What Are Your Legal Rights After A Bicycle Accident?
There are times when using a bicycle is a great idea, because it can help you get places that would be harder to reach otherwise. However, a bicycle accident can easily happen at any moment, for example you can get hit by a car or you hit a pedestrian accidentally. It’s important to know what are your legal rights when these things happen.
Most common causes for bicycle accidents
- A very common accident is distracted driving, because drivers are texting, using navigation systems or talking with passengers. That can lead them to not be careful on the road and you will encounter accidents.
- Failure to yield is another issue, since people are not careful when turning left or right, entering an intersection or pulling out of the driveway.
- Unsafe lane changes are problematic, and these do appear in the case of blind spots, especially.
- Dooring accidents can be a cause too, when someone opens a parked vehicle and the bicyclist doesn’t see that.
- Speeding can lead to bicycle accidents as well, not to mention driving under the influence can be an issue in this situation as well. Even poor road conditions or different hazards can prove to be problematic, so you have to address those issues wisely.
Common bicycle accident injuries
There are lots of different bicycle accident injuries that can take place, and all of those might actually be rather challenging to deal with. For example, you can have broken bones, head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, road rash, neck or back injuries, internal or facial injuries. These are no joke, as they can lead to long-term problems for you. Hence the reason why you want to address them properly and without any issues.
Who can be responsible for a bicycle accident?
It always depends on the situation at hand. A lot of the time, motor vehicle drivers are the ones responsible, but the liability can also pertain to a property owner, or even governmental agencies. In some cases, the bike manufacturers might be at fault due to various issues. And of course, the bicyclist can be at fault too, if he did something which caused the accident. The truth is that there are a lot of different reasons why these accidents take place, so you have to fully understand that.
What should you be doing after a bicycle accident?
Realistically, you always want to have a Nashua personal injury lawyer on call, just to be on the safe side. When it comes to the steps that you must follow after the bicycle accident, here’s exactly what to focus on:
- Seek medical attention because you want to be 100% safe and not worry about any possible complications.
- After that, call the police, so they can establish liability and share a report of the accident.
- Naturally, you also want to collect as much evidence as you can. Photos, videos, witness statements, everything here is going to matter.
- Preserving your bicycle and making sure that you can show the damage it sustained, that will help a lot.
- You also want to talk with the insurance company. Insurance policies might provide benefits even if you were using a bicycle. However, that depends on what happened, where and how the accident took place, and anything like that. Knowing how to address things wisely is extremely important here.
What compensation might be available?
If you are involved in a bicycle accident, then there might be some compensation that you are eligible for. But that will depend on the situation at hand. For example, you might be eligible for medical expense coverage or lost income compensation. In some cases, you might receive compensation for property damage or even pain and suffering.
But what if you were partially at fault? That is still an issue, so you have to figure out how you can address it. Well, in these cases it all comes down to the state. The local law is governing these situations, so you might have to cover some of the repairs, you could be found liable for everything, etc. As we mentioned, it depends on the local laws, so you have to check with those.
When you are involved in a bicycle accident, you will end up dealing with insurance companies. Here you may want to let your lawyer handle everything. It’s easier to manage and in the end, it will be a better overall experience. Make sure that you are not handling them directly, as anything you said can be used against you.
Conclusion
We always recommend understanding your legal rights when it comes to any bicycle accident. That way, you can be protected against any liability, and ensure that everything is ok. Of course there are going to be some issues and challenges here and there, but the outcome will be great overall and that’s what matters. Just make sure that you know the local regulations in particular.
