Blog Post

Lawsuit Filed in Redwood City, California Bicycle Accident Case


June 24, 2008
Topic: Bicycle Accidents

The family of a three-year-old child injured in a bicycle accident - caused after she collided with a broken fence - has field a lawsuit against Redwood City, San Mateo County and the state of California.

The child, Michelle Vega Flores, suffered severe injuries, including severe head injuries, in the bicycle accident, which occurred in Redwood City in August last year. On the day of the accident, Michelle was on her bicycle with her mother walking beside her. The toddler failed to make a turn at a downward ramp, with the result that she collided against a fence on a bridge. That in itself would not have been so severely injurious. What happened next, however, was shocking. The fence immediately gave way under the weight of the 3-year-old and Michele dropped 18 feet below. She suffered serious head injuries, a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and severe gashes on her face. Her mother filed a claim with Redwood City, San Mateo County and the state, but all three denied liability. Now a lawsuit has been filed.

Although Michele is recovering, there is no way to know how far the injuries have affected her, especially in the case of the head injuries she has suffered in the bicycle accident. Because she is still so young, there is every possibility that there will be long-term effects that will only manifest themselves when she's older. Her family has already had to bear the expenses of her medical treatment. If there are serious long-term effects that interfere with her faculties, she may even lose her earning potential. The lawsuit names loss of future earnings as a claim, besides medical expenses compensation, as well as for the pain and suffering she went through because city or state officials, who were responsible for maintaining a fence, failed in their duty.

After the bicycle accident, it was found that a lateral pole that was used to hold the bottom of the fence to the bridge was missing. There has been no explanation for this defective bridge. Further more, pinpointing responsibility has been very hard for the attorneys in the case because it is not clear on who is responsible for maintaining the bridge- the city, county or state. For now, lawyers for Redwood City claim that the state was responsible for maintaining the bridge.

We hope this ambiguity of responsibility for maintenance of the bridge is not clutched at as a means to avoid paying compensation to the family of this young girl. Kids shouldn't have to worry about life threatening injuries when they are playing.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bicycle accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.