Virginia Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Virginia Bicycle Accident Lawyers 

Getting on your bicycle should be a good experience. It is a refreshing way to enjoy the outdoors, get where you need to go all while getting some exercise. However, when drivers on the road are careless, your bike ride could turn into a terrible experience.

If you are reading this page today, you have likely been seriously hurt in a bicycle accident. We are very sorry if you are going through this. You may be in a lot of pain. Perhaps you are missing work.

You can suffer a great deal of loss because of these accidents. You deserve justice for your damages.

If you are in this position, let our Virginia bicycle accident lawyers guide you to justice.

You are entitled to full compensation from the liable party’s insurance company.

Do not hesitate to reach out to our office today to set up your free first consultation.

The following section details the things you need to know if you do not want to make a mistake that could cost you the success of your case.

From there, you will hear a story about one of our former clients who went through a bicycle accident claim like you. Read their entire story. You can take away a lot from it.

Again, be sure to read all the way to the end to learn about how bicycle accident claims work.

Bicycle Accident Claim Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some things you will want to avoid after you’ve been involved in a bicycle accident.

Waiting to See a Doctor

When you are seriously hurt in an accident, you are likely to experience an intense amount of adrenaline immediately following the accident. Adrenaline can mask your pain quite a bit. We urge anyone who has been in a bicycle accident to see a doctor as soon as possible regardless if they feel alright immediately after the accident.

Whether you go to the emergency room or an urgent care, get there right away.

Not only are you ensuring you are on the path to recovery, you are ensuring that your claim is protected.

Waiting to see a doctor will trigger the insurance company to question your claim. They might try to say you lied about how badly you were hurt. They could also say your injuries came from something else that did not involve their insured party.

Do not give them this opportunity.

See a doctor right away.

Not Listening to Your Doctor

The doctor wants you to get better as soon as possible. That often means they will tell you to follow up with them. You may also receive limitations from them.

It is important that you listen to everything they tell you to do and not do.

Not only will you aide in your speedy recovery, but you are also going to ensure that the insurance company does not have the upper hand.

If you ignore your doctor, the insurance company will be quick to say that you lied about how badly you were hurt. This would mean they could justify offering you less money in your compensation award.

We do not want the insurance company to have any leverage over you. Listen to your doctor.

Giving the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement

If you are receiving calls from the liable party’s insurance company, it is important that you do not speak to them.

There are a few reasons why you should never talk to them.

First, you cannot trust them to do right by you. They are primarily aiming to save money on your case.

You are also not legally obligated to speak to them regarding your accident. Nothing in the law says you have to give a recorded statement to the insurance company.

Something you should also consider is that the insurance representatives go through specific training to learn how to get the most out of people who have been injured by their insured.

If you were to talk to them, they would use their training to get you to say something that would hurt your case.

We understand that they might seem friendly. Their helpful demeanor should not distract you from the fact that they are only looking out for themselves.

They do not want to have to give you your compensation in the fullest possible amount if it means they do not make a profit.

You are within your right to hang up the phone when they call looking for a statement from you.

Let your lawyers handle communication with the insurance company so your rights are always protected.

Waiting Too Long to Hire a Lawyer

A few different things can go wrong if you wait to hire a lawyer.

Even if you wait a short period of time, you can damage your claim. So much can go wrong for you in a short period of time. Your evidence can disappear and witnesses can forget key details of your case.

Get to a lawyer right away.

In Virginia, from the date of your accident, you are allowed two years to file your claim. If you try to file your claim past this deadline, you are going to be barred from receiving justice. We don’t want to see you miss your one opportunity.

Hiring the Wrong Person to Represent You

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is hiring the wrong person to represent you.

When you are selecting a lawyer to take on your case, you need to do so wisely. There is only this one chance to get the best possible result. You need to make sure that your lawyer is up to the challenge.

Make sure whoever you choose to represent you has handled bicycle accident cases before. They should be able to tell you about a long list of people they have successfully helped in the past. Be sure they have a record to prove they have found success in handling these types of cases.

Something else you need to consider is that not every lawyer will be able to take on a bicycle accident case successfully.

If you were thinking about hiring a lawyer you already know, think about what they specialize in. Perhaps choosing a lawyer who handles divorce would not be the smartest choice if they do not regularly handle personal injury cases.

Think of it like this. If you were looking for someone to do some work on your house, you are not going to call electricians to handle your plumbing problem. Just because they both work on homes, does not mean they can do each others’ jobs.

Just because someone is an excellent family law attorney does not make them an excellent personal injury lawyer.

Choose someone you know has the experience needed.

Insurance companies are aware of which lawyers are trial lawyers. When you hire a trial lawyer to handle your case, the insurance company is far more likely to come to the table with a fair offer. This can help your case resolve sooner.

The insurance companies do not want to end up having to go to trial. If they are up against a trial lawyer, they are far more willing to cooperate because they know that if they do not, it is going to end up in front of a judge and jury.

