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$12,000,000
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Gammill Law’s results include a $21.1 million wrongful death verdict, a $16 million school sexual abuse verdict, and a $12 million whistleblower retaliation verdict.
Reviewed by David Gammill, California trial attorney · Last reviewed: September 12, 2026
Gammill Law Accident & Injury Lawyers represents bicyclists hit by cars in Torrance and across the South Bay. If a driver passed too close, turned across your path, opened a door into you, or hit you from behind, California law is on your side more often than the insurer will admit: a cyclist has the same right to the road as a driver, drivers must give at least three feet when they pass, and an adult who was not wearing a helmet has not given up the claim. The firm has recovered more than $100 million for California clients across verdicts and settlements. Its results include a $21.1 million wrongful death verdict, a $16 million school sexual abuse verdict, and a $12 million whistleblower retaliation verdict; every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. What decides a bicycle case is proving what the driver did in the seconds before impact and finding every insurance policy that applies.
Hit while riding in Torrance? Get your free case evaluation or call 310-750-4149. There is no fee unless we recover for you.
Torrance riders use Hawthorne Boulevard, Torrance Boulevard, Sepulveda, Crenshaw, and Pacific Coast Highway to reach the beach cities, the Del Amo area, and the office parks along 190th Street, most of those miles in a painted lane or no lane at all beside fast traffic. In 2023, traffic collisions in Torrance killed or injured 647 people, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s crash rankings for Torrance, built from SWITRS, the state’s official collision database. Thirty-six of the people killed or injured in Torrance crashes that year were riding bicycles.
A cyclist has no steel frame, no airbag, and no seat belt, so bicycle cases are rarely small, and the driver’s insurer starts building a story about the rider early: in the lane, no helmet, came out of nowhere. Each of those arguments has an answer in the Vehicle Code.
Under Vehicle Code § 21200, a person riding a bicycle on a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the duties of the driver of a vehicle, except those that by their nature cannot apply. A bicycle belongs on the road, a driver owes a cyclist the same care owed to another car, and a cyclist riding lawfully in the lane is not at fault for occupying it. The same section means the cyclist’s own conduct can be raised against them, which is why the evidence matters on both sides.
Vehicle Code § 21760 bars a driver from overtaking or passing a bicycle going the same direction at less than three feet between any part of the vehicle and any part of the bicycle or rider. If traffic or the road makes three feet impossible, the driver must slow to a reasonable and prudent speed and may pass only when doing so would not endanger the rider. Where another lane in the same direction is available, the driver must change lanes to pass, if practicable and not prohibited. A sideswipe on Hawthorne or PCH almost always means one of those duties was broken.
Vehicle Code § 21212 requires a properly fitted helmet for riders and passengers under 18 on a street, bikeway, or public bicycle path. It does not require a helmet for an adult. When an adult rider was not wearing one, the insurer will argue that the head injury would have been less severe. That argument reaches only the injuries a helmet would have prevented; it has nothing to do with a broken collarbone or with who caused the crash.
California follows pure comparative negligence (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804): a rider’s recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault, never eliminated by it. Insurers assign the rider as high a percentage as they can; we counter with evidence.
The most common serious bicycle crash is a driver turning right across a rider going straight in the bike lane, or left across an oncoming cyclist at an intersection on Torrance Boulevard, Hawthorne, or Sepulveda, because the driver looked and did not register a bicycle. A turning driver must yield to traffic close enough to be a hazard, and a bicycle is that traffic.
On PCH, Crenshaw, and the stretches of Hawthorne with no bike lane, drivers pass within inches, clip a handlebar, or crowd the rider into the curb. These are Three Feet for Safety Act cases.
A driver or passenger opens a door into the path of a cyclist riding beside parked cars, most often on the commercial blocks of Old Torrance. The rider hits the door or swerves into traffic; the person who opened it without looking is responsible for both outcomes.
A rear-end impact that would be a fender bender between two cars throws a rider off the bike. If the driver fled, you still have a case: your own auto policy’s uninsured motorist coverage usually applies even though you were on a bicycle, subject to strict conditions. Start with our Torrance hit-and-run lawyer page and our guide to Vehicle Code § 20001, California’s hit-and-run law.
Uber and Lyft drivers stopping in and pulling across bike lanes for pickups are a recurring cause. Which insurance applies depends on the app period at impact; our Torrance Uber and Lyft accident lawyer page walks through the three coverage periods.
Potholes, drainage grates set parallel to the wheel, faded striping, and debris in a bike lane can bring down a cyclist without any car involved. When the hazard sat on public property and the agency knew or should have known about it, a claim may lie under Government Code § 835, with its own six-month deadline. Our guide to dangerous roads and intersections in Torrance covers when the road itself is part of the case.
A cyclist carries no vehicle insurance of their own, so the case begins with the driver’s policy, and California requires drivers to carry only $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $15,000 for property damage (Vehicle Code § 16451, for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025). One surgery passes that limit. The rest comes from finding every other policy: an employer’s commercial policy if the driver was working, the owner’s policy if the car was borrowed, and the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own or a household member’s auto policy, which can pay for injuries suffered on a bicycle when the driver’s limits are too small or the driver fled (when the driver is unknown, Insurance Code § 11580.2 requires a police report within 24 hours and a sworn statement to your insurer within 30 days). Where a dangerous road contributed, a government claim adds another source. Our Torrance car accident attorney page explains how those layers stack.
