Bicyclists are especially vulnerable when colliding with a vehicle of any size. In the US, over 932 bicyclists were killed in accidents in 2020.
There are a number of different factors that can lead to a bicycle accident on open roads. In many cases, the causes are driver-related.
Bicyclists obey the same laws as a car and are allowed to take the width of an entire lane when it is unsafe to ride on the side of the road. Unfortunately, many drivers are not careful to look for bicyclists or drive distracted and, in an instant, can injure a bicyclist. In some cases, drivers have a negative attitude toward bicyclists and sharing a lane that puts bicyclists in dangerous situations.
When an accident occurs, bicyclists are no match for a car. It goes without saying that the damages as a result of a bicycle accident are mostly sustained by the bicyclist while the driver is protected in their car. When up against a 2-ton steel motor vehicle, a bicyclist’s body is vulnerable to severe injury. In catastrophic cases, these can include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, permanent disability, or death.
Traumatic injuries are life-altering as injuries can lead to temporary limited mobility, lost wages due to inability to work, chronic pain, and other forms of non-financial loss. Seeking financial compensation can help them pay for the mounting costs. To do that, you need to determine the cause of the accident, gather evidence, know the law, and prove your accident was due to a negligent driver. That’s where seeking an experienced bicycle accident attorney is incredibly important.
Insurance companies want to spend as little time and money on a claim. Quick settlements usually help achieve this but accident victims are often offered far less than the value of their claim. If an accident victim accepts a settlement, they waive their rights to any further compensation from the at-fault person’s insurance policy again even if it is later determined that their settlement was did not compensate enough for their injuries. That’s why it’s incredibly important for severe injury accident victims to talk to a personal injury lawyer first.
Insurance companies benefit from an accident victim that doesn’t know the worth of their claim and doesn’t have legal representation working for them. Before you accept an auto insurance company’s settlement offer, speak to a bicycle accident lawyer to understand what your claim may be worth. If you accept a settlement offer, you are waiving your right to any further compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance policy.
What Determines Compensation Amounts For a Bicycle Accident Case?
An experienced bicycle accident attorney gathers evidence to prove liability, creates a strong legal strategy and case for their clients, and fights for the maximum compensation for your losses.
If you were not at fault, you can be fairly compensated for:
- Medical bills, including those as a result of the accident and ongoing repair and recovery medical treatments from the accident. (E.g. emergency treatment, surgeries, rehabilitation)
- Lost wages from the inability to work including future wages if you can’t go back to work as a result of the injuries from the accident.
- Wrongful death. Due to the severity of bicycle accident injuries, bicyclist deaths are not uncommon. If your loved one was killed, you may be able to recover compensation for wrongful death.
- Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, permanent disfigurement, or permanent disabilities.
- Punitive damages if the accident was reckless or malicious in nature. This is often rare.
If you, a family member, or a loved one has been seriously injured in a bicycle accident, it’s important to seek the help of a bicycle accident lawyer right away. Get in touch with a local bicycle accident lawyer in our network for your personal injury case today.
Compensation amounts vary widely but if catastrophic injuries occurred such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury occur, claim amounts and settlement offers for bicycle accident victims will likely be much higher than for lesser injuries. Compensation amounts are also dependent on the other driver’s insurance policy as well as your own.
Only a bicycle accident lawyer can give you an estimate based on your specific circumstances. Get a free consultation to talk to a bicycle accident attorney today.
Why It’s Important to Have a Bicycle Accident Lawyer
A study by the Research Insurance Council determined that those who were represented by a lawyer earn 3.5x greater reward than those who represent themselves.
- Recover your losses.
- When you are injured at the fault of someone else, you are stuck paying for all your injuries, damages, and suffering both immediately after the accident and ongoing. A bicycle accident lawyer acts on your behalf to recover all your losses so you don’t have to worry about how you will pay for them and so that you can recover and move on with your life.
- Most personal injury lawyers work on contingency so you don’t pay up-front costs for their service and only pay if they win.
- Contingency fee structures make working with a personal injury lawyer low risk. A contingency fee structure means that you don’t pay anything unless your attorney wins. Their fee is then taken out of the compensation amount. When you speak to a bicycle accident lawyer during your free consultation, be sure to ask about what their fee structure is, if they work on contingency, and if so, what their fee is and when they would get paid.
