Legal Question in Traffic Law in California

Bicycle vs. Car - who is at fault?

I was pulling out of an alley way (no stop sign) to take a left onto a neighborhood street. As I was coming to a stop to take the left, a bicyclist hit my car and fell on the hood of it. (This was at 8pm at night so it was dark.) He was riding on the sidewalk and said that he couldn't stop in time. He wasn't wearing a helmet (not illegal in Los Angeles - since he's over 18) and he had a white light mounted on the handle bar of his bike and a red flashing light near the seat area. He said that his leg hurt a bit but he should be fine and that he's been hit by a car before. We exchanged info anyways. That night, he texted me and let me know that he was alright. The next day, I texted him just to check up on him - again, he said that he was a little sore but fine. My question is - who is at fault? Now, he wants to in for a chiropractic consult. If I am at fault for this accident, I am more than happy to pay for his bill but if I'm not, I'm a little hesitant.


Asked on 3/11/11, 2:53 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert F. Cohen Law Office of Robert F. Cohen

More than likely, in your locale, bicycles should not be driven on the sidewalks. Then again, motorists are required to exercise caution when pulling out of alleys and/or driveways. There might be some comparative fault. Why not report this to your insurance carrier, depending on the size of his medical bills, if any?

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Answered on 3/16/11, 8:11 pm


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