Crow Law Offices - Sacramento Personal Injuiry Attorneys - Established 1954
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Bicycle Accident Attorneys

BICYCLE ACCIDENTS AND PERSONAL INJURY - ALL TYPES AND SIZES OF ACCIDENTS

Regarding Bicycle Accidents

Bicycling is an economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation, and part of many peoples lifestyle. As traffic congestion and pollution increase in Sacramento, more and more people are getting on their bicycles for commuting, general transportation and exercise. Riding a bicycle can also be dangerous with so many cars and trucks on the roadways. Bicyclists must share the roads, streets, and trails of Sacramento with cars and trucks. Some of the dangers bicyclist face are that often roads have no protective barriers between bicycle lanes and motor vehicle lanes, roads are designed for cars, bicyclists can be hard to see, and intersections and turns are much more dangerous for bicyclists.

The Crow Law Offices of Sacramento are bicycle accident attorneys that know that serious injuries and fatalities to cyclists are not random accidents. We are experienced in determining who was responsible for your injuries and suffering. The attorneys at the Crow Law Offices will fight on your behalf, and for the compensation you need to put your life back together. If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed in a bicycle crash, you need a responsive, skillful legal team fully committed to fighting for your rights and securing the compensation you need and deserve.

Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers. Experienced bicycle riders are rarely found to be at fault for accidents. The driving laws in California carefully address the fact that motorists must be careful of bicyclists, motorcycles and scooters and treat them as another automobile on the road.

Bicycle accident cases tend to be more complex than typical car accident cases or pedestrian accident cases, because the right-of-way is so often in question. In some cases, insurance companies refuse to compensate victims because they are either found to be entirely or partially at fault for the accident. It is in these cases in particular that you may need the help of a Sacramento bike accident attorney.

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Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents

  • Collisions with cars: By far the most common types of bicycle accident claims involve collisions between a cyclist and a motor vehicle. Too many drivers drive as though cars were the only vehicles on the road, and do not pay attention to the presence of cyclists. Their inattention makes bike riding in or around Sacramento streets particularly dangerous. Bicycle riders suffer a large number of serious injuries and fatalities in accidents involving motor vehicles, and those accidents are usually the fault of the motor vehicle drivers. Drivers of cars and trucks usually do not pay enough attention to their surroundings, do not respect the rights of cyclists, and do not look for cyclists before making moves that can endanger their lives.

    All too often, bike riders are injured or killed by motorists who fail to check their blind spot before changing lanes, make right turns directly in front of oncoming bicyclists, sideswipe them traveling on the shoulder, open doors in front of them, drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, motorists unexpectedly turning or merging into the path of a cyclist, fail to stop at stop signs, failure to yield the right of way, pull out from driveways or side streets without looking, or otherwise proceed in a manner which risks the lives of cyclists. Most motorists are in fact ignorant of the California laws which protect bicyclists and give them the same rights to use the streets as motorists. The Sacramento bike accident lawyer's at the Crow Law Offices are well versed in the California Vehicle Code and local traffic laws and aggressively pursue compensation for injuries suffered as the result of negligent motorists.
  • Collisions with trucks: These issues include difficulty for bicyclists to properly judge the rate of approach of big-rigs and other large vehicles. Difficulty of seeing bicyclists in blind spots in front of, to the right of, or behind a semi-trailer.
  • Dangerous roadways, including shoulders and intersections, that are poorly designed or maintained can present serious dangers to cyclist. If the city, county or state agency responsible for maintaining a roadway was aware of a dangerous condition but did nothing to repair it, the injured cyclist may have a claim for a roadway defect.
  • Failure to maintain bike paths and trails can create dangerous situations for cyclists.
  • Potholes, uneven road surfaces, loose gravel, road debris, poorly maintained drain grates, slippery road conditions, and even dogs can contribute to a bicycle accident.
  • Negligent motorists often cause bike accidents by opening a car door into a cyclists path.
  • Some bike accidents are caused by the defective design, manufacture, or repair of bicycles or their components.

These are just a few of the common causes of bicyclist accidents in Sacramento. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident, contact the Sacramento bike accident attorney's at the Crow Law Offices right away. We have more than half a century of successful advocacy experience.

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Financial Damages and Compensation

There are several potential sources of recovery for victims of bike accidents, including automobile insurance and homeowners insurance. In California, even when riders are partially at fault for a bicycle accident, they can also recover monetary compensation for the fault of other parties, such as negligent motorists, government agencies, or parts manufacturers, if they are found to have contributed to the cause of the bicycle accident or bicycle injuries.

The Crow Law Offices are a top rated and experienced personal injury law firm with a long history of obtaining compensation that our clients deserve. An injured cyclist may be entitled to recover a wide variety of damages, including past and future medical and rehabilitation costs, disfigurement, lost earnings and earning potential, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, loss of parental or spousal financial support, loss of spousal relations, property damage, incidental expenses, and many other types of physical, economic, and sometimes even punitive damages that result from a bike accident.