- Laws for personal injury accidents are complex and vary by state.
- That’s why we connect you to a local personal injury lawyer in our network. An experienced bicycle accident attorney is knowledgeable about the law and the maximums they can recover for your injuries and losses.
- Experienced bicycle accident lawyers know how to build a strong legal case to win maximum compensation.
- Experience means having past case wins where they have gained an increasing ability to know how to create a winning legal case. Ask the attorneys you are matched with about their winning track record with bicycle accident cases.
- Bicycle accident attorneys are skilled negotiators on behalf of their clients.
- It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to not negotiate an offer unless an attorney represents the victim.
- It is to your advantage to have a personal injury lawyer who is a practiced and skilled negotiator to get the maximum compensation you may be owed for your losses.
- The Research Insurance Council found that people who were represented by an attorney achieved 3.5x the reward of those that represented themselves.
- Insurance companies are likely to offer minimal settlements.
- Personal injury lawyers advise accident victims not to accept any offers from an insurance company without talking to a personal injury lawyer first. You may be leaving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table.
- In many case settlement examples, insurance companies have initially offered settlement amounts multitudes lower than what a plaintiff was eventually able to win with a personal injury lawyer on their side. Here are just a few case settlement examples.
When Should I Contact a Bicycle Accident Lawyer?
If you were a bicycle accident victim, it’s in your best interest to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible so they can help you prepare and set up the best chances for winning full financial compensation for your losses. You will want to speak to them early because they help you build a claim and walk you through every step of the process.
Working with a bicycle accident lawyer right away will help you:
- Setup your case for the best chance of winning.
- Educate you on what to do and what NOT to do
- Walk you through the claim process.
- Value your bicycle accident claim.
- Potentially expedite your compensation.
Get Free Consultations from Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Your Area
Our form connects you to personal injury lawyers in your area. The lawyers we connect you to offer free case evaluations and most work on contingency. Be sure to verify their fee structure and how they work with their clients during your consultation.
You’ll be matched with more than one so you are not limited in your options. Be sure to use your free case evaluation to ask the questions you need to determine which personal injury attorney works best for you. You can ask about their fee structure, their track record, and what they think you can recover for your case.
How Much Does it Cost to Retain a Bicycle Accident Attorney?
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they don’t get paid unless they win for you. This arrangement is very beneficial for the plaintiff in many ways:
- Your accident attorney is aligned in incentives to make sure you win. Attorneys that work on contingency are financing all upfront costs. It’s in their interest to win a maximum recovery for you and to do so efficiently.
- You don’t have to pay upfront fees for their services. Legal representation is expensive and many people are afraid of hiring a lawyer. On contingency, a lawyer either wins or their client doesn’t have to pay. Additionally, contingency payments are only made after the reward is secured as a payment of the reward amount. This arrangement represents no risk to plaintiffs.
- If a law firm decides to take you on, they are likely confident in their ability to secure a win. In some cases, a bicycle accident attorney may not decide to take you on for instance if the injuries are small it may not be cost-effective for them to manage the claim for you or you can find another accident attorney who will help you. Speak to several accident attorneys to discuss your case. Having more than one option is very helpful for you to understand what’s available and choose between them. We’ll connect you to several accident lawyers in our network.
Find a bicycle accident attorney within our nationwide network today.
Compare Bicycle Accident Lawyers in Your Area
Get a free consultation with several personal injury lawyers in your area to talk to them about your accident, how they work with their clients, what they think they can do for your case, and answer your questions.
What to Look for in a Bicycle Accident Attorney
These are some questions you can ask in addition to speaking about your accident during your free consultation.
- Compare bicycle accident attorneys. Use our short form or call our number to connect with personal injury attorneys in your location. It’s best to compare your options to find one that you are comfortable using.
- Understand their fee structure. Confirm if they are paid on contingency, when payment occurs, and what percentage it is. Are there any other costs in relation to working with them?
