Auto accidents are never something that a person wants to deal with. Being injured, dealing with vehicle damage, and having to deal with insurance companies can all make for a stressful ordeal.
However, an accident can be much worse if one of the people involved is on a bicycle when it happens. The person who is on a bicycle is much more likely to sustain physical injuries, which can complicate the situation. Also, the traffic laws regarding bicycles and how they relate to vehicular traffic are a bit more complex, which can make a bicycle accident case even more difficult as well. A good lawyer will be able to help the person who was on the bicycle with their case, even if they happened to be the one who actually caused the accident.
Speaking With a Lawyer About Your Case
The first thing that needs to happen after being hit while on your bicycle is to speak with a lawyer. Obviously, this should be happening after getting admitted to the hospital and being treated for any physical injuries. Most personal injury lawyers offer free consultation, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of this and find out what different lawyers think about your specific situation. Talk to them about your concerns and also explain everything that happened, even the events leading up to the accident.
After you have gotten several opinions about your particular case, the next thing you should do is actually hire a lawyer. The vast majority of personal injury lawyers are willing to accept cases without asking for any money from their client up front; they will take their payment from the money that you get awarded at the end of your case.
After hiring a lawyer, the best thing you can do is take their advice and comply with anything they ask you to do. A lawyer is going to know how to give you the best chance of getting the money you deserve from your accident, so it’s best to simply go along with anything they ask of you.
Other Things You Need to Keep in Mind About Your Bicycle Accident Case
In addition to hiring a lawyer to help you deal with your case, there are some things you need to be sure that you’re doing as well. Your lawyer is going to give you a substantial edge in winning your lawsuit, but there are also some things that you can do to help your situation as well.
The first and best thing that you can do to help your case is to document anything you can. When you go to the hospital, be sure to hang onto any paperwork that the doctors send you out with. Also, be sure to keep any paperwork that comes in the mail regarding your hospital visits. The medical bills are likely going to come in the mail and not be given to you at the hospital, and the bills are one of the most important aspects of your case in general. Your lawyer will need to inspect the medical bills to figure out how much money they are going to be seeking for compensation.
Another thing you can do to help your case is to search for any witnesses or find out if there are any traffic cameras where your accident happened. If you can get people to write sworn statements that can be used in court, then you are going to be in much better shape to win your lawsuit. Traffic cameras can also prove exactly what happened without argument, which is why it’s a good idea to see if the accident was recorded anywhere. Anything can constitute as a traffic camera as well, not just the ones on traffic lights. ATMs, store cameras, and many other types of cameras may have caught the incident on tape.
It’s also important to mention that you may be able to bring a lawsuit to court if you are involved in a bicycle accident with another person on a bicycle, not just a vehicle. If the incident was bad enough and the physical injuries are extensive, then it may be a good idea to try and bring your case to court. It’s also possible to seek compensation for the price of your bicycle; some people have bikes that are worth thousands of dollars and they want to get them fixed or replaced if another biker crashes into them and ruins their prized possession. You can also bring a bicycle accident case to court if the road conditions were bad and caused you to be injured.
Get Treated and Take Your Lawyer’s Advice
After being involved in a vehicle accident on your bicycle, there’s a good chance you are going to need some physical rehabilitation or extensive care beyond what was provided at the hospital. It’s very important that you attend all of your appointments and also that you do what your lawyer tells you to do. You may not want to visit a chiropractor for a few months after your accident, but doing so can drastically help your case. A judge will be more apt to grant someone a large settlement paycheck if they seem to actually be going through with their treatments and not ignoring them. Also, someone who is ignoring their treatments is likely doing so because they are not truly as injured as they say they are.
Cyclists that are involved in an accident in the state of Arizona need to get in touch with Tobler Law. This law firm has legal professionals that have plenty of experience in dealing with all types of auto accidents, even those where people were on bicycles. Just because you were on a bike doesn’t mean that your accident shouldn’t be treated with the same severity as vehicular accidents.