Though Los Angeles provides the perfect biking spot for its residents’ bicyclists, accidents are still likely to happen. People can never avoid the chances of being involved in an accident given the increase in the presence of different vehicles on the road.
According to the 2005 Statistics conducted by the Department of Transportation – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are 85 million bicycle riders in the U.S. 773 bicyclists died on U.S. roads in 2006, 92% of them died in collision with motor vehicles and about 540,000 cyclists are sent to emergency rooms annually due to physical injuries.
These figures alone show that a lot of people suffer from bicycle accidents. Most of them lost their lives in crashes with motor vehicles. Although bicyclists wear protective gears, they are still vulnerable to the most severe injuries since bicycles are reasonably small compared to cars, trucks, buses, etc.
Bicyclists have to share the same main roads with the other vehicles since few bicycle lanes are allotted for them. This raises the probability of getting involved in a crash. Laws are implemented to protect the rights of the bicyclists when they meet a bicycle accident.
Assuming that the other party is at fault, the victim can sue for damages. You can recover compensation from the following:
o Careless drivers of automobiles
o Negligent manufacturers of bicycles, bicycle parts, bicycle accessories – if the accident was due to a defective product
o The city, state or country – if the accident was caused by improper maintenance of the road
o Negligent repair shops or mechanics – if the accident was caused by a neglectful repair
o Negligent owners of public and private property – if the accident occurred due to wrong maintenance of a property
Bicycle riders have the same rights as motor vehicle drivers. Unfortunately, there are motorists who are unwilling to share the same road with cyclists. They can be intentionally reckless with their driving, or sometimes, they do not pay much attention to passing bicycles that they accidentally hit them.
To avoid incidents like these, cyclists must drive at their own risks. They should know their responsibilities and the special laws that apply to them. They cannot sue any party if they are the person at fault.
Now if you are convinced that you have been a victim of a bicycle accident, contact a bicycle attorney right away. Your lawyer shall help you earn your rights to compensation. He can help you assess all the possible claims to obtain optimum damages. He shall also handle all the legal issues involved therein in your case.
If you acquire the assistance of a lawyer, you should be ready to spend a little money. A Los Angeles bicycle lawyer who charges for a contingency fee – meaning, he is paid only when the case is won- takes at least about 30% of the money you will receive from the suit. Don’t worry if you do not have much since there are lawyers in Los Angeles who charges less for a reasonable amount.
If obtaining fair recovery and just compensation is important to you, then hire the most suitable lawyer who can represent your case proficiently.
