The worst things for Bakersfield cyclists aren’t always hills and hot weather. A driver who is both distracted and hurried is a potentially greater threat to a good ride.
Both descriptions can apply to drivers trying to make a left-hand turn. They may get into a rush and be looking at traffic from many different directions, trying to figure out when to hit the gas and make a turn. They can totally miss seeing an oncoming bicyclist and cause a devastating collision.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield helps injured riders hold careless drivers and their insurance companies fully liable for recovery costs. We offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to all injured riders. We want to help victims to be able to count on help for their hospital bills and their lost income at work.
Left-Hand Turn Dangers for Bakersfield Cyclists
There’s plenty of stress to be found on busy, local routes. Drivers are required to monitor their own vehicles and the other vehicles, big rigs, pedestrians, riders, traffic lights, and debris. They must also navigate the city, switch lanes, and make turns.
The places where many of these concerns converge are at the busiest intersections in Bakersfield, such as Gosford Road and Ming Avenue. Lanes can extend to 8 across in some directions. Making a turn becomes a bit tricky.
Unfortunately, the smallest roadway users, such as those on foot and those on bikes, start to blend into the background. Drivers ready to jump out in front of traffic to make a turn might focus on the largest vehicles and forget all about the rider approaching or in a crosswalk.
There are several reasons why left-hand turns are a bit more challenging for drivers and can lead to collisions with cyclists:
- Increased Concentration: Drivers who are ironically paying more attention to traffic to make their turns can also forget the most vulnerable people crossing an intersection. Motorists might have to monitor several lanes of oncoming traffic. They may see their opening to make a turn, but they’ve missed the smaller profile of the rider traveling along with the approaching vehicles. A bicyclist may also be crossing the street from the same side as the driver, using the bike lane. A frantic decision to “gun it” can lead to a devastating bicycle accident.
- Wider Turns Taking Longer: There’s also the physics of a left-hand turn. These turns cover more real estate and pavement, and they take longer to complete. It’s all creating a bigger chance that a car pulls across the path of an oncoming cyclist or rams a cyclist traveling across a crosswalk.
- Drivers Getting Nervous: Waiting in a turn lane and trying to beat a red light can only add to the danger. The longer the wait, the more anxious the driver may get. This added stress can cause them to “leap before they look” to endanger a rider.
These may all be valid reasons that a driver gets extra jumpy during left-hand turns, but they don’t excuse the motorist from blame if someone on a bike gets hurt. State law requires motorists to always act to protect vulnerable cyclists, even if the rider is breaking traffic laws.
A Bakersfield bicycle accident attorney would investigate the bicyclist’s accident and collect enough evidence to make sure the blame couldn’t be shifted from the driver. It’s a common tactic when car insurance companies don’t want to help injured riders.
Then a skilled lawyer would demand the most in compensation available. Often, earning victims much more than they could earn by filing a claim themselves.
Support for the Victims of Left-Hand Turn Bicycle Accidents
The level of compensation is critical in these cases, because a left-hand turning accident can cause traumatic and life-threatening injuries for cyclists.
Victims can suffer broken bones in a head-on collision or an impact with the passenger side of a vehicle. Riders can also suffer a second strike when they are sent to the hard pavement. They may also be left in the path of other turning vehicles.
Bicyclists might endure broken bones, head and brain trauma, and neck and back injuries. Getting back on a bike might have to be a secondary concern while the victim simply focuses on being able to walk again.
A skilled attorney takes all this inconsideration and documents each hardship before filing a claim and demanding what’s fair for the victim:
- All current and anticipated medical bills: PAID
- Longterm expenses involving a permanent disability: PAID
- Support for the pain injured riders must endure: PAID
- Support for the emotional trauma victims must cope with: PAID
- Travel Costs to See Medical Specialists: PAID
- Income and Benefits Lost at Work: REIMBURSED
- The cost to replace a bicycle and other damaged property. PAID
Contact a Bicycle Accident Attorney Who Builds Your Case with Powerful Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
If you have a serious injury, and a careless driver caused your accident, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to schedule a free consultation. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real Kern County bicycle accident attorney.
Your full recovery becomes our number one mission. We don’t stop fighting until you are back on your bike and enjoying rides around the city.
We also realize that right after a bike accident and lost time at work, you may not have the money to hire a lawyer. That’s okay. If you hire us, our lawyers don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then, our fee comes out of the settlement check you earn from an insurer.