Santa Rosa E-Bike Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been injured in an e-bike accident in Santa Rosa, CA, don’t hesitate to explore your legal rights with Singleton Schreiber. Depending on how and why your electric bike accident happened, you may have the right to pursue compensation from a negligent motorist, an e-bike rental company or manufacturer, or even the city of Santa Rosa. Our Santa Rosa e-bike accident lawyers can offer the experience and knowledge needed to get the life-changing monetary award you need to get back on your feet.

We know you have one opportunity to pursue compensation for your medical care, lost income, property damage, and other e-bike accident-related damages. Our award-winning California trial lawyers are determined to help you make the most of it. As fearless advocates for injury victims and families, we’ve successfully recovered more than $3 Billion in damages on their behalf.

Now, we’re ready to do everything in our power to make a difference in your life after an e-bike accident, too. Call our Santa Rosa, California, law office to discuss your e-bike accident case today. Your first consultation is free.

Understanding E-Bike Regulations in Santa Rosa

E-bikes are pedal-operated, battery-powered bicycles. In California, three classes of e-bikes are recognized: Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. Different e-bikes can be subject to different rules and regulations.

• Class 1: Pedal-activated motor support until the bicycle reaches 20 MPH
• Class 2: Throttle-activated motor support until the bicycle reaches 20 MPH
• Class 3: Pedal-activated motor support until the bicycle reaches 28 MPH

Even though Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes can typically move a lot faster than traditional bicycles, they’re not usually subject to heightened requirements or regulations. In fact, adult riders who operate Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes aren’t required to wear helmets or receive specialized training.

In Sonoma County, Class 1 e-bikes can be operated on trails and bike lanes wherever traditional bikes are permitted unless otherwise stated.

Class 3 e-bike operators must be at least 16 years of age and must wear a helmet.

What Can Cause E-Bicycle Accidents?

While e-bikes aren’t regulated much differently from traditional bicycles, it’s important to acknowledge that they can function differently. They’re heavier, can gain speed faster than a traditional bike, and also take longer to stop. These are all factors that can potentially contribute to e-bike accidents, especially when riders or nearby motorists don’t take these things into consideration.

Other common contributing factors to e-bike accidents include:

• Speeding
• Driver distraction
• Drug and alcohol use
• Driver fatigue
• Unsafe lane changes
• Illegal turns
• Failing to look for an e-bike before moving through an intersection
• Ignoring traffic signals
• Tailgating
• E-bike defects
• Road defects, including damaged pavement on bike lanes or lane closures
• Bad weather conditions

In California, anyone who contributes to an accident with an e-bike can be liable for resulting damages. Depending on the circumstances of the crash, this might include a driver of a passenger vehicle, a bus driver, a truck driver, a transportation company, or an e-bike manufacturer or rental company. There are also times when an e-bike operator may bear some (or all) of the blame for a car accident.

What If I’m Blamed For an E-Bike Accident?

You might be blamed for an e-bike accident even if you’re not really at fault. Insurance adjusters and defense attorneys often make these types of claims to sidestep liability and limit how much they have to pay when an e-bike rider pursues compensation. It’s important to fight these types of allegations because California follows a system of pure comparative negligence.

Under the law, damages are reduced proportionately to fault. The more responsibility you’re assigned for causing your e-bicycle accident, the less compensation you’ll be able to recover from other responsible parties.

For instance, you could expect to get 80 percent of the value of your e-bike injury claim if you were assigned 20 percent of the blame for your e-bike accident.

Our e-bike accident attorneys in Santa Rosa, CA, can help you challenge these types of claims and work to ensure you’re able to get every cent you’ll need to move forward with your life.

Damages Available to E-Bike Accident Victims in Santa Rosa

Between 2017 and 2022, more than 45,000 people visited the emergency room because of injuries sustained in e-bike accidents across the nation. Some of the most common injuries that landed e-bike users in the hospital were head injuries, brain injuries, broken bones, burn injuries, and blunt force trauma. 

These types of injuries can cause e-bicyclists to experience significant financial costs and harder-to-value suffering. When someone else is responsible for your e-bike accident, you’ll have the opportunity to recoup compensation for these losses through a personal injury claim.

Specifically, e-bike victims can often recover compensatory damages for:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Disability
• Property damage
• Rehabilitation
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium
• Reduced quality of life
• Inconvenience

If there’s evidence that your e-bike accident happened because of someone else’s intentional or grossly negligent actions, a Sonoma County jury may also decide to award punitive damages (if your e-bike accident lawsuit goes to trial).

Singleton Schreiber Offers a Free Consultation to E-Bike Accident Victims in Santa Rosa, CA

Call Singleton Schreiber if you’ve been injured while riding an electric bicycle in Santa Rosa, California. You may be entitled to compensation, and our local lawyers can put national resources behind your fight to maximize your recovery.

Barring any exceptions - like an injury to a child or a government tort claim - you’ll typically have two years from the date of your e-bike accident to seek compensation. So, don’t hesitate to contact our Santa Rosa personal injury attorneys for help with your e-bike claim today.

We’ll investigate your case, gather important pieces of evidence, consult experts, and build a claim that helps you get the life-changing monetary award you deserve. We offer a free consultation, so reach out to our Santa Rosa law office for help today. Members of our team are available to take your call 24 hours a day.