What Damages Can I Recover After a Bike Accident?

What Damages Can I Recover After a Bike Accident? Recoverable damages after a bike accident may include:

• All medical expenses related to the bike accident
• Pain and suffering damages, including physical pain and emotional anguish
• Lost income
• Lost earning power, including loss of potential bonuses, promotions, and benefits
• Repair or replacement of the bike and other damaged property
• The cost of temporary transportation
• Any other damages stemming from the bike accident

You may pursue a wrongful death claim if a bicycle accident proves fatal. Recoverable damages for wrongful death may include those listed above, funeral expenses, loss of consortium, lost financial support, and other damages. Reach out to a bicycle accident lawyer to gain insight on how you can recover your damages.

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Bicycle Accidents Pose an Extreme Risk

Bicycle riders are far more vulnerable than those riding in motor vehicles. Like motorcycle riders, bicyclists have no physical protections when an accident happens. Aside from a helmet and any protective clothing they don, bicyclists have nothing between themselves and the vehicle that strikes them. This reality poses a great risk of serious injury, pain and suffering damages, and death as about 1,000 bicyclists die, and another 130,000 suffer injuries yearly.

Motorists Have a Responsibility to Avoid Striking Bicyclists

Motorists have the upper hand on the road. Someone driving a motor vehicle:

• Has greater physical protection than a bicyclist
• Has a larger vehicle than a bicyclist
• Has a faster vehicle than a bicyclist
• Has the potential to seriously injure or kill a bicyclist, while the opposite is not generally the case

These facts mean that motor vehicle operators must exercise great caution around bicyclists. A motorist who fails to exercise such caution and causes a bicycle accident may be liable for resulting damages. Even a motorist who does not strike a bicyclist can be liable. Causing a bicyclist to stop suddenly, veer from the roadway, or strike a motor vehicle can make a motor vehicle driver liable.

I’m the Victim of a Bicycle Accident; What Should I Do Now?

Your health is most important following a bicycle accident. Even if you have already received some amount of medical attention, you might seek additional medical care to:

• Ensure that you’ve received a diagnosis for all accident-related injuries
• Ensure that you’re following the proper treatment plans
• Obtain complete documentation of your injuries
• Obtain records of treatment, including the cost of your medical care
• Establish a clear connection between your bicycle accident and resulting injuries

The symptoms of injuries like whiplash may not emerge until well after an accident. You must continue to monitor your health well after your bicycle accident. Failure to do so can be catastrophic.

Hire a Personal Injury Attorney to Handle Your Insurance Claim or Lawsuit

The recovery process may occupy most of your time. Between going to doctors, resting, and rehabilitating your injuries, you may have little time or energy for a claim or lawsuit. This is not a problem, as a lawyer is in a better position to handle these processes anyway. You may find and hire a personal injury lawyer who:

• Is familiar with bike accident cases
• Practices regularly in the city where your bike accident happened
• Has a track record of securing financial recoveries for clients
• Makes you feel important during the consultation process
• Has ample financial resources with which to complete your case
• Has positive client testimonials

Finding the right lawyer is a personal mission. While you may rely on objective criteria like case results, you might also rely on your instincts.

What a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Do for a Bike Accident Victim

A lawyer should take the entire legal process off of your hands. Along with their team of paralegals and investigators, your lawyer may:

• Seek evidence of negligence: Your attorney should look for any evidence that indicates the defendant(s) is liable for your damages. Such evidence can include video footage of your accident, witness testimony, and experts’ reconstructions of the collision.
• Defend your rights throughout the legal process: One of an attorney’s primary duties is to keep you safe. In a civil case, this may mean protecting your case from other lawyers or insurance companies who want to see it fail. Your lawyer should generally handle all case-related communications as a way to protect you.
• Identify, calculate, and document your damages: Your lawyer may create a thorough record of damages, including the monetary cost of each damage. An attorney may support each damage with tangible evidence, like medical bills and invoices for property repairs.
• Pursue a fair settlement: Civil cases settle more often than they go to trial. An attorney will generally pursue a settlement. Your lawyer may proceed to trial if you don’t receive a good settlement offer from the liable parties.

Your lawyer will complete much work behind the scenes. From drafting paperwork to filing your case and dealing with the courts, there is no responsibility that a lawyer can’t handle.

Can I Afford to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Most personal injury lawyers offer their services to all victims of negligence. They make their representation affordable through contingency fees. These fees are not guaranteed, as an attorney must secure compensation for their client to receive them. A contingency fee arrangement generally means:

• The bike accident victim completes a free consultation, at which time they decide to hire the law firm.
• The law firm agrees to represent the victim, requiring no upfront fees or costs from the client.
• The client, upon hiring the law firm, agrees to grant the firm a percentage of any settlement or judgment that they receive
• If the firm succeeds, the attorney receives the agreed-upon percentage of the settlement or judgment.
• The client pays the law firm nothing if the firm does not succeed.

It is in both the firm’s and the client’s interest to win the case. Better yet, all the financial risk lies with the law firm.

Call a Personal Injury Firm Today to Start Your Bike Accident Case

Do not wait to call a wrongful death lawyer, either. Your lawyer may need to file your case by a certain deadline, and waiting may compromise your entire case for financial recovery. Contact a personal injury firm today to complete your consultation. The firm may begin your case as soon as the consultation concludes.

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