The Arendsen Braddock law firm, which launched in 2016, has been making inroads in the community since moving into its new main office in Solana Beach.
Arendsen Braddock
(Hannah Claire Photography (@hannah_claire_photography))
One of the firm’s specialities has been handling cases involving bicycle and e-bike collisions along the north coastal corridor.
“We’ve always handled bicycle accidents, there’s just been a higher occurrence of them ever since e-bikes have come onto the scene,” said Joshua Braddock, a founding partner of the law firm who has focused on personal injury throughout his career.
Traffic safety has been a top priority for local leaders in San Diego’s north coastal communities, spurred by the rise in e-bike usage over the past several years. The cities of Carlsbad and Encinitas declared local emergencies over the last year after they each experienced a tragic collision that resulted in the death of an e-biker.
The Solana Beach City Council has also been discussing the parameters of a citywide ordinance aimed at improving safety for riders on bicycles and e-bikes, as well as other road users.
The San Diego County Sheriff has also made e-bike enforcement a focal point, especially for the safety of children riding e-bikes to and from school.
“We feel really drawn to this part of the community,” said Braddock, who attended Florida State University and the California Western School of Law in San Diego. “We felt like this is a part of the community where we can really provide value right now.”
The team at Arendsen Braddock provides clients with a thorough handling of their cases, from the legal process to navigating the insurance end. The firm also takes steps such as using GPS coordinates to reconstruct collisions.
“Bicycle accidents, especially e-bike accidents, can be somewhat nuanced, because while there are components of the vehicle code that come into play, it’s not entirely controlled by the vehicle code,” Braddock said. “So sometimes there are just questions of wrong and right that aren’t easy to answer. We’re able to come in, and we maintain a team of investigators that we bring in whenever we come onto a case.”
With two daughters ages 3 and 2, Braddock also said it’s important to advocate for safety measures.
A new state law led to the recent creation of an e-bike safety program. Another proposed law that could be approved next year, AB 530, would create a licensing system that requires e-bike riders to take an online written test and have a state-issued identification. It would also ban children under age 12 from riding e-bikes.
“Children don’t know all the dangers they need to be aware of, it’s just entirely a matter of exposure,” Braddock said. “They haven’t been in enough instances to learn what to look for, and can oftentimes think that someone else is going to be looking out for them.”
Arendsen Braddock is located at 535 N. Highway 101, Suite A, in Solana Beach.
For more information about Arendsen Braddock, and to ask any questions related to bicycle safety or any other aspects of the work the firm does on personal injury, visit arendsenbraddock.com.
— Business Spotlight features enterprises that support this publication.
This news is republished from another source.
