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Personal Injury Lawyers for Bicycle Accident Victims
Riding a bicycle is eco-friendly and a great way to get fresh air and exercise. Unfortunately, cyclists often share the road with negligent drivers who either don’t expect or respect them. Injured cyclists can end up with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills (or more) and often suffer extensive and debilitating injuries.
As bleak as your situation may seem, you are not out of options. You may be able to seek compensation for your serious injury with the help of a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. Contact an experienced Cleveland bicycle accident lawyer at Joseph Law Group by calling (216) 522-1600 today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your legal rights and options.
Ohio Bicycle Laws
Under Ohio law, bicycles are a type of vehicle. As such, bicyclists and drivers have to obey traffic laws and follow the same right-of-way rules. In addition, a bike rider should ride with traffic and stop at red lights and stop signs. Ohio law also has rules specifically for bike riders to make them more visible to other motor vehicles on the road. Bicycles must have a white light on the front of the bike and both a red light and a red reflector on the back of the bike. Helmet laws vary by city; in Cleveland, adults do not have to wear bicycle helmets while riding.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Cleveland
Cyclists make up 2% of all traffic fatalities. This number may seem insignificant, but cyclists only account for 1% of all trips made in the US. Plus, cyclists, like victims of pedestrian accidents, are at a much higher risk of death or catastrophic injury than those in regular motor vehicle accidents. Driver negligence (like speeding, impairment, and distraction) accounts for many of these accidents. In addition, due to their small size, cyclists are often overlooked by drivers until it’s too late. Another common cause of bike accidents is “dooring.” This is when a passenger or driver opens a car door without paying attention to their surroundings and a bicyclist collides with the open door.
Bicycle Accident Injuries
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 130,000 bicyclists are injured in crashes every year. Bicyclists don’t have the added protection of doors, windows, and seatbelts, and a helmet is often the only type of safety equipment that offers them any protection. Plus, cars and trucks outweigh bicycles by thousands of pounds and often travel at much higher speeds. As you might imagine, this can lead to catastrophic injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Broken bones
- Road rash
- Amputations
In severe cases, bicycle accidents result in wrongful death. If a family member is killed while riding a bicycle, the experienced Cleveland bicycle accident attorneys at Joseph Law Group can help you and your family seek compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit. This can help cover unexpected funeral costs and other financial and emotional losses.
At Joseph Law Group, our personal injury lawyers know that recovering from an accident can be overwhelming. Adding legal work on top of that already mounting stress can simply be too much. While you focus your energy on resting and healing, we can focus on recovering fair compensation for you. We know that even the more ‘minor’ injuries can result in time off work and expensive medical bills. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of someone else’s negligence. Call us today to begin working on your Cleveland bicycle accident case with the Ohio personal injury lawyers at Joseph Law Group.
What Should I Do After A Bicycle Accident?
A bicycle crash often results in severe injuries, so it’s important for injury victims to seek medical attention right away. Shock and adrenaline can hide many injuries, and some injuries may not even develop until days after the initial accident. So even if you think you walked away unscathed, it’s important that you have a doctor assess any potential injuries as soon as possible following the accident.
After a bicycle accident in Cleveland, you can also take other steps to make sure you are protected in the future. Try to document what you can as soon as possible; potential head injuries can cause issues with memory and recalling details later. As long as you are physically able, information should be collected at the scene of the accident:
- Get the name and contact information of the driver of the motor vehicle
- Get the contact information of eyewitnesses who saw the accident
- Call 911 to file a report
- Take pictures of visible injuries
- Take pictures of the accident scene
Once you have been treated for any injuries and have completed a police report, we highly recommend equipping the help of an experienced bicycle accident attorney. The sooner you reach out, the sooner your legal team can begin investigating your bike accident case, obtaining medical records and witness statements, and overall strengthening your personal injury claim.
What Kind of Compensation Can I Get From a Bicycle Accident Lawsuit?
