Bicycle Accidents Caused by Collisions with Cars and Buses in San Francisco

San Francisco drivers have a bad habit of treating cyclists like obstacles instead of human beings. The result: in one recent year alone, 372 cyclists ended up in the ER after getting hit by cars and buses. Some never walked away at all.

If a driver’s recklessness put you in a hospital bed, you don’t have to just accept it. You have legal options, and the right attorney can make sure you get the money you need for medical bills, lost wages, and everything else this accident stole from you.

Call The Zinn Law Firm at (415) 292-4100 today. Let’s talk about how we get you paid.

Why Choose Us

Drivers don’t take cyclists seriously, but we do. At The Zinn Law Firm, we’ve spent years holding reckless drivers accountable for the damage they cause. We don’t just file paperwork and hope for the best—we dig into every case, uncovering evidence that insurance companies hope you’ll never find. And we win.

We know San Francisco. Our office sits just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Mill Valley, at 591 Redwood Highway Frontage Rd, Suite 4000—an easy drive from downtown SF. Need to take public transit? We’re a short rideshare trip away from the Sausalito Ferry Terminal.

Awards don’t win cases, but experience does. Our firm has been recognized by Super Lawyers, the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, and Consumer Attorneys of California. More importantly, our clients trust us to fight for them when it matters most.

How Much Is My Bicycle Accident Case Worth?

Every case involves three categories of damages:

Economic Damages

These cover the tangible financial losses caused by the accident. Think hospital bills, rehab costs, and time spent off work because of injuries. The more serious the injury, the higher the costs.

• Medical expenses – Emergency room visits, surgeries, physical therapy, prescription meds, and future treatments
• Lost wages – Paychecks you missed while recovering, plus reduced earning potential if the injury affects your career
• Property damage – The cost of repairing or replacing your bike, gear, and anything else the crash destroyed
• Out-of-pocket expenses – Home modifications (wheelchair ramps, stairlifts), transportation costs, and in-home care

Non-Economic Damages

Pain doesn’t come with a receipt, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. California law recognizes that injuries affect quality of life, not just finances. These damages compensate for the ways your accident made life harder.

• Physical pain and suffering – The actual pain from injuries, surgeries, and long-term health issues
• Emotional distress – PTSD, anxiety, depression, and the psychological toll of the accident
• Loss of enjoyment of life – Hobbies and activities you can no longer do because of your injuries
• Disfigurement and scarring – Permanent physical changes that impact self-image and mental health

California law doesn’t cap non-economic damages in most personal injury cases. The only exception? Medical malpractice claims, which have a $350,000 limit under California Civil Code § 3333.2. If a doctor caused your injuries, the law restricts how much you can recover for pain and suffering.

Punitive Damages

Some drivers aren’t just careless—they’re reckless. If the person who hit you was drunk, speeding excessively, or intentionally aggressive toward cyclists, you might have a case for punitive damages under California Civil Code § 3294. Unlike other damages, which compensate you for losses, these exist to punish wrongdoers and deter future reckless behavior.

Punitive damages aren’t guaranteed. Courts award them when they see clear and convincing evidence that the driver acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. If a driver blew through a red light at 60 mph and sent you flying? That’s malice. If they swerved at you in a fit of road rage? That’s oppression. But if it was just a careless mistake, these damages probably won’t apply.

How Lawyers Calculate Damages

Insurance companies love lowball offers. They’ll add up your hospital bills, throw in a little extra, and hope you take it. That’s not how this works.

Personal injury attorneys calculate damages by:

• Gathering medical records and consulting specialists to estimate future treatment costs
• Analyzing pay stubs and employment records to determine lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Using expert testimony from doctors, psychologists, and vocational specialists to prove long-term impact
• Applying multipliers to non-economic damages based on injury severity (e.g., a broken wrist gets a lower multiplier than a traumatic brain injury)

The insurance company’s first offer is never the best one. A good attorney fights for every dollar you’re owed.

Where Do Bicycle Accidents Happen in San Francisco?

Some streets in San Francisco feel like they were designed by someone who actively hates cyclists.

The Worst Intersections for Cyclists

San Francisco sees hundreds of bicycle crashes every year, but certain locations stand out for all the wrong reasons. According to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), these intersections pose the highest risks:

• Market Street & Octavia Boulevard – A chaotic mix of freeway ramps, pedestrians, and confused drivers creates a perfect storm for bike collisions.
• Polk Street & Golden Gate Avenue – A high-traffic area where cyclists compete with buses, delivery trucks, and drivers who ignore bike lane markings.
• The Embarcadero & Sansome Street – Popular with tourists and commuters, this area sees frequent dooring accidents and rear-end collisions.
• Valencia Street & 16th Street – Heavy traffic combined with delivery trucks blocking bike lanes leads to sudden, dangerous swerves.

These are just a few examples. The truth? Anywhere drivers get impatient, distracted, or aggressive, cyclists pay the price.

How Many Cyclists Get Hit in San Francisco?

Bicycle accidents aren’t random. They follow patterns, and the numbers don’t lie:

• 21 cyclists died between 2016 and 2022, according to the San Francisco Vision Zero program.
• Left turns account for nearly 40% of all bike-car crashes, proving that many drivers fail to check for cyclists before cutting across intersections.
• More than 60% of bike crashes happen at intersections, where cars, buses, and cyclists all compete for space.

