Elizabethtown Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Bicycling can be a way of life. It may be how you get around, how you commute to work, or simply your passion. You gain a sense of enjoyment from feeling the wind rushing past as you use your own strength to propel you forward or glide effortlessly.

Have You Been Involved in a Bicycle Accident?

A bicycle accident can change all of this in an instant. Your injuries may mean that you’re unable to use your bicycle for an extended period of time or they may even leave you permanently disabled. No amount of money can compensate you for what you’ve lost, but holding whoever was responsible for your accident accountable will at least ensure you receive the compensation you are legally entitled to.

Types of Bicycle Accident

There are various ways you could be injured in a bicycle accident.

Often, the cause is a motorist, perhaps one driving aggressively. Although bicyclists have the same rights to use roads as drivers of all kinds of vehicles, they’re frequently treated unfairly by others on the road. This can be due to drivers being unaware of the rules or simply deciding not to adhere to them. For instance, a driver may cut you off when turning onto a street or making a right turn or crash into you after running a red light or failing to stop at a stop sign.

However, it’s actually more common for bicycle accidents to be caused by something other than a motorist. In these situations, someone else could still be at fault, including if:

• The roadway was in poor condition or featured debris that caused you to have a fall
• You unknowingly purchased your bicycle with a defect
• A bicycle mechanic failed to repair your bicycle correctly
• A pet off the leash collided with your bicycle
• A pedestrian was not paying attention and walked in front of your bicycle or was walking in the cycle lane
• Another bicyclist collided with you

Who Could Be Liable for Your Accident?

A bicycle accident can be due to negligence or product liability.

In a case due to negligence, the person who caused your accident could be a motorist, pedestrian, dog owner, or another bicyclist. Alternatively, the government agency responsible for maintaining the roadway could be at fault, such as if the road was in poor condition.

Product liability applies if there was a defect in your bicycle that made it unsafe to use.

What Will an Attorney Do?

An attorney can prove that another person’s actions caused your bicycle accident. For a negligence case, this means showing that the at-fault party had a duty of care to you and the breach of this duty of care was the reason for your accident. If you’re filing a product liability claim, your lawyer will need to provide proof that the bicycle was unreasonably dangerous, that the defect existed from the time you purchased the bicycle, and that you were using the bicycle as the manufacturer intended. In both negligence and product defect cases, your lawyer will also need to provide evidence that your injuries were due to the accident.

To achieve all the above, your attorney will conduct an investigation into the accident. You may have photographs of your injuries, the scene of the accident, and the damage to your bicycle, witness testimony, and a police report. To add to this evidence, your attorney will analyze your medical records to prove that the accident was the cause of your injuries. Your lawyer may also investigate the at-fault party, such as by checking driving records or researching cases with the same bicycle model.

Is Personal Injury Protection Insurance Enough?

Due to Kentucky’s no-fault insurance law, you may be able to receive personal injury protection (PIP), either through your own insurance if you own a car or through the other party’s insurance if the accident involved a motorist.

However, PIP may be insufficient to cover your medical bills, especially if your injuries were severe. Typically, PIP does not cover skull fractures, brain injuries, broken bones, paralysis, back injuries, and more. If you work with an attorney, you can receive compensation for all your medical bills (past and future) as well as for pain and suffering and lost income.

Legal Representation for a Bicycle Accident in Elizabethtown

Receive a free consultation with an injury attorney in Elizabethtown at the Fleck Firm. Our legal team has helped numerous victims of bicycle accidents gain the compensation they deserve.

Contact a Lawyer Today

If you need an Elizabethtown Kentucky bicycle accident lawyer or an attorney for a bicycle accident anywhere in Kentucky, contact The Fleck Firm today. We are available over the phone 24/7 and you can also click the Contact Us button below to fill out a contact form.