Cyclist Hit By Uber / Lyft Driver

Roughly half a million cyclists are injured by cars every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Injuries sustained by bicyclists are often extreme, including traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones, severe lacerations, and long lasting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Rideshare drivers such as Uber and Lyft drivers are notoriously dangerous, as they are commonly distracted by their phones, speeding to get to their destinations as quickly as possible, and unfamiliar with the roads and routes they take (which leads to more distraction when they use their phones GPS to navigate).

Common Types of Collisions Caused by Rideshare Drivers

Uber has a $1 million bodily injury policy for cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users (drivers) when their driver is logged into the app to pick someone up or drop them off. Common types of crashes involving cyclists include the following:

• Right Hook—The driver makes a right turn across the cyclist’s lane of traffic (the shoulder of the road, a bike lane, or the sidewalk), cutting the cyclist off and knocking him or her to the pavement. Drivers must yield right of way to cyclists in this scenario, though they rarely do.
• Left Turn Across Traffic—Intersections are inherently dangerous places for cyclists. Drivers are often in a rush to beat a yellow or red light, and speed through intersections with safety as a last concern. Making a left across traffic, and failing to yield right of way to the cyclist, is a common cause of serious injury for the person on two wheels.
• Hit From Behind—Being hit from behind is the leading cause of cyclist fatality. These collisions seem impossible to understand—how did the driver not see the cyclist after all? Common reasons are texting, talking on the phone, falling asleep, drunk driving, or intentionally hitting the cyclist out of road rage.

What if the Passenger Caused the Crash?

Sometimes, bike collisions are caused when the car is parked (such as stopped in a bike lane) or in “dooring” incidents. A San Francisco man was killed while riding his bike this summer when the occupant of the car opened the door in front of the cyclist’s path, according to StreetsBlog. This type of collision is called “getting doored,” and it can result in extreme injuries, or death as in the case of the previous example. As such, the person causing the dooring collision could either be the rideshare driver, or an occupant. This could pose a tricky legal situation, in which Uber or Lyft denies liability, and attempts to place it on the passenger. Another example of a passenger causing the collision includes a drunk and disorderly passenger bumping or grabbing the driver, who then loses control of the vehicle.

Our San Jose Uber and Lyft Vs. Bike Crash Attorneys are Available to Help Today  

If you were injured while riding your bike by a rideshare driving, you need to talk to an attorney about compensation. Call the San Jose bicycle accident attorneys at the Solution Now Law Firm today in order to schedule a free case evaluation.