Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle accidents can take a variety of forms, but frequently involve a collision between a bicycle and a car or other motor vehicle. This happened to one of our clients, a college student, who was cycling on a designated footpath alongside a road. As our client approached one of the driveways, a vehicle sped out of the property across the footpath, which left our client no choice but to brake suddenly and steer to avoid a collision. Though our client successfully avoided a collision, this maneuver threw him over the handlebars of the bicycle and caused him to sustain a severe injury to his face and wrists. After a legal battle, we won $250,000 on behalf of our client. Do you want a chance to receive fair compensation? Contact us immediately for a free case evaluation.
Several hundred Americans are killed in bicycle crashes every year. In 2015, the number stood at 818. These cyclist deaths make up around 2% of all traffic fatalities in America. The number of injured bicyclists stood at 45,000 in 2015, although there may be even more injuries that are not reported to the police.
Cyclists, like pedestrians, suffer because of the huge size differential between them and cars. Unlike occupants of passenger cars, who are protected by seat belts, airbags, and the walls of the car itself, cyclists typically have minimal protection aside from a helmet (and sometimes not even that). No cyclist is a match for a huge several-ton car.
Cyclists have the same right to use the public roads that the drivers of automobiles do. This is a firmly enshrined principle within traffic law and dates back to the first cases involving cyclists over a century ago.
Cyclists also have the same obligations as automobile drivers. They are expected to obey red lights, stop signs, and all other traffic signs and signals, to ride in the same direction as traffic, to follow right-of-way rules, and to exhibit reasonable care for other users of the road. Cyclists who violate these rules may be impeded in their ability to file a personal injury claim.
There are only a few rules that are different for cyclists than for automobile drivers. For instance, cyclists are expected to travel in designated bike lanes. If there is no bike lane, then cyclists should keep to the far right side of the road. But aside from this and a few other stipulations, cyclists are treated just like automobile drivers on the road.
In reality, cyclists are no more likely than automobile drivers to be at fault in a collision, and perhaps even less likely. Available data shows that cyclists are at least as likely to be victims as they are to be violators. And yet many cyclists end up getting the short end of the stick in the legal realm.
Bicycle accidents include:
– Exclusively Bicycle Accidents
– Wrongful Death Bicycle Accidents
– Bicycle Accident Litigation
– Hit and Run Bicycle Accidents
– Motor Vehicle Bicycle Accidents
– Road Debris Bicycle Accidents
– Dog Chase/Bite Bicycle Accidents
– Street Defects Bicycle Accidents
– Government Responsible Bicycle Accidents
– Bicycle on Bicycle Accidents
– Car Door Bicycle Accidents
– Side Swipe Bicycle Accidents
At Sullivan and Sullivan LLP, your bicycle accident case is more than just a number; it is our top priority and it will be handled with our experienced and aggressive style of personal injury representation.
If you or someone you know in New York, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island (Nassau/Suffolk County), needs the assistance of experienced bicycle accident attorneys, contact Sullivan and Sullivan LLP today to schedule your free consultation. The sooner you call the higher your compensation can be.
A personal injury sustained in a vehicle accident might become a formal civil court case/proceeding or may be solved through an informal settlement prior to a lawsuit being filed.