Let’s Hope You Never Need a Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Our team of bicycle accident lawyers at Arizona Law Group has years of experience helping victims with personal injury cases, including achieving maximum bicycle accident payout settlements to assist with your medical expenses or loss of income difficulties.
With the gorgeous expansive views of Arizona, it’s only natural that so many people would be drawn to bike riding.
Riding a bicycle is not only a fantastic way to take in the warm weather and scenic views Arizona has to offer but it is also an efficient and environmentally sound mode of transportation.
However, it does leave the rider in a vulnerable position on the roads that they travel, and at a greater risk of injury or even wrongful death than normal.
If you or someone you love has been injured while riding a bicycle, contact us today to speak with one of our experienced Phoenix bicycle accident attorneys at 602-548-3400.
Phoenix Bicycle Accident Attorneys Answer the Most FAQs
- How Common Are Bicycle Accidents in Phoenix?
- How Do Most Bicycle Accidents Happen?
- What Time of Day Do Most Bike Accidents Occur?
- What Should You Do After Being Involved in a Bicycle Accident?
- What are Common Injuries Resulting from Bike Accidents?
- What is the Average Compensation in a Bicycle Accident Lawsuit?
- Contact Our Top Arizona Bicycle Accident Lawyers Near You
With such great weather most of the year in the Phoenix area, there are lots of bicycles on the road. Unfortunately, this also means that bike riders can occasionally encounter traffic accidents with motor vehicles.
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions our bicycle accident lawyers hear when speaking with bike accident victims.
How Common Are Bicycle Accidents in Phoenix?
Bicycle – or pedalcyclist, as the State of Arizona classifies them – accidents are actually quite common in Phoenix, and throughout the United States. With the booming popularity of e-bikes since the pandemic, and with more people on the road, we can only expect these numbers to increase.
According to the Arizona DOT, there were 830 bicycle accidents, resulting in 812 injuries, with 33 fatalities in the state of Arizona in 2020. That’s about a 3.98% fatality rate.
Motorists have a responsibility to be observant while operating their vehicles and to share the road with pedestrians and bicyclists alike.
If you have sustained an injury while riding your bike due to the negligence of another individual, reach out to our experienced bicycle accident attorneys to discuss your chances for securing compensation.
How Do Most Bicycle Accidents Happen?
As with anything in life, there are ways to reduce the risk of collision and the possibility of your being injured while riding your bike. A serious bicycle accident can leave the rider with permanent disabilities and the need to seek compensation to cover the medical expenses for those injuries.
Understanding the largest potential for injury can help cyclists avoid these situations when possible and allow them to use extra caution while operating their bicycles, and thus avoid having to contact a bicycle accident attorney in the first place.
The NHTSA reports that 79% of cyclists that were killed using their bikes were in heavily populated urban areas. Common bicycle accident involving motorists include:
- Sideswiping cyclists
- Distracted driving
- Left-hand turns of motorists into a bicyclists oncoming path
- Opening car doors into cyclists paths
- Neglecting to see cyclists while driving in parking lots
- Failing to obey bicycle lane allowances
Our Phoenix bike accident attorneys have found that the majority of collisions between vehicles & bicycles are caused by these occurrences. Oftentimes motorists pay attention to other vehicles on the road but fail to keep an eye out for the most vulnerable people on the street, cyclists, and pedestrians.
What Time of Day Do Most Bike Accidents Occur?
Of these types of accidents, the most common time of day for an accident to occur falls between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm when people are rushing to get home after a busy workday and are more likely to be distracted.
Men are 8 times more likely to be killed while riding their bikes than females and of all bicycle accident-related deaths 37% involved alcohol as a contributing factor to the accident.
Being aware of the most dangerous times of day, or conditions that are likely to lead to an injury can help riders exercise better caution while operating their bicycles. Other steps cyclists can take to make sure they reduce their chance of ending up in a bicycle accident with a motorist include:
- Always wearing a helmet
- Wearing reflective clothing
- Refraining from listening to music while on your bike to be able to hear potential dangers
- Take a minute before getting on your bicycle to check for loose shoelaces, backpack straps, or other possible impediments that could get caught in the wheels
It is also helpful to know your route and be aware of potential areas where motorists could have reduced the visibility of cyclists.
What Should You Do After Being Involved in a Bicycle Accident?
A bicycle accident can happen in the blink of an eye.