Two years for most claims. Under CCP § 335.1, most California injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the crash. Our guide to CCP § 335.1, California’s two-year statute of limitations, covers the rule and its exceptions.
Six months when the government is involved. If a City of Torrance vehicle, a Torrance Transit bus, or a dangerous stretch of public road or bike lane caused your crash, you must present a written claim to the right entity within six months before you can sue. Our guide to the California government claim deadline walks through the sequence.
Short reporting windows apply too. A crash with injury or death must be reported in writing to the police or CHP within 24 hours (Vehicle Code § 20008), and an SR-1 report goes to the DMV within 10 days when anyone is hurt or property damage exceeds $1,000 (Vehicle Code § 16000). We handle these filings for our clients as part of the case.
Bicycle cases turn on inches and seconds, and the evidence disappears fast. Storefront and doorbell cameras along Hawthorne and Torrance Boulevard overwrite within days; Torrance Transit buses carry cameras; many riders run a rear-facing camera or a GPS computer that records speed and position to the second; and the car’s event data recorder holds speed, braking, and steering until the vehicle is repaired. We send preservation demands the same day we are retained, and in serious cases we bring in accident reconstruction. The police report is a starting point, not a verdict: officers often speak only to the driver because the rider is in an ambulance, and when a report blames the rider, we build the proof independently.
When a bicycle crash takes a life, California gives specific family members the right to bring a wrongful death claim for their own losses, and the deadlines have traps of their own. Our Torrance wrongful death attorney page explains these cases, and our complete guide to the California wrongful death filing deadline covers the timing rules.
Motorcyclists face many of the same driver failures; our Torrance motorcycle accident lawyer page covers lane splitting and the helmet argument. When a bicycle crash leaves permanent injuries, our Torrance catastrophic injury lawyer page explains how those cases are built.
David Gammill is a California trial attorney who prepares every case as though a Torrance jury will decide it, and insurers price their offers accordingly. The firm’s results include a $21.1 million wrongful death verdict and a $16 million school sexual abuse verdict, each a real jury verdict in a specific case; outcomes always depend on the facts.
We work on a contingency fee: nothing upfront, no hourly bills, and a fee only out of the recovery, under a written contingency fee agreement that complies with California law. Our guide to what a personal injury lawyer costs in Torrance answers the money questions plainly.
Call any time, including nights, weekends, and holidays: 310-750-4149. If you need treatment now, we connect clients with Torrance-area doctors who work on a lien basis, paid from the recovery rather than upfront. If you cannot travel, we come to you.
Economic damages cover documented losses: emergency care, hospital stays, surgery, therapy, medications, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and the bicycle and gear that were destroyed.
Non-economic damages cover the human losses: physical pain, emotional distress, the loss of an activity that was part of who you are, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent disability or disfigurement, and, for spouses, loss of consortium.
Punitive damages may be available where the driver’s conduct was malicious, oppressive, or fraudulent under Civil Code § 3294, most commonly when the driver was drunk; see our Torrance drunk driver accident page.
Early offers routinely reflect only a fraction of a claim’s documented value. Before you sign anything, use the free case evaluation to learn what your claim is actually worth.
Not by itself. Under Vehicle Code § 21200 a cyclist has a driver’s rights to the road. Where you were riding may become part of a comparative negligence argument, but it does not decide fault on its own.
No. California requires a helmet only for riders under 18. For an adult, the insurer’s helmet argument reaches only the head injuries a helmet would have prevented, not fault or any injury below the neck.
No. That is the driver’s policy limit, not your claim’s value. An employer’s or vehicle owner’s policy may apply, and the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own or a household member’s auto policy can pay for injuries suffered on a bicycle.
Two years from the date of the crash for most claims, under CCP § 335.1. If a government vehicle or dangerous public road is involved, a written claim is due within six months under Gov. Code § 911.2; see our government claim guide. Courts rarely excuse a missed deadline.
Nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, collected only if we win, under a written agreement that complies with California law. Full details: what a personal injury lawyer costs in Torrance.
Corridor cameras overwrite within days and repaired cars lose their data. Your bike and gear are the physical evidence of the impact; keep them exactly as they are until we have documented them. The filing deadlines run whether or not you are ready.
You were riding where the law says you may ride, and a driver failed to look or to leave room. Your free case review includes a real evaluation with an experienced attorney, a clear explanation of your options, and an honest assessment of what your claim is worth, with no obligation. If you were on foot rather than on a bike, start at our Torrance pedestrian accident lawyer page; for any other injury, begin at our Torrance personal injury attorney page.
Get your free case evaluation or call 310-750-4149 now. There are no upfront legal fees; a fee is collected only if we win.
This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice for any specific situation. Deadlines and outcomes are fact-specific; consult a licensed California attorney about your own circumstances. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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Left with few options
Stuck with bills you can’t pay
Anxious to put your injury behind you
Serving the South Bay and all of California.
My name is David Gammill. I am a California trial lawyer and the founder of Gammill Law Accident & Injury Lawyers. Our firm has recovered more than $100 million for California clients. Our results include a $21.1 million wrongful death verdict, a $16 million school sexual abuse verdict, and a $12 million whistleblower retaliation verdict. I learned to try cases in front of juries early in my career as a Deputy District Attorney, and trying cases remains the backbone of my practice.