Bicycle crashes can result in injuries that cause serious financial and emotional losses. The personal injury attorneys at our law firm fight aggressively for all recoverable compensation, including:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment in life
- Wrongful death damages, such as funeral and burial expenses
- And more
How Can a Cleveland Bicycle Accident Lawyer Help?
After a bicycle accident, your injuries may be severe and require extensive medical care. You shouldn’t have to juggle fighting for compensation alone on top of healing. When you hire a bicycle accident lawyer from Joseph Law Group, we can gather all the evidence needed for your case and explore all liable parties. We’ll help you determine the amount of compensation you can recover, and will handle all communication with the insurance companies of the at-fault party. We even provide a free case evaluation to give you confidence that your case is worth pursuing.
Determine Liability for Bike Accidents
Liability in a bicycle or motor vehicle accident in general can be a tricky situation. Sometimes the negligent driver isn’t the sole liable party–if they were a commercial driver, their employer could be the liable party. Head injuries resulting from a defective helmet can also mean the manufacturer is responsible.
Regardless, our attorneys gather evidence and reports to reconstruct exactly what happened when the accident occurred. Determining liability requires your legal team to prove that negligence occurred and how the physical injuries caused financial losses.
Calculate Damages for Bicycle Accident Compensation
Calculating damages for a bicycle accident includes requires looking at both the cost of direct financial losses and the additional non-economic damages. Economic damages can include lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs that are a direct result of the accident or injury. Economic damages intend to return you to the same financial status you had before the accident. Non-economic damages, however, are intended to provide compensation for hard-to-measure factors, such as emotional and mental suffering.
In cases of extreme recklessness or gross negligence, courts may even award punitive damages. This type of compensation is meant to punish the responsible party and discourage others from making the same mistakes in the future.
Negotiate with Insurance Companies
Insurance companies often try to contact injured bicyclists after an accident and ask for a statement. We always strongly encourage victims to decline to give a statement. The insurance company is not fighting for you; it’s looking for a way to deny the claim or offer you the barest settlement possible. A Cleveland bicycle accident lawyer from our firm can take over all communication with the car insurance companies so they don’t take advantage of you during this delicate time.
Secure a Fair Settlement or Litigate on Behalf of Your Claim
Insurance companies will do everything possible to pay as little as possible. If the insurance company refuses to agree to a fair settlement, we have no issue taking them to court and getting the maximum amount of compensation possible.
I Got Hit By A Car On My Bike. Can I Sue?
If you were hit by a negligent driver and sustained injuries, you may be able to recover financial compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. Contact a skilled Cleveland bicycle accident attorney at Joseph Law Group today to explore your legal options.
Call an Experienced Cleveland Bicycle Accident Attorney
At Joseph Law Group, our compassionate team does everything we can to seek justice from negligent parties and pursue full compensation. We know money can’t reverse time and prevent a tragedy, but we also know that devastating injuries often leave people unable to work and provide for themselves and their families. That’s why, since 2003, the personal injury attorneys at Joseph Law Group have been serving injured victims throughout the Cleveland area and helping them recover damages for their losses. With our five-star approach, we handle every case with the utmost care and dedication.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Cleveland, Ohio bike accident, you have legal options available. Call the experienced injury attorneys at Joseph Law Group for a free legal consultation today at (216) 522-1600. After establishing an attorney-client relationship, we can begin working aggressively to help you recover compensation for your injuries.
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Eliminate Your Worry & Ease Your Mind
The insurance industry is built on the avoidance of making any payments on claims. They see claims as liabilities, and initially deny, defend, and delay a claim to limit that liability and save money for the company. Ultimately, it is the job of the attorneys at Joseph Law Group to advocate on behalf of our clients and to give the insurance companies and adjusters enough reason to pay an amount of money that is fair under all circumstances. When you hire Joseph Law Group to represent your claim, you are getting a full-service team of dedicated attorneys and paralegals who will be committed to pursuing the best outcome for you from day one until trial.
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