Riding a bike is an eco-friendly form of transportation that provides physical and mental wellness benefits. As fun as biking is, it often requires using the same roads as cars, trucks, and other vehicles. If you need a Cordova bicycle accident lawyer’s assistance after getting into an accident, do not wait to make the call. You could receive significant compensation in light of the accident’s causes and the injuries you sustained.
Working with a competent personal injury attorney could relieve much of the anxiety connected to making legal claims. Streamline the entire process by hiring a legal professional like David E. Gordon. He is a Board-certified lawyer who has worked on cases like yours and knows what steps to take to increase the odds of winning maximum compensation.
Bike Accident Injuries
According to the National Safety Council, bicyclist deaths account for about two percent of all vehicular traffic fatalities in the United States, with 29 percent of bike riders wearing helmets at the time of the fatal accident. Yet even when riders survive the collision, they can sustain injuries such as:
- Cuts and lacerations
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Muscle and ligament injuries
- Broken bones
- Organ injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Loss of limbs
- Spinal cord damage, including paralysis
- Head trauma, including skull fractures and scalp injuries
Treatment for bike collision accidents can be minor or heavily involved in light of the injuries’ severity, and might include antibiotic washes, wound closures, rehabilitation, surgery, intracranial pressure monitoring, and bracing. Since even relatively modest bike-related injuries can cost a lot of money to treat, plaintiffs should immediately contact a bike accident lawyer in Cordova to recoup their losses.
What Causes Bike Accidents in Cordova?
Accidents between cars and bikes occur for a variety of reasons. Some are entirely the fault of the motorist due to substance or alcohol abuse, distraction, or drowsiness. For example, a tired and distracted driver could accidentally drift into the bicycle lane in a residential area and strike a cyclist. Vehicle drivers who speed or otherwise drive recklessly can also hit bike riders and inflict serious injuries. If a cyclist was hit because a car had to swerve out of the way of an erratic commercial truck, it is possible to hold the truck driver liable for damages instead.
Can a Bicycle Rider Ever be Held Liable?
There are instances where the cyclist is partially to blame for collisions with motor vehicles. A cyclist might fail to stay in their designated lane and weave in and out of traffic, or operate their bike when they are intoxicated or drowsy. Those who transport groceries or other materials on the backs of their bikes can also cause accidents because of improper weight distribution. They should talk with a Cordova bicycle crash attorney like David to determine if they were negligent.
The cyclist will likely see their damage awards reduced in relation to the percentage of fault assigned. For example, if the bike rider is 30 percent at fault for the collision, then the damages requested by their attorney will be lowered by that percentage. Tennessee uses modified fault rather than strict comparative negligence laws, which allow plaintiffs to receive compensation as long as they are less than 50 percent at fault. While they might not recover their desired amount because of the degree of fault, they still obtain money to help cover financial burdens. For this reason, a person should reach out to a Cordova bike accident attorney for legal advice.
Schedule a Consultation with a Cordova Bicycle Accident Attorney
Determining who was negligent in a bicycle collision is not as clear-cut as you might think. No matter how much you think you are to blame for the collision, contact a Cordova bicycle accident lawyer immediately to review your case. Someone from the Law Office of David E. Gordon can listen to your claim to determine the next steps. Do not let an accident with a vehicle go unchecked.
