Bicycle Incidents
From the time we learn to ride a bike, “be careful” is always preached to us when picking up a bicycle. In addition to wearing a helmet, riding carefully means taking in our surroundings, biking along with the flow of vehicle traffic, properly indicating when we are ready to turn, and always being aware of what’s coming up ahead like uneven ground or roadblocks. Being a responsible biker also means knowing what to do in the event that something goes wrong.
No matter how cautious and responsible we are, riding a bike comes with a risk of injury. While often referred to as a bicycle accident, typically these incidents come about as the result of negligence by one or more parties involved. Bicycle cases are difficult to litigate yourself and should be handled by a personal injury attorney if you find yourself involved in an incident.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Attorney for a Bicycle Accident?
Yes. It is highly recommended that you hire a personal injury attorney right away after a bicycle incident. Oftentimes sterotypes and assumptions are made against cyclists when there is an incident. This can lead to the cyclist becoming the first one blamed for not paying attention or properly protecting themselves. An experienced personal injury attorney can help diffuse this assumption in an effort to gain fair treatment.
When you are involved in a bicycle incident, the sooner you hire a personal injury attorney the better. At Johnson Livingston, we see our greatest successes when we are able to begin working on your case right after your bicycle incident. A lot of the reason behind this is due to accessing timely access to surveillance footage. If a surrounding business, home, or another security camera in the area caught your incident on film, that video footage may be taped over daily or every few days depending on the camera storage settings.
This means your evidence could be deleted before you are able to access it, leaving you with no video proof of your incident. Our personal injury attorneys are well-versed in collecting this footage and will be able to get started on acquiring any that exists as soon as possible to help move forward with your case. Already been involved in an accident? We recommend contacting an attorney as soon as possible.
What to Do if You’re in a Bicycle Accident?
1.
Call 911 If you are physically able to, call 911. We understand that bicycle incidents can often result in injuries or cell phone damage that would not allow you to call 911. If that is the situation, ask a witness or the first passerby to dial 911.
If you are the witness of a bicycle accident or happen to pass by a bicycle incident or collision, immediately call 911 to report what you see as the bicyclist may not have been able to contact authorities and you may be the first call to get the injured party the help they need.
When you are involved in a bicycle incident, you will want to file a police report so that the details of what happened are on record. When calling 911, request emergency services for medical evaluation.
If you are feeling pain or discomfort of any kind, including any scratches or bruising no matter how minor they may feel, you will want this to be included in the report. A dull ache or minor scrape should still be reported as it can lead to severe pain or infection if left untreated.
A trip to the doctor later that day with no record of your pain starting at the scene of the incident will make it increasingly difficult to prove that injury is a result of the incident when it comes time for litigation. Once a copy of the police report is available, you or your personal injury attorney should immediately obtain a copy as it will be necessary evidence when filing your claim.
2.
Get the information of any witnesses whenever possible, get the name and phone number of any witnesses to your incident. While we understand this may be difficult or impossible due to injury, if at all possible you will want to be able to have a way to contact witnesses so they can provide testimonies of what they saw.
3.
Seek medical attention even if it feels like a minor cut, scrape, or bruise, make sure any pain or markings that have resulted from the crash are documented by the police/EMTs so that they are included in the police report.
4.
Take photos documenting the scene, any damage to your bicycle and other vehicles involved, the surrounding area, and any outside elements that may have resulted in the bicycle incident such as potholes, loose gravel, etc. Be sure to take photo evidence to document any injuries as well. This is a time for serious photo documentation, not injury selfies to send your friends.
5.
Schedule a free consultation hiring Johnson Livingston to represent you after a bicycle accident will help you get the best outcome from your case. It is our number one priority that you feel taken care of after your incident. We offer a free consultation so you can better understand your rights and feel equipped with the knowledge you need to make the right decisions for yourself when hiring a personal injury attorney. Let us focus on your case so you can focus on recovering.
6.
Establish your case when you work with Johnson Livingston as your attorney, we immediately begin working on your claim including acquiring surveillance footage, witness testimonies, medical treatment reports, etc. that will help us form your case. This information will help us prepare a demand letter and identify any additional paperwork needed to support your claim. We then monitor this claim, take care of any necessary follow up and navigate the negotiations that will follow. All you need to do is focus on caring yourself after your accident.
