Riding a bike in Buckeye can be a great way to stay healthy and explore the area. Unfortunately, a collision with a car or truck can cause life-altering injuries or expensive medical bills given the lack of protection bicycle riders have when compared to those in larger vehicles. If this has happened to you, an experienced bicycle accident lawyer can help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact Sargon Law Group to schedule a free consultation with a Buckeye bicycle accident lawyer.
Why Hire Sargon Law Group For Your Bicycle Accident Case?
Working with a lawyer is the best way to ensure you get the help you deserve, but it’s important that you work with the right lawyer. Here’s why Sargon Law Group should be your choice:
- At Sargon Law Group, we prioritize our clients, keeping them informed and supported throughout every stage of their case.
- If you’re unable to visit our office due to your bicycle accident injuries, we’ll come to you—whether at the hospital or your home—to provide the legal help you need.
- Our firm has a proven track record of securing substantial settlements and verdicts for injury victims across Arizona, including in Buckeye and Maricopa County.
We will do everything we can to help you get the justice you deserve after experiencing a bicycle accident. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
How an Attorney Can Help You With a Bicycle Accident Case
Being injured in a bicycle accident is incredibly scary and can lead to serious injuries. Working with a lawyer is the best way to ensure you get what you’re entitled to. Here’s how a personal injury attorney can help:
- A lawyer will investigate the accident scene and start gathering evidence of what caused it. This could include police reports, witness statements, video footage, and expert reports.
- They handle all communication with insurance companies, making sure your rights are protected and you don’t settle for less than you deserve.
- An attorney can help arrange and document medical treatments, ensuring you have the necessary proof of your injuries.
For help with a bicycle accident case, contact Sargon Law Group to schedule a free consultation.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents That Lead to Personal Injury Claims
Bicycle accidents can result from various factors, and riders typically have little protection compared to drivers, leading to serious injuries. Understanding how these crashes happen can be helpful when pursuing a personal injury claim.
- Distracted or Negligent Drivers: It only takes a quick glance away from the road or a failure to signal before changing lanes to endanger a cyclist. When drivers fail to pay attention, collisions with bicycles are far more likely.
- Poor Road Conditions: Potholes, uneven pavement, or slippery surfaces can send a cyclist tumbling. Municipalities or property owners may be liable if they fail to maintain safe roads.
- Improper Lane Use or Passing: Motorists who don’t properly share the road with cyclists can cause serious crashes. If a driver overtakes a cyclist without leaving enough space, it can force the bike off the road or lead to a collision.
- Dooring Incidents: A common scenario is a parked car door opening directly into a cyclist’s path. This often happens when drivers don’t check mirrors or blind spots before stepping out.
- Failure to Obey Traffic Signals: Both cyclists and drivers can be at fault if they ignore traffic lights, stop signs, or yield signs. Running a light or failing to yield often ends in severe injuries for bicyclists.
- Equipment Failure: Bicycles with faulty brakes, worn-out tires, or other mechanical issues can lead to accidents. In these situations, a product liability claim may be possible.
By recognizing these common causes, riders and drivers can take steps to avoid collisions. However, if you’ve been injured, it’s important to speak with an attorney about filing a personal injury claim.
Proving Negligence in Bicycle Accidents
Establishing liability in a bicycle accident involves showing that another driver or party acted negligently. This means proving the following four elements:
Duty of Care
You must prove that the person who injured you had a duty of care to you. When this was a driver, it’s fairly easy to do, as every driver on the road, including those in cars, must look out for others. This means giving room to cyclists, obeying traffic signs, and maintaining control of their vehicle to prevent accidents.
Breach of Duty
A breach occurs when a driver (or another party in some cases) does something or fails to do something that goes against their responsibility to keep others on the road safe. For example, if a driver tailgates a cyclist or looks down at their phone instead of the road, they’re not meeting the accepted standard of care, and therefore breached the duty of care.
Causation
You need to show that the driver’s careless action led directly to the bicycle accident. It helps to have evidence like witness statements or accident scene photos that tie the driver’s behavior to the resulting collision.
Damages
Finally, you must prove that you experienced actual harm because of the accident, such as medical bills, lost wages, or ongoing pain. Collecting documents like hospital records and notes from your doctor can show the full extent of your losses.
To prove you were injured because of another person’s negligence, the best thing you can do is reach out to a personal injury lawyer.
Liability in Bicycle Accident Cases
Liability in a bicycle accident can fall on several different parties, depending on the circumstances of the crash. It’s important to know who might be responsible so you can pursue rightful compensation.
Negligent Drivers
When a driver fails to follow traffic laws or doesn’t pay attention to their surroundings, they can easily collide with a bike. Drunk or distracted drivers especially create dangerous conditions for bicyclists.
Local Government Entities
Potholes, unsafe road designs, or poorly maintained infrastructure can lead to severe accidents. If a city or county is in charge of the road where you crashed, they may be liable if they knew about the hazard and did not fix it in a reasonable time.
Manufacturers of Faulty Parts
Sometimes faulty brakes, tires, or other defective components cause a rider to lose control. In these cases, a product liability claim could apply if you can show that the product was defective, and that this defect led to your accident.
Property Owners
Accidents on private property or in parking lots may be traced back to unsafe conditions that the owner failed to address. If they didn’t fix hazards or place warning signs in a known danger area, they could be held responsible for any injuries that result.
The Bicyclist
Even cyclists must follow traffic rules and keep their bikes in good working order. If the bicyclist was partly at fault – maybe they ran a stop sign – this won’t necessarily ruin their claim. Under Arizona’s pure comparative negligence laws, an injured cyclist can still recover compensation based on their percentage of fault, even if they bear some responsibility for the crash. However, their recovery will be reduced by their percentage of fault.
A. The defense of contributory negligence or of assumption of risk is in all cases a question of fact and shall at all times be left to the jury. If the jury applies either defense, the claimant’s action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant’s fault which is a proximate cause of the injury or death, if any. There is no right to comparative negligence in favor of any claimant who has intentionally, wilfully or wantonly caused or contributed to the injury or wrongful death.
For example, if a bicyclist was found 30% responsible for a collision because they didn’t fully stop at a stop sign, they could still recover 70% of the total damages under Arizona’s pure comparative negligence laws. This ensures that even when someone shares fault, they are not automatically barred from seeking compensation for their injuries.
Contact Sargon Law Group To Schedule a Free Consultation
It’s common to feel lost or overwhelmed after a serious accident. You might be unsure which steps to take first or who can truly help. Between juggling insurance calls, medical bills, and everyday responsibilities, it can be too much to deal with. Fortunately, you don’t have to handle this alone. Our personal injury lawyers are here to guide you every step of the way to help you recover the compensation and justice you deserve. Contact Sargon Law Group to schedule a free consultation.