- Ask about their track record of wins and experience in bicycle accidents in your state and area. An attorney’s experience with state traffic laws and your specific area is incredibly valuable to increase your odds of winning your case and maximizing your compensation claim. For example, attorneys well-practiced in specific cities know how the general population may respond in a courtroom. Their specific experience of case wins in your city with your type of accident helps them create a case that will win in a courtroom or achieve a settlement in your favor. That’s why we match you to local attorneys in our network who can speak to you about your accident in a free consultation.
Get a free consultation with bicycle accident attorneys in our nationwide network. Be sure to take notes and compare so you can make the decision that suits you.
Bicycle Accident Lawyers are Personal Injury Lawyers
Personal injury lawyers help their clients build a personal injury claim and seek compensation for injuries sustained due to another person’s negligence or intent to harm. Their work can involve:
- Determining liability
- Gathering evidence and investigating
- Protecting the legal rights of their client
- Providing legal advice to their client
- Negotiating for a fair settlement from insurance companies of those at fault or of the client’s insurance company.
- Filing a lawsuit if an insurance company will not negotiate
- Representing you in court if a lawsuit goes to trial
What are the Common Causes of Bike Accidents?
Bicycle accidents differ by city but most cities have bicycle riders who ride while commuting, for fun, to get to school, competitively, or leisurely. Bicycle riding is environmentally friendly, and great for the body, with a multitude of health benefits. Unfortunately, negligent motorists can put many bicyclists in needlessly dangerous situations.
Bike Laws That You Should Know About
In all 50 states, riders on bikes are required to obey the same laws as drivers. In most states, bicyclists are allowed to take up the entire width of a lane as long as they are traveling at the speed of traffic.
26 states have implemented a 3ft bicycle law where a vehicle must give a bicyclist at least 3 feet of clearance space when passing. This law helps increase bicycle safety when obeyed.
10 Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents Involving Motor Vehicles
Drivers and bike riders have to share the road and both be careful in the same spaces. A bicyclist has a lot more to lose in a collision. Bicycle safety is incredibly important. More fatalities occur when an accident occurs with a rider is not wearing a bicycle helmet. Nevertheless, most of these common causes of bicycle accidents are due to unsafe drivers.
- Distracted Driving Accidents: This is a leading cause of all vehicle accidents and is completely avoidable. If a driver becomes distracted by their phone, something in their car, trying to grab something to eat or anything that puts their focus anywhere else but on the road, they are significantly more likely to cause an accident and any nearby bicyclist can be in jeopardy.
- Driver Exceeding the Speed Limit: Speeding reduces a driver’s time to stop and react. Unfortunately, even slow speeds can cause great harm to a bicyclist that is hit by a car.
- Failing to Leave an Adequate Buffer: Many accidents occur when a driver doesn’t provide enough space between their car and the bicyclist. Most states have a 3ft space requirement when passing a bicyclist. When there isn’t enough space, this creates a dangerous situation and fewer options to stop and avoid hazards.
- Unsafe Lane Changes: When a driver doesn’t make sure the lane is clear before changing lanes, they can merge into a lane with a bicyclist.
- Left Turns: When a driver is making a left turn at an intersection, they are obligated to make sure the intersection is clear of pedestrians and cyclists. Some drivers may be paying attention to the cars at the intersection and not looking for pedestrians and bicyclists until it’s too late.
- Drug or Alcohol Impairment: Drunk drivers are a danger to themselves and others on the road. Under the influence, drivers often exhibit slow reaction time and poor judgment while driving.
- Weaving Lanes: Drivers that weave through lanes are dangerous to others. They make sudden changes on the road, often not signaling and speeding, and can carelessly weave into a lane with a bicyclist and side-swipe them.
- Hit and Runs: A hit and run car accident is when a driver strikes a bicyclist and instead of stopping to help the person their actions injured, they flee the scene.
- Driver Fatigue: Driver fatigue is another common form of distracted driving that can lead to accidents with those around the driver.
- Driver Opens a Car Door Without Looking: A common injury is when a driver opens their door without looking in the side view mirror for bicyclists.
- Driver Runs a Stop Sign or Red Light: A bicycle crash from a motorist that runs a stop sign or red light can be especially devastating. At high speeds, a t-bone to a cyclist can often lead to death.
