Bicycle Accidents matters in Redding
Cycling in and Around Redding
Redding embraces cycling — the Sacramento River Trail, the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, and routes out toward Palo Cedro and Shasta Lake draw both recreational and commuting riders. But many of those trips require sharing busy roads such as Eureka Way, Lake Boulevard, Cypress Avenue, and the Hilltop Drive corridor, where bike lanes are inconsistent and driver awareness varies. The result is a steady stream of preventable collisions.
California law gives cyclists the same rights to the road as drivers, and Vehicle Code section 21760 (the Three Feet for Safety Act) requires motorists to give at least three feet when passing. Despite that, the most common crashes we see involve right-hook turns, drivers opening doors into the bike lane, and failures to yield at intersections. A cyclist has no protective shell, so even a moderate impact can mean a trip to Mercy Medical Center Redding with fractures, road rash, or head injury.
Building a Strong Bicycle Injury Claim
Drivers and insurers often try to shift blame onto the rider, claiming the cyclist ran a light or rode unpredictably. We respond with the collision report, scene and bicycle-damage photographs, helmet-cam or nearby surveillance footage, and witness accounts. Under California's pure comparative negligence rule, a rider who is partly at fault still recovers, with compensation reduced by their share — and we work to keep that share accurate.
Where a road hazard, an unsafe bike-lane design, or a poorly maintained surface contributed, a public entity may share responsibility, which triggers a shorter government-claim deadline we evaluate immediately.
Statewide Representation for Redding Cyclists
Cases that do not settle are filed at the Shasta County Superior Court on Court Street in downtown Redding. Attorney Mihran M. Ghazaryan is based in Glendale and represents injured cyclists throughout California, including Shasta County, working remotely and communicating in English, Armenian, or Russian. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover.
Preserving Evidence After a Bicycle Crash
Like other roadway cases, bicycle claims depend on evidence that fades quickly. Video from nearby businesses, the position of the bike and vehicle, and the condition of the road surface all matter, and all change fast. We move promptly to photograph the scene along Eureka Way or Lake Boulevard, preserve any helmet-camera footage, and identify witnesses before memories fade. We also help injured riders keep their Mercy Medical Center Redding treatment records and wage-loss documentation in order, because honest, consistent records are what demonstrate the true scope of a cyclist's injuries to an insurer or a Shasta County jury.
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.