Early Dawn Bicycle Accident South of Market at 5th St & Harrison St

One might think that heading out early in the morning is the safer way to travel the busy city streets of San Francisco by bicycle–with less cars on the road–but unfortunately early this morning a 26-year-old bicyclist was hit by a truck.

According to the police the cyclist did not have a light on his bicycle, despite the darkness of the early dawn morning, as he rode south on 5th Street getting hit at 6:28 a.m. by a pickup truck that was turning left at Harrison Street.

Thankfully, the bicyclist survived getting hit by the truck, and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. As an avid cyclist myself and also a San Francisco Bicycle Accident Attorney, I feel it is one of my duties to the bicycling community to continue to promote bicycle safety as often as I can, especially after learning of accidents.

A few points I’d like to reiterate now for bicyclists are as follows. Bicyclists:

• Shall not operate a bicycle on a roadway during darkness unless the bicycle is equipped with a) a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry level, clean pavement, b) a front lamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of 300 feet, c) a rear red reflector visible from a distance of 500 feet, or d) a white or yellow reflector on each pedal visible from a distance of 200 feet.

• Must obey all traffic signals and stop signs.

• Must signal all their intentions to motorists and bicyclists near them.

• Must wear a helmet if under the age of 18.

Without more facts to support that the truck driver did something unreasonable, this bicycle accident seems to have been at least partially caused by the lack of proper lighting equipment.

About the author: Claude Wyle is an aggressive advocate for San Francisco Bay Area bicyclists. Claude has decades of experience representing those harmed by the wrongful conduct of others, and, as a San Francisco bicycle accident attorney, has fought to protect the rights of injured cyclists throughout his legal career. Claude is also an avid cyclist himself and member of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and is a sponsor of Safe Routes to School. He is also a member and lecturer of EDD, a group dedicated to End Distracted Driving.