No matter how a bike crash occurred, it is critically important to seek the help of an experienced bicycle accident attorney who can help you investigate liability, gather evidence, build a legal case and recover your maximum eligible losses in a personal injury claim.
Insurance adjusters are unlikely to offer victims the maximum compensation amount for their injuries. Insurance companies are businesses that are incentivized to keep their costs low.
In order to understand the value of your accident, it’s in your best interest to speak to a bicycle accident lawyer as soon as possible and not to accept an insurance company’s settlement offer until you understand your options with a personal injury lawyer.
An experienced bicycle accident lawyer will assess your accident and build a strong case so that you can receive maximum compensation and carry on with your life.
What are Common Bicycle Accident Injuries?
It’s common for a bicyclist to sustain serious injuries if they collide with a car, truck, bus or motorcycle. A bicyclist is extremely vulnerable having very little protection against a vehicle as opposed to being encased in a steel automobile during an accident. The speed at which a vehicle travels also contributes to the seriousness of the injuries.
Catastrophic accidents:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
- Death
Other serious injuries:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Soft tissue damage
- Road rash
Serious injuries from a bicycle accident often result in astronomical medical bills, long term debilitation, a long road to recovery, emotional trauma, inability to work, lost wages, lost income and much more for a victim.
Consult with a personal injury lawyer today to see what they may be able to recover from your accident. In some states, even if you were partially at fault, you may be able to recover partial costs for your accident.
What Should I Do if I Was in a Bicycle Accident
If you are ever involved in a bicycle accident, some tips from personal injury lawyers will include the following steps to take:
- Call 911
- Make sure you call from a safe place following an accident. If you are seriously injured, seek medical attention.
- Collect information about your accident.
- After medical treatment from emergency technicians has been given at the scene, exchange contact information with others in the accident. Get the names and phone numbers of witnesses.
- Take pictures and videos of the scene and get a police report.
- Use your cell phone to take photos and videos of the entire accident scene.
- Photos will have better resolution and videos can show more information about the accident scene.
- Get a copy of the police report.
- Make sure you receive medical care even if no injuries are visible.
- In the wake of a serious accident, people are often in shock. You may have sustained injuries you are not aware of.
- Take care of your health.
- If you were seriously injured and not at fault, it’s important to speak to a bicycle accident attorney as soon as possible.
- Bicycle accidents are complicated and involve laws uniquely applicable to bicyclists and passenger cars.
- Many people who try to go it alone without an attorney will not be able to recoup the maximum compensation that an experienced attorney can recover for them.
Example Settlements of Bicycle Accident Cases
The majority of personal injury claims cases settle outside of court instead of going to trial. Here are examples of several settlement cases. These cases are public statements made by law firms in different states. They are not representative of compensation for similar accidents. Every accident is unique and different states have different laws.
Only an experienced bicycle accident attorney can give you a good idea of what they would expect to win for you in your situation.
- $350,000 settlement for an injured cyclist hit by a speeding driver in an on-ramp intersection who sued the driver, city, and state over an unsafe bike lane design and poor maintenance in Oregon.
- $250,000 For Raleigh Injured bicyclist in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina to help pay for ongoing medical expenses – Hendren, Redline, and Malone
- $150,000 settlement for a bicyclist riding through an intersection collided with a vehicle that did not yield the right of way in Hawaii. The bicyclist suffered serious injuries that required surgery. The insurance company denied liability. The bicyclist retained a personal injury law firm that helped her win a settlement in arbitration. – DWB
Table of Contents
- What Determines Compensation Amounts For a Bicycle Accident Case?
- Why It’s Important to Have a Bicycle Accident Lawyer
- When Should I Contact a Bicycle Accident Lawyer?
- Get Free Consultations from Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Your Area
- How Much Does it Cost to Retain a Bicycle Accident Attorney?
- Compare Bicycle Accident Lawyers in Your Area
- What to Look for in a Bicycle Accident Attorney
- Bicycle Accident Lawyers are Personal Injury Lawyers
- What are the Common Causes of Bike Accidents?
- Bike Laws That You Should Know About
- 10 Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents Involving Motor Vehicles
- What are Common Bicycle Accident Injuries?
- What Should I Do if I Was in a Bicycle Accident
- Example Settlements of Bicycle Accident Cases
