How Bike Accidents Differ From Car Accidents

Answer:

On the subject of bicycle accident claims or claims involving a bicyclist who’s been hit by a motor vehicle , these are particularly specialized claims. There are a number of considerations to keep in mind with these cases. If you or a loved one or family member have been injured in this type of situation while riding a bicycle, the following are some considerations that you want to keep in mind in pursuing your claim and in choosing an attorney for that claim. These claims are unique in the fact that there’s a big disparity, for one, between the two parties involved. What I mean by that is a motor vehicle weighs a lot more, can go faster, and just has a lot more energy and mass to it in a collision than a bicycle and the person riding it. Typically, in these types of cases, you’re dealing with more severe injuries than perhaps an auto crash where both parties have a lot of protection around them in the form of automobile. The injuries often are more sudden in nature, although that’s not always the case. Some things can come up as complications later on, but typically more severe injuries occur needing emergency treatment and, oftentimes, more extensive follow-up treatment. Unfortunately, these types of incidents also have a higher rate of death, so you may be dealing with a wrongful death claim, which has its own unique set of challenges and requirements. I think another big difference with bicycle claims is the proof that you need and that you’re going to look for on the scene, in terms of approaching the scene of the wreck or collision. Gathering evidence and documenting evidence is much more important and sort of urgent in nature in that type of injury than a typical car wreck, for instance. The reason is that these are just not your typical type of collision or wreck, where you have two vehicles and you can look at damage to the vehicle. A lot can be recreated by experts, looking at that type of information and reconstructing what happened, whereas in a collision with a bicycle and a vehicle, the layout of the scene, where the bicycle ends up, where the person riding the bicycle ends up, is hard to document clearly to a level of detail that can help a reconstructionist piece together what happened. One, make sure that there is proper documentation, and, two, make sure that the experts, that the people pursuing the claim are documenting that and getting evidence from the scene as soon as practical. That covers just some of the issues that make these bicycle injuries unique. Again, because the injuries are typically more severe and there’s going to be certain challenges and nuances in pursuing that type of claim. As such, it’s important to have an attorney involved in your claim who has experience in these types of cases— an attorney who regularly pursues personal injury litigation and who can help you through every step of the process. At Brad Morris Law Firm, PLLC, we are here to help if you or a loved one have been injured in a bicycle accident or injured by a collision between a motor vehicle and a bicycle. Just reach out to us on our website or call us on the phone and we’ll try to answer your questions and get you the help you need.