Were you injured in a bicycle accident in Melbourne, Florida? If someone else’s negligence was responsible for your injuries, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The experienced Melbourne bicycle accident lawyers at Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law can fight for your deserved fair compensation. Call us at (321) 334-3929 today.
Over the last four years, our dedicated attorneys have recovered tens of millions of dollars of compensation for our deserving clients who have been involved in car accidents, pedestrian accidents, Melbourne brain injuries, slip and fall accidents, or truck accidents. These results have allowed countless accident victims to reclaim their lives after they were derailed by someone else’s negligence.
Our Melbourne bicycle accident attorneys have over 75 years of combined experience and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. Contact our law office today for a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help.
How Our Melbourne Bicycle Accident Lawyers Can Help You
You should not have to pay for the consequences when you are injured because of someone else’s carelessness. You may have suffered significant medical bills, physical injuries, and psychological trauma after a devastating injury. The Melbourne bicycle accident lawyers at Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law can be your trusted legal advocates during this challenging time.
Our Melbourne personal injury lawyers stand up to insurance companies and liable parties every day.
Let us help with your legal claim by:
- Investigating the accident and identifying all at-fault parties
- Gathering evidence to prove fault, including accident reports, accident scene photos and videos, witness statements, and medical records
- Compiling information about the full extent of your damages
- Protecting you from deceptive tactics by insurance companies, including unfounded allegations of fault
- Handling communication with insurance companies and third parties on your behalf
- Negotiation for fair compensation
- Advising you whether pursuing your legal claim in court is the best course of action
Learn more about your legal rights and options during a free case review. Call us today to get started.
How Common Are Bicycle Accidents?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 45,100 bicyclists are injured every year, and about 800 die. Per capita, Florida leads the nation in bicyclist deaths. About 18 people are in a bicycle crash every day.
Who Is Responsible for My Melbourne Bike Accident?
For most intents and purposes, bicycles are treated like motor vehicles. Various parties who share the road with bicyclists may be responsible for bike accidents, including:
- Other bicyclists
- Motorists
- Motorcyclists
- Truck drivers or companies
- Bus drivers or companies
- Mass transit companies
- Rideshare drivers
- Pedestrians
Parties responsible for designing or maintaining the roadways, including government agencies and property owners, can also be responsible for these injuries. Manufacturers can be held responsible when their defective products contribute to accidents.
An experienced attorney can review your accident to determine who is responsible and what factors contributed to it.
Common Causes of Bike Accidents
Driver negligence is a leading cause of bicycle accidents, especially when motorists fail to respect bicyclists’ right to share the road. Negligent motorists may cause bicycle accidents by:
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Switching lanes without checking blind spots
- Turning in front of bicyclists who have the right-of-way
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Unsafely passing bicyclists
- Driving in bike lanes
Bicyclists are also prone to accidents due to poor road design or maintenance. They may suffer injuries because of:
- Debris on the roadway
- Potholes
- Uneven road surfaces
- Inadequate bicycle infrastructure
- Dangerous road design
- Obstructed views
- Inadequate lighting
Bicycle defects can also cause accidents.
Because there are so many different potential causes of bicycle accidents, it’s crucial to work with an experienced lawyer who can determine how the accident happened and who is responsible for it.
What If I’m Being Blamed for the Accident?
After a bike accident, it’s common for the injured bicyclist to be immediately taken to the emergency room for treatment of serious injuries. In many cases, this leaves only one party behind to give their story to the police: the negligent motorist. Motorists are reluctant to admit their wrongdoing, and they might try to blame the bicyclist for the accident while they’re not there to defend themselves.
An experienced bike accident lawyer can protect you from unfounded accusations of fault by gathering strong evidence to show the motorist was at fault. Even if you were partially at fault for the accident, Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule allows you to pursue compensation for your accident injuries as long as you are not more than 50% at fault for the accident. But because your damages can be reduced by your degree of fault, it’s still in your best interest to work with a lawyer who will try to minimize the fault attributed to you.
We Fight to Secure Compensation for All Your Bike Accident Injuries
Bicyclists are more likely to sustain severe injuries because they lack the protection afforded in motor vehicles. Our law firm regularly works with personal injury victims who have suffered injuries such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
- Neck and back injuries
- Broken bones
- Road rash
- Amputations
- Crushing injuries
Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law will work hard to secure compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and chronic pain and suffering.
What Is My Bicycle Accident Claim Worth?
Every bike accident claim is different, so there’s no average settlement amount you can expect. The value of your claim will depend on various factors, including the type of injuries you sustain and their severity. The more severe your injury, the more your claim might be worth.
Additional factors that can affect your personal injury claim value include:
- Whether your injuries are permanent in nature
- Whether you are able to return to work
- How your injury affects your daily life
- Whether you contributed to the accident
- The insurance coverage available
You can speak with a qualified bicycle accident lawyer to get a better sense of your claim’s potential value.
What Financial Compensation Can I Recover After a Motorcycle Accident?
Florida accident victims may be able to recover financial compensation to recognize the economic and non-economic damages they suffered because of the accident.
Economic damages offset financial costs attributable to the accident, including:
- Medical expenses, including emergency treatment, ambulance rides, hospital stays, surgeries, diagnostic tests, and medicine
- Rehabilitation and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Used employment benefits
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
Non-economic damages are losses someone suffers that do not have a direct financial cost associated with them, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Lost quality of life
- Loss of consortium
An experienced personal injury attorney can identify the damages you may be entitled to.
How to Prove a Bike Accident Claim
Most bicycle accident claims are based on the legal concept of negligence.
To establish negligence, you must show the following legal elements:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care.
- The defendant breached the duty of care.
- The breach of duty caused the bike accident.
- You suffered damages in the bike accident.
An experienced attorney can gather valuable evidence to establish these elements, including:
- Traffic laws that demonstrate the rules motorists were supposed to follow at the time of the accident
- Accident reports that include the motorist’s statements, which may be contradicted by the evidence
- Your personal narrative and journal entries regarding how the accident has affected your life
- Statements from objective witnesses who observed the accident
- Bicycle and auto parts that can indicate the point of impact
- Video footage from traffic cameras, dash cams, helmet cams, or nearby surveillance cameras
- Photos from the accident scene shot by you, witnesses, or law enforcement
- Event data recorders
- Business and employment records
- Medical records that link the injuries and the accident
- Employment records that show you pre- and post-accident wages
- Reports from medical and economic experts
- Visual demonstrations from accident reconstruction experts
Let us show how we can help with your claim by calling today for your free case review.
What Is the Statute of Limitations to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Florida?
Each state has different timelines by which injured parties must file personal injury lawsuits to preserve their rights, known as the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit in Florida is two years. If you don’t file a lawsuit within the second anniversary of your accident, you can lose your chance to recover compensation from the court.
Contact a Melbourne Bicycle Accident Lawyer for a Free Case Evaluation
If you were injured in a bicycle accident in Melbourne, FL, reach out to Norden Leacox Accident & Injury Law for a free legal consultation. We can discuss your legal rights and options during a free, no-obligation case review.
You could be entitled to significant compensation, and our Melbourne bicycle accident lawyers can help fight for it. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee, so we don’t get paid until we recover compensation for you. Call us today for your free consultation.