How Much Money Can I Get for a Bicycle Wreck?

The size of a bicycle crash settlement usually depends on two factors: the victim’s injuries and the applicable legal doctrines.

Since the weather is mild most of the year, bicycle crashes are especially common in Florida. The already-high figure has increased by over 50 percent since 2014. Due to the high number of crashes, one would think that drivers would be more careful around bicyclists. But the opposite is true. Many drivers are angry that bicyclists are so slow and take up so much space.

This phenomenon, which is known as bikelash, is especially common in cities that have designated bicycle lanes, concrete safety pillars, and other protective measures for bicyclists.

An Altamonte Springs personal injury lawyer overcomes obstacles like personal prejudice and obtains maximum compensation for serious injuries. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages are available as well, in some extreme cases.

Bicycle Crash Injuries

Steel cages and advanced restraint systems protect vehicle occupants during car crashes. But bicyclists are completely exposed to danger. As a result, they often sustain serious injuries like:

• Head Injuries: When riders fall off their bikes and land hard, their brains slam against the inside of their skulls. We feel this effect on a very mild level when we walk or pace. After a hard fall, the effect is out of control. The effect is also permanent. Dead brain cells don’t regenerate.
• Internal Injuries: The same force causes internal organs to grind and bump against each other. Since internal organs have no protective skin layer, slight abrasions bleed profusely. Such internal bleeding is hard to detect and even harder to stop.
• Nerve Injuries: These injuries are also fall related. When bicycle crash victims fall off their bikes, they naturally extend their arms to break their falls. This natural reaction often severs nerves in the brachial plexus nerve bundle under the arms. The resulting facial paralysis (Erb’s Palsy) is usually permanent.

The average Florida hospital stay is over $3,000 per day. Follow-up care, medical devices, prescription drugs, and physical therapy are usually almost as high. At this rate, medical bills add up quickly.

An Altamonte Springs personal injury lawyer uses medical bills as a basis to determine other economic losses, such as lost wages, as well as the amount of noneconomic losses, as mentioned above.

Liability Issues

Comparative fault and last clear chance are the two most common liability issues in Florida bicycle wreck cases.

Comparative fault could reduce settlement size. If the victim rolled through a stop sign and the tortfeasor (negligent driver) failed to keep a proper lookout, both parties are partially responsible for the crash. A court could reduce the victim’s compensation in accordance with the percentage of fault (50 percent, 40 percent, etc.).

Last clear chance could apply in left-turn or right-turn bicycle wrecks, one of the most common kinds of wrecks. If the tortfeasor turned in front of a bicycle, an insurance company lawyer could blame the bicyclist for the crash. However, this defense usually doesn’t hold up in court. A bicyclist might have a possible chance to avoid such a wreck, but s/he almost never has a clear chance (good chance) to avoid it.

Work With a Diligent Seminole County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Altamonte Springs, contact Goldman Law, P.A. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.

Source:

usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/these-are-the-most-dangerous-states-for-cyclists