Because there is little protection while operating a bicycle the injuries from these types of accidents can be devastating and have long-term effects. If you have been involved in a bicycle accident it is important to take the following steps even if it feels like a minor accident, as injuries can take some time to make themselves obvious.
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Seek Medical Attention
After any type of motor accident, things can be chaotic, especially if the accident has occurred in a busy city intersection. Where a bicyclist is involved it is important to make sure that they are moved to safety if possible and that the proper authorities are quickly notified so that they can help with traffic control and make sure that any injured parties get the medical attention they need.
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Get Information From Involved Parties
It is imperative that you get the name, address, license plate number, and insurance information of the motorist(s) involved in the bicycle accident. All of these will be required from you when filling out a police report. If you are not able to do so due to injury try to get a bystander to assist you with this task.
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Take Note Of Your Surroundings
Again if you are able to, depending on your level of injury, try to take note of the specific details surrounding your collision and accident. What time of day is it? How is the weather? What are the road conditions like? The amount of traffic? The names of any witnesses. Anything that feels like it could be used at a later time as helpful information in the event you need to seek out compensation for injuries sustained during the accident.
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File a Police Report
A police report is a useful instrument in any bicycle accident case as it gives a detailed account of the accident from a law enforcement officer’s perspective. Motorists are very commonly at fault when it comes to bicycle accident cases and a police report helps to convey the mistakes that the person driving has made which have led to the accident.
What are Common Injuries Resulting from Bike Accidents?
You might think that most injuries resulting from an accident between a motor vehicle and a bicycle would be immediately visibly evident. But that’s not the case.
Injuries you might suffer as the result of a bicycle accident might not be so noticeable right away, it could take some time for symptoms related to the injuries to be felt or appear. Bicycles can be repaired or replaced after an accident, human beings often suffer long-term injuries that potentially worsen over time.
Bicycle accident injuries can range from acute trauma to severe trauma, these are some of the most common injuries our Phoenix bicycle accident lawyers notice:
- Head Injuries: Skull fractures, concussions, & other traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Facial Injuries: Fractures, eye injuries, & dental injuries
- Musculoskeletal: Broken bones, fractures, dislocations, & muscle strains
- Chest: Rib fractures, parenchymal lung injury
- Abdomen: Ruptured spleen, hepatic laceration, renal contusion, pancreatic trauma, vascular perforation, bowel contusion, rupture, & traumatic hernia
- Genitourinary: Urethral and vulva trauma, rectal trauma, pelvic fractures
- Skin & Soft Tissue Injuries: Abrasions (“road rash”), cuts, scrapes, & bruises
While this is not a complete list of the most common bicycle injuries here in Phoenix, these are some of the most common our bike accident lawyers hear from victims. Both motorists and cyclists need to be more aware of the rules of the road when driving a motor vehicle or when riding a bicycle.
What is the Average Compensation for Injuries Resulting from a Bike Accident?
If you are injured in a bike accident in Phoenix, you might need to see compensation to treat injuries, recover lost wages, or deal with any ongoing medical issues. If your spouse or someone you love was killed in a bicycle accident, you might need to seek compensation for the loss of life, support, and quality of life that their absence has inflicted upon you.
Only an experienced bicycle accident attorney can help you in these critical times by standing up for your rights and maximizing your compensation.
Understanding the complicated dimensions of negligence and serious injuries that surround bicycle accident injuries is important, but there are many other factors to consider before applying any average compensation amount.
With bicycle accident injuries being such a wide range, from traumatic brain injury & wrongful death to road rash, there is simply no way to calculate an average amount, as every single case presents different qualifying factors.
We concentrate on being above-average and have the track record of bicycle accident settlements to prove it.
We invite you to speak with one of our compassionate, experienced Phoenix bicycle accident attorneys to discuss the particular facts of your personal injury claim and forecast your chances at future compensation.
Contact Top Arizona Bicycle Accident Lawyers Near You
Cycling is a great pleasure in life to enjoy and when that has been taken away from a person due to an injury caused by someone else’s negligence it is a shame.
At Arizona Law Group, our experienced team of bicycle accident lawyers is able to conduct a thorough investigation, gathering all of the necessary details to put together a conclusive argument about our client’s need for compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of income, and other extenuating costs that arise.
We will fight to get you a bicycle accident settlement that works for you and helps you carry on with your life.
With multiple office locations throughout the Phoenix area of Arizona including Mesa, Chandler, and Scottsdale, we are here to help you. Contact us today at 602-548-3400.