Pedal Assist and Powerful Batteries Can Spell E-Bike Crash
Although electric bikes don’t go as fast as a motorbike, with pedal assist and a powerful motor, they still go faster than a regular bicycle. So you need to be careful when riding one or walking close to e-bike riders. Nonetheless, since electric bikes are not that common yet, not many know how they work with their powerful throttle on-demand features.
Facing an oncoming bicyclist when your e-bike reaches harrowing speeds could speel doom and death.
People also get confused regarding the laws that apply to electric bikes in Los Angeles and how they are different from bicycles or motorcycles. Our most experienced attorney is here to help you with that.
So read this page if you want to know more about what to do after getting into an e-bike accident with a negligent driver in Los Angeles! As we mentioned before, a bicycle accident can cost you a lot of money, and the least the liable party can do is give you the compensation you deserve for the accident. You can’t win a case without a decent lawyer, so contact Ehline Law for us to get you the compensation you need to cover economic and non-economic damage in Los Angeles.
We will handle everything on a contingency fee basis, so leave us a valid phone number on our online contact us form, or call us before time passes and proving negligence becomes harder.
Is a Bicycle Accident the Same as When People Ride Electric Bikes?
While this depends on the state where the bicycle accident happens, e-bike accidents are addressed as standard bicycle accidents in Los Angeles, California. E-bike accidents or those involving other types of electric scooters around Downtown Los Angeles are here to stay.
Why do so many electric bike accident cases occur in L.A.? You first need to know how e-bikes work to answer that question. We will explain more during our complimentary, free case evaluation. Suffice it to say here, that electric bicycles have an electric motor that makes it easier to ride faster without getting exhausted after pedaling. Riders still need to pedal to make the electric motor work, but you don’t need to make that much of an effort when pedaling.
Motorbikes can go faster depending on the model and type of e-bike you get, and while a max-speed electric bike is not as fast as a motor vehicle, it’s still twice as fast as a regular bicycle. Now imagine a fast-moving e-bike rider getting knocked off by an open car door at 25 miles per hour?
Some people modify their e-bike motors, so it happens in Southern California more often than likely being reported. Our Los Angeles bicycle attorney handles cases against negligent riders, as well as negligent motorists.
What Injuries Can I Get After an E-Bike Accident?
As it happens in motor vehicle accidents, accidents involving electric bicycles can cause several injuries, and you could even face permanent physical damage if the driver was driving at a high speed. If the victim, for example, wasn’t wearing a helmet, they are most likely to get concussions or a traumatic brain injury.
Spinal cord injuries are also common after a bicycle accident. Those injuries could lead to body paralysis and other skull fractures, too. Some people have even died after a bicycle accident with a ht and run driver, etc. So it’s best to keep an eye on the road when riding an electric bike to avoid life threatening injuries. Remember, this isn’t a traditional bicycle folks. You can end up dying or suffering permanent injuries like broken bones that require pins and screws.
Damages?
In a nutshell, you are entitled to seek tangible and intangible damages. Naturally, medical expenses are not the only thing you may need to pay for after getting into a bicycle accident in Los Angeles. Economic damage and property losses are also something you may need your compensation to cover, and that only adds up to pain and suffering compensation, permanent or semi-permanent disability, and even a reduction in the plaintiff’s earning capacity.
Make a Catastrophic Injuries Claim?
The best way to cover all these expenses is to file a personal injury claim with an e-bike accident lawyer. You can always count on Ehline Law to take your case and guide you through all the legal processes needed to get compensation for accident victims in Los Angeles.
Why Do E-Bike Accidents Happen?
It’s easier to get into an e-bike accident than a bicycle accident, and that’s due to the speed that bicycle riders can reach when riding an electric bike. The thing is not only that e-bikes are fast but that people don’t expect them to be that fast.
Therefore, bicycle riders often get e-bikes and try to ride them as if they were regular bikes. Since they are not used to riding that fast, riders end up having trouble braking and crash with other bikes, motor vehicles, or bystanders.
Fatalities
Riding an e-bike is a whole different experience than riding a regular bike, and not understanding that leads to fatal accidents. Even if you know how e-bikes work, not all e-bike riders take time to practice braking at high speeds, so they are not ready to hit the road, yet.
Additionally, people driving close to electric bike riders or walking next to them don’t expect a bike to go fast, either, so they are not that careful when being close to you. When that happens, bike riders are not liable for the accident since the other party was the one that caused it.
Understanding E-Bike Laws in California
Although an e-bike accident is the same as a bicycle accident when you start filing a personal injury claim against another person, there are specific laws in Los Angeles you need to take into account when dealing with e-bike accidents, and they are not the same for all e-bikes.
The first thing you need to know to understand this is there are three different types of e-bicycles: class one bicycles, class two, and class three.
Class one e-bikes are the best for beginners since they only get to 20mph. You don’t need to wear helmets to ride class one or class two e-bikes, and you can get one regardless of your age.
All electric bikes are pedal-assisted, but class two ones have a throttle on demand you can use if you want to stop pedaling. You ride these bikes on a bike path if you want to, but governments often restrict some places for electric bike riders to protect bystanders from getting into bicycle accidents.