How to Prevent a Bicycle Incident
Follow Utah Cycling Laws
Bicycles are considered vehicles by Utah law. This means that when you are riding a bicycle you are required to follow the same laws you would follow while driving a car including yielding to pedestrains, stop signs and traffic signals.
Ride in a designated bike lane if one is available. If you are sharing the road with motorvehicles, stay as far to the right as safely possible and ride your bike in the same direction as the flow of traffic. Bicycles are legally permitted to ride on the sidewalk in Utah unless otherwise marked.
Know How To Interact With Bicyclists While Driving a Motor vehicle
When operating a car, truck or other motorvehicle it’s important to share the road with bicyclists. Do not pass within three feet of the bicycle. In order to give a three foot radius, you are legally permitted to cross the centerline when you are able to do so safely.
Wear Protective Gear
Always wear a helmet when riding a bike, no matter your age or experience. Helmets are your only barrier from possible life-altering head injury. Protect yourself with wrist and shin guards which can help decrease the severity of deep cuts, scrapes and bruising. Wear secure footwear that is fully enclosed and tightly laced, this will allow you to be able to stop more easily.
When cycling in the evening, make sure you have an attached white headlight, a red tailight or reflector, and side reflectors that are visible within 500 feet.
Educate Children on Bike Safety
Riding a bike is an activity that many children begin to do on their own as they get older, whether it’s a short ride to a neighbor’s house or getting to and from school each day. This ride may be the first time your children are alone without adult supervision and it is critical that they know what to do in the event they are hit without a trusted adult around. Make sure they understand their rights and that no adult should talk them out of calling 911 nor should anyone leave the scene until 911 has arrived.
Teach your children how to ride safely, where it’s appropriate to ride when there is no designated bike lane and how to properly indicate that they are turning. Help them to understand that they play a part in their own safety and that they need to do their part to keep themselves safe from vehicles.
While wearing a helmet and other protective gear will not prevent a bicyle crash, it will keep you as safe as possible in the event that you are involved in an accident. Helmets will help to prevent head injury and protective gear including thick pants, long sleeves, gloves and motorcycle boots will provide coverage from exposed skin.
Add a Camera to Your Bike or Helmet
Cameras don’t stop accidents, but they can help identify the cause of them. Mounting a camera to your bike or helmet can help provide your attorney with key evidence first-hand footage that could be the determining information in your case.
Be Safe
It sounds like a no-brainer, but biking as responsibly as possible is important to show that you are doing your part to be a safe driver. If you are involved in a bicycle crash, showing that you did everything you could to protect yourself and others will be very helpful to your case.
We Focus on The Details of Your Bicycle Incident Case So You Can Move Forward
At Johnson Livingston, we take our jobs personally. Our attention and passion has been and always will be focused on our clients. We give each case everything we’ve got. We care about the results our clients receive and we work hard to get to know our clients, their challenges, injury, and their ability to recover and live a good life. We are here to take your bicycle injury and any other injuries you sustained through another’s negligence seriously.
By putting our clients’ needs first we focus on doing what we do best and share your story based on facts and evidence. We communicate with you through every step of the process, making it easy for you to focus on getting better while we focus on your case. To do our best work and successfully tell your story, we rely on full disclosure and honesty from each of our clients.
Bicycle incident cases can take more time than other personal injury cases because the details tend to be more complex. We want to ensure that your needs are being fully met. The good news is, that we won’t give up on your case, we will do what’s best for you, no matter what it takes we will stand for you and for your rights.
Pricing and Compensation from Case?
Call: (801) 948-9670
Text: (801) 683-5359
When a claim settles, our fee is 1/3 of the settlement value.
For cases that are filed in the court, or litigated, our fee increases to 40% of any money awarded.
Our fees are standard in the Utah personal injury marketplace.
Areas We Serve in Utah
Davis County
Salt Lake County
Sanpete County
Utah County
Johnson | Livingston, LLC
Personal Injury & Trial Attorneys
195 South Orem Blvd, Suite 1
Orem, UT 84058
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Disclaimer: This website and its contents are intended for informational purposes only and do not intend to provide or replace medical or legal advice.