When you're riding your bike to and from work, school, or around town for errands and other activities, you usually aren't thinking about getting into a bike accident. You assume that since you are on a bicycle, you won't get into any serious collisions.
Unfortunately, bicyclists are highly susceptible to serious accidents, especially when sharing the road with cars. And because bicyclists share the road with such massive vehicles—vehicles that often outweigh them by thousands of pounds—their injuries can be extremely severe.
If you have been involved in a car crash while riding your bike in Kennewick, Washington, or surrounding areas, it's important to understand what legal protections you have.
In many cases, injured bicyclists have the opportunity to pursue personal injury claims, navigating the complexities of personal injury law with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.
Personal Injury While Biking
The long-term and short-term effects of a serious accident can be life-altering.
Following a bike-related injury, you may suffer from physical disabilities that prevent you from returning to work for months or even years. And you may experience emotional scars and mental anguish that never heal.
You may even find yourself in extreme financial distress because you cannot return to work and must miss large periods of time.
All of these factors are integral parts of personal injury law and will be considered when discussing a potential personal injury case.
No matter the extent of your injuries, if you have been injured as a bicyclist, it is likely that someone else was responsible for your harm.
In these cases, pursuing compensation through a personal injury claim is often the best way to ensure that those who are at fault help shoulder the blame for your lost wages, medical expenses, and ongoing pain.
Understanding the ins and outs of personal injury law—with the help of a dedicated personal injury lawyer—can help you make informed decisions and take action.
What Are the Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents?
Bicycle accidents can be caused by a variety of things—including technical errors, weather conditions, potholes, and even the negligence of other people on the road.
However, the three main causes of bike-related personal injury are cyclists riding at night without lights or reflectors, bicyclists riding through intersections, and motorists who turn left in front of an oncoming bike.
While these three causes are the most prevalent, there are plenty of bike-related personal injury cases involving other situations and parties. Even if your incident differs from those mentioned above, you may still have a strong personal injury lawsuit.
What to do After a Bike Accident
Naturally, after being injured on a bike, start by ensuring that you and everyone else are safe and receiving any necessary medical treatment.
Make sure that you've obtained basic identifying information of all parties involved in the accident, as this can be valuable for insurance purposes, police reports, and future personal injury claims.
If you have been involved in a car crash while riding your bike in Kennewick, you should consider reaching out to an experienced personal injury attorney to get you the justice you deserve.
While no amount of money can completely alleviate the suffering you experienced during your accident, compensation might help you pay for medical bills and other costs not covered by your insurance or those that may result from your injuries.
What is the Most Compensation I Can Recover?
Under Washington state laws, if you are injured in a bike accident caused by the negligence of another driver or due to faulty road conditions that should have been fixed (such as potholes), your personal injury claim will be limited to compensation for your economic and non-economic losses.
Economic Losses: This type of loss includes past and future medical costs, loss of income and earning capacity, property damage, and cost of household services.
Non-economic Losses: This includes pain and suffering (past and future), emotional distress (past and future), physical impairment (past and future) loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, scarring, etc.
The amount of compensation you are able to recover will be dependent on the facts of your case and if you are able to prove the extent of your damages. A personal injury lawyer can help guide you through the personal injury claims process if you are interested in pursuing compensation following your injury.
What Makes a Bike Accident Lawyer Worth Hiring?
Not all bicyclists realize that they have legal rights if they are involved in a bicycle accident.
The truth is, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries if someone else's negligent or wrongful behavior caused an accident that led to harm or injury.
If you are injured as a bicyclist, the first step towards getting justice is hiring a Kennewick bike accident lawyer with experience handling cases similar to yours.
If you want the best chance of receiving full compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and more, contact Church & Page PLLC immediately by calling (509) 638-1414 and let us help guide you through this complex process.
Should I Hire a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Kennewick?
Our bicycle accident lawyers at Church & Page PLLC have been protecting the rights of injured cyclists for years.
While we recognize that no one can place a monetary amount on what you've dealt with following your bike accident, we also know that our clients deserve compensation for their medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages caused by someone else's negligence.
If you've been injured on a bicycle—whether it was as a result of a car crash, medical malpractice, or another type of accident—reach out to Church & Page PLLC as soon as possible by calling (509) 638-1414 and schedule a free consultation today.
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