In the United States, bicycle accidents are a common occurrence. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 800 bicycle fatalities in 2016. While this number may seem high, it’s a decrease from the year before, when there were over 900 bicycle fatalities. Despite this decrease, bicycle accidents are still a major concern for both cyclists and drivers.
The bicycle accident attorney in St Louis is the go-to specialist in these kinds of claims, which will help you with achieving good and fair settlements.
Different Types of Bicycle Accidents
There are many different types of bicycle accidents. The most common type is when a cyclist is hit by a car. This can happen when a driver is not paying attention and doesn’t see the cyclist, or if the driver is trying to pass the cyclist and doesn’t give them enough space.
If the cyclist was wearing proper safety gear such as a bike helmet mips integrated, gloves, knee pad, and protective clothing, then the chances of him getting hurt in the event of an accident are considerably low. But his cycle can get severely damaged, repairing which would require a good sum of money. And in this case, filing a claim becomes important.
Bicycle accidents commonly occur when:
- Cyclists are hit by a car door that opens unexpectedly.
- Cyclists are hit by cars making a turn.
- Cyclists find themselves in a collision with other cyclists.
There are many situations where cycling accidents happen which are not possible to avoid because they were another’s fault. When this can be proven a claim can be made via a lawyer. We only need the evidence to prove it and our lawyer can present it in the way we only wished we were capable of. Lawyers, though, have many years of training and knowledge in dealing with similar cases.
Witnesses from the scene can help you to get justice when they can provide an unbiased account of what happened that will be permissible and believable in court.
What to Do If You’ve Been in a Bicycle Accident
If you’ve been in a bicycle accident, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention, even if you don’t think you’ve been seriously injured. It is important to get head injuries, in particular, checked out. Then any notes made during your medical examination can provide evidence in court that proves not only a notable injury occurred but confirms the seriousness of it. This will be essential to how long you could reasonably be expected to take to recover from your injury as far as being able to work goes. It is this loss of earnings that will make up a significant part of your claim for damages in respect of personal injury. So, your personal injury case (find out more online about personal injury claims) should be airtight in court and get should you compensation for medical expenses, mental and physical trauma, and loss of earnings.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Once you’ve seen a doctor, you should then contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. It is important to have all details of your accident recorded as evidence or proof of your suffering so that your lawyer can have concrete material to work with. Look online for law firms that are reputable and have many cases to back their competence. Else, you could consider visiting one of the Law Offices of Carl D. Barnes. A personal injury lawyer will be able to advise you on what to do next and help you get the compensation you deserve.
Also, they will help you deal with the insurance companies so you don’t have to. In the event you have been injured in a bicycle accident, you should not attempt to handle it alone. This is mainly because insurance companies may act difficult and delay insurance payouts, which could be a major inconvenience if you’re in dire need of finance. Hire a Schaumburg personal injury lawyer (or one near you) who will be able to provide you with the legal support and insurance claim assistance you need.
We hope that the above article has proved useful if you have been involved in a bicycle accident or want to know the procedure in case you are. It can be hazardous being a cyclist and you feel more exposed to the dangers than perhaps inside a vehicle. We ought to know what we would do if there was an incident that we could not have prevented but ended up injured from.