If you’re looking for an environmentally friendly form of travel, or you want to enhance your fitness levels, a bike is the obvious choice. With dedicated bicycle lanes, you can even beat the traffic and arrive at your destination in record time!
However, travelling by bike doesn’t mean that you’re immune from road traffic accidents. Sadly, there are around 500,000 bicycle-related injuries in the U.S. each year and a significant number of fatal accidents involving cyclists. If you’ve been injured while cycling, you might be surprised to learn that you could be eligible to make a claim for financial compensation.
Who is Liable?
Before you begin taking legal action, you’ll need to ascertain who is liable for the incident. Typically, the person, people or company who caused the accident will be legally responsible for it. This means you’ll be claiming compensation from them or their insurance company, if they have a relevant policy in place.
In some cases, it’s relatively easy to prove liability but this isn’t always the case. If there were multiple contributing factors or someone disputes their liability, you’ll need evidence to argue your case. Fortunately, you won’t have to collect or present evidence yourself. By working with reputable personal injury lawyers, like The Benton Law Firm, you can access the specialist help you need.
What Can You Claim For?
A bike accident can have a significant impact on your life. In a collision between a bike and a car, for example, it’s the cyclist who will typically suffer the most serious injuries. As a result, you may experience long-term or permanent effects of harm, like traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage. Alternatively, you may face a lengthy recovery from broken bones, internal injuries and cuts and lacerations.
In most cases, the amount of compensation you receive will reflect the severity of the incident and the injuries you sustained. Your medical bills, lost wages and the cost of physical therapy can all be included in your compensation claim, as well as financial recompense for the pain and suffering you’ve sustained.
However, you’ll need to argue your case strongly if you want to maximize the amount of compensation you’re awarded. Due to this, many people find that they’re able to obtain a higher amount of bike accident compensation when they’re represented by personal injury attorneys, as opposed to trying to make a claim themselves.
When Will You Receive Compensation?
The length of time it takes to make a compensation claim varies, which is why you might want to start your claim as soon as possible. If your personal injury lawyer is able to negotiate with the other party successfully, you could obtain compensation within a matter of weeks.
By talking to a specialist personal injury attorney and getting your claim underway, you’ll be able to access the personalized advice you need. What’s more – your personal injury lawyer will be able to give you a clear idea of how much your claim could be worth and how much compensation you could be awarded.