A 26-year-old woman was hospitalized with injuries in an Orange County car accident the morning of September 20, 2009. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the woman was riding her bicycle when a Nissan Sentra struck her at the intersection of Culver and Scottsdale drives in Irvine, California. Irvine police are investigating this injury accident. If you saw this collision, please contact Detective Jonathan Cherney at 949-724-7024.

My heart goes out to this injured bicyclist. I wish her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery and hope her injuries were not too serious. She will be in my prayers.

Bicycle Accidents in Orange County

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were two fatalities and 43 injuries involving bicycle accidents in Irvine, California. In Orange County as a whole, 16 deaths and 1,020 injuries were reported as a result of bicycle accidents in 2007.

There is very little information in this news report. Apparently Irvine police are looking for eyewitnesses to this bicycle-car collision to determine who or what may have caused it. There are more questions than answers here, at this point. Was the bicyclist going across the intersection? Was she riding her bike or walking as she rolled her bicycle? Was the driver of car impaired, distracted or negligent in some other way? Was there a dangerous condition at that Irvine intersection, which caused or contributed to this accident?

Orange County Car Accident Liability Issues

Getting the answers to these questions is important in order to determine who should be held accountable. If the driver of the car was at fault, then he or she could be held liable for the bicyclist's injuries. In bicycle accidents, it is also important to remember that under California law, bicycles are treated just like any other vehicle. Bicyclists are expected to follow the rules of the road, just as cars and other vehicles. For example, a bicyclist cannot run a red light, make an illegal U-turn, travel on the wrong way of the street, or fail to yield right-of-way.

In such types of collisions, injured victims would be well-advised to consult with an experienced Orange County personal injury lawyer who will help determine whether there was any negligence involved. Skilled car accident lawyers will also look into whether there was a dangerous condition on the roadway that caused or contributed to this collision. If that was the case, the governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could be held liable. Please remember that any claim against a governmental agency in California must be filed with six months of the accident or injury.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our source for the facts is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, please contact us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. Most of the best law firms will provide accident victims a free consultation.

We cannot fully inform any party or family member about their rights, options or the economic viability of any claim for compensation without a full investigation and consultation. We will not be conducting an investigation into this matter unless we are retained by a party. We will provide a free, confidential consultation to any, not at fault, person named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.