Some people who have been injured in bike accidents believe that they can resolve their claim without hiring a qualified bicycle accident lawyer. This is not advisable. Insurance companies are in the business of making money by collecting premiums and paying out as little as possible for claims. If a victim is not represented by a qualified Sacramento bicycle accident attorney, an insurance company will almost always try to settle the claim far below the reasonable value. Until an injured person hires a personal injury attorney, the insurance company knows that the injured person is not prepared to take the case to court

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Potential Expert Witnesses in Bicycle Accident Cases

Many factors can make a bicycle accident case difficult to litigate. The complexities of a bike accident case often result in the need expert witnesses, whose knowledge and ability to communicate to a judge or jury can make a difference in your outcome. Expert witnesses may be needed to analyze and testify about road conditions, the chain of events that led to a bicycle accident, factors that contributed to a bike accident, such as traffic controls, visibility obstruction, and the speed at which the bicycle and vehicle were traveling, and mechanical failures due to defective parts or maintenance. Expert witnesses can also be helpful in evaluating and explaining your injuries to a jury.

When the Sacramento bike accident attorney’s at the Crow Law Offices take on a case, we will determine what experts, if any, are needed in order to obtain maximum compensation for our client. We will determine whether an accident reconstruction, bio-mechanical engineer or a human factors expert is needed in order to prove that the motorist or other culpable party is at fault. We also know the best medical experts in Sacramento to make sure you are given the best possible care so that you can make a fast and full recovery. There are many others experts that we will consider including a traffic safety engineer and economist. Our experienced Sacramento bicycle accident attorneys work with the top experts in order to obtain maximum compensation for our clients.

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Investigation of Bicycle Accidents

Accident scenes change quickly and memories fade. While a traffic collision report at the time of the accident is usually a fair assessment of what happened, eyewitness statements and the statement of the driver involved are critical to your case. Physical evidence such as markings on the roadway and the severity and location of any damage to the vehicle, as well as your bicycle, are also important. It is crucial to preserve evidence by taking photographs to record road conditions. To preserve evidence that may be of great importance to your bicycle accident case, there are several actions that should be considered immediately. Following an injury accident, it is very important to consult with a qualified Sacramento bicycle accident attorney as soon as possible. If you let too much time go by before consulting a lawyer, valuable evidence may be lost, witnesses may disappear, and the other party’s insurance company may take advantage of you. Well-preserved evidence will help us make sure that the maximum damages are recovered.

As soon as we take on your bicycle accident injury case, we begin a full and thorough investigation and secure and protect relevant evidence. When dealing with accident victims, insurance companies usually pretend to be your friend and only concerned with your well being, when in fact they are only acting in the best interest of the insurance company. They will attempt to take advantage of injury victims by taking a recorded statement from them, have them examined by their doctors, have you sign releases that allows them to obtain all your medical and employment records, whether they are relevant or not and otherwise build their case against you in order to offer an unfair settlement amount.

If you do talk to the insurance company, do not allow yourself to be recorded and do not sign any papers. You need a strong advocate, an experienced Sacramento bicycle accident lawyer working to obtain the compensation you need and deserve. Our clients benefit from our years of experience dating back to 1954. Our firm performs our very own investigation, going further to discover if another vehicle driver, or a hazardous road, or a flawed item brought about or added to a bicycle accident or the bicycle rider’s injuries. We will interview every individual who witnessed the incident and thoroughly investigate every case.

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Bicycle Accident Statistics

There are more than 85 million bicycle riders in the United States, and thousands are injured each year. Nearly 75% of all bicycle accidents occur at intersections and driveways, suggesting that neither bicyclists nor drivers fully understand the rules of the road when it comes to turning and cross-traffic situations. Two-thirds of bicycle accidents nationwide occur in the late afternoon and evening hours. Failure to yield, riding against traffic, stop sign violations, and safe movement violations are the factors the Federal Highway Administration indicate most often contribute to a bicycle accident.

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Common Bicycle Accident Injuries

If you are a bicyclist injured by an uninsured or underinsured motorist, your own automobile insurance policy may cover your injuries, despite the fact that you were not in your car at the time of the accident. The circumstances of each case are different, including the insurance policies involved, and the type and severity of the injuries, but our Sacramento bike accident attorneys may be able to help you recover compensation for your injuries even if the driver who hit you was uninsured or underinsured.

Referring insurance companies to your lawyer is the best way to protect your interests. In addition, not having to deal with insurance companies or their lawyers yourself helps provide you and your family with peace of mind.

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The Role of Insurance in Bicycle Accident Cases

Bicycle accidents with vehicles lead to an extraordinarily high percentage of injuries and fatalities. Because bicyclists are not well protected, accidents can cause devastating injuries. Bike accident victims can suffer injuries ranging from soft tissue injuries or road rash and serious abrasions to accidents involving devastating injuries, paralysis or wrongful death. Bicyclists may experience brain and head injuries, neck and back injuries, severed limbs and fractures. Victims of bicycle accidents typically need extensive medical treatment and therapy, and may be unable to work for some period of time after an accident. The injuries may be lifelong and significantly alter lifestyles and activities. The need for this care in cases involving catastrophic injuries may continue throughout the cyclists entire life.

 

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