Virginia Bicycle Accident Client Story

Disclaimer: We have changed the names and some details to protect our client’s identity.

When Adam was 17, he and his friends were planning to ride their bikes from the pool they worked at as lifeguards to a party about 20 miles away.

It was a nice day for the season. It rained for about an hour during Adam’s shift, so he got to spend some extra time during break talking to his friends about the upcoming party.

They wanted to stop by a gas station to get some snacks so they did not show up empty handed to the party. It was going to be a bonfire, so they hoped to find some stuff to make s’mores.

After the pool closed for the day, Adam put away his lifeguard clothes in his locker and changed into his clothes for the party. He was nervous to ride all the way out into a rural area when it was getting dark, but he did not want to chicken out. He was excited for the party after all.

The sun was starting to set when Adam grabbed his bicycle from the locker rooms. On his helmet went with a click. He was the only one of his friend’s who still wore one.

He double checked to make sure his reflectors were still on his bike.

They were.

They made a quick stop at the closest gas station. Adam stayed with the bikes while two of his friends went into the store.

By this time, the sun had mostly gone behind the tallest of buildings. They were still a way’s away from the party so Adam knew he had to be extra cautious.

He was a nervous kid who never really took risks. Going out this late was a big enough risk for him, but he was with a big group so he felt like it was going to be okay.

He double checked to make sure his reflectors were still there.

They still were.

Soon enough, they were back on their bikes headed towards the party.

The ride was smoother than he anticipated until one of his friends yelled, “Car!”

He hugged close to the curb and gripped his handle bars tightly.

Then in a blur he felt something hit him.

He went flying.

Someone on the road was not paying attention and collided with Adam.

He suffered critical injuries.

When we met with him for his free consultation, he and his parents had some questions for us.

If you were also involved in a bicycle accident in Virginia, you may have some of the same questions you would like answers for. The following section are the answers Adam learned from us during his first consultation.

Are the lawyer fees expensive?

Adam was concerned that his parents were going to go bankrupt trying to help him through this terrible event.

He didn’t even want to know how much the bill was for the ambulance and emergency room visit.

He was concerned when he came to meet with us that he would have to give up all of his savings to help pay for our representation.

Adam asked us, “Are the lawyer fees expensive?”

We were happy to assure him that we never ask for any money upfront. In fact, this meeting we were at was going to be free as well.

He looked deeply relieved.

We further explained to him that we work on a contingency fee basis which meant we would only get paid when we won his case. He did not need to worry about emptying his bank account to have our representation. His parents also did not need to worry about being able to afford having a lawyer fight for their son’s justice.

“How is this possible?” Adam asked.

We let him know that, when we win a case, there is a compensation award. Most of that goes to the client, but a small portion of it goes to the law firm to cover the costs of the case and the lawyer’s fees.

When will the case resolve?

One of the most common questions we get from people is about when we will expect to know that we won the case. Adam asked us when the case would be over.

It is based on a few different things.

First, we needed to know how long it would take Adam to get to maximum medical improvement. That was going to tell us that he was done receiving treatment. It also indicated that he was done paying for medical care.

Next, we needed to consider how cooperative the insurance company would be during this time.

When insurance companies are dealing with trial lawyers, they are far more likely to be cooperative because they would very much like to avoid having to go to trial. That means that case was likely to move along quicker than had he not retained a trial lawyer.

We wanted Adam to know that, more than anything, if we rushed into a settlement with the insurance company, he was likely to receive a result that was less than what he deserved.

“Yeah, I don’t want that,” he agreed.

What will my compensation award be?

Again, Adam was someone who worried a lot. Probably more than he needed to at his age. He was very concerned about paying back his parents. He knew that they whispered about budgets and loans when he pretended to be asleep on the couch.

When he asked us how much compensation he would receive, he threw a side glance at his parents.

We explained to him that the compensation award was designed to cover all of the damages suffered because of this accident.

Those damages included all of the money spent to get him better. Every financial loss was going to be documented. Even the bicycle that was ruined would be considered in the economic loss that they suffered.

Also included in the compensation award would be the non-economic losses Adam faced.

Because of this accident, he was out of work, but he was also limited. He missed the party with his friends. He was not going to be able to hang out with them like he used to. He didn’t know when he would get back on a bicycle again. He was too afraid to think about it.

At such a young age, with so much to look forward to, losing a summer like this was a big blow. There are so few summers you get to be free as a young person.

His injuries took a major toll on his mental health.

We needed to make sure that the results we won for him were as full as they could possibly be.

We hope you learned about how a bicycle accident claim works from Adam’s story.

We are proud to say that once Adam reached full recovery, we fought tirelessly against the insurance company to award him with a full result.

Call Our Virginia Bicycle Accident Lawyers Right Away

If you have been seriously hurt in a bicycle accident, we hope that you reach out to our office right away. You deserve justice for all of the suffering you have been through. Our lawyers will be there to fight by your side every step of the way. Please call our Virginia bicycle accident lawyers today to set up your free first consultation.