As for class three e-bikes, they can get to 28mph and have an equipped speedometer. Only people who are 16 years old or older can ride class three e-bikes, and they can’t ride them on bike paths outside the road.
Whether you are riding class one and two or three electric bicycles, you don’t need any kind of license, registration, or insurance requirements. However, you do need to follow traffic regulations to prevent any bicycle accident from happening.
It’s essential to know what e-bike you are riding and where you can ride them to avoid suffering from serious injuries since many bicycle accident cases come from people who don’t know how these bikes work.
Free Consultation
Have you been hit by an e-bike in Los Angeles? Call us as soon as you can to get a free consultation of your case and file a bicycle accident lawsuit against the negligent rider! We can help any private citizen demand satisfaction in the form of full and fair financial compensation.
Who Can Be Liable for an E-Bike Accident?
Many have the misconception that only e-bike riders can be liable for bicycle accidents in Los Angeles, but that couldn’t be further from reality. Naturally, if someone an e-bike and crashes with someone because they don’t know how to maneuver their bike, they are liable for the accident, but things change when it’s the other way around.
Pedestrians
What if a pedestrian is not paying enough attention to the road or bike path and walks into an e-bike rider who was following traffic laws? They are more than surely getting serious injuries for that, but they are still the ones who caused the accident in the first place, so they are liable for it.
The same happens with motorists or people driving any other motor vehicle that causes electric bike accidents since e-bike operators are the victims in this case.
Other cyclists can also be liable for an accident and any traumatic brain injuries the victim gets if they get in the way of a bike rider following traffic signals and being mindful of their surroundings.
Helmets
Wearing a helmet is essential because of this since, even if you are careful enough to avoid causing any accidents yourself, you can’t control what other people do. Los Angeles California law uses a comparative fault system, so the plaintiff can still get some compensation from their personal injury claim if they share liability for the accident.
Bike manufacturers can also be liable for accidents if they happened because the bike had defective brakes or motors, but it’s not that common to see that happening. The same happens with rental companies that sell defective bicycles.
Nonetheless, e-bike accident lawyers working at the Ehline Law Firm can explain every part of the process to you and help you prove the other party is liable for the accident after you schedule a free consultation of your case with us.
Attorney client relationship is essential for any legal process in the country, so you can tell us all the details you want of the accident for us to help you.
How to Make a Bicycle Accident Claim – What Do I Need to Do After an E-Bike Accident?
The first thing to do after a bicycle accident is to check if the other parties involved in the accident and yourself are okay or need immediate medical attention. If you do need an ambulance, call 911 to prevent your injuries from causing any further damage.
Exchanging your contact information with the other party is essential since that helps you get to them in case your lawyer has any questions about the injury claim. You are good to go as long as you have their full name, home direction, phone number, email address, insurance company, and license plate if they are motor vehicle occupants.
After doing that, you can call the police to report the accident or directly go to the closest police station to tell them what happened. Lawyers can use that report as evidence if there’s a trial in the future, so make sure to get the report number.
If you don’t need immediate medical attention, you can take the moment after the accident to collect as much evidence as you can for the lawsuit since that can help you prove you are not liable for what happened.
Accident Scene Photos
Photographs are a good place to start, so take pictures of your injuries and any property damage you suffered after the accident. Bystanders can be witnesses for a trial, so ask them if they saw anything and ask them for their contact information in case you need to reach out to them in the future.
Hiring the Right Lawyer
The next step is to call a law firm you trust to take your case and schedule a free case consultation. As we mentioned before, Ehline Law is always available to deliver top-notch legal assistance in Los Angeles, so you can call us whenever you need us.
When you tell lawyers the details of your case and what happened, they are going to file a claim and send it to a judge for them to notify the other party they are getting sued. The other party needs to answer your claim and state if they declare themselves liable for the accident.
If they don’t, then you need to get to a settlement either by negotiating or a trial. Most people address this issue after getting an agreement since it takes less time and it’s less stressful for all parties involved in the case.
Learn Your Options
However, negotiating may lead to getting less compensation than what you would get by winning a trial, so you should take that into account before trying it. People who don’t want to negotiate and prefer going to a trial are at risk of not winning if they don’t have enough evidence and lose the case.
Attorneys at Ehline Law will tell you what choice is best for your situation.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an E-Bike Accident Lawyer in Los Angeles, CA
No one wants to get into a bicycle accident, but it’s always good to be ready in case you do. Therefore, we recommend you always wear a helmet when riding e-bikes and try to ride the slowest you can. Try to be mindful of your surroundings if you are walking close to anyone riding an e-bike since you never know how skilled they are at it.
Regardless of that, Ehline Law is there for you when you need to get compensation for any kind of accident, so reach out to us if you want a free consultation of your case! Call us today for superior service and client management at (213) 596-9642.
Michael Ehline
Michael is a managing partner at the nationwide Ehline Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, APLC. He’s an inactive Marine and became a lawyer in the California State Bar Law Office Study Program, later receiving his J.D. from UWLA School of Law. Michael has won some of the world’s largest motorcycle accident settlements.
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