Many roads in and around Beverly Hills, California lack bicycle lanes or have inadequate lanes. Even when bicycle lanes are present, many drivers ignore them. Unfortunately, this places cyclists at risk of serious injuries or fatalities in collisions with motor vehicles. If you have been injured in a bicycle accident or have lost a close family member, a bicycle accident lawyer Beverly Hills at the Valley Accident Lawyers might help you to recover compensation for your losses.
Common types of injuries in a bicycle accidents
Unlike the occupants of passenger vehicles, bicyclists have little to protect them from the forces that are released in collisions. Some of the common types of injuries that can occur in bicycle accidents include the following:
- Spinal injuries
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Skull, face, and neck fractures
- Thoracic injuries
- Paralysis
- Amputations
- Fractures of the extremities
- Road rash
- Death
Because of the serious nature of the injuries that commonly result in bicycle accidents, the damages may be substantial.
Damages in a bicycle accident claim
Some of the types of damages that you might be able to recover in a bicycle accident lawsuit include the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past income losses
- Future anticipated income losses
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Disability
- Emotional trauma
- Reduction in your ability to enjoy life
- Funeral and burial costs in a wrongful death action
- Loss of consortium and guidance in a wrongful death action
- Lost inheritance rights in a wrongful death action
An attorney can analyze the evidence to determine the value of your claim and the types of damages that might be available to you. In addition to the compensatory damages, you might also be able to recover punitive damages. These are damages that are meant to punish defendants whose actions were particularly outrageous, which means that they are not available in every case. An example of when punitive damages might be ordered includes a situation in which a driver purposely ran over a bicyclist in an act of road rage.
When must a claim be filed for a bicycle accident?
California has a statute of limitations for personal injury claims of two years from the date of the injury and accident. If you fail to file your claim within the limitations period, you will be barred from recovering damages for your losses. There are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, including an exception for minors. Minors who are injured in bicycle accidents can wait until they reach the age of 20 to file a claim because the statute of limitations is tolled until they reach the age of majority.
In practice, it is best to retain the services of a bicycle accident lawyer Beverly Hills as soon after an accident as possible instead of waiting until you are close to the end of the deadline. This allows your attorney to fully investigate your claim, preserve evidence that might otherwise be lost, and build a strong case of liability against the defendant.
Proving liability in bicycle accidents
In many bicycle accident cases, the insurance companies will dispute liability and will try to place the blame on the cyclists. They do this to try to avoid paying claims or to reduce the amounts that they might be forced to pay. An experienced lawyer understands how to investigate bicycle accidents to uncover evidence of liability. He or she might work with accident reconstruction experts, interview witnesses, photograph the scene, and retain experts to help to prove the liability of the defendant.
Bicycle accident claims are normally based on negligence. To prove that the motorist was negligent, you will need to prove all of the elements of negligence by a preponderance of the evidence. An attorney should understand the types of evidence that might be needed to prove each element.
Get help from the Valley Accident Lawyers
A bicycle accident can leave you facing a long period of recovery and mounting expenses. Getting help from an experienced attorney at the Valley Accident Lawyers following your bicycle accident in Beverly Hills might allow you to protect your rights to recover damages. Contact us today to schedule a consultation by calling us at 818.565.6600.
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If you or a loved one has been injured, you will want a top rated San Fernando Valley personal injury attorney that understands how to get the maximum compensation you deserve. Our pledge is to be your partner, and provide passionate, yet skillful legal representation needed to win your case. Contact our highly trained personal injury lawyers today for a free case evaluation.
