case types we handle
Bicycle crashes commonly cause severe and lasting injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries, even when a helmet is worn
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Facial injuries and dental damage
- Broken bones, road rash, and joint injuries
- Wrongful death claims for grieving families
We handle dooring crashes, unsafe passing, right-hook collisions, and crashes caused by dangerous road conditions.
Compensation you may pursue
Injured cyclists may seek economic damages such as medical bills, future treatment, lost wages, and diminished earning capacity, plus non-economic damages for pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. We never guarantee a specific amount or outcome; each claim depends on its own facts and the insurance available. Because California follows pure comparative negligence, you can recover even if you were partly responsible, with your award reduced by your share of fault.
Deadlines, the courthouse & how MMG Law helps
Most California bicycle-injury claims must be filed within two years of the crash under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and acting early helps preserve evidence and witness testimony. San Francisco cases are handled by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, at the Civic Center Courthouse. MMG Law Firm is based in Glendale and represents injured cyclists throughout California, including San Francisco. We handle your case remotely through phone, email, and a secure client portal, and we appear in court when your case requires it. Consultations are free and available in English, Armenian, and Russian, and we work on contingency, so there is 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.