Bicyclists are not protected from severe injuries if they get hit by a negligent motorist. Oftentimes, a low-speed collision can be enough to cause a bicycle rider to suffer catastrophic, life-changing injuries.
Did you get hit by a negligent motorist when riding your bicycle throughout Columbia, Maryland? Hold them accountable for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering by exploring your right to file an injury claim. Portner & Shure, P.A. can help you understand and utilize rights.
Why should you choose our team for your claim?
- Millions of dollars in recoveries for clients
- 25+ years of total legal experience
- Highly rated and renowned lawyers
- Multilingual legal team
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Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents
How did your bicycle accident happen? Proving the cause is crucial to build your claim and strengthen its validity in the eyes of a judge or jury. It also helps pinpoint liability, which determines how much compensation you can receive from the other parties involved in your accident.
Bicycle accidents can be caused by:
- Drivers turning left in front of bicyclists: When traveling on the road, bicyclists are meant to act as if they are a full-sized vehicle, following the same rules and traffic patterns. Approaching an intersection can be dangerous for bicyclists if a motorist turns left across their lane, failing to see the comparatively small bicycle approaching. Left-turn intersection accidents like this are also common among motorcycle riders, showing that most drivers only check for cars and trucks when approaching an intersection.
- Drivers racing through crosswalks: Motorists are notorious for missing crosswalk signals at intersections, rolling up into or sometimes through a crosswalk. Bicyclists using the crosswalk can be hit by the distracted driver, suffering severe injuries.
- Pedestrians failing to look for approaching bicycles: There are times when a bicyclist is not permitted to travel on the road, or it would be unsafe to do so. While on the sidewalk, though, they can be blindsided by pedestrians who are not paying attention. For example, a shopper leaving a store may swing the door outward without bothering to see if a bicyclist is approaching, causing them to crash right into the door.
- Dooring accidents: Speaking of doors, when a passenger opens a door to exit a vehicle parked adjacent to a sidewalk, they can smash it right into a bicyclist riding there, resulting in a dooring accident. The same is true if a motorist opens their door that is facing the street. People usually look for cars approaching before exiting their vehicles, not bicyclists.
Protective Gear Can Lower Your Liability
Whenever you ride your bicycle, you should wear protective gear and clothing that can reduce your chances of getting into an accident. By doing so, you can not only preserve your health but also limit your liability.
Protective gear and equipment bicyclists can use:
- Helmet
- Bright clothing
- Gloves and knee pads
- Reflectors
Did you take photographs of the scene and yourself after your bicycle accident? If there are pictures or video footage of you wearing protective gear at the time of your crash, then it could help increase the compensation you can demand from the motorist that hit you. By showing that you tried to protect yourself from serious injuries, it should lower your own responsibility for suffering those injuries in a crash. On the other hand, not wearing protective gear can increase your liability, minimizing how much compensation you can collect in a successful claim.
Free Consultations are Available for Inquiring Callers
To get your bicycle accident claim in Columbia, Maryland rolling, start by dialing and connecting with our attorneys. We are the local name people trust when they are struggling to get deserved compensation after an accident that was not their fault.