The Bus Factor

Buses add another layer of risk. Muni buses share lanes with cyclists but don’t always share the road well. Common bus-related bike crashes include:

• Right hook crashes – A bus overtakes a cyclist, then turns right, cutting them off.
• Left cross crashes – A bus turns left into the path of an oncoming cyclist, assuming they’ll stop.
• Sideswipes – A cyclist rides in a shared lane, only for a bus to pass dangerously close, forcing them into parked cars or onto the curb.
• Sudden stops – A cyclist follows traffic rules, but a bus slams on the brakes, leading to a collision.

Bicycle Accidents: Causes, Injuries, and Legal Factors

San Francisco roads throw cyclists into a constant gamble—one bad driver, one blocked bike lane, one mistimed bus turn, and the ride ends in a hospital. Some crashes are the result of bad luck, but most trace back to careless drivers, bad road design, or a transit system that wasn’t built with bikes in mind.

Common Types of Bicycle Accidents

Collisions happen in patterns. Some of them are so common that attorneys already know how the insurance companies will try to spin the blame.

• Dooring Accidents – A parked driver flings their door open without checking, launching a cyclist into traffic or straight into the pavement. California Vehicle Code § 22517 makes this illegal, but that doesn’t stop it from happening daily.
• Right Hooks – A car or bus overtakes a cyclist, then cuts them off by turning right. The driver claims, “I didn’t see them.” That doesn’t hold up in court.
• Left Crosses – A driver turns left at an intersection without yielding to an oncoming cyclist, assuming they have enough time. Spoiler: they don’t.
• Rear-End Collisions – A distracted driver fails to stop in time, slamming into a cyclist waiting at a red light. Helmets help, but they don’t prevent spinal injuries.
• Sideswipes – A driver refuses to give a cyclist enough space, clipping their handlebars or forcing them off the road. California’s Three-Foot Law (Vehicle Code § 21760) requires drivers to keep their distance, but good luck getting them to follow it.
• Road Rage Incidents – A driver gets impatient, honks, yells, and sometimes escalates to swerving at or intentionally hitting a cyclist. This turns a crash into a criminal case.

Common Injuries in Bicycle Accidents

Bikes don’t come with airbags or crumple zones. When a car, bus, or truck collides with a cyclist, the injuries aren’t minor.

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) – Helmets reduce risk, but they don’t eliminate concussions, skull fractures, or long-term brain damage.
• Spinal Cord Injuries – A high-speed crash can snap vertebrae, leading to paralysis, chronic pain, or lifelong nerve damage.
• Fractures – Broken wrists, arms, collarbones, and legs happen in most bike accidents. Some require surgery, others heal unevenly, leaving permanent mobility issues.
• Internal Organ Damage – Blunt force trauma from a crash can cause internal bleeding, punctured lungs, and ruptured spleens—injuries that don’t always show symptoms immediately.
• Road Rash and Soft Tissue Injuries – Sliding across asphalt at 20 mph shreds skin like sandpaper. Severe cases require skin grafts.

Laws That Affect Bicycle Accident Cases in San Francisco

California has some of the strongest bike laws in the country. That doesn’t stop drivers from breaking them, but it does make it easier for injured cyclists to fight back in court.

• California Vehicle Code § 21200 – Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers. If a car breaks a traffic law and hits a bike, they’re at fault—no excuses.
• California Government Code § 830 – Cities are responsible for maintaining safe roads. If potholes, faded bike lane markings, or poor road design contribute to a crash, the city might be liable.
• California’s Comparative Negligence Law (Civil Code § 1714) – Even if a cyclist shares some blame (e.g., running a stop sign), they still have the right to recover damages—just reduced based on their percentage of fault.

Drivers don’t know these laws. Insurance adjusters pretend they don’t exist. A good attorney makes sure they do.

Fighting the Insurance Company

Insurance companies don’t make billions by paying fair settlements. Their entire business model depends on paying as little as possible—or nothing at all. After a bicycle accident, they move fast, looking for any excuse to deny, delay, or reduce your claim.

The Insurance Company Playbook

They have strategies. They’ve used them on thousands of injured cyclists. And they work—unless someone knows how to fight back.

• Blame the cyclist – “You were riding too fast.” “You swerved unexpectedly.” “You weren’t in the bike lane.” They’ll say anything to shift responsibility, even when the driver was clearly at fault.
• Downplay injuries – The adjuster will scan your medical records for anything they can twist. “You had back pain before the accident, right? Maybe this isn’t from the crash.”
• Offer a lowball settlement immediately – A quick check might seem tempting, especially with hospital bills piling up. But once you accept, that’s it. No more money, even if your injuries get worse.
• Drag out the process – They delay. They “lose” paperwork. They demand unnecessary documentation. They know the longer they stall, the more desperate you’ll get.
• Use social media against you – A single photo of you smiling at a friend’s BBQ? “Look, they’re fine!” Never mind that you were in pain the entire time. They take things out of context to discredit your claim.

How The Zinn Law Firm Fights Back

Insurance companies have lawyers, investigators, and decades of experience in not paying claims. That’s fine. We know how to hold them accountable.

• We gather ironclad evidence – Video footage, witness statements, accident reconstruction experts—whatever it takes to prove fault.
• We shut down bad-faith tactics – Delays, lost paperwork, unfair denials? We call them out and, if necessary, take them to court.
• We work with top medical professionals – Their doctors say your injuries aren’t that bad? We bring in specialists who prove otherwise.
• We don’t settle for less than you deserve – Lowball offers go straight in the trash. We negotiate aggressively and take cases to trial when needed.

Insurance companies want you to feel powerless. We make sure they regret that assumption.

Don’t Let Them Get Away With It

The driver wasn’t paying attention. The insurance company hopes you give up. None of this is fair, and you shouldn’t have to deal with it alone.

Call The Zinn Law Firm at (415) 292-4100 today.