If you are among the many people who choose to enjoy the beautiful Westmoreland landscape by bicycle, then you know biking is lots of fun and a great way to get your fitness on. However, a nice day out on your bike can turn horrific in an instant when bicycle accidents occur. Even in bike-friendly communities, biking is not always safe. Some bikers find themselves hurt at the hands of negligent drivers on the roadway who pay little attention to the rights of bikers to travel the same routes that they travel. If you or someone you love have been injured in a bike accident, then you need to seek out qualified representation for filing your personal injury claim. SMT Legal can help; we’ve gone to bat for thousands of accident victims in the past, ensuring they get the compensation to which they are entitled.
Causes of Bicycle Accidents
There are a great number of things that can cause a bicycle accident. The number one cause is, beyond a question of a doubt, motor vehicle drivers failing to yield to the cyclist, often because they didn’t see them. Distracted driving, failing to follow the rules of the road when riding your bike on busy streets, and ignoring traffic laws all can result in bike accidents with passenger vehicles. “Drunk driving” – that is, being intoxicated while riding – your bike can also result in an accident with devastating outcomes.
Who’s Liable?
Instinct almost always has us believing that the motor vehicle driver is obviously to blame in bicycle accidents, and that is true to an extent. However, there are usually a number of factors that contribute to the accident. Sometimes it’s as simple as the driver failing to yield to the cyclist, or perhaps they were distracted by their kids being rowdy in the backseat and didn’t notice the bicyclist sharing the road. However, sometimes the bicyclist can be at fault, too. Breaking the rules of the road – such as riding against traffic, failing to stay in the designated bike lane, or blatantly ignoring traffic laws – can cause crashes that result in injury. A qualified bicycle accident attorney will help you determine who’s to blame in your particular case by conducting a complete investigation of the accident, as well as the events leading up to it.
Compensation for Your Injuries
Most big insurance companies are looking to get away with paying the least amount of damages as possible. Our legal team understands the tactics that insurance companies use to try to weasel their way out of paying you what you’re owe.
