If you were catastrophically injured when your bike made contact with road debris, a bicycle accident lawyer might have the means to recover your damages with a monetary settlement. What are damages? Depending on the circumstances of your accident, they might include any of the following:
- Medical treatment at the accident scene.
- Any medical treatment you’ve received for your bike injury since the accident.
- Any medical treatment you’ll need in the future for your bike injury.
- Medical devices which could include anything from crutches to prosthesis devices to anything in-between.
- Physical rehabilitation.
- Counseling to help you with mental or emotional issues that arose due to the accident. Post-traumatic stress disorder in one such issue that is very common.
- The income you would have earned had you not had to take time off from work to recover from your bike accident injury.
- Vocational rehabilitation if your injury will not heal sufficiently to allow you to return to your job.
Determining Who Is Responsible for Your Accident
Before your bicycle accident lawyer can file a personal injury claim on your behalf, he or she must determine who is responsible for your accident. For example, if you lost control of your bicycle because of road debris, there are two possible parties who might be held responsible:
- The party who dumped, dropped, or otherwise left the debris on the road.
- The party responsible for maintaining the road and keeping it safe for those who travel on it.
Your bicycle accident lawyer will have to consider the accident scene, the type of debris, and the manner in which it came to be on the roadway. Sometimes, an accident is simply an accident and there is nobody who can be held responsible. In other cases, someone can definitely be held responsible and your bicycle accident lawyer can take action against them. Take these scenarios as examples:
- A garbage truck did not properly secure their load and it subsequently dropped from the truck onto the roadway. The garbage company might be liable if their debris caused your accident.
- If the municipality responsible for maintaining the roadway consistently ignores the road debris and does not clean it up, even when they are aware of it, and knew of its presence before your accident. In addition to the garbage company, the municipality might be liable for the injury you sustained.
Personal Injury Claim
Once liability is established, whether it’s one or more parties, your bicycle accident lawyer can submit a personal injury claim with their insurance company or companies. The claim will include details of the accident including how it happened and why the named parties are responsible for your injury. If the responsible parties do not agree to a reasonable settlement, a bicycle accident lawyer Dekalb County GA residents can rely on will be prepared to take them to court if necessary.
You Deserve Compensation for Your Damages
A significant injury nearly always require expensive medical treatment. If the accident was not your fault, you should not have to pay for your medical costs. A lawyer may be able to help you. Call us today to schedule a meeting with a bicycle accident lawyer at no cost to you during which you can learn your legal options.
Thank you to Andrew R. Lynch, P.C. for the above information on bike accidents.