Some of us are environmentally conscious, some of us enjoy the fresh air and exercise, and some of us simply like a free option in transportation. Whatever your reason for starting to use a bicycle instead of a car, you have the right to the moral high ground over the gas-guzzling intentions of the rest of us.
However, being a cyclist on roads designed for bigger vehicles comes with a set of dangers that only a fool would ignore. Roughly 857 cyclists are outright killed in traffic accidents every year (NHTSA). That means any risks you take while cycling exponentially increases the likelihood that you will have an accident. When you cycle, you need to be extra vigilant. Even with this extra awareness, though, it is still possible that you will have an accident that wasn’t your fault…. Usually because someone didn’t see you.
With all this in mind, here are the top five things we believe you should know about a bicycle accident lawsuit before you begin one.
1 Speak to a Specialist
A local bicycle accident lawyer will help you in ways that a normal personal injury claim lawyer won’t know how to help you. They will have done this before, treated cases like yours already, and know which judges’ cycle to work and which don’t. If you want the best chance of a big compensation claim going your way, then get a specialist involved. It just makes sense.
2 The Risk of Death Is Higher for You
If you have been involved in an accident with a car or larger vehicle and you are on a bike, then you might have died. This is a simple fact that it will not hurt to remind your support team of. The person in the car is not at risk of being damaged much by your bike, but no matter how small you think the accident was, you still might have died.
3 Your Chances are Greater the More Rules you Follow
What we mean by this is that if you aren’t wearing a helmet, and you hurt your head, the compensation will be less than if you had been wearing a helmet. This is because it shows that you were following the rules yet still got injured and makes you out to be the sensible party.
4 Child Injury
If you are involved in a bicycle accident when you are under the age of 18, but nobody claimed compensation on your behalf, then you have the option to do so when you hit the age of legal consent. If you can represent yourself then you can get the compensation nobody else has claimed yet.
5 Claim Within Three Years
If you don’t file a personal injury claim for your bicycle accident within three years, then the chance to do so will have passed you by. States are fairly strict on the maximum amount of time you have to file a claim and it is universally set at 3 years. This is because evidence and witness statements are tough to track down after this.
Get Help for Bicycle Injuries
The point in all this is that you can claim for any damages and that you should. Remember, you are the one who could have died. This attitude will serve you well when it comes to settlements.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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