Category Archives: San Diego

San Diego bike crash news and cycling information from a bicycle accident attorney near you.

New Law Requires Three Foot Buffer Zone Around Cyclists

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Dudek Law Firm

On September 16, a new law goes into effect requiring drivers to leave three feet of buffer space when passing a cyclist. California’s current passing law states that drivers must leave a “safe distance,” but it does not specify how far. Cycling enthusiasts hope the new law will help protect bicyclists from aggressive drivers, who kill dozens of cyclists every year. Many of the supporters are family members who have lost loved ones in cycling accidents, like a Chula Vista couple whose son was killed on August 8. California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed similar laws in 2011 and 2012, arguing that certain provisions could have been dangerous. Certain drafts of the bill would have allowed drivers to cross a double yellow line to pass a cyclist, or required them to slow down to 15 mph when passing within three feet. Brown argued that these conditions could lead to more accidents…
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Cyclist Paralyzed After Drunk Driver Crashes Into Group Ride

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Dudek Law Firm

Several members of the San Diego Bicycle Club were seriously injured after a wrong-way driver collided with a group of cyclists on Fiesta Island. On Tuesday, August 12, the club was finishing their weekly ride when a car traveling against traffic plowed into the group head-on. The impact injured at least 10 cyclists and left one rider paralyzed. A 49-year-old father of two was riding close to the front of the group when he saw the car heading their way. He managed to push at least one cyclist out of the way but suffered critical injuries in the process. The La Jolla father was the most seriously injured of all the cyclists, suffering two punctured lungs, the loss of one kidney, a lacerated spleen and six broken vertebras. Doctors at UCSD Hillcrest Hospital are focusing on healing the man’s lungs so he can undergo spinal surgery, but they believe the…
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Artist Holds Bicycle Rally in Support of Community Update

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Dudek Law Firm

San Diego artist Alexander Harman believes cycling can be a political act to promote civic engagement. To demonstrate, he plans to use hundreds of bicyclists to help him protest the overturning of the Barrio Logan Community Plan Update. The Barrio Update was a legal measure that would have installed a five-block-long buffer zone between residential and industrial areas in Barrio Logan. The plan would have allowed “community and neighborhood commercial [interests]” to use the area, but no housing would be there. Neighborhood residents believe the distance would help reduce the health risks of residents living close to shipbuilding yards, some of which mold plastic or paint car parts. Shipbuilding interests disagreed, however. Tighter ordinances from a nearby residential area could force nearby shipyards to change their hours or operating procedures,which could risk “billions of dollars of income and thousands of high-paying, good jobs,” critics argued. They also claimed the